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The Enemy #7
The End
It all comes to an end in the final book in The Enemy series The sickness struck everyone over fourteen. First it twisted their minds. Next it ravaged their bodies. Now they roam the streets - Crazed and hungry. Sickos swarm the streets of London. Gathered in the centre of the city, they lie in wait. The survivors have one final epic battle to overcome. Together they must work out a plan of attack and end the grown-ups reign of terror before it's too late. The end is coming.
455 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 2015
153 people are currently reading
4762 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Higson
83 books1,505 followersHigson was educated at Sevenoaks School and at the University of East Anglia (where his brother has taught since 1986 and is now a professor of film studies) where he met Paul Whitehouse, David Cummings and Terry Edwards. Higson, Cummings and Edwards formed the band The Higsons of which Higson was the lead singer from 1980 to 1986. They released two singles on the Specials' 2-Tone label. Higson then became a plasterer before he turned to writing for Harry Enfield with Paul Whitehouse and performing comedy. He came to public attention as one of the main writers and performers of the BBC Two sketch show The Fast Show (1994-2000). He worked with Whitehouse on the radio comedy Down the Line and is to work with him again on a television project, designed to be a spoof of celebrity travel programmes.[1:]
He worked as producer, writer, director and occasional guest star on Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) from 2000 to 2001. Subsequent television work has included writing and starring in BBC Three's Fast Show spin-off sitcom Swiss Toni. He is currently starring in Tittybangbang series 3 on BBC Three and has appeared as a panellist on QI.
He published four novels through the early to mid 1990s which take a slightly dystopian look at everyday life and have a considerably more adult tone than his other work, with characters on the margins of society finding themselves spiraling out of control, leading him to be described by Time Out as 'The missing link between Dick Emery and Brett Easton Ellis' [2:]
In 2004, it was announced that Higson would pen a series of James Bond novels, aimed at younger readers and concentrating on the character's school-days at Eton. Higson was himself educated at Sevenoaks School where he was a contemporary of Jonathan Evans, current Director General of MI5. The first novel, SilverFin, was released on 3 March 2005 in the UK and on 27 April 2005 in the U.S. A second novel, Blood Fever, was released on 5 January 2006 in the UK and 1 June in the U.S. The third novel, Double or Die, was published on 4 January 2007 having had its title announced the day before. The next, Hurricane Gold, came out in hardcover in the UK in September 2007.[3:]In this year he also made a debut performance on the panel show QI. His final Young Bond novel, By Royal Command, was released in hardcover in the UK on the 3 September 2008.[4:]
Charlie has signed a deal to pen a new series of children's books for Puffin. According to the author, "They are going to be action adventures, but with a horror angle
He worked as producer, writer, director and occasional guest star on Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) from 2000 to 2001. Subsequent television work has included writing and starring in BBC Three's Fast Show spin-off sitcom Swiss Toni. He is currently starring in Tittybangbang series 3 on BBC Three and has appeared as a panellist on QI.
He published four novels through the early to mid 1990s which take a slightly dystopian look at everyday life and have a considerably more adult tone than his other work, with characters on the margins of society finding themselves spiraling out of control, leading him to be described by Time Out as 'The missing link between Dick Emery and Brett Easton Ellis' [2:]
In 2004, it was announced that Higson would pen a series of James Bond novels, aimed at younger readers and concentrating on the character's school-days at Eton. Higson was himself educated at Sevenoaks School where he was a contemporary of Jonathan Evans, current Director General of MI5. The first novel, SilverFin, was released on 3 March 2005 in the UK and on 27 April 2005 in the U.S. A second novel, Blood Fever, was released on 5 January 2006 in the UK and 1 June in the U.S. The third novel, Double or Die, was published on 4 January 2007 having had its title announced the day before. The next, Hurricane Gold, came out in hardcover in the UK in September 2007.[3:]In this year he also made a debut performance on the panel show QI. His final Young Bond novel, By Royal Command, was released in hardcover in the UK on the 3 September 2008.[4:]
Charlie has signed a deal to pen a new series of children's books for Puffin. According to the author, "They are going to be action adventures, but with a horror angle
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 358 reviews
November 6, 2015
*Actually 3.5 stars*
*Minor spoilers throughout*
For the most part I did enjoy it, but there was so much left unexplained. One thing this book needed was an epilogue. Just a few pages set maybe a year or two in the future, describing how life is now after beating the sickos and how the characters are doing, and this book would easily have been pretty much perfect. I mean we've spent 7 books and near enough 3000 pages with these characters and getting to love and hate them, and then to just end it so suddenly about 10 pages after the battle ends was really quite unfair.
There was also some parts that just seemed entirely random and even unnecessary. For example one of the characters is outed as gay, but then after the chapter where it's revealed nothing else is said about. There was no development about the character's love life and on the whole it just kind of left you thinking "what was the point?"
To be honest as well - and I don't even know why I'm saying this as a lot of people died - I kind of wanted some major character deaths. I know that sounds silly but in a series with such a high mortality rate and a couple of deaths in earlier books that actually leave you thinking "did that just happen? :-O", The End just needed one of the more major players to get killed. Make me feel them feels that I haven't really felt since books 2 and 3. Obviously a couple of people do die but they aren't characters that have had a huge amount of POVs, so I wasn't personally as attached anyway.
My last major problem was honestly the lack of Ed. If you've read The Hunted then you obviously know where he's been, but he was involved in one of the most touching scenes in this entire series. I had a massive amount of love for Ed and he just didn't get the screen time in this book. He just storms in about 25 pages from the end of the book and saves the day. Also on that note, maybe even the lack of Malik. The Hunted spent a huge amount of time developing his character and giving him an epic back story and he's mentioned maybe 2 or 3 times and doesn't even get a line. The hell?!
HOWEVER, I did enjoy most of what we got and there were definitely parts I didn't see coming. For me personally, it just wasn't a perfect ending. Not that it matters as if you've read the first 6 books you aren't just gonna not read the last one :P
*Minor spoilers throughout*
For the most part I did enjoy it, but there was so much left unexplained. One thing this book needed was an epilogue. Just a few pages set maybe a year or two in the future, describing how life is now after beating the sickos and how the characters are doing, and this book would easily have been pretty much perfect. I mean we've spent 7 books and near enough 3000 pages with these characters and getting to love and hate them, and then to just end it so suddenly about 10 pages after the battle ends was really quite unfair.
There was also some parts that just seemed entirely random and even unnecessary. For example one of the characters is outed as gay, but then after the chapter where it's revealed nothing else is said about. There was no development about the character's love life and on the whole it just kind of left you thinking "what was the point?"
To be honest as well - and I don't even know why I'm saying this as a lot of people died - I kind of wanted some major character deaths. I know that sounds silly but in a series with such a high mortality rate and a couple of deaths in earlier books that actually leave you thinking "did that just happen? :-O", The End just needed one of the more major players to get killed. Make me feel them feels that I haven't really felt since books 2 and 3. Obviously a couple of people do die but they aren't characters that have had a huge amount of POVs, so I wasn't personally as attached anyway.
My last major problem was honestly the lack of Ed. If you've read The Hunted then you obviously know where he's been, but he was involved in one of the most touching scenes in this entire series. I had a massive amount of love for Ed and he just didn't get the screen time in this book. He just storms in about 25 pages from the end of the book and saves the day. Also on that note, maybe even the lack of Malik. The Hunted spent a huge amount of time developing his character and giving him an epic back story and he's mentioned maybe 2 or 3 times and doesn't even get a line. The hell?!
HOWEVER, I did enjoy most of what we got and there were definitely parts I didn't see coming. For me personally, it just wasn't a perfect ending. Not that it matters as if you've read the first 6 books you aren't just gonna not read the last one :P
September 26, 2019
Book seven in The Enemy series and here we find ourselves at The End.
