Think of a North America with no electricity, no running water, no government, almost no buildings left intact, and ravaged by a Chinese-made plague, though it's hard to imagine that's what which happened in Jeff Hirsch's The Eleventh Plague. In Jeff Hirsch's Eleventh Plague a family made up of father, mother, grandfather and son tries to survive in a North America devastated by the Chinese plague, but then mother and grandfather die and father and Stephen are left alone, but when the father gets injured while running away from some slavers, a town called Settlers Landing that seems too good to be true welcomes them. Then Stephen befriends a girl named Jenny, and when they play a prank that sends Jenny, and when they play a prank that sends the town into chaos. A war has begun and it is up to them to help stop it. I thought The