The Fear

Charlie Higson's follow up to The Enemy takes place simultaneously with his original story. It follows a different group of kids as they try and navigate zombie filled London. The adults have all turned into flesh eating zombies, the kids are all fighting to survive. Different groups of kids are hiding in some pretty impressive places, the Tower of London, Parliament, the Museum of Natural History and Buckingham Palace. Each is led by a different kid with their own agenda. This book follows DogNut and his band as they try and find the friends they were separated from. Being out on the streets is deadly and as this group makes its way from one end of London to the other, things don't always go as planned. Higson does not have any problem killing off the kids in some fairly gruesome ways. This is not a book for younger kids, it is very gory and violent, as I guess a zombie apocalypse would be. It is interesting to see what each group is focused on. David wants to dominate the country and become it's new King, Nicola wants to win the next election to stay in power with her group, Shadowman just wants to be left alone, and Justin is trying to cure the disease that took all the adults. This is a reflection of where each group hides out. It is also interesting to see the survival of the fittest instinct as often kids are left behind to their own fates, which is never good. Guilt is an emotion most of the kids learn to live with. On top of all that, the zombies seem to be getting smarter and organizing themselves and that can't turn out well for the kids. The book definitely leaves you hanging so I'm sure more zombie terror is going to follow. Happy reading my friends.