I have read a lot of series in my time and this is one of the few series that I have consistently given a 4 or 5 star rating to every single book. Charlie Higson has written a solid series here and for me it felt quite unique. Most books, films, have a goodies always win theme, I felt this series was realistic, everyone lost on some level, characters killed off before their 5 paragraphs of fame, your favourites not quite hitting their milestones, it's been a tough read at times.
I have been shocked right the way through though that this is YA, clearly the youths of today are tougher than I am as some parts grossed me out big time.
I guess the big question with a series is always, was it worth it? Yes it was, I felt that the previously six books before this lead up to an epic finale which was executed well and I'm left wanting more! Grrrrr!!!!!
I have read a lot of series in my time and this is one of the few series that I have consistently given a 4 or 5 star rating to every single book. Charlie Higson has written a solid series here and for me it felt quite unique. Most books, films, have a goodies always win theme, I felt this series was realistic, everyone lost on some level, characters killed off before their 5 paragraphs of fame, your favourites not quite hitting their milestones, it's been a tough read at times.
I have been shocked right the way through though that this is YA, clearly the youths of today are tougher than I am as some parts grossed me out big time.
I guess the big question with a series is always, was it worth it? Yes it was, I felt that the previously six books before this lead up to an epic finale which was executed well and I'm left wanting more! Grrrrr!!!!!
November 9, 2015
The Enemy series overall is absolutely 5 stars. I’m 27 and I’ve been as obsessed with this series as much as I have anything I’ve ever read! I love these books and Charlie Higson has done something amazing in building such a big cast of realistic and engaging characters with so many interweaving plots. This books finally brings it all back together for the final confrontation with St George and his army, but in the end (ha The End) I was left feeling like something was lacking. It’s too abrupt and I’m not completely satisfied given just how emotionally involved I’ve been with all these great characters.
I’m going to lay out some negative points but really this book is awesome, all these books are awesome, and you need to read them! (Whatever age you are!)
An epilogue is what this book really needs! As it is the story just ends very quickly following the final battle, and I mean quickly... like twenty pages later. I want to know what happens after! What do the kids do now the threat of St George is over? How to they put their society back together? Do they continue to work as one group or split off again? What about Just John’s squatters at the palace? Just a few pages, or even some notes on a year or five or ten years later. I’m invested in these kids!
I was also left wondering if that really was the end of the parasite/virus threat because this book just focused on London! Surely if it was airborne the rest of the world would be affected (if they weren’t why did nobody ever check on the situation)? The cynical part of me thinks Higson ended it the way he did so he wouldn’t have to tackle that issue!
The last third felt rushed but my main complaint is that there was barely any Ed! I know he pretty much got a whole book in The Hunted but he has been a key character and for me; the one I have the most invested in because he’s been part of the bigger emotional moments of the series. He turns up right at the very, very end to save the day and that’s all you get. Not to mention Malik/Scarface who was built up to be such a great character in the last book! He’s up there with Shadowman as being one of my favourites. He gets a line. This wasn’t enough! I care about these people. If you get to read all the books consecutively they you probably won’t feel that way, but I’ve had six months or so to wait for this.
I hated all the stuff with Paul and it just felt too unbelievable to have him really be able to communicate with the sickos. I can just about buy the Twisted Kids but the Paul stuff just didn’t make any logical sense to me. David infuriated me, as always, and I didn’t really understand why the heck Jester (and the others) stuck around with him when he’d clearly lost his mind! The way things end for David were also not satisfying; he was such a dick and made some dangerous and terrible selfish decisions that I felt he needed to really get what he deserved. The way things go felt like he got off too lightly and it wasn’t a big enough moment. I actually feel that there weren’t enough Big Moments (or main character deaths) for the finale of a series that has been so (Game of Thrones level) high stakes for six previous books.
All that said I didn’t put this book down and it felt amazing to be back in this world, with all these characters again. I was worried I’d forgotten what happened but it all came back to me almost immediately. These books are something special and I’m a bit sad it’s all over now.
I’m going to lay out some negative points but really this book is awesome, all these books are awesome, and you need to read them! (Whatever age you are!)
An epilogue is what this book really needs! As it is the story just ends very quickly following the final battle, and I mean quickly... like twenty pages later. I want to know what happens after! What do the kids do now the threat of St George is over? How to they put their society back together? Do they continue to work as one group or split off again? What about Just John’s squatters at the palace? Just a few pages, or even some notes on a year or five or ten years later. I’m invested in these kids!
I was also left wondering if that really was the end of the parasite/virus threat because this book just focused on London! Surely if it was airborne the rest of the world would be affected (if they weren’t why did nobody ever check on the situation)? The cynical part of me thinks Higson ended it the way he did so he wouldn’t have to tackle that issue!
The last third felt rushed but my main complaint is that there was barely any Ed! I know he pretty much got a whole book in The Hunted but he has been a key character and for me; the one I have the most invested in because he’s been part of the bigger emotional moments of the series. He turns up right at the very, very end to save the day and that’s all you get. Not to mention Malik/Scarface who was built up to be such a great character in the last book! He’s up there with Shadowman as being one of my favourites. He gets a line. This wasn’t enough! I care about these people. If you get to read all the books consecutively they you probably won’t feel that way, but I’ve had six months or so to wait for this.
I hated all the stuff with Paul and it just felt too unbelievable to have him really be able to communicate with the sickos. I can just about buy the Twisted Kids but the Paul stuff just didn’t make any logical sense to me. David infuriated me, as always, and I didn’t really understand why the heck Jester (and the others) stuck around with him when he’d clearly lost his mind! The way things end for David were also not satisfying; he was such a dick and made some dangerous and terrible selfish decisions that I felt he needed to really get what he deserved. The way things go felt like he got off too lightly and it wasn’t a big enough moment. I actually feel that there weren’t enough Big Moments (or main character deaths) for the finale of a series that has been so (Game of Thrones level) high stakes for six previous books.
All that said I didn’t put this book down and it felt amazing to be back in this world, with all these characters again. I was worried I’d forgotten what happened but it all came back to me almost immediately. These books are something special and I’m a bit sad it’s all over now.
June 18, 2023
DNF not my bag.
April 2, 2024
"Shut out the fear. Keep moving. Keep fighting. Stay alive. Even if it was for only one more precious minute...”
This is it. Don’t get scared now. Especially NOW. It’s the end. THE END!!!
***Beware slight spoilers ahead***
I’m still in shock. A goodreads friend hooked me on Charlie Higson’s Enemy series years ago. The gore, history, characters, and humor reeled me in at first sight. I have been waiting on the edge of my seat for each and every book ever since. Unwilling to wait for the US releases, I order book after book from across the pond to get my fix every year. But what now? What am I going to do now???!!! GAH!
Okay before I crawl into a corner to wail and sob and shake with book loss shock—let me breakdown the finale for you.
The Enemy series by Charlie Higson is a 7 book
Higson has a lot of kids! :) Individuals and gangs all coming to life in their own style and language. It still astonishes me how much life, detail, and individuality Higson puts on the page for each character. Every single one held their own tempo, feel, look and weapon. Some characters fought with battle axes or spears, while others fought with a pen and ideas. No matter how or if they fought--I can see these kids. I know these kids. So much so that I don’t have to re-read before each book. I can just pick up the next installment like we just talked or saw each other yesterday. Like old friends! These characters feel like friends or classmates—some you like, some you don’t. I liked and loved more than I can even say, but let me give it go with a few shout-outs of love.
Maxie –Girl, you made me proud all the way through. So strong and clear. No BS!
Blue—You held everyone together with teamwork and strength. A leader that knew he couldn’t do it alone.
Jackson --*fist bump* A hardcore fighter that showed this new world that girls always have and always will kick ass!
Shadowman— I hope you stop and find a home now.
Small Sam – You’re still the cutest one in the bunch! Your fight to see your sister again was the heartbeat of this journey. A brave, big hearted cutie! With the best sidekick in the land! The Kid!
The Kid—He is one of the most vivid and original voices in fiction in my opinion. I don’t know how Higson kept so many voices in his head—especially with The Kid in there running around. Haha...Just listen...
