1 – Mark the parts of the book review that you find helpful.
2 – Show evidence of a close reading. Mark up your text with at least 10 questions or
comments.
3 – Write a one-page response to one of the questions listed below.
Book reviews for the Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsh
4.0 out of 5 stars Finished this in one sitting August 28, 2012
By Jennifer L. Rinehart
Format:Hardcover
It was the front cover blurb from Suzanne Collins that caught my eye. I've read the
Hunger Games three times and if Suzanne says this book is 'excellent' then it at least deserved a
second look.
I grabbed it along with a copy of Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep (which is super duper,
btw) and found a place to sit down (which is a rare thing at Barnes and Noble nowadays) and
started to read the first chapter.
From the first page I was drawn in. I don't like to make comparisons to other books, it's
hard to do it well and people always squawk about it if the book compared is one they either love
or hate, but Stephen, the main character reminds me a lot of Katniss from the Hunger Games.
There's also a bit of Rose (from Vampire Academy), Marcus (from Little Brother and Nailer
(from Shipbreaker). Like the characters from these other books, Stephen is a young person forced
to deal with terrifyingly mature situations that could lead to dire situations for himself and others.
How he rises to the challenge is what kept me reading through lunch then dinner without
stopping.
Stephen's world is far different than the one we know now. His family are scavengers,
think of the dead and rotting world in movies like Mad Max or Logan's Run and you wouldn't be
far off. There was a war with China, then a plague and what's left of America lives in small
settlements scattered throughout the country.
His small family are scavengers. His father, his brutish grandfather and Stephen roam
what's left of the cities for tradeable items, something like a can of pears could allow them to
have food and shelter for a week. But scavengers are not the only ones wandering the cities.
There are ex-military bandits, chinese troops and slavers and a whole part of the country
is off limits, though his father sometimes talks about finding a place to settle down, raise crops,
etc. But that would mean striking out into undiscovered country and leaving the trail with it's
semblance of safety.
It is within this hopeless situation that everything turns from bad to
worse, pretty much from the first page with a funeral. I wont tell you who dies, but the funeral
seems to be the beginning of a chain of decisions, some good and some so completely bad, you'll
wish you could step into the book to advise Stephen.
There's a lot of room for heroics, but Stephen is a reluctant hero, which is pretty much my
favorite kind, kicking butt and taking names is for movies, Stephen seemed real to me, he didn't
want to get involved in bad situations but sometimes you can't help it. Best of all, Stephen is an
aware character, what I mean is, he knows he's making decisions that could be dreadful and he
does it anyways. I guess I like that too, his decisiveness is refreshing.
My only complaint with the book is that it was kinda fast, before I knew it and was ready
the book was done. I'm a fan of quick reads, but I can't help thinking there could have been a little
more, more description, more worldbuilding, more story.
Oh well, guess I could read it again.
1.0 out of 5 stars A blatent rip-off., August 27, 2012
By Daniel B
THE ELEVENTH PLAUGE is a blatent rip-off Cormac McCarthy's The Road (Oprah's Book
Club). Any closer and Jeff Hirsch could be charged with plagerism. I understand this is a "young
adult" version (12+ according to one of the pages inside), but it's a carbon copy none-the-less. It
disheartens me to see other people's hard effort being "dumbed down" and then sold off as young
adult. I've read and reviewed a lot of great young adult selections and was looking forward to this
one. I am seriously disappointed, borderline disgusted with what's been allowed here.
3.0 out of 5 stars A Great Dystopian Setting with Reserved Connections, October 17, 2011
By: Anne G.
My interest in the book: The dystopian setting, of course! I'm a sucker for a good
dystopian book. I was really drawn to it because of Settler's Landing. I really love characterdriven post-apocalyptic fiction, and was really interested to see how this group of people work
together to build anew.
My Favorite Characters: My initial interest was in the characters, and unfortunately, my
biggest issue is that I didn't really connect to the characters. *insert sad face* Sure, I felt for
Stephen's situation, especially as the story progressed and certain events occurred. However, I
didn't go through the book really caring, one way or another, about what happened, to anyone.
That being said, my favorite characters were outcast Jenny and ADHD Derek. Those two
characters felt the most real to me. I always seem to adore the secondary characters. I will say
this, however. Stephen grew on me as the book progressed. His thirst for knowledge and use of
art in a therapeutic way sang to me.
Worldbuilding: I loved the setting of this book! In my mind, I was picturing the movie
The Book of Eli. I don't know how accurate that is to what the author was going for, but it
worked for me. After China nuked USA with P11H3 - the eleventh plague - The Collapse
occurred. I imagined Stephen and his father traveling long distances as they gathered up trinkets
to sell, road hunters that search the lands for slaves, people searching for a semblance of hope in
the company of others. The world was definitely a lot more interesting to me than the story or
characters.
Lasting Impressions: I appreciated the author's inclusion of racism/discrimination
towards Jenny, and it reminded me of how we treated Muslims after 9/11. I love when authors
challenge our biases and stereotypes. The setting of this book was my favorite piece, and while I
didn't really connect to any of the characters, I certainly wanted to see them prevail. All in all, it
didn't deliver the total package, but The Eleventh Plague was entertaining and interesting
nonetheless.
Writing Topics:
1 – Would you read this book? Why or why not? (Use information from the reviews to
back up your answer.)
2 – Why is reading a book or product review helpful? How can the information from a
review help sway your purchase? (Use examples: What about the reviews are helpful?)
3 – What is important to include when writing a review? Are there items that you should
not include? (Try writing a review for the IR book you read for September.)