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The Enemy (novel)
The Enemy
Author Charlie Higson
Publication date September 3rd, 2009 (United Kingdom, Australia)

May 11th, 2010 (United States)

Published by Penguin House Books (United Kingdom, Australia)

Disney-Hyperion (United States)

Publication Order
Preceded by
N/A
Followed by
The Dead

"They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you..."

-- the book's promotional tagline [1]

The Enemy is the first book in the Enemy series and the first installment overall. It is written by Charlie Higson, and published by Puffin Books and Disney-Hyperion. The book was officially released in by Puffin Books in Australia and the UK on September 3rd, 2009. Disney-Hyperion released the book in the United States on May 11th, 2010.

The book takes place in an alternate universe in London, England, where a mysterious disease has infected every adult on Earth and turned them into something akin to voracious, cannibalistic zombies. With only children under fourteen years old remaining uninfected, the survivors must band together to fight against the threat of the adults and the threats presented by other groups of survivors.

Despite being the first book in the series, the events of The Enemy take place just over a year after the events of The Dead, which describes what happened nearly immediately after the outbreak begins.

Plot

One year ago, a mystery disease turned anyone over the ages of fourteen and fifteen into voracious zombie-like creatures, and the surviving children have formed a number of groups to better survive and combat the threat. In Holloway, London, a group in a local Waitrose supermarket have begun to grow increasingly frustrated as children are kidnapped and killed by adults, who appear to be becoming smarter.

At a settlement in a Waitrose in Holloway, a boy named Small Sam is kidnapped by a group of grown-ups while playing in the car park with other little kids, despite being prohibited from playing outside without a guard. Maxie, the second-in-command of the Waitrose, attempts to mount a rescue with Josh, Callum, and some other kids, but are too late. Maxie reflects on the kids she had previously lost -- Big Sam, Johnno, Eve and Mohammed, among numerous others -- and begins to cry. Josh tries to comfort her by telling her that they will talk about it and make a plan after their leader Arran comes back.[2]

Meanwhile, Arran is leading a scavenger party consisting of AchilleusFreakDeke and Ollie in search of food to bring back to the Waitrose. While they are distracted by the busted body of a grown-up, they are attacked by a pack of dogs. Ollie takes out the leader of the pack with a slingshot, and Achilleus kills a pouncing Alsatian with his spear while Ollie shoots another dog, breaking its leg before they run away. Freak mentions a vending machine at the swimming pool, and suggests that the group go and see if there is any food left there. The group then go into the swimming pool, and and are attacked by a group of grown-ups that had set a trap for them. Deke is mortally wounded after being smashed into a vending machine, and Arran is bitten in the neck by an infected woman, whom he believes to be his mother. The group runs for the exit, and a group of adults grab Deke and pull him back towards the swimming pool. Freak goes to save him, but his will to survive is greater than his friendship and he runs away along with the others.

On their way back to Waitrose, the group find another group of kids from Morrisons with their leader Blue, a muscular black kid. The two groups have a brief discussion before going their separate ways. Upon arriving at Waitrose, the scavengers find out about Small Sam, and they reveal Deke's death. Achilleus blames Freak for Deke's death and tells him that his blood is in his hands. Maxie shows concern for Arran and his wound, trying to mask her feelings for him. Suddenly, the look-outs shout that there is a group of adults attacking a boy wearing a patchwork coat. Arran sets up a team to go rescue the boy and deal with the grown-ups. As they are fighting the grown-ups, Blue and his squad help to kill the grown-ups, and Blue sends some of his team to get the rest of the Morrisons crew so they can find out who the boy is. After introducing himself as Jester, the boy claims that he has been sent from Buckingham Palace, along with a few other kids who had died on the journey there. He had been in the process of looking for other kids to send back to the palace and, after witnessing them in action, asks the crews to come with him to the palace. He then shows them photos of him and his friends living happily in the palace, with farmland, grass, trees, food, and ball games. Due to the growing shortage of food and the increasing threat of grown-ups, the Morrisons and the Waitrose crews agree to link up together to head to Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile, Small Sam is stuck in a sack at the Arsenal stadium, caught by the grown ups. He manages to escape from the sack and attempts to sneak out of the room, which turns out to be the stadium boxes. As he explores his surroundings, he sees a adult wearing a Saint George vest standing in the middle of the football pitch. Sam gets the feeling that the adult is watching him, and decides to get out of there as fast as possible. As he tries to leave, he is grabbed by a sleeping mother. He carefully maneuvers himself away from her and manages to steal a pin which he uses as a weapon. As he is running down the stairs another grown up catches him and the others from the box catch up with him. Sam uses a lighter to burn the adult holding him and escapes as the Arsenal goes up in flames. After running for most of the night to find a place to hide, he decides to rest in the roof of a building.[3]