”Holy moly, guacamole. Of course I’m scared. There’s a world of warcraft out there. Old folks on the rampage. By cassocks, revellers and weasels, I’m scared! I hope we can blast them all to kingdom come. And dance a disco of triumph.”
And then we have my Achilleus--- I adore the dickhead! I always knew he had a heart the size of Texas hidden away under all that attitude and swagger. And in this chapter, we see it in action! His talks with Maxie were my favorite parts of the book. The way they talked and remembered brought the past and future together in their own heartfelt way. They never forgot the ones they lost along the way. *sigh*
Even if you don’t like a character though, Higson somehow makes you see and understand them. Higson doesn’t shy away from creating unlikeable characters. I admire that aspect of his writing very much. As we all know, arrogance and asshole-ism exists in life and boy-o-boy can it pop out in times of war and stress in ugly, brutal ways. One of the big points in The End was pride. Pride can be a dangerous thing. How does one find the line between standing up for yourself and letting things go for the betterment or survival of the group? A lesson and line we all somehow have to find and learn in life. There are so many lessons to learn!
Lessons, decisions, moves, and sacrifices! This series and these kids have seen them all. Some kids lead and others followed. Some learned to live, share, and survive together in this new world. Some never did. But you have to remember—Higson doesn’t let you forget actually—these are 14, 15 year olds or younger making big, BIG live or die decisions. Brutal, heartbreaking decisions. RUN! or Fight! Leave or stay? Moves that made me proud one minute and tore me to bits the next. The main question in The End was whether to attack or stay safe behind the walls for as long as they could. Should they risk losing everything they had? Attack the enemy? The sickos (aka grownups) have grouped together. Amassed an army! And they are moving in. This is it! The fight has arrived at their doorstep in London. Can the different kids and camps band together and fight as one for a future? Or will pride get in the way? Will jealousy, pride, and greed win out in the end?
”What’s the point of winning a war if when you go home your country’s been blitzed? Everyone killed? What is it exactly we’re fighting for here?”
It all comes down to this. I loved this book. I loved the entire series. The whole shebang! From the first pool zombies to the last gory detail! There was never a time I had to push my way through. I treasured every book and fight! There is so much to discuss and love—history, war, power, knowledge, loyalty, blood, gore, family, and friends. It’s all in here and more! The world needs all kinds of people to survive, thrive, and live. We just have to learn to live together and help each other. We can’t do it alone. That’s what life is all about—family and friends. And that’s what I’m going to take with me from this book—friends. I miss them all already.
PLEASE read this series. It’s an unflinching and unforgettable ride.
”With a happy ending and everything. The End. Kiss goodnight. Out goes the light, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
Off to find a corner to cry in now...
June 8, 2018
“I’m fighting and I’m winning and I’m living. The full package.”
I loved this series when I was in late primary school / early highschool. Then I stopped reading it, fell behind, forgot everything. In 2016 I restarted it, vowing to finish the series once and for all, AND NOW I'VE DONE IT. YIPEE!! I FEEL SO ACCOMPLISHED.
so I really love this series overall like, by no means is it perfect. But it makes me happy. I just really love the characters and the concept and the world. I've mentioned it in like, every single review of these books, but the timeline and communities are soo well done here. The entire series isn't exactly in chronological order (the first book is set 50% into the timeline) and that makes it really interesting. Also, Charlie Higson put a lot of time into developing politics and tension and culture between each different group which super sets it apart from most dystopians like this.
I think there was alot of wasted potential in terms of The End. The book before set up all these new exciting characters and groups, gave them extensive background, and then doesn't even capitalise off of it. I was waiting for certain characters to appear but it didn't even happen until 25 pages before the end. This would have been much better if they were there from the start. And to be honest, that was the biggest letdown of this book.
On one hand, I DID love the moments where did see certain characters come together. And the reappearance of some favourites who weren't in the last couple books made me happy. Also, one of the characters was confirmed as being gay and I REALLY liked the scene where it happened. It was done very well and I just love that character so I was happy for them. They deserved a boyfriend though ://
One problem this book had was stagnation. The entire first half was leading up to the big battle but I don't think it developed tension enough so it was kind of boring. The second half was INTENSE though and made up for it. The major problem with this book though was it's abrupt ending. Ok, I'll admit the Sam/Ella bit got me (THIS WHOLE SERIES HAS JUST BEEN ABOUT THEM TRYING TO REUNITE AND THEY DID IM CRYING) but there needed to be an epilogue or something. We have no idea how these characters bounce back from this massive, life changing event and a flash forward would have massively serviced this book. There are things I NEED TO KNOW and I DON'T KNOW THEM. I also think this book didn't kill enough major characters, which is weird but yeah. This book got me hooked on it's 'HE JUST KILLED THAT CHARACTER' moments and while one death in particular hit me hard, I think overall, considering the sheer size of this battle, they all felt way too safe.
Okay, overall I'm super glad I finished this series. I'm not gonna say it's the MOST QUALITY series I've ever read but heck, I had an absolute blast reading it. Super entertaining. Makes me want to read ALL the dystopian/apocalyptic books. And I genuinely think, beside maybe the Gone series, this is the best dystopian worldbuilding I've ever seen. I just wish it hadn't left me hanging so bad. I want to know more, I want to see more character interactions, I want to know how they bounced back from this !
Characters I would die for
- Achilleus: my son, deserves the world. THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT *kisses fingers*. Highkey exists to retell the Iliad in the dystopian setting am I here for it uhh hell yeah
- Jordan Horden: UNDERRATED. I love him !!! Too smart, too good. A Tower of London legend
- Jester: a snake but still deserved better. Got me emo.
- Maxie: MY GIRL. Everyone should pay more attention to her. Badass in charge
- ED. MY BABY. MY BOY.
- Small Sam and The Kid; TOO PRECIOUS TOO PURE. I love The Kid so much!!! and their friendship?? makes me sob. Iconic
- Patrick: WHEN THEY TOOK HIS DOG AWAY AND HE CRIED? I CRIED TOO!
This is more of a 3.5 star but I HAD A FUN TIME OKAY ITS GETTING ROUNDED UP
July 29, 2022
Trigger warnings: death, death of a child, death of a friend, graphic death, body horror, violence, blood, gore, fire
28/7/2022
Huge chunks of this unexpectedly felt like a Trojan War retelling. I'm not mad about it.
15/11/2016
I've been slowly making my way through this series over about a year now, with gaps in between because reading these is SO STRESSFUL and OH MY GOD EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE-y. So, like, you need time to recover.
That said, I was pretty excited to finally get to the big finale and see what happened. This one actually felt...less??...traumatic than some of the others? Like, it felt like less people died somehow. There's a huge battle, as you would expect. But it felt like where he would have killed characters off in the past, they more often than not survived in this one.
That said, it was a pretty satisfying finale, and the very end made me cry. So.
28/7/2022
Huge chunks of this unexpectedly felt like a Trojan War retelling. I'm not mad about it.
15/11/2016
I've been slowly making my way through this series over about a year now, with gaps in between because reading these is SO STRESSFUL and OH MY GOD EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE-y. So, like, you need time to recover.
That said, I was pretty excited to finally get to the big finale and see what happened. This one actually felt...less??...traumatic than some of the others? Like, it felt like less people died somehow. There's a huge battle, as you would expect. But it felt like where he would have killed characters off in the past, they more often than not survived in this one.
That said, it was a pretty satisfying finale, and the very end made me cry. So.
January 5, 2018
This series is awesome.
That is all.
That is all.
May 26, 2016
I don't know what I was expecting as the end of the story but I assumed it would be better than that I guess
November 21, 2015
I am genuinely sad that this series is over. It's been over a year since I started The Enemy and I never thought it would end up meaning this much to me. This series has been one that really stuck with me for ages even after I finished each book, for days, because it's just that good. And now the series is over and I just want more!
