Book - The Fear

Kneel Downe gives us his view on Charlie Higson's The Fear...

After honing his writing skills on the popular Young Bond series, in 2009 Mr Higson turned his attentions to a far darker and grisly saga. The Enemy was the first in an ongoing tale about the struggle for survival of a group of under 14’s in a world where everyone above that age has mutated into flesh hungry, mindless beasts.

Zombies, if you will. Aimed squarely at the teen market you may be forgiven for dismissing these books but be assured, if this were to make the transition to the big screen it would be a certificate 15 at the very least. Higson pulls no punches with the subject matter and brutal scene after brutal scene form the backbone of the entire series. Favourite characters meet their grisly end at the drop of a hat and in such a dangerous, diseased world, no one is ever really safe.

Set mostly within the confines of a ruined London, the Fear finds characters from the previous books drawn together in disparate groups as a power struggle between the survivors plays out against a backdrop of increasingly intelligent undead and their slow plan to catch the last of the remaining ‘food.’Higson’s prose seems functional and uncluttered, so it is only when one of our heroes meets an unfortunate end do you realise just how well the characters have been sketched. Casual asides about the times before the plague regularly bring a lump to the throat and pop culture references are peppered throughout.The Fear can be read as a stand alone book but to really invest in this world I urge you to begin at the beginning and let yourself be drawn into what is a truly dark and unique world. 28 days later for kids? You bet!

Image - Amazon.