The following morning, Callum delays the leaving of the Holloway kids as he is afraid to leave the Waitrise. Arran tries to reason with him, but in the end is unsuccessful and they have to leave without him.[4] Josh (who had been given the job of checking to make sure if everyone in the group was present) feels bad about crossing Callum's name of the list as they had been good friends. Meanwhile, Small Sam wakes around the same time as the others and leaves his hiding place in the roof carefully, and finds a bike laying around. He decides to use it to get home to Waitrose, and is spotted and chased by grown-ups as he rides.

The Holloway kids are walking along, whilst getting to know each other. It appears they all have a equal on either side, Arran and Blue (the leaders of the Waitrose and the Holloway crew respectively), Maxie and Whitney (both second-in-command), Achilleus and Big Mick (the best fighters), Josh and Lewis (the second best fighters in charge of watching the right and left flank respectively), and so forth. Along the way, Arran begins to get dizzy and starts hallucinating from the now-infected wound on his neck. Everyone decides to stop to rest, with Maxie trying to make sure Arran is okay. As the Holloway crew wait around, Josh harps on Lewis for not appearing more alert -- and Lewis almost immediately hears a disturbance from up the street. Everyone immediately goes into battle formation as they spot a small army led by a fat, bald grown-up.

Meanwhile, Small Sam has reached Waitrose while being chased by grown-ups, but is unable to get Callum to open the gate and door for him. Noticing that they haven't been closed properly, Small Sam manages to climb through the gap and into the Waitrose shopping centre itself. Callum is unfazed by Sam's arrival and realization that the group is gone, but tells him that they didn't leave too long ago and he'd be able to catch up. He gives Small Sam a pump and repair kit for the bike and then lets Sam leave by himself. He returns to listening to his music.

Arran is fighting a mass of grown-ups along with everyone else, while Blue drives a hot-wired BMW through the army of adults. For a brief second, Arran and Maxie look each other in the eyes and they finally notice their feelings for each other, before being pulled away in the tide of battle. Whitney is protecting the little kids from the grown-ups, whilst the fighters are battling the grown ups. The infection causes Arran to hallucinate again and he begins tearing through the adults, believing the battle to be a video game. He spots the large sicko leader, who is fleeing with his army, and chases after them, wanting revenge. As he gets close to one, an arrow shaft is embedded in him and he blacks out. A tall, thin girl named Sophie is seen crouching down next to his body, and reveals that she had shot Arran on the assumption that he was an infected grown-up. Maxie takes an instant dislike to her, but is busy mourning over Arran. While the Holloway crew is trying to decide what to do with Arran's body, Achilleus walks over and pulls out the arrow embedded in his lung. 

Small Sam rides through the roads of London, through Camden town and is eventually forced to hide in the London underground as he is being chased by adults. As he is down there, he finds more adults on the platforms and is forced to crawl past them. He then continues along the train tracks underneath London.

At the same time, Arran begins hallucinating as he is being cradled by Maxie. Believing her to be his mother, he smiles and whispers, "I love you, Mum", before dying in Maxie's arms. They then spend the next hour or so cremating Arran and the other kids who had died in the battle. Freak spray-paints the names of the kids who died on the wall, along with a final message onto the wall: "This is where Arran Harper fell. We don't know the day or the date, but we'll never forget it. He was the bravest of us all."[5]

They continue from Camden Road to Regent's Park, and make their way through the night and through the park. Along the way, Jester hints that he wants Blue to take full control of the Holloway crew, to which Blue says that that is a little cold and he isn't in charge of the Waitrose kids. As they are making their way through the park. they are attacked by strange creatures that fall from the trees.[6] The Holloway crew get split up and the small kids go running into the tall grass. Maxie runs after some of the small kids and fights of some of the strange creatures, which are revealed to be diseased chimpanzees. She then goes through the grass and finds the body of Joel, a little kid who had a puppy called Godzilla. She cries at his body and picks up Godzilla, returning to the Holloway crew.[7]

Meanwhile, Small Sam is down in the tube and wakes up in a small shaft after having hid from some grown-ups. He climbs down and continues along the tracks until some adults find him. He is then saved by an adult, who uses a sawn-off shotgun to kill the adults following Sam.[8]

The Holloway crew wake up in Portland Palace, and Maxie finds out Josh didn't make it, to which she grows even more depressed.[9] They then move out and reach Oxford Circus from there they changed the route they'd take and go through the shops looting stuff. They end up at Selfridges, where Ollie, Achilleus, Lewis, and Sophie form a scouting party to make sure it's safe.

