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chapterswithkyle's review against another edition
4.0
Once again. Charlie Higson does not disappoint. I found this book not as great as The Enemy, but it still was satisfying. Charlie Higson has a way of killing off characters that is so out of the blue, that I had to reread several chapters to learn what was going on because I was so invested into the other parts of the story going on. This series has great potential and am looking forward to continuing this series.
markimus's review against another edition
4.0
Wow....let's take a minute to breathe after this one. I've only come across one other book where the sequel overwhelmingly surpasses the original. The thing I appreciate about this book so much more than the original is that we stick with one group, and if another is brought up it's only to add to our primary group. The action was grittier, the situations felt realer, and I actually grew to care about these characters far more than the first set. I will keep reading this series to see where the author continues to go with this because the theories brought up in this book are quite interesting.
kristi_starr35's review against another edition
3.0
If reading The Dead, odds are that you've read The Enemy. This is more of the same, except it's really a prequel. Wondering who St. George is from the end of book 1? You'll find out. Wondering what the beginning of the outbreak was like? Now you'll know. What keeps the sickos/strangers/zombies/fathers and mothers at bay? You'll read one of the theories. And as you learned in the first book, characters are expendable - no one is safe.
I suspect this book resonates a bit better with British readers who know the lingo and especially the layout of London. The average American reader is not familiar with the Oval, though context indicates it's a pretty significant landmark, as is the Arsenal. The Tower of London and the Thames? We're good there. We colonists are just a bit weak on some of the other places and names (even places like supermarkets).
Do you like mayhem, action, zombies, and dismembered body parts? This is your book. Are you already convinced that all adults are toxic and to be avoided, even at great peril? This is definitely for you.
I suspect this book resonates a bit better with British readers who know the lingo and especially the layout of London. The average American reader is not familiar with the Oval, though context indicates it's a pretty significant landmark, as is the Arsenal. The Tower of London and the Thames? We're good there. We colonists are just a bit weak on some of the other places and names (even places like supermarkets).
Do you like mayhem, action, zombies, and dismembered body parts? This is your book. Are you already convinced that all adults are toxic and to be avoided, even at great peril? This is definitely for you.
stephanie_matthews's review against another edition
4.0
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toniwoni's review against another edition
4.0
Again I love this series. The plot is excellent and the sense of reality tugged on a few of my heart strings. This book is set a few months before the first one in this series and after you read it a lot of the things make sense and make you go 'oooooh'. I can't recommend this series enough and one of my closest friends is reading it. It's nice to have a conversation about a book with someone who's enjoyed it as much as you have
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
4.0
What a surprise. After only feeling "meh" after reading the first one, it was a complete shock that I loved this one.
It takes place about a year before book 1. I know, shocking right? But what a great thing to do. It was wonderful to see how it all came to be - the two camps, some of the people and how they all divided. it was even interesting to see how it all began.
And the prologue about the kid in the video. Completely creepy and disturbing and sets the stage for the whole book. I love that this author never holds back any punches - you honestly never know who is going to be alive or dead/turned by the end!
It takes place about a year before book 1. I know, shocking right? But what a great thing to do. It was wonderful to see how it all came to be - the two camps, some of the people and how they all divided. it was even interesting to see how it all began.
And the prologue about the kid in the video. Completely creepy and disturbing and sets the stage for the whole book. I love that this author never holds back any punches - you honestly never know who is going to be alive or dead/turned by the end!
alice_digest's review against another edition
4.0
The second book in the series is just as brutal and action packed as the first, even if the story shifts to a completely new group of survivors. I was quite attached to Maxi and her gang, so it's a testament to Charlie Higson that he managed to make me just as invested in this new crew. We had briefly seen and heard about this group from the girl in the hospital at Buckingham Palace and Small Sam met them at the end outside The Tower of London. Hopefully things will eventually join up in future books.
The Dead is set a year before The Enemy, near the beginning of the outbreak. It begins with a group of private school boys, but they soon joins up with an assorted collection of others. Again the representation is good, and they are all believable characters who react in realistic ways to the horrific situations they are faced with. I'd say on the whole this group are more level headed than some of the hot heads in the first book, but then again these kids are at the start of the outbreak and haven't lived through a year of it yet.
This could quite easily have been the same thing again.. and it is in a way, but the new set of survivors on their own journey into London still keeps it fresh and interesting. It was fun to pick out characters that you know from a year in the future in the first book. It sheds more light on David for one thing. I hate that kid.
The events in this I would say are even more brutal than the first book. There are some dark moments, and some really tragically sad ones. I don't recommend this to too young or delicate readers! I love it though. I get the feeling that Higson has a big grand plan, and is still setting seeds to harvest later on in the series. I can't wait to read more!
The Dead is set a year before The Enemy, near the beginning of the outbreak. It begins with a group of private school boys, but they soon joins up with an assorted collection of others. Again the representation is good, and they are all believable characters who react in realistic ways to the horrific situations they are faced with. I'd say on the whole this group are more level headed than some of the hot heads in the first book, but then again these kids are at the start of the outbreak and haven't lived through a year of it yet.
This could quite easily have been the same thing again.. and it is in a way, but the new set of survivors on their own journey into London still keeps it fresh and interesting. It was fun to pick out characters that you know from a year in the future in the first book. It sheds more light on David for one thing. I hate that kid.
The events in this I would say are even more brutal than the first book. There are some dark moments, and some really tragically sad ones. I don't recommend this to too young or delicate readers! I love it though. I get the feeling that Higson has a big grand plan, and is still setting seeds to harvest later on in the series. I can't wait to read more!
jackthelad93's review
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bethanieawp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0