The End was a really good conclusion to the series. I can't deny that. All the characters (that are left) came together for the big battle and it was so exciting to read. I had forgotten a little what had happened in the last book or 2, as it'd been quite a few months, but the book was pretty good at reminding me. It was super fast paced, mostly because of the really short, sharp chapters that just made you want to keep reading. I really really loved the added characterisation in this book, especially with and also
My only complaint, and hence the 1 star taken off, is that I just wanted more explanation about the disease, and most of all, the cure! They hinted about the cure and how they could turn grown ups back human again, but never went through with it, so I really wish more had come about with that, especially the Small Sam good blood thing. What does that even mean???
A really good conclusion to an incredible series which I recommend EVERYONE pick up and try. Just do it. It's amazing.
The End was a really good conclusion to the series. I can't deny that. All the characters (that are left) came together for the big battle and it was so exciting to read. I had forgotten a little what had happened in the last book or 2, as it'd been quite a few months, but the book was pretty good at reminding me. It was super fast paced, mostly because of the really short, sharp chapters that just made you want to keep reading. I really really loved the added characterisation in this book, especially with and also
My only complaint, and hence the 1 star taken off, is that I just wanted more explanation about the disease, and most of all, the cure! They hinted about the cure and how they could turn grown ups back human again, but never went through with it, so I really wish more had come about with that, especially the Small Sam good blood thing. What does that even mean???
A really good conclusion to an incredible series which I recommend EVERYONE pick up and try. Just do it. It's amazing.
December 30, 2018
Hi yes I would die for Achilleus k thx bye
March 22, 2025
I’m not crying… you’re crying! Awesome finish to an amazing series! Did characters die over the course of the seven books? Of course. It was a zombie apocalypse after all. But there were also several key happily ever afters! The ending couldn’t have been better! Five full zombie stars! Highly recommended!
November 12, 2016
FINALLY! :D Fingers-crossed for major character deaths (yeah my bad, please don't hate me -.-)
August 18, 2016
The final book and the final epic battle. Worth reading and as grim, graphic and heart wrenching as you'd expect. My only complaint was that the big build up in the last book of scarface didn't amount to anything in thus book and it should have.
Want to read
January 4, 2015Ahhhhhhhhhh can't wait!
February 8, 2023
By golly gee. This book was a whirlwind. I would’ve loved to see more of Ed and Shadowman (my favorite characters) but Higson really ended this series with a bang. Phenomenal story. Gripping characters. Such incredibly high stakes. I love this series. Gotta appreciate a satisfying ending.
December 6, 2015
This series about adults contracting a disease and becoming zombie-like monsters and leaving the children to try and survive started off brilliantly but I've felt it lagged towards the later books. Fortunately, this final book is brilliant.
Finally, all the plot lines and the children of London come together to fight the huge mass of sickos who have gathered in London. The sickos are after Small Sam, whose blood contains the cure to the disease. To take on the huge group, the children of London need to unite but that's easier said than done, especially when one of them is the nasty David.
This is like a best bit of the series. On the one hand we've got children fighting zombies, on a far bigger scale than we've seen before. Loads of children, loads of sickos, all in a massive fight in Hyde Park. And then there's the Lord of the Flies feel which is bigger and better than before. There's lots of minor arguments and we see just how far David will go in an attempt to be in charge.
There's also some really down to earth moments, sweetness amongst the carnage. There's a revelation about one character which was great because it completely goes against stereotypes. And it's regularly pointed out that everyone has their own self-worth- they aren't going to beat the sickos which just good fighters, they need clever people to help.
The series has been pretty confusing what with books running parallel to each other and the order being a bit random and with the entire cast appearing here it can be challenging at times to remember who's who. Higson does a good job at giving every one of his characters a story here, an impressive feat given the enormous cast. Quite a few people die here so there's certainly no happy ending for many characters.
An epic conclusion to the series which is as good as the early books. It sorts out many of the problems of the series, making the disease more realistic, tying together the character of Greg and St. George and explaining why some of the characters act in the ways they do. It's everything I wished for in the series finale and more.
Finally, all the plot lines and the children of London come together to fight the huge mass of sickos who have gathered in London. The sickos are after Small Sam, whose blood contains the cure to the disease. To take on the huge group, the children of London need to unite but that's easier said than done, especially when one of them is the nasty David.
This is like a best bit of the series. On the one hand we've got children fighting zombies, on a far bigger scale than we've seen before. Loads of children, loads of sickos, all in a massive fight in Hyde Park. And then there's the Lord of the Flies feel which is bigger and better than before. There's lots of minor arguments and we see just how far David will go in an attempt to be in charge.
There's also some really down to earth moments, sweetness amongst the carnage. There's a revelation about one character which was great because it completely goes against stereotypes. And it's regularly pointed out that everyone has their own self-worth- they aren't going to beat the sickos which just good fighters, they need clever people to help.
The series has been pretty confusing what with books running parallel to each other and the order being a bit random and with the entire cast appearing here it can be challenging at times to remember who's who. Higson does a good job at giving every one of his characters a story here, an impressive feat given the enormous cast. Quite a few people die here so there's certainly no happy ending for many characters.
An epic conclusion to the series which is as good as the early books. It sorts out many of the problems of the series, making the disease more realistic, tying together the character of Greg and St. George and explaining why some of the characters act in the ways they do. It's everything I wished for in the series finale and more.
November 16, 2015
3.5
I wish I could give the long-awaited final part of Charlie Higson's The Enemy series a higher rating but, unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.
The series has been with me for too long as for me to simply ignore the obvious flaws, loose ends and unanswered questions.
It wasn't all bad though, of course, so let's start with:
(WARNING: Yes, there will be SPOILERS!)
THE GOOD:
- It felt nice going back to so many characters that we've got to know and grown to love over the years. Higson re-visited many of them, even minor ones like Ben & Bernie from the Holloway Crew, Franny at the Buckingham Palace or Saif, the leader of the IKEA crew (I was totally convinced he'd been killed in The Sacrifice, so that was a surprise!). The downside of this is, however, that the first half of the book has a really, really slow build-up and I couldn't help but feel that many major storylines were dropped in favour of nostalgically re-visiting all those kids (for more, see THE BAD).
- JORDAN HORDERN! Even if he fraks up in this part (--> Paddy & his dog), he is still one of the best characters in the whole series. Higson does a great job on Jordan's portrayal - especially in one particular, very wonderful and emotional moment between Jordan and Akkie where Jordan finally opens up to someone, explains what's happening to him (him going blind) and why he does things the way he does (his inability to feel and relate to "normal" human emotions). My heart really went out to that kid!
- JORDAN & BLU-TACK BILL - brilliant move on Higson's part of putting those two kids together! It worked so well!
- ACHILLEUS: I have to be completely honest - I hated that kid for a really long time! So congrats, Mr. Higson, for turning him into one of the finest characters! (see also, however, THE WEIRD concerning Akkie's sexuality). His moments with Maxie, Paddy and Jordan are easily the most beautiful and emotional ones in this last novel.
- JESTER & DAVID: While I wish there'd been just one more face-to-face between Jester and Shadowman, I think that Jester's and David's final moment was simply perfect.
- NICOLA: You can hate me now for saying this, but I also believe that Nicola's ending was "kind-of-perfect", because it was completely unexpected and shocking. I didn't hate the character, not at all, and wouldn't have minded her to live, but her death showed in a very tragic way how extreme situations can lead to extreme (re)actions and, in the worst case, can even cost lives.
THE BAD:
- I'm disappointed about the way some characters were handled in the finale, especially after all the build-up in the previous books. I'm talking about Sam, The Kid and Wormwood in particular - but also Ed, Ella, Malik and Brooke. What happened to that whole The Lamb & The Goat thing? Or The Fallen Star? It feels like Higson chickened out on those aspects because he had no further use (or no further explanation, perhaps?) for them. I was expecting some cool twist that would bring us back to the Lamb, the Goat and the Fallen Star - but none came. To me, the roles of Sam, The Kid and Wormwood in the showdown were a bit "underwhelming", to be quite honest.