Sam and the adult reach a train car that is done up like a house, where there is a larger woman waiting. She introduces herself as Rachel, and reveals she is married to Nick, the man who saved Sam. Nick both appear to be immune to the disease. They give Sam food and drink and let him sleep, and as he falls asleep, Rachel strokes his hair.[10]

At Selfridges, a group of adults come in contact with the Holloway crew, and Achilleus and Maxie argue after Achilleus kills an adult, as these adults appear to be harmless to them. Back at Waitrose, Callum spends his time in the crow's nest or exercising, but he still can't escape the fact that he has grown increasingly lonely.

On the last legs of the journey, the Holloway crew comes to a battle between about twenty grown-ups and five kids. The crew manages to massacre the grown-ups, but only manage to save one kid, and they leave the others behind. Upon reaching the palace, they are greeted by David King, who has crowned himself leader of the palace crew. He takes the Holloway crew on a tour of the palace, having his guards take the surviving girl to the medical bay. Later that day, they have dinner in the palace dining room, and partway through the feast Ollie leaves the table to do some "snooping".

Meanwhile, Sam wakes up in a different train car than the one he fell asleep in, chained to the wall. He meets three other children -- Jason, Claire, and Rhiannon -- who are being held prisoner in the car. They have some conversation, and Rihannon reveals that Rachel and Nick are cannibals and plan on eating them.

Blue, Maxie, Achilleus, Ollie, Lewis and Whitney are kept waiting in a room for David to show up. When he and Jester get arrive, they explain how they want to use St. James's Park for farming ground, but can't as another group of kids called The Squatters have made camp there and refuse to move or help. David wants the Holloway crew to go in as a army and scare or fight The Squatters out.[11]

Sam wakes from sleeping in the carriage and sees a face floating in the window. It is dirty and appears to have no nose or mouth. Though Sam is scared of what he saw, he tells Rhiannon it was nothing.[12]

The Holloway crew leaders argue over whether they should or shouldn't agree to fighting the Squatters. In the end, Blue decides they should go over and see what The Squatters have got to say for themselves, and if they don't like it than they shall go.

Back at Waitrose, Callum is running round the track he has made for himself. He is sad and lonely, but continues to remain in Waitrose as the supermarket has become surrounded by adults. He gets scared as the large adult wearing a Saint George shirt, seeming to be the leader.

Freak bids farewell to the Holloway fighters as they march to St. James's Park. On the way to the park, Blue finds out from Jester that the leader of The Squatters is called Just John and his second-in-command is a pirate looking kid called Carl. After a quick discussion, Achilleus hits Just John on the head with a club, knocking him out. After this the two different sides get ready to fight. Freak races to help after hearing the distant shouts of the battle. During the fight, Blue saves a baby from a shack which is about to fall, and goes back believing there to be a second baby, but the shack collapses before the others can warn him. Blue is pulled from the wreckage alive, but injured, and Freak makes it in time to see this and goes and helps Maxie. While attempting to help her, he is stabbed in the back by Just John who uses a three-bladed spear. Maxie, angry at Freak's death, tells them to stop fighting, to which Carl agrees. They wrap Freak in bandages and Maxie gives Carl a choice, surrender and leave or stay and die.

Back in the carriage, Sam and Rhiannon are talking when the face appears again and this time with a note: "Keep qwite i am here to help". They find that the scary face was actually a normal face of a kid who was hanging upside down. The kid breaks in and helps them escape out of the carriage, but Jason and Claire stay behind. When they ask his name, he says he just called The Kid. Nick catches them trying to escape, and they make a run for it. After a few run-ins; the trio is just about to escape when Nick shoots Rhiannon. Sam still wants to save her, but she tells him to go with The Kid as she will only slow him down. Sam goes with The Kid and they make it out onto the road. Nick follows them up and is about to stab Sam when he starts to inflate, growing massive boils on his skin and beginning to shrivel in the sunlight. He dies very quickly and Sam almost feels sorry for him. He then flees with The Kid as more grown-ups are coming.

