The Sacrifice

I always have fun with any of The Enemy series by Charlie Higson, and The Sacrifice was no exception. I guess these books speak to my inner twelve year old. The stories are of children trying to survive in a London where everyone over the age of 14 is diseased and changed into flesh-eating creatures which makes for fascinating reading. The Sacrifice is the fourth book in the series and is both as exhilarating and as yucky as one could wish for.

The books are an on-going story and follows various groups of children. Some have made their headquarters in Buckingham Palace, others in the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral or even an IKEA store. Their many adventures are all based on survival as they must take to the streets to find food show more and items to improve their lives. Over the course of the last two books, the zombies have been changing from mindless, shambling creatures into something far more crafty and devious. I’m not sure how many more books the author has planned, but it certainly looks as if things are being brought to a head.

Nail-biting action and an abundance of blood and gore drive these books. Certainly not for everyone, but I have become quite addicted to this series and plan to carry on as I am anxious to find out what happens to these kids next. show less

The fourth installment of this gripping young adult horror series, The Sacrifice by Charlie Higson, takes us to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, where Mad Matt and his acolytes are holed up with their made up religion. The Sacrifice begins where Small Sam and The Kid are at the Tower of London, living with Ed and Jordan Horden, and the rest of the “army”, but Sam wants to find his sister, Ella, and last he heard she was at Buckingham Palace with David and the rest of the Holloway Kids. He wants to get out, but Ed doesn’t seem keen on the idea, so Sam and The Kid set off by themselves with a new girl that Ed and Kyle had saved in the “no-go zone”. Eventually, they run into the “clicky cult”, as The Kid likes to call them, show more and it’s a battle for survival just to get out. Mad Matt’s followers find them just in the nick of time, transports them to St. Paul’s Cathedral and there they come to the realization that maybe the crazy talk about how insane Mad Matt truly is, wasn’t an exaggeration.

Charlie Higson has a remarkable ability to keep the books tantalizing, fresh and consistent. Of course, he kills off characters left, right an center, but it’s impossible not to get attached to the characters before they die. The Sacrifice is a superb addition to the series and I have to say that The Kid is by far one of the most intriguing characters I’ve ever read about, in any book. For a small kid – ten years old – he’s surprisingly well-adjusted to the weird world that surrounds him. He doesn’t make a lot of sense, and yet The Kid knows exactly what he’s talking about … most of the time.

The Enemy series isn’t an ordinary zombie series, in fact, the adults who were affected weren’t dead at all. The Sacrifice explains certain aspects of the disease in almost science-fiction terms. Of course, The Sacrifice isn’t exactly about explaining the disease, it’s about explaining Mad Matt’s crazy religion (keep that in mind folks).

All in all, it was a great book and so far I’d advise anyone who loves a good horror, with zombie-ish tendencies, to get their hands on it.

(review originally posted on www.tentaclebooks.com) show less

This series is getting more and more twisted but now that I'm reading them closer together, I can remember the whole bit cast and, hopefully, link them to the first book.

More losses and more kids join the fight. I think I have this at least partially figured out but I'm not 100% sure who's still alive and who's not.

Can't wait to read the next one!

Zombie fun and good times. Kids dieing left and right. Nothing like a good sunday read.

There is so much going on in these books, with the different groups trying to stay alive. It is a little difficult to keep up and keep track of who is who.

There is so much going on in these books, with the different groups trying to stay alive. It is a little difficult to keep up and keep track of who is who.

There is so much going on in these books, with the different groups trying to stay alive. It is a little difficult to keep up and keep track of who is who.