Thursday, September 1, 2011

THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE by Jeff Hirsch

Okay, I've been eagerly anticipating this Bookanista post since June. See, that's when I read THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE (out today! Go get it! It's SO GOOD!!). Jeff had sent us a copy so we could all read it early, because he blogs with me at The League of Extraordinary Writers.

He's one of my favorite people. I sort of wish I was him.
Exhibit A: He lives in New York. I absolutely love that city.
Exhibit B: He wrote THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE. I absolutely love that book.

And I've sort of gotten off-track, and then circled back around again. Ha!


So. THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE: In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving. In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade for food and other items essential for survival. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true, where there are real houses, barbecues, a school, and even baseball games.

Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing forever.


What I liked:
The World: This is a very scary world, with very scary people and very scary situations. Stephen finds himself in trouble almost immediately, all in the hopes of having a piece of fresh fruit. Fresh FRUIT! I mutter every time I have to eat the stuff. And in this world, it's a rarity, and that's very scary to me.

Jeff does a great job of weaving in backstory, worldbuilding, and other things amidst the action of the novel. I felt like I could step right into the world and live there. I didn't want to--it's very scary--but I could imagine it.

The Relationships: Stephen and his father have a very real relationship. And Stephen faces danger and chaos when his father gets hurt and won't wake up. The relationship, the loyalty and love, Stephen has with his father grows and changes through the book, and often guides Stephen's choices. It felt authentic and dare I say it? Special. I really enjoyed it.

There are some competitive relationship too, between Stephen and the boys in Settler's Landing, that felt very teenage boy to me. Incredibly well.

If you like dystopian (and who doesn't?!?) you'll like THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE. And I'm giving away a copy! All you have to do is tell me what you'd miss most in a world where FRUIT is worth dying for. Would you miss the fruit? Vegetables? Public transportation? Cars? Medicine?

Leave a comment on this post by Sunday night, and I'll announce the winner on Monday.

Oh, and you're waiting for another winner, aren't you? The JANITORS winner? Hmmm... okay.

JANET JOHNSON you win! Email me your mailing address and I'll get this amazing book in the mail to you! elanajohnson (at) gmail.com. Congrats!


Check out what the other Bookanistas are up to this week at the Reading Room.

Or on their blogs:

45 comments:

Charity Bradford said...

I'd miss really good dark chocolate coated almonds. They are a little bit of heaven.

Thanks for the chance to win another book!

Donna K. Weaver said...

Intriguing story. Thanks.

Leigh Ann said...

I just bought a Kindle copy on Amazon because I'm taking the League's word for how awesome this is. So, if I win the copy, it's going to one of MY lucky readers - after I spend a post Author Crushing on Jeff, (yes, that's a technical term) because I'm sure I will.

Great giveaway! Thanks!

Deana said...

I have heard too many great things about this book so, yea, I want it!

I would miss being lazy. No doubt about it, if you live in a world where fruit is worth dying over, you live in a world where you can't sleep in on a Saturday while the kids watch cartoons and do nothing all day:( Sad.

Talli Roland said...

This sounds fantastic! Okay, I wouldn't miss fruit. Or veggies. Maybe... Twizzlers? Yes, I'd miss Twizzlers and wine.

Matthew MacNish said...

I really want this book. I would probably miss beer and chicken wings the most.

Tom M Franklin said...

sounds like a cool book. i'm looking forward to reading it.

as for missing something, cold, juicy peaches would have to rank pretty high on my list.


-- Tom

Nata Cynthia Artistadonna said...

EXCITING CONTEST!

TinaLynnReads said...

I would for sure miss the medicine, since I have to take a pill for a health issue for the rest of my life! Other than that, I would miss chocolate, oh my dear, sweet chocolate!!

Thanks so much!

--Christina

Shannon said...

I think I would miss the ease of communication (phone, email, etc.) It would be hard to not be able to talk to my loved ones far away and know how they are doing.

Shellie said...

Hrm that's a tough one. Id miss alot of things, medicine cause I have to take it &up im a klutz, pears cause they are awesomeness, pizza rolls &the blueberry eggos cause that's What I live off of...oh &the coke & milk..and cell phones & nooks, soooo basically everything lol. Thanks for the chance at winning.
Deviantzangel@gmail

Carolyn V said...

I can't wait to read it! It sounds so great!

kathy said...

This sounds like such a good book! I think I'd miss chocolate. And especially chocolate covered fruit. Yum. :)

Anonymous said...

There would be lots things I would miss. Medicine for one thing because we need its. Fruits and vegetables, Starbuck Coffee lol. Please enter me in contest. I really want to read this book. Tore923@aol.com

Liz said...

Air conditioning!!! Especially if I still lived in Texas :)

Vivien said...