Carl and ten Squatters go to the throne room of the palace, where they and the Holloway crew's leaders are shown the diseased royal family sitting on the throne. David says they are essentially useless, but are there for show to give the kids hope. They then get to the matter of Just John, and after a quick discussion, decide that Achilleus will fight Just John, and whoever wins gets to rule St. James Park. Before the fight between him and Just John, Achilleus is in the kitchen eating spaghetti enjoying some time to himself; and Jester comes down and gives him a shield. Achilleus asks why Jester wears the patchwork coat, Jester replies that he adds a patch to the coat for every kid he knew that died. Achilleus asks if he'll add another patch that night, and Jester says he hopes it won't be his.

As the fight is about to begin, Sophie approaches Maxie and informs her that she and her crew are leaving, as they don't like David and Maxie doesn't like them. Before she can stop Sophie, Achilleus walks out into the square ring. Just John and Achilleus get ready to fight and go through quick pep talks with their mates. Before David can count down they are already charging at each other. The fight is long and both Achilleus and Just John are badly injured from it. After faking a serious injury, Achilleus manages to pin Just John down. He goes to kill Just John but changes his mind and instead embarrasses him by giving him a kiss on the lips. Achilleus stands up and shouts to David to never forget what he did for him that day, before fainting from blood loss.

Maxie argues with David after the battle, angry that Freak is dead and Achilleus was nearly killed, to which David says he thought they were all on the same team. Maxie replies by saying she is not sure if she wants to be on the same side any more. Meanwhile, Achilleus is being healed by Rose, the palace's lead medic, when he is interrupted by a small kid from the Squatters camp. The boy asks if he can be Achilleus's assistant, to which Achilleus agrees, naming the boy Paddy the Caddie.

In Waitrose, Callum plays ABBA while the grown-ups break in. He makes the music louder, takes a sip of flat cola and eats some of a chocolate bar. He glimpses the grown-ups charging at him, with the grown-up in the Saint George vest running at the front. Callum lays his head back and closes his eyes as they reach him.

Back in the palace, Achilleus is talking with Paddy when Maxie asks if he wants to come visit Blue with her. He says no and she gets upset and leaves. On the other side of the doors, she sees Jester, who had been listening in on their conversation. He then leads her to the medical bay, and as she is talking to Blue and Ollie they decide they might want to leave but Ollie decides against it. Before they can come to a conclusion, David shows up and informs them he's taking control of the Holloway crew and is keeping them prisoner in the medical bay.

Sam and The Kid after walking for hours until they see torches in the distance. They walk towards them and partway a boy's voice tells them to stop. They tell him they're kids like him and mean no harm, and four boys equipped with medieval armor and weapons emerge from the darkness. Two of them talk quickly, then one walks over and removes his helmet revealing a scar running down the side of his face. The boys ask if they can stay with them in the Tower of London and he says okay, saying it is as safe as anywhere and there are sixty-seven of them.

Ben and Bernie are eating in the dining room when Achilleus comes over and tells them to get everyone ready at the front of the palace. Meanwhile Maxie and Blue are talking in the medical bay. Blue reveals he used to be a nerd before it all started, and that he also fancies Maxie. They then move the subject back to their current situation and about David. A voice says that David is a liar. They turn and see the girl they had rescued, sitting there. She reveals to them that there are actually loads of settlements of kids around the place, not just David. She tells them that she came from the Natural History Museum, and that they can go with her to which they agree.

Small Sam and The Kid stand on the battlements of the Tower of London and discuss what they should do. Sam asks if The Kid would come with him to Buckingham Palace, and The Kid says yes as they are mates and are in it together to the end.

Blu-Tack Bill, a kid part of the Holloway crew, watches as something big is going on as all the leaders of the Holloway kids were preparing for something, while two guards stood out side of the medical bay one leaves to go help with some commotion going on in the palace, the other stays there bored.

Back in the room full of the Holloway crew, Whitney attacks Pod, the chief of security, and takes control getting the kids to prepare to leave. The remaining guard of the medical bay is attacked by Achilleus and Lewis, and they help Maxie, Blue and the girl escape. As they are about to go, the guard with the big nose asks if he can come too, and they let them on the condition that he doesn't try to betray them. They make it to the front and are about to leave when they are stopped by David and his guards. He threatens them, but before he can do anything, Ollie and the skirmishers fire at him and his men and the Holloway crew all manage to escape.

