The Dead (Higson novel)
A prequel to The Enemy, set two weeks into the apocalypse.
The Dead is the second book in Charlie Higson's seven-book series The Enemy, published by Puffin Books in the UK on 16 September 2010. Set in London two weeks after a worldwide sickness has turned adults into cannibalistic zombies, the novel takes place a year before the events of the first book, The Enemy. It follows a group of children and teenagers as they navigate the early days of the apocalypse.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Charlie Higson
- Country
- United Kingdom and the rest of Europe
- Language
- English
- Series
- The Enemy
- Genre
- Horror
- Young adult
- Thriller
- Publisher
- Puffin Books
- Released
- 16 September 2010
- Format
- Print (Hardcover)
Facts from the source article.
Plot
One year before the events of The Enemy, an unnamed user posts a video on YouTube titled "The Scared Kid", in which a boy frantically describes how his friends Danny and Eve have been killed by "mothers and fathers" (zombies) and shows them outside his window. The boy suffers a nervous breakdown and ends the video. The video goes viral, but is eventually taken down, followed by the site itself, then the internet, and finally electricity entirely, marking the start of the apocalypse. Two weeks into the apocalypse, two 14-year-old boys, Jack and Ed, are trapped with other schoolboys in a boarding school in Kent, defending themselves from zombified teachers. After escaping with the help of a rugby player named Bam, they rescue Frederique, their French teacher's daughter, and head to a nearby chapel where a group led by a boy named Matt had barricaded themselves. Finding no reply, they break in and discover that those inside have either fallen unconscious or died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The group revives the survivors, but Matt appears brain-damaged and believes he is a messenger of a being called the Lamb, who will cleanse the earth of nonbelievers (the zombies). The group splits: Matt and some followers head to London with Jack, while Ed, Bam, and Malik go into the countryside. Ed's group is ambushed by older infected teenagers, who kill half the group, seemingly including Malik. They are saved by Greg Thorne, an adult who claims immunity and drives a motor coach collecting children for London. On the bus, Ed's group meets three girls, Aleisha, Courtney, and Brooke, while Greg eventually catches up with Matt's group still journeying toward London.
Characters
Arthur is Wiki's best friend and is nicknamed "Jibber-Jabber" by Greg because he talks constantly. Chris Marker is a boy who never stops reading and believes he sees ghosts; he appears schizophrenic, having mentioned therapy and doctors from earlier in his life. Ed Carter, one of the main characters, is a handsome, popular boy from Rowhurst and Jack's best friend; his face is scarred after Greg Thorne attacks him with a meat cleaver, and he assumes leadership of the group after they escape the motorcoach. Frederique Morel is a French girl found by the Rowhurst students while escaping their school; she develops a romantic connection with Jack, but becomes infected due to her mature age, is expelled from the Imperial War Museum, later reappears at the battle on the bridge and bites Aleisha, then regains control long enough to let Ed shoot and kill her. Harry "Bam" Bamford is a strong, enthusiastic rugby player from Rowhurst, respected as the best fighter; he is killed in a fight with Greg Thorne, who attacks him from behind with a meat cleaver. Jack, a main character and Ed's best friend, dies from multiple wounds sustained when Bam shoots him and Greg stabs him; Ed carries him to his family's house where he dies peacefully in his bed, and Ed later burns the house to prevent Jack's body from being eaten by adults. Johnno is one of the Rowhurst rugby players killed during the ambush at the Fez. Justin is the last of three nerds, put in charge of driving the Tesco truck and later driving with Brooke across the busy bridge. Kwanele Nkosi is a fashion-obsessed African student from Rowhurst who is cowardly and unwilling to help for fear of ruining his clothes, greatly annoying Ed Carter. Piers is a rugby player from Rowhurst and a friend of Bam's; he is injured early in the novel and dies when Kwanele and Ed leave him on the bus. The Sullivan Brothers are twin rugby players from Rowhurst named Damien and Anthony, both killed at the Fez. Wiki is a small boy who seems to know everything, hence his nickname; his real name is Thomas.
Cultural, historical, and geographical elements
The novel includes accurate geographic details such as the locations of various Tesco stores, the trek from the Imperial War Museum to The Oval, and the journey of Ed's bus party from the Imperial War Museum to Lambeth Bridge. It also describes the Great Fire of London (1666) and references popular culture, including the Gormenghast series.
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