Well this is based on recent events. I'd miss medicine the most. I got bit by a friends house cat----bad 2 days ago. It immediately got infected even though I cleaned it. It could turn into staph, pneumonia, heart disease if left untreated. My leg was red, swollen, oozing, hurting...I was scared. Until I got some lovely antibiotics. So that's what I'd miss. I could have lost a leg if not treated.

Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

Jonathon Arntson said...

Well, I would definitely miss fruit...like A LOT. But I would miss prolific music and Reese's.

Jonathon Arntson said...

AND seriously? A blurb from Suzanne Collins?!?!

Chloe said...

There would be so many things I'd miss... big things like medicine, transportation, and relative peace/safety, and smaller things like coffee and chocolate xD

I've been wanting to read this book for so long! Thanks for the chance to win :)

lookaftermyheart1901(at)gmail(dot)com

Krispy said...

I'd miss the food! I mean if fruit is worth dying for, that probably means a ton of my favorite foods would be gone too, and I do love my food! How horrible!

Thanks for the giveaway! Am stoked to read this book!

Melody said...

Well, if there's no fruit, that means there's no orange juice.

I kinda live for orange juice.

Orange juice is most definitely my answer. :)

Jenny S. Morris said...

I have this book on my hold list at the library, BUT I will love to win it. And, I'm a sucker for a great father-son relationship!

Angela Brown said...

I've got this added to my TBR list. Sounds like such an awesome dystopian.

If fresh fruit is a rarity, then fresh water must be hard to come by as well. That is something I take for granted and would sorely miss if this fiction were to become reality.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I remember the last post you did on this book, and I have been DYING to read it ever since. If I don't win, I'm TOTALLY buying it! :-)

Anonymous said...

I would miss ice cream... and let's be real here, sanitization... um, products.

Ronald L. Smith said...

I read the first few chapters on Jeff's blog and I was hooked!

Can't wait to pick this up.

Or, um, win a copy.

Alice said...

I'd miss reading a good book while snuggled in bed and eating chocolate.

Heather said...

This book sounds so good! I'd miss toilets that flush, cause um, seriously. *shudders*

Mart Ramirez said...

Sounds like avery interesting story! Thanks for sharing, Elana.

David P. King said...

Such high praise. Coming from you, it MUST be good! Thanks for sharing this with us. :)

Kasie West said...

That book sounds awesome! Going on my wishlist immediately. :) Thanks for the review.

Lindsay N. Currie said...

Okay, this sounds phenomenal. Thanks for the review - I write primarily dystopian/spec fiction and this sounds like it's right up my alley!!!! Awesome post - looks like you added another "wish" to my list:)

Jessy said...

This sounds awesome! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

Jessy said...

Forgot to answer the question.

I would probably miss strawberries the most. They are my absolute favorite and I couldn't shine never being able to eat them.

Thanks for the giveaway!

Anonymous said...

I'd miss fruit and probably clean water. I'd love to win a copy.

Luanne G. Smith said...

Obviously I'd miss Blogger. And chocolate. I'm addicted to both. Nice to meet you through the Campaign!

And hot showers. I'd miss those. And Starbucks. Wow, this list could get long.

Enid Wilson said...

The book cover looks spooky too. Thanks Elana for the heads up.

Every Savage Can Reproduce

ali cross said...

Whoa. Intense!! Let's see . . . I really do think I'd miss apples. I love them and don't eat them often enough. But if I COULDN'T have one? Then I'd probably KILL for it!!

Ishta Mercurio said...

This sounds like a great book, Elana! Thanks for the review and giveaway.

I'd miss the privilege of being able to simply live a healthy and sustaining life - which shouldn't even be a privilege, but if you look at how so many people live in places like Ethiopia and Sudan, you see that it is. Even poor people in North America have access to things people in those countries can't get. Like fruit. Like water. We are so fortunate to have been born in this time, in this place.

Gretchen said...

Sounds interesting, I'm a huge fan of all things to do with world ending plagues. Thanks for stopping over at me blog, and I look forward to our Dystopian group!

Susan G. Haws said...

I would enjoy this book. I would miss air conditioning and food the fruit and pizza and chocolate.

Ellie Garratt said...

Now that is a book I must read. My WIP is set in a post-apocalyptic/distopian future but very different to the one Hirsch's book/

Dr. Popular Medicine said...

I kinda hate fruit, but I would miss books so much...
I hope the contest is open internationally. I live in Europe, which is so excluded from such contests...

Janet Johnson said...

I would miss the fruit, I think. Vegetables not so much (at least right up until I got rickets or something).

And Yay! Thank you so much for Janitors! I can't wait to read it. :D

Lauren said...

I've had this book on my wishlist since I first saw it. Thanks for the chance!

I'd miss my family the most. Why? I'm slow, curvy & I smoke. So I'd probably be one of the first ones to go. Haha. So I'd miss my family & hope for the best for them.

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