Back at the Waitrose, the grown-up in the Saint George vest has begun to regain his thoughts. He has the adults set the supermarket on fire and burn it to the ground, with he begins to lead his army into the centre of town. They begin to destroy the surrounding cars, and in his mind, he says that he intends to kill and devour every single child in the city.[13]

Casualties

Deaths

Name of Character Cause of Death
Big Sam Killed by grown-ups before the events of the book.
Johnno Killed by grown-ups before the events of the book.
Eve Killed by grown-ups before the events of the book.
Mohammed Killed by grown-ups before the events of the book.
Deke Suffered a punctured lung from a broken vending machine glass, and dragged away to be eaten by grown-ups.
Alfie Killed by grown-ups before the events of the book.
Arran Harper Bitten in the neck by a grown-up, and later shot in the chest with an arrow by Sophie.
Joel Killed by infected chimpanzees during the fight in Regent's Park.
Josh Killed by infected chimpanzees during the fight in Regent's Park.
Katey Killed by infected chimpanzees during the fight in Regent's Park.
Louise Killed by infected chimpanzees during the fight in Regent's Park.
Curly Sam Killed by infected chimpanzees during the fight in Regent's Park.
Mark Watkins Killed and eaten by Nick and Rachel before the events of the book.
Unnamed girl Killed and eaten by Nick and Rachel before the events of the book.
Freak Fatally stabbed by Just John with a three-bladed spear.
Claire and Jason Presumably killed and eaten by Nick and Rachel. Their deaths are not confirmed.
Rachel Rachel's death is not confirmed.
Rhiannon Fatally shot by Nick.
Nick Dragged into the sun by Sam and The Kid and killed by the rapid acceleration of the disease.
Callum Ripped apart by Saint George and his grown-ups.


Characters

Waitrose crew

  • Small Sam - A nine-year-old boy who became separated from the group and desperate to find his sister, Ella. He is also a main protagonist as the story follows what is happening to him as the main story unfolds.
  • Arran Harper (deceased) - The first leader of Waitrose and what the readers are led to believe to be the main character. He dies early in the book after being bitten by a sicko whom he believed to be his actual mother, and after being shot by an arrow from Sophie's bow. There been hints that he had feelings for Maxie, but as he died, he was unable to follow through with those feelings.
  • Maxie - One of the main characters in the book. She becomes leader of the Waitrose crew after Arran dies but has trouble staying mentally strong after his death. She becomes a good leader after Ollie privately tells her that he believes that the Waitrose kids need a leader to look up to and make hard decisions, going on to say that he believes Maxie can be perfect for this.
  • Ollie - A red haired skirmisher from the Waitrose group. Ollie is described as being sharp, quick-witted and is generally the brains of the group. A central character in the book. He said that he lost his little brother during an riot and wants to stay alive as the last member of his family. At the end of the book, it was revealed that he had turned fourteen after the Holloway kids left David.
  • Achilleus - The best and most skilled fighter in the Waitrose crew. He can be moody and sarcastic, but he is a valuable member of the group because of his fighting skills. He blames Freak for the incident at the pool that cost Deke and Arran their lives.
  • Maeve - The Waitrose medic who acts as both a nurse and a doctor after picking up bits and pieces of knowledge from her doctor parents. She is an expert in her field in the eyes of the other kids.
  • Ella - Small Sam's sister, she is constantly missing her brother.
  • Freak (deceased) - A central character and one of Maxie's closest friends in the Waitrose group. Well liked by most he struggles to get on with Achilleus due to him blaming Freak for the deaths of Arran and Deke at the pool early in the book. He dies after being stabbed by Just John as he saves Maxie.
  • Deke (deceased) - Freak's best friend who he always hung around with before the epidemic. He dies after suffering a punctured lung from a broken vending machine glass and grown-ups took him away to eat him.
  • Josh (deceased) - The second best fighter of the group after Achilleus, who claims he isn't scared of anything. He dies fighting after being cornered by a group of infected chimpanzees.
  • Callum (deceased) - A boy who is extremely Agoraphobic and refuses to leave Waitrose with the other children. He survives on his own for a while but eventually succumbs to bitter loneliness and lets the adults kill him after they break into the store.
  • Ben and Bernie - They are two emo twins who are heavily interested in engineering. They had set up the defence system around Waitrose. They had also tried to make plans for heating and such in Buckingham Palace, but are disregarded by David. They leave along with their friends near the end of the book.
  • Joel (deceased) - A little boy who carries around a puppy called Godzilla. He is killed during an attack in Regent's Park.
  • Monkey Boy – A little kid nicknamed 'Monkey Boy' for his fondness for climbing things. He, along with Ella and Blu-Tack Bill, takes over caring for Godzilla after the death of Joel.
  • Katey (deceased) – A young girl in the Waitrose group. She is killed during the attack in Regent's Park.
  • Louise (deceased) – A young girl in the Waitrose group. She is killed during the attack in Regent's Park.