- Also, ARRGHH!, did Higson really only give us about - what? - 20 pages with Ed, Ella, Malik and Brooke? No, sorry, I have to take that back because he gave 20 pages to Ed and about 2 to Ella, Malik and Brooke! I'm heartbroken! I love those kids so much and it really hurts my heart that Higson did not include them some more. Why bring up that there's "another" carrying the "good blood" that is so important for the cure when Ella does not play any significant role AT ALL anymore! I gladly would've skipped many scenes from the first half (which was REALLY SLOW in some places!) and had them replaced with scenes including Ed, Ella, Malik and Brooke.
- Oh, and I only just remembered: Trinity? The Rule of Three? What happened to that? So we had three scarred kids and three churches… and no significance whatsoever of all that in the showdown! Where was Mister Three? Wasn't he supposed to be a really big deal? Meh....
- I heard many fans cry out for an epilogue and I'm passionately joining in. The ending felt rushed and incomplete. What happened afterwards? Did the cure truly work? What happened to the Twisted Kids? How did the kids re-organize and re-build their world after defeating the grown-ups? Did they all work together or simply co-exist... or even continue fighting each other? What happened to John's crew and David's kids at the Palace? SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!
THE WEIRD:
- Someone please tell me why we needed another leader among the grown-ups? I was happy to go along with St. George being the big man - I did not need that sicko woman to show up. I would've understood her presence if she'd had some more significance or a bigger role to play (I was half-expecting one of the kids to recognize her as their mom or something like that), but she was simply unnecessary and barely more than a distraction, in my opinion.
- It was pretty obvious in the earlier novels that Akkie was gay, wasn't it, so why make such a big deal of it? Akkie's outing felt weird and out of place in a moment when Akkie - and with him, we, the readers - were mourning the loss of his little Padawan. I did feel happy for Akkie to get some kind of happy ending (--> Will) after losing so many friends, but I did not need that big, weirdly out-of-place outing to love that kid, you see?
- So when exactly did Blu-Tack Bill start talking again? Higson made a big point of showing that Bill didn't want to talk to anyone, not ever again, in the previous books. His only way of communicating with others was through his Blu-Tack. It was more than weird to see him talk to others again in this last novel like it's no big deal. NOT ONE character seemed surprised by little Bill talking again. When or how did that happen?
Throughout the novel, I had a strong feeling that Mr. Higson did NOT have all the answers. Things felt rushed and not nearly as well elaborated as in previous parts.
While I did get emotional and teary-eyed during many moments, I wish that Mr. Higson had given it just a little bit more time and some more pages to fill the gaps, answer some questions, give some characters some more appreciation and show us the AFTER. This is, unfortunately, not quite the ending I was hoping to get after so many years.
I wish I could give the long-awaited final part of Charlie Higson's The Enemy series a higher rating but, unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.
The series has been with me for too long as for me to simply ignore the obvious flaws, loose ends and unanswered questions.
It wasn't all bad though, of course, so let's start with:
(WARNING: Yes, there will be SPOILERS!)
THE GOOD:
- It felt nice going back to so many characters that we've got to know and grown to love over the years. Higson re-visited many of them, even minor ones like Ben & Bernie from the Holloway Crew, Franny at the Buckingham Palace or Saif, the leader of the IKEA crew (I was totally convinced he'd been killed in The Sacrifice, so that was a surprise!). The downside of this is, however, that the first half of the book has a really, really slow build-up and I couldn't help but feel that many major storylines were dropped in favour of nostalgically re-visiting all those kids (for more, see THE BAD).
- JORDAN HORDERN! Even if he fraks up in this part (--> Paddy & his dog), he is still one of the best characters in the whole series. Higson does a great job on Jordan's portrayal - especially in one particular, very wonderful and emotional moment between Jordan and Akkie where Jordan finally opens up to someone, explains what's happening to him (him going blind) and why he does things the way he does (his inability to feel and relate to "normal" human emotions). My heart really went out to that kid!
- JORDAN & BLU-TACK BILL - brilliant move on Higson's part of putting those two kids together! It worked so well!
- ACHILLEUS: I have to be completely honest - I hated that kid for a really long time! So congrats, Mr. Higson, for turning him into one of the finest characters! (see also, however, THE WEIRD concerning Akkie's sexuality). His moments with Maxie, Paddy and Jordan are easily the most beautiful and emotional ones in this last novel.
- JESTER & DAVID: While I wish there'd been just one more face-to-face between Jester and Shadowman, I think that Jester's and David's final moment was simply perfect.
- NICOLA: You can hate me now for saying this, but I also believe that Nicola's ending was "kind-of-perfect", because it was completely unexpected and shocking. I didn't hate the character, not at all, and wouldn't have minded her to live, but her death showed in a very tragic way how extreme situations can lead to extreme (re)actions and, in the worst case, can even cost lives.
THE BAD:
- I'm disappointed about the way some characters were handled in the finale, especially after all the build-up in the previous books. I'm talking about Sam, The Kid and Wormwood in particular - but also Ed, Ella, Malik and Brooke. What happened to that whole The Lamb & The Goat thing? Or The Fallen Star? It feels like Higson chickened out on those aspects because he had no further use (or no further explanation, perhaps?) for them. I was expecting some cool twist that would bring us back to the Lamb, the Goat and the Fallen Star - but none came. To me, the roles of Sam, The Kid and Wormwood in the showdown were a bit "underwhelming", to be quite honest.
- Also, ARRGHH!, did Higson really only give us about - what? - 20 pages with Ed, Ella, Malik and Brooke? No, sorry, I have to take that back because he gave 20 pages to Ed and about 2 to Ella, Malik and Brooke! I'm heartbroken! I love those kids so much and it really hurts my heart that Higson did not include them some more. Why bring up that there's "another" carrying the "good blood" that is so important for the cure when Ella does not play any significant role AT ALL anymore! I gladly would've skipped many scenes from the first half (which was REALLY SLOW in some places!) and had them replaced with scenes including Ed, Ella, Malik and Brooke.
- Oh, and I only just remembered: Trinity? The Rule of Three? What happened to that? So we had three scarred kids and three churches… and no significance whatsoever of all that in the showdown! Where was Mister Three? Wasn't he supposed to be a really big deal? Meh....
- I heard many fans cry out for an epilogue and I'm passionately joining in. The ending felt rushed and incomplete. What happened afterwards? Did the cure truly work? What happened to the Twisted Kids? How did the kids re-organize and re-build their world after defeating the grown-ups? Did they all work together or simply co-exist... or even continue fighting each other? What happened to John's crew and David's kids at the Palace? SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!
THE WEIRD:
- Someone please tell me why we needed another leader among the grown-ups? I was happy to go along with St. George being the big man - I did not need that sicko woman to show up. I would've understood her presence if she'd had some more significance or a bigger role to play (I was half-expecting one of the kids to recognize her as their mom or something like that), but she was simply unnecessary and barely more than a distraction, in my opinion.
- It was pretty obvious in the earlier novels that Akkie was gay, wasn't it, so why make such a big deal of it? Akkie's outing felt weird and out of place in a moment when Akkie - and with him, we, the readers - were mourning the loss of his little Padawan. I did feel happy for Akkie to get some kind of happy ending (--> Will) after losing so many friends, but I did not need that big, weirdly out-of-place outing to love that kid, you see?
- So when exactly did Blu-Tack Bill start talking again? Higson made a big point of showing that Bill didn't want to talk to anyone, not ever again, in the previous books. His only way of communicating with others was through his Blu-Tack. It was more than weird to see him talk to others again in this last novel like it's no big deal. NOT ONE character seemed surprised by little Bill talking again. When or how did that happen?
Throughout the novel, I had a strong feeling that Mr. Higson did NOT have all the answers. Things felt rushed and not nearly as well elaborated as in previous parts.
