Synopses & Reviews
THE DEAD begins one year
before the action in THE ENEMY, just after the Disaster. A terrible disease has struck everyone sixteen and over, leaving them either dead or a decomposing, flesh-eating creature. The action starts in a boarding school just outside London, where all the teachers have turned into sickos. A few kids survive and travel by bus into the city. The bus driver, an adult named Greg, seems to be unaffected by the disease. Then he begins to show the dreaded signs: outer blisters and inner madness. The kids escape Greg and end up at the Imperial War Museum. A huge fire in South London drives them all to the Thames, and eventually over the river to the Tower of London. It is there they will meet up with the kids in THE ENEMY in Book 3, THE FEAR.
Review
PRAISE FOR THE ENEMY "The Enemy grabs you by the throat . . . and bites off your ear. It's kids versus zombies and no one is playing nice. The action--and boy, is there action--takes us through a London transformed by the unexplained illness that has turned every adult into a shuffling, drooling, kid-crunching machine. Bonus: zombie royals. Sheer fun."--Michael Grant, author of the Gone series
Review
PRAISE FOR THE FEAR "The third book in Higson's terrifying zombie series will continue to enthrall horror fans."--VOYA
Review
PRAISE FOR THE DEAD ". . . Higson delivers an action-packed summer read."--Kirkus
Review
PRAISE FOR THE ENEMY "...the action is of the first order-Higson writes with a firestorm velocity that inspires to the sweeping reach of Stephen King's The Stand."--ALA Booklist
Synopsis
Higson's terrifying, utterly compelling prequel to The Enemy introduces an all-new cast of characters and sets the stage for a dramatic third book in the series. The disease only affects people sixteen or older. It starts with the symptoms of a cold. Then the skin begins to itch, and spots appear--spots that soon turn into pus-filled boils. But the worst part is the headache, the inner voices that tell you that you need to eat them... the young ones.
When the Disaster strikes, the world turns upside down for Ed, Jack, Bam, and the other students at Rowhurst School. The parents and older siblings they left back at home are dead--or worse. Once the teachers go on the attack, the kids know it's time to escape and make their way to the city. It's got to be better in London...or will it be worse?
About the Author
Charlie Higson is an acclaimed comedy writer, producer, actor, and genuine James Bond aficionado. He is the author of the adult thrillers
Full Whack and
King of the Ants; the internationally best-selling Young Bond series:
SilverFin, Blood Fever, Double or Die, Hurricane Gold, and
By Royal Command; and four books in the Enemy series.
Charlie is a fan of zombie movies and believes that we shouldn't try to prevent young people from experiencing fear, because it helps prepare them for later life. When writing
The Enemy, he kept rachetting up the action and description in an attempt
to frighten the pants off his ten-year-old son. He lives in London. Follow him on Twitter at:
twitter.com/monstroso.