The Sacrifice (Higson novel)

The Sacrifice
Author Charlie Higson
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series The Enemy
Genre Horror, Young Adult, Thriller
Publisher Puffin Books
Publication date
20 September 2012
Media type Print (hardcover)
Pages 464
ISBN 9780141336121
Followed by The Fallen

The Sacrifice is a post-apocalyptic young adult horror novel written by best-selling author Charlie Higson. The book, released by Puffin Books in the UK and Australia on 20 September 2012,[1] is the fourth book in a planned seven-book series, titled The Enemy.[2][3] The Sacrifice takes place in London, a year after a worldwide sickness has infected adults, turning them into something akin to voracious, cannibalistic zombies and begins five days after the end of The Fear.

Puffin Books released the first novel in the series, titled The Enemy, in the UK on 3 September 2009; Disney Hyperion released it in the US on 11 May 2010.[3] Puffin Books released the second novel in the series, titled The Dead, on 16 September 2010; the third novel, titled The Fear, on 15 September 2011; the fourth novel, The Sacrifice, on 20 September 2012; the fifth novel, The Fallen, on 12 September 2013; the sixth novel, The Hunted, on 4 September 2014;[4] and the final book, The End, is scheduled to be released in 2015.[5] Disney Hyperion released Higson's short story companion book in the series, titled Geeks vs. Zombies, on 5 June 2012;[6] it portrays an exclusive scene from The Fear, on World Book Day.[7]

Summary

Small Sam and The Kid have been living at the Tower of London for a few weeks following their escapades through London, as described in The Enemy. Jordan Hordern calls a council to discuss the punishment for Brendan, a kid who was caught stealing food from the group's cache. After getting Brendan to confess, Jordan sentences him to death. Before executing Brendan, Jordan reduces the punishment to exile, in response to complaints by other residents of the Tower. Brendan is exiled and wanders off through the so-called "No Go Zone". The No Go Zone is at the heart of Old London, and the sickos there are said to be unpredictable and dangerous. While eating breakfast, some sentries spot a group of kids running into a pub after being chased by sickos. Ed and a few other kids, including Kyle (a violent, strong fighter), head to the pub and rescue a 14-year-old girl named Tish, who is wearing all green. Ed, however, in a moment of hesitation, accidentally kills a wounded girl during the fighting.

Tish is put in the same bunk house as Sam and The Kid. She convinces Sam that Jordan and Ed have other motives and want to imprison him. They decide to escape to try to get to Buckingham Palace to find Sam's sister, Ella. They successfully escape, but find themselves caught up in the No Go Zone surrounded by sickos. To escape them, they head underground, which The Kid has a significant knowledge of. After finding their way through the tunnels, they are corneredd by sickos but are ultimately rescued by more kids, each wearing all green like Tish.

Ed, who has grown worried about Sam and The Kid's sudden disappearance, decides to launch a search party in hope of finding them. They make their way through London and eventually wind up at the Houses of Parliament with Nicola.

Meanwhile, Shadowman has tracked the Fear consistently and is learning more about their evolving organisation. He learns that they have become more intelligent and have established a chain of command with St. George and his lieutenants at the top. While spying on the Fear, he spots a group of kids who don't realise how large The Fear are (over 100 sickos). When he tries to warn them, they are attacked and surrounded. Most escape, but one of the kids, Ricky, is eaten alive. Shadowman runs with the group to their car, but the keys were in Ricky's pocket. Shadowman returns to the Fear's hiding place and gets the keys from Ricky's dead body. He returns to the car, and they drive away. Jaz, filled with anger, tries to run over the remaining sickos as they retreat, but she winds up crashing the car.

The scene cuts to Shadowman lying in the now upside down car. He passes out and is rescued by Jaz's friends, who take him to their headquarters, an Ikea store. There, Shadowman learns Jaz died of blood loss after the sickos ate her foot, which had protruded outside the overturned vehicle.

Sam and The Kid follow their saviours to their home, St. Paul's Cathedral. It turns out that the rescuers and Tish are all members of Mad Matt's cult, and they believe that Sam and The Kid are the Lamb and Goat that Matt and his banner have referred to. Matt's group imprisons both boys and eventually decide to sacrifice The Kid to Wormwood, an adult sicko who displays intelligence as does St. George. But unlike St. George, Wormwood has the ability to talk, a trait not spotted in any other sickos. However, The Kid manages to convince Wormwood not to eat him.

Ed and the rest of his group make it to St. Paul's, where they rescue Sam. The cathedral gets overrun with sickos, and Matt and his followers manage to lock themselves inside. Ed's group, along with Sam and Charlotte, a girl from St. Paul's Cathedral, run into an abandoned building for cover and there find The Kid and Wormwood. Wormwood helps them to escape by communicating telepathically with the sickos. Brendan, Tish, and Adele die trying to help Ed's crew escape.

Shadowman, meanwhile, watches the demise of Jaz's group, due to an ill-advised attack led by Saif (the leader of Jaz's group and her boyfriend) on the Fear from a high vantage point. He goes down to try and help one kid he thinks might be alive, but he was incorrect and gets attacked by one of St. George's lieutenants (Bluetooth). He runs as hard as he can on a gimpy leg and is saved when he runs into Ed's crew, and with the assistance of Ed's group they destroy Bluetooth's gang, and Bluetooth himself. Shadowman takes them to a safe hiding spot, where Shadowman reveals his real name, Dylan Peake. Ed and Dylan swap notes on St George and his army, but agree that they will deal with the issue later.

The book ends with Jordan Hordern's declaring that he will clear the No Go Zone after Hayden informs him of Ed's trip through London. We read reflections from Nicola, David, Jordan, Ed, and St. George himself about how things are beginning to change.

Ed and The Kid believe that Wormwood may be the key to possibly stopping all of this. It is made clear that Wormwood was a scientist studying parasitic rain forest diseases, and he may be the first case of the virus attacking a human. He repeats the phrase "out with the bad blood, and in with the good" to The Kid.

Characters

References

  1. Higson, Charlie (20 September 2012). The Sacrifice (The Enemy series, #4). Puffin Books.
  2. "Is Young Bond Series 2 still a possibility?". Young Bond Dossier. 24 September 2010.
  3. 1 2 "First look at The Enemy". The Young Bond Dossier. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
  4. Higson, Charlie (4 September 2014). The Hunted (Paperback ed.). ISBN 9780141336107.
  5. "A Master Class in Dealing With the Undead". Mostly-Books. 15 September 2011.
  6. Higson, Charlie (5 June 2012). Geeks vs. Zombies. Disney Hyperion. p. 34. ISBN 9780141344249.
  7. "Book Description: Geeks v. Zombies". Amazon.com. 2012.

External links

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