While I did get emotional and teary-eyed during many moments, I wish that Mr. Higson had given it just a little bit more time and some more pages to fill the gaps, answer some questions, give some characters some more appreciation and show us the AFTER. This is, unfortunately, not quite the ending I was hoping to get after so many years.
August 23, 2016
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
I can’t believe that I read the final to this amazing, oh so frightening series which I absolutely loved! It feels rather surreal to know that there won’t be any follow-up… or will there? Charlie Higson finishes’ his series rather openly. When you expect to find an answer to all your questions you are going to be (a bit) disappointed, but let’s start from the beginning without using spoilers.
The first half (or maybe a bit more than half) is rather slow paced and in my opinion a bit jumpy. It switches between characters and places a lot, but still manages to captivate it’s reader from the very beginning. There is some fighting action going on, but it’s very limited as most grown ups are busy in the North of London. There is a lot of tactical talk, alliances forming as well as information exchange about what had caused all of this, but as this is a build up for the grand finale it’s necessary and reasonable to have all of those talks in the book. The battle itself is indeed interesting, fast paced and nerve wracking. Once again Higson managed to keep me on edge, fearing for my favorites to be killed at any moment (fortunately they all survived). If there are major character deaths is hard to tell. It depends on who you consider a main/important character as there are some characters that have accompanied us for a long time or simply grew to me and died in the end. I was a bit surprised about some outcomes if I’m honest, but most of them didn’t have me as emotional as the character development and the reunions at the near end of the book. Some of the deaths and revelations did bring tears to my eyes though!
Moving on to the character department: I expected to not have to talk about characters or character development this time as I raved about my favorites enough in all my other reviews already. I also was a bit bummed to read that Ed wouldn’t get much show time this time as his story always was one of the most intense in my opinion (and I guess I’m right if I say that we all loved Ed). This still involved characters I absolutely loved since the beginning or was very interested in though so I was hyped to hear their stories again. An unexpected thing actually was how characters like Achilleus and Ryan suddenly started to grow on me. I didn’t hate them before, but they always managed to upset me with their ‘macho way of thinking/acting’. The End changed this a lot as both of them got to show how different they actually were and while some might think the new sides of Achilleus were unnecessary I for my part enjoyed them very much. I enjoyed reading about him opening up to others, I loved seeing him showing emotions other than aggression and anger. One of the scene I liked the most was Maxie and Achilleus talk about the past, about how Maxie did a great job leading them. I got so emotional during this. This kind of relationship is what I enjoyed most about this series. It didn’t have forced love stories (along the lines of ‘let’s just put everyone in a relationship’). It focused on friendship, on the thought of family. A thing you don’t see in many series lately and an aspect that made it feel real as I’m sure your first priority in an apocalypse isn’t falling in love. I’m not saying there aren’t any and there shouldn’t be any, but the few we got were the perfect amount.
The End isn’t perfect. I saw other reviewers mentioning the following things: The end is rather abrupt and could need an epilogue. Some characters didn’t get enough lines in this book or seemed to be ‘just there’ while being important parts before. I dare say you are right, but maybe there will be a new series? Maybe it’s meant to be up to your imagination? I rather have characters not being mentioned enough than having a book of 800 pages with forced conversations, action and prolonging just to get enough space for all of them. I’m sure this is why Higson created The Hunted. To have enough space to do all his great characters justice. At least that’s what I think. The reason why I won’t call The End perfect is because of some scene that felt a bit off. Other than that The End is a great end to an amazing series that more readers should pick up.
I can’t believe that I read the final to this amazing, oh so frightening series which I absolutely loved! It feels rather surreal to know that there won’t be any follow-up… or will there? Charlie Higson finishes’ his series rather openly. When you expect to find an answer to all your questions you are going to be (a bit) disappointed, but let’s start from the beginning without using spoilers.
The first half (or maybe a bit more than half) is rather slow paced and in my opinion a bit jumpy. It switches between characters and places a lot, but still manages to captivate it’s reader from the very beginning. There is some fighting action going on, but it’s very limited as most grown ups are busy in the North of London. There is a lot of tactical talk, alliances forming as well as information exchange about what had caused all of this, but as this is a build up for the grand finale it’s necessary and reasonable to have all of those talks in the book. The battle itself is indeed interesting, fast paced and nerve wracking. Once again Higson managed to keep me on edge, fearing for my favorites to be killed at any moment (fortunately they all survived). If there are major character deaths is hard to tell. It depends on who you consider a main/important character as there are some characters that have accompanied us for a long time or simply grew to me and died in the end. I was a bit surprised about some outcomes if I’m honest, but most of them didn’t have me as emotional as the character development and the reunions at the near end of the book. Some of the deaths and revelations did bring tears to my eyes though!
Moving on to the character department: I expected to not have to talk about characters or character development this time as I raved about my favorites enough in all my other reviews already. I also was a bit bummed to read that Ed wouldn’t get much show time this time as his story always was one of the most intense in my opinion (and I guess I’m right if I say that we all loved Ed). This still involved characters I absolutely loved since the beginning or was very interested in though so I was hyped to hear their stories again. An unexpected thing actually was how characters like Achilleus and Ryan suddenly started to grow on me. I didn’t hate them before, but they always managed to upset me with their ‘macho way of thinking/acting’. The End changed this a lot as both of them got to show how different they actually were and while some might think the new sides of Achilleus were unnecessary I for my part enjoyed them very much. I enjoyed reading about him opening up to others, I loved seeing him showing emotions other than aggression and anger. One of the scene I liked the most was Maxie and Achilleus talk about the past, about how Maxie did a great job leading them. I got so emotional during this. This kind of relationship is what I enjoyed most about this series. It didn’t have forced love stories (along the lines of ‘let’s just put everyone in a relationship’). It focused on friendship, on the thought of family. A thing you don’t see in many series lately and an aspect that made it feel real as I’m sure your first priority in an apocalypse isn’t falling in love. I’m not saying there aren’t any and there shouldn’t be any, but the few we got were the perfect amount.
The End isn’t perfect. I saw other reviewers mentioning the following things: The end is rather abrupt and could need an epilogue. Some characters didn’t get enough lines in this book or seemed to be ‘just there’ while being important parts before. I dare say you are right, but maybe there will be a new series? Maybe it’s meant to be up to your imagination? I rather have characters not being mentioned enough than having a book of 800 pages with forced conversations, action and prolonging just to get enough space for all of them. I’m sure this is why Higson created The Hunted. To have enough space to do all his great characters justice. At least that’s what I think. The reason why I won’t call The End perfect is because of some scene that felt a bit off. Other than that The End is a great end to an amazing series that more readers should pick up.
December 20, 2015
I feel so sad that this series has ended. I had such fun, exhausting, exhilarating and damn scary moments whilst reading this series. This series gets no where near the amount of credit and attention that it gets and I think that it is horribly under read. Seriously, I highly, recommend you pick up this series. There are an awful lot of dystopian/apocalyptic/zombie books out there, and for me, The Enemy is the best one out there.
I don't want to include a lot of details on this particular book in the series, because it's the seventh one, but as a whole, this series has such complex characters. Higson makes you hate one character, but love it the next. And he also doesn't hesitate or hold back on the violence and gore. At some chapters I was actually pulling some weird facial expressions because of the gore, excitement, or dread. I could feel the characters stress, despair, desperation emanating through the pages.
The beginning of The End was quite slower compared to the end, but never boring; I think this is because of the closing chapters where Higson ties things together nicely. I think one thing that I definitely would have preferred was an epilogue, but I definitely was satisfied with how everything turned out.
If you thought the enemy was scary before, that is nothing compared to how they are in The End. I've started reading this series when I was about thirteen and after every book I just couldn't wait until the next one would come out in the following September. I became really attached to these characters and you want them to win so bad, because everyone has been through a lot in these books, even the evil ones, but for some of the characters (Ed, Malik, Sam, Ella), they've been through even worse, and you really feel for them.I've just had such a fantastic time reading this series over the years. I think it's how, when Harry Potter was coming out, people grew with Harry and read the books as it came out and saw the movies as it came out, that has been the same for me for this series (well, I can only pray that movies will come out too).