Morrisons crew

  • Blue - The leader of the Morrison's crew and one of the main characters. He explained to Maxie that he was once a bookworm, and not so good at fighting and being fat. But when the disease started to affect the adults and the early kids all been killed off by the grown-ups, Blue had to learn to fight and become a very strong leader and he said to Maxie as well, that he liked her, but he hadn't mentioned anything before because of Maxie's feelings for Arran.
  • Whitney - The Morrison's second-in-command and a central character striking up a good friendship with Maxie. She is in charge of the smaller kids, and is extremely protective of them.
  • Lewis - One of the Morrison's best fighters. Despite his skinny and dozy appearance, he is a vicious fighter and quite possibly has the fastest reflexes and reaction time. He controls the left flank during the journey to Buckingham Palace and becomes a supporting character towards the end of the book, striking a friendship with Achilleus. 
  • Big Mick - The best and strongest fighter from the Morrison's crew. He is extremely large for his size, described in the book as looking like an 18 year old. Like Lewis, he also strikes a friendship with Achilleus.
  • Blu-Tack Bill - A mute boy who became selectively mute after his parents' deaths and constantly plays with Blu-Tack.

Buckingham Palace kids

  • David King - A power-mad teenager and the leader of Buckingham Palace. He intends to restore the monarchy under his personal control. He is extravagant and vain, and dresses excessively in a black suit. Jester claims he is sixteen.
  • Jester - David King's right hand man. He is the boy who contacts the Waitrose and Morrison's crew and persuades them to undertake the trek to Buckingham Palace where life is seemingly better.
  • Andy Thomas ("Big Nose") – A guard at the palace who guards the door to the infirmary where Maxie and Blue are held captive. He seems doubtful that David will manage to take over London and he would rather be a farmer than a guard. After Achilleus and Lewis free Maxie and Blue, Big Nose begs to be taken with them when they leave, as he has had enough of David and knows he will be punished if he stays. They oblige, and he is among those to escape the palace, though he is apparently not sure he made the right choice.
  • Franny – David's head farmer at the palace. She wears glasses and overalls, and seems to have feelings for David.
  • Pod – David's head of security at the palace. Described as blond and good looking. He played rugby before the infection.
  • Rose – The head doctor at the palace. She is loyal to David, but seems to feel guilty about imprisoning Maxie and Blue. According to Jester, she was originally from his group and came to the palace with him and others.
  • Spotty – A guard at the palace. He carries a gun and at one point guards the door to the infirmary where Maxie and Blue are being held captive. He seems to believe his position is great and will be rewarded after David takes over London, which he firmly believes will happen. He is slightly taller than Big Nose, and has short, curly brown hair and an infestation of acne.

Squatters

  • Just John - The leader of the squatters in the park. He is nearly killed by Achilleus, and he and his group are cast out of the park.
  • Carl - Just John's second in command. He dresses like a pirate. 
  • Paddy the Caddy - An Irish boy whose real name is Patrick, who is originally part of "Just John"'s group at the park. He admires Achilleus after his fight with Just John, and Achilleus makes Paddy his apprentice. Paddy is among those to escape the palace.

Adults

  • Saint George - A fat, balding adult in a Saint George shirt. He is far more intelligent than most adults, even to the extent of being able to remember some words and to plan. Toward the end of the book it is revealed that he is capable of thought and has a plan to hunt down and devour all children.
  • Nick - A tall, dreadlock-wearing man who has avoided the virus by hiding in the underground with his wife, Rachel. They have survived by scavenging, but still eat children. They eventually find Small Sam and keep him restrained with the others to be eaten. The Kid frees Sam, and Nick pursues them out of the underground into the sunlight, where the virus kills him after he nearly kills them.
  • Rachel - Nick's wife, who has avoided the virus by hiding in the underground with him. She helps him secure children and eat them. She is described as somewhat plump.

