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The Sacrifice is the fourth science fiction book in Charlie Higson’s The Enemy series. All of the books are set in a messed up world where all of the adults turn into zombie-like people that have a tendency to eat children. The Sacrifice is about children that live in London that try to survive in this world. Most of the children have formed independent groups that live together in a building, including the House of Parliament, a furniture store, or a museum, in order to survive isolated from the diseased adults. The main characters are Shadowman, Ed, Sam, and the Kid. They live in modern day London, and there is a disease that makes all of the adults want to eat children. The Enemy series is about the children trying to survive in this diseased world. Despite Ed’s protests, Sam and the Kid try to find Sam’s sister, Ella. Sam and the Kid go through the “forbidden zone” , which is full of diseased adults, to find Ella. After Ed finds out that Sam and the Kid have left, he enters the “forbidden zone” to try and find him. Meanwhile, Shadowman follows and elite group of zombies, called The Fear, to try to learn more about them. Shadowman attempts to warn other kids about how dangerous The Fear is, but no one listens to them. I would highly recommend this book. Higson kept the reader interested in the book at all times. There was never a point in the book where it was boring. After one group of adults attack Ed and his gang, another army of adults attack them. When Ed tries to escape the massive wave of vicious children-eating monsters, more adults block his exit. Every time Ed and his small army manage to conquer one obstacle, something else stands in their path. No matter how many adults Ed kills, more take their place. The Sacrifice is like a never-ending roller coaster. The action never stops. There are more than enough “zombies” to entertain the reader.
In addition to writing an action-packed book, Higson did a tremendous job of developing his characters. At times, the stupidity of the children will make the reader want to laugh out loud. Ed is smart and vicious when he is on a killing spree. On the other hand, Sam is hilariously dumb and could not kill a zombie to save his life. Without the Kid and the Kid’s quick thinking, Sam would be dead after the first few pages. Another character, Mad Matt, is another entertaining character. He has invented a stupid religion. Matt believes that the “Lamb”, who looks suspiciously like Sam, is a God, and shall save all of the children when the “Goat,” who looks like the Kid, is sacrificed. Matt has managed to convince hordes of kids that he is correct even though he is nuts. You would like this book if you like…fast-paced books with tons of blood and gore .
- Duy Nguyen, RRHS Student