Also, I've got to mention how I've found every book in this series so addictive. I'm not a very fast reader to begin with, for example normally I would read fifty pages of a book and put it down, and come back to it later. I cannot do that with this series. I would read about a hundred pages at a time, and for me, if a book or series can make me do that, then it's a success in at least one way. Other than The Enemy series, the only other series I've given five stars for all the books is the Lunar Chronicles and Harry Potter of course.
It looks like these characters won't be leaving me for a very long time, if ever, because I definitely want to re-read this whole series one day, which I very rarely say.
Wouldn't it just be awesome if Charlie Higson *somehow* writes a spin off series? Because clearly, I'm desperate for more.
I don't want to include a lot of details on this particular book in the series, because it's the seventh one, but as a whole, this series has such complex characters. Higson makes you hate one character, but love it the next. And he also doesn't hesitate or hold back on the violence and gore. At some chapters I was actually pulling some weird facial expressions because of the gore, excitement, or dread. I could feel the characters stress, despair, desperation emanating through the pages.
The beginning of The End was quite slower compared to the end, but never boring; I think this is because of the closing chapters where Higson ties things together nicely. I think one thing that I definitely would have preferred was an epilogue, but I definitely was satisfied with how everything turned out.
If you thought the enemy was scary before, that is nothing compared to how they are in The End. I've started reading this series when I was about thirteen and after every book I just couldn't wait until the next one would come out in the following September. I became really attached to these characters and you want them to win so bad, because everyone has been through a lot in these books, even the evil ones, but for some of the characters (Ed, Malik, Sam, Ella), they've been through even worse, and you really feel for them.I've just had such a fantastic time reading this series over the years. I think it's how, when Harry Potter was coming out, people grew with Harry and read the books as it came out and saw the movies as it came out, that has been the same for me for this series (well, I can only pray that movies will come out too).
Also, I've got to mention how I've found every book in this series so addictive. I'm not a very fast reader to begin with, for example normally I would read fifty pages of a book and put it down, and come back to it later. I cannot do that with this series. I would read about a hundred pages at a time, and for me, if a book or series can make me do that, then it's a success in at least one way. Other than The Enemy series, the only other series I've given five stars for all the books is the Lunar Chronicles and Harry Potter of course.
It looks like these characters won't be leaving me for a very long time, if ever, because I definitely want to re-read this whole series one day, which I very rarely say.
Wouldn't it just be awesome if Charlie Higson *somehow* writes a spin off series? Because clearly, I'm desperate for more.
February 10, 2016
"Shut out the fear. Keep moving. Keep fighting. Stay alive. Even if it was only for one more precious minute..."
The final battle is upon them. There's no turning back now. A handful of kids versus every adult in London. Who will make it past tomorrow? Who will live on a legend and a hero? Who will realise their mistakes too late? ("We're just kids. How could we be expected to make the right decisions?") In this, the final of The Enemy series, Higson pulls out all the stops, for a heart pounding, earth shattering climax.
I can't fully express my love for this series. It's been an amazing ride, with incredible characters and shocking twists and turns. I've been on the edge of my seat the entire series and I was not ready for it to end. But it did. It's over. It really is the end. No more Maxie, no more Sam, no more Ed, no more Shadowman. No more St George. And there were so many characters that didn't feature nearly as much as I wanted them too. I'm finding it really hard to accept. I mean, it just ended. Yeah, everything was tied up nicely and I really enjoyed myself, but I want more. I need more. I mean, I could read about these kids forever, even if they turn out to lead the most boring lives from here on out. Because they're just the most amazing bunch of kids ever. I want them all as friends. I really do.
The best part about this series is definitely the characters. Higson created such interesting ones with such opposing personalities and no matter who they were, good or bad, I connected with them all on some level, well aside from the grown ups of course. And I realised in this instalment how important the characters were to my emotional responses towards events. This time round, with every death, I realised I was only emotional when the right people were told. I cried when they cried. Now I've done plenty of crying throughout this series so maybe I finally reached my limit. Or maybe there was just too much going on for me to fully process everything.
★★★★☆
This will forever be one of my favourite series'. Higson's opened up a whole new world for me and I know that, despite the tears, I will definitely be revisiting this series someday. But what was with telling me to go back to the start of the series now? I'm definitely not ready for that yet. Do you want to destroy me?
The final battle is upon them. There's no turning back now. A handful of kids versus every adult in London. Who will make it past tomorrow? Who will live on a legend and a hero? Who will realise their mistakes too late? ("We're just kids. How could we be expected to make the right decisions?") In this, the final of The Enemy series, Higson pulls out all the stops, for a heart pounding, earth shattering climax.
I can't fully express my love for this series. It's been an amazing ride, with incredible characters and shocking twists and turns. I've been on the edge of my seat the entire series and I was not ready for it to end. But it did. It's over. It really is the end. No more Maxie, no more Sam, no more Ed, no more Shadowman. No more St George. And there were so many characters that didn't feature nearly as much as I wanted them too. I'm finding it really hard to accept. I mean, it just ended. Yeah, everything was tied up nicely and I really enjoyed myself, but I want more. I need more. I mean, I could read about these kids forever, even if they turn out to lead the most boring lives from here on out. Because they're just the most amazing bunch of kids ever. I want them all as friends. I really do.
The best part about this series is definitely the characters. Higson created such interesting ones with such opposing personalities and no matter who they were, good or bad, I connected with them all on some level, well aside from the grown ups of course. And I realised in this instalment how important the characters were to my emotional responses towards events. This time round, with every death, I realised I was only emotional when the right people were told. I cried when they cried. Now I've done plenty of crying throughout this series so maybe I finally reached my limit. Or maybe there was just too much going on for me to fully process everything.
★★★★☆
This will forever be one of my favourite series'. Higson's opened up a whole new world for me and I know that, despite the tears, I will definitely be revisiting this series someday. But what was with telling me to go back to the start of the series now? I'm definitely not ready for that yet. Do you want to destroy me?
October 12, 2015
** no spoilers but you might be able to work out some stuff maybe so!!!
Holy crap I'm so sad that I've just finished this. I hate that it's the last book and it's not even properly set in yet that it's over. Someone start a petition to get Charlie to carry this on with at least another seven books??
Anyways, I loved every single second of this book. Normally I get bored at parts of books and have to take long breaks, but yet again Charlie has amazed me by having me hooked the whole damn time. I could have quite happily read this in one sitting.
Was hard not following Ed. Always seem to miss his pov the most, but I liked following Dylan and Akkie and Maxie the most. It's so interesting reading the different ways they see and think about things. Even Ryan with his hunters, and Jordan of course.
**
I will always, always, always be eternally grateful to Charlie for what he did with Akkie. I've been wanting it to happen since the first book, and I'm so, so happy. His conversation with Maxie while discussing tactics had me literally crying. My whole face drained of colour because I knew this was the damn moment it was gonna start happening. I don't want to spoil anything but at the same time I just want to scream about it to everyone. And then when the thing happened in the Museum...don't think I cried that hard even after some of my favourite characters died in the previous books. I literally could not stop smiling gdi Charlie you have left me unstable. Wished we could have gotten more of the little thing at the end, but I'm just happy it happened at all.
**
Altogether, it was a really great ending to the series. I'm going to have to give it a while before I can move onto any other books. Feel that horribly numb emptiness and it's worse because this is my favourite series ever. I'll have to start reading them all one after the other again like I used to. sigh.
Holy crap I'm so sad that I've just finished this. I hate that it's the last book and it's not even properly set in yet that it's over. Someone start a petition to get Charlie to carry this on with at least another seven books??