Other characters

  • Sophie - A good-looking girl who accidentally shot Arran with an arrow. She and her crew travel to Buckingham Palace with the others. However, they end up leaving due to their inability to fit in and their dislike of David's dominating behaviour. 
  • The Kid - A nine year old boy who saves Sam from Nick and Rachel.
  • Brooke – A girl from the National History Museum who is traveling with her friends when they are all attacked by a group of grown-ups. She is initially saved by the Holloway Crew and taken to Buckingham Palace, where she is held captive until Maxie and Blue rescue her at the end of the novel. She is unnamed in The Enemy, and her identity is not revealed until the end of The Fear.
  • Claire – A little girl who is held captive by Nick and Rachel. She is well fed, but feeble, and spends most of her time sleeping. When The Kid tries to free her, she does not go with him and remains in captivity, not realizing what Nick and Rachel are.
  • Jason – Claire's twin brother, held captive by Nick and Rachel. When The Kid tries to free him, he does not go with him, remaining behind in captivity with his sister. He is well fed, but feeble, yet seems more active than his sister.
  • Ed Carter – The second-in-command at the Tower of London and the leader of the party who rescues Sam and the Kid. Like Brooke, Ed's role in The Enemy is minimal, but he plays a larger role in the forthcoming books starting with The Dead.
  • Godzilla – A puppy carried and cared for by Joel, a member of the Morrisons group. After Joel's death, Godzilla mourns him. He is then cared for by Ella, Monkey Boy and Blu-Tack Bill, who take him with them when they escape the palace.
  • Orion – A ginger cat belonging to Nick and Rachel. Rhiannon and Small Sam think he is ugly. When some of the kids try to escape, they run into Orion, and he hisses in surprise, alerting Nick and Rachel to the escape.
  • Rhiannon – A girl Small Sam's age, held captive by Nick and Rachel. She has a chest infection, which is why she has not been eaten yet. When The Kid comes to free them, she leaves with him and Sam. However, her chest infection makes it hard for her to keep up, forcing them to drag her. She gets worse as they run on after the adults discover their escape, and she eventually is left behind on an escalator, after Nick shoots her. She slows Nick down by tripping him, to allow Small Sam and The Kid time to escape. After Nick's death, Sam suggests going back for her, but approaching adults force them to leave. Her ultimate fate is not resolved. She is described as fat, but with skinny legs. She is older than Sam.

Release

The Enemy is the first book in a series of seven. Penguin House Books released the second novel in the series, titled The Dead, on September 16th, 2010, followed by The Fear on September 15th, 2011; The Sacrifice on September 20th, 2012; The Fallen on September 12th, 2013; the sixth novel, The Hunted, on 4 September 2014; and the final book, The End, on November 10th, 2015.

United States release

Disney-Hyperion, the series' American publisher, wanted to target the books at a slightly older audience. As a result, the cutoff age for infection was raised from fourteen to sixteen, and some of the characters were aged up accordingly. Additionally, some of the cultural references and terminology unique to the United Kingdom were changed to ones that American readers were more likely to understand.

Trivia

  • An official trailer for the book was released by Penguin Books Australia a month before the book's official release. It features an adult man presenting the viewer with the events that happen in the book while he slowly turns into a sicko. By the end of the trailer, the man has completely turned and attacks the camera.[1]

Site Navigation

V - E - H The Enemy by Charlie Higson
Series The EnemyThe DeadThe FearThe SacrificeThe FallenThe HuntedThe End
Supplementary material Geeks vs Zombies

Notes and References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Penguin Books Australia. "Charlie Higson The Enemy Trailer". YouTube, Penguin Books Australia; 21 July 2009.
  2. The Enemy, Chapter 1 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  3. The Enemy, Chapter 11 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  4. The Enemy, Chapter 12 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  5. The Enemy, Chapter 23 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  6. The Enemy, Chapter 24 (Charlie Higson, 3 September 2009)
  7. The Enemy, Chapter 25 (Charlie Higson, 3 September 2009)
  8. The Enemy, Chapter 26 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  9. The Enemy, Chapter 27 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  10. The Enemy, Chapter 29 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  11. The Enemy, Chapter 38 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  12. The Enemy, Chapter 39 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  13. The Enemy, Chapter 68 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
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