Anyways, I loved every single second of this book. Normally I get bored at parts of books and have to take long breaks, but yet again Charlie has amazed me by having me hooked the whole damn time. I could have quite happily read this in one sitting.
Was hard not following Ed. Always seem to miss his pov the most, but I liked following Dylan and Akkie and Maxie the most. It's so interesting reading the different ways they see and think about things. Even Ryan with his hunters, and Jordan of course.
**
I will always, always, always be eternally grateful to Charlie for what he did with Akkie. I've been wanting it to happen since the first book, and I'm so, so happy. His conversation with Maxie while discussing tactics had me literally crying. My whole face drained of colour because I knew this was the damn moment it was gonna start happening. I don't want to spoil anything but at the same time I just want to scream about it to everyone. And then when the thing happened in the Museum...don't think I cried that hard even after some of my favourite characters died in the previous books. I literally could not stop smiling gdi Charlie you have left me unstable. Wished we could have gotten more of the little thing at the end, but I'm just happy it happened at all.
**
Altogether, it was a really great ending to the series. I'm going to have to give it a while before I can move onto any other books. Feel that horribly numb emptiness and it's worse because this is my favourite series ever. I'll have to start reading them all one after the other again like I used to. sigh.
February 28, 2016
It's OVER!!!! What am I going to do with my life??? I felt so many emotions reading this book...this series! Some of the most memorable characters everrr. This series is gruesome, terrifying, triumphant, brilliant, courageous and so, so real. <3 Ed, Scarface, Shadowman, Ella, THE KID, Small Sam, Maxie & Blue, Achilleus, Will, Kyle, Ollie, and so many more...
Ugh, what do I read now??? I need a new middle grade series with amazing characters!
Ugh, what do I read now??? I need a new middle grade series with amazing characters!
June 16, 2016
This was an amazing book. More perfect than most, and an all time favorite. I love how Higson wrapped up this world, this story he created and although I wish there was more, I'm happy with this ending. I've traveled every step, inch, kill, sorrow, death, and life with the characters in this book. I've dedicated myself to seven books and more if I could. Thank you Charlie Higson. Thank you.
September 15, 2016
I really enjoyed this book because i like books about zombie apocalypses and stuff about zombies, this book was really exiting and i would definitely recommend it to a friend who wants to read a series of books, i really like the idea of the books, all people over the age of 14 become zombies and the young kids have to survive
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2022
Absolute banger honestly haven't been gripped by a book this much in ages. Ending was quite abrupt and I agree with someone else's review that it needs an epilogue but overall a class read. You're never too old for this kind of stuff I would highly recommend the whole series if you want a break from the heavy stuff.
May 4, 2025
I loved this series, and what a way to finish the world of 'The Enemy'!
The build-up to the war and the final battle itself was great, but I do worry that elements were rushed, and I really feel like the book could have done with a couple more chapters.
David and Jester's deaths were very anticlimactic for being such big villains throughout the series, and similarly with Greg/St. George, it feels like it has been so long since he had done anything particularly evil - it felt like he could have killed another main character here just to remind everyone what a threat he is. Maybe someone like Jackson or Kyle? I know killing Jack and Bam was a huge plot point for Ed's character, and it was right that he was the one to get revenge on Greg, but that happened five books ago.
A lot of plot points didn't have particularly satisfying endings either. Malik was such a pivotal character in the penultimate book and then had maybe one line? Could he have not had some kind of interaction with Sam? What was the result of everything that happened at Buckingham Palace with Just John's lot? Did they leave, or just destroy the place, or get run off by the other kids? What is going to happen with Mad Matt and his bite? Sam and Ella reuniting was the second biggest plot of the entire series, so why were they given all of three lines to close out the book?
There's a lot of frustration in this book with a lot that could have been resolved with a couple extra chapters, but I still really enjoyed the book and the series as a whole. There were so many memorable moments and so many loveable characters, the fact that I'm disappointed not to spend more time with them and find out more about what will happen next could probably be construed as a positive - it's better to be left wanting more than to have too much of a good thing.
The build-up to the war and the final battle itself was great, but I do worry that elements were rushed, and I really feel like the book could have done with a couple more chapters.
David and Jester's deaths were very anticlimactic for being such big villains throughout the series, and similarly with Greg/St. George, it feels like it has been so long since he had done anything particularly evil - it felt like he could have killed another main character here just to remind everyone what a threat he is. Maybe someone like Jackson or Kyle? I know killing Jack and Bam was a huge plot point for Ed's character, and it was right that he was the one to get revenge on Greg, but that happened five books ago.
A lot of plot points didn't have particularly satisfying endings either. Malik was such a pivotal character in the penultimate book and then had maybe one line? Could he have not had some kind of interaction with Sam? What was the result of everything that happened at Buckingham Palace with Just John's lot? Did they leave, or just destroy the place, or get run off by the other kids? What is going to happen with Mad Matt and his bite? Sam and Ella reuniting was the second biggest plot of the entire series, so why were they given all of three lines to close out the book?
There's a lot of frustration in this book with a lot that could have been resolved with a couple extra chapters, but I still really enjoyed the book and the series as a whole. There were so many memorable moments and so many loveable characters, the fact that I'm disappointed not to spend more time with them and find out more about what will happen next could probably be construed as a positive - it's better to be left wanting more than to have too much of a good thing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2025
J'ai bien cru que je ne finirai jamais ce dernier tome, mais il est vrai que je n'ai pas aimé la construction de la saga. Le passage d'un clan à un autre, avec des aller et retour dans le temps, plutôt qu'un récit plus linéaire. Difficile de s'accrocher à des personnages qui sont omniprésents dans un tome pour être quasi absents dans le suivant.
L'histoire de ses enfants livrés à eux mêmes dans un monde devenu hostile ne manque pourtant pas de rebondissements et de belles surprises.
L'histoire de ses enfants livrés à eux mêmes dans un monde devenu hostile ne manque pourtant pas de rebondissements et de belles surprises.
September 7, 2025
Never got to read this book when it came out. Was a huge fan of them when I was younger. Re-read the whole series and bittersweet end. Loved it, action packed ending. Wish we had an epilogue though to see what happened after the final fight.
October 19, 2024
And just like that I have finally completed The Enemy series... What an amazing, action packed, emotional and heart warming ending to the series.
I'm currently a ball of emotion. This book took you all over the shop, from happy reunions, to shocking deaths, to massive battles and face offs... This has everything. That last chapter had me sobbing. Such a beautiful happy ending.
Never gonna be over certain deaths, not only in this book, but also the previous entries. One death scene in this one took me off guard and IT HURT!
The big battle in this was intense and action packed. Having all the kids, who we've followed throughout the series, join up, all their journeys leading to this one big moment, a big fight for survival, was so beautiful and savage.
I cannot put into words how amazing this series is, I had a blast from start to finish. I loved getting to know all these characters, how all the kids adapted to this new world, navigate being thrusted into a world where they have to kill to survive, struggle with having to grow up so fast. What a bloody rollercoaster!
I am so happy I have finally completed this series, yet it is so bittersweet, because I didn't want it to end. A reread is definitely on the cards in future.
I'm currently a ball of emotion. This book took you all over the shop, from happy reunions, to shocking deaths, to massive battles and face offs... This has everything. That last chapter had me sobbing. Such a beautiful happy ending.
Never gonna be over certain deaths, not only in this book, but also the previous entries. One death scene in this one took me off guard and IT HURT!
The big battle in this was intense and action packed. Having all the kids, who we've followed throughout the series, join up, all their journeys leading to this one big moment, a big fight for survival, was so beautiful and savage.
I cannot put into words how amazing this series is, I had a blast from start to finish. I loved getting to know all these characters, how all the kids adapted to this new world, navigate being thrusted into a world where they have to kill to survive, struggle with having to grow up so fast. What a bloody rollercoaster!
I am so happy I have finally completed this series, yet it is so bittersweet, because I didn't want it to end. A reread is definitely on the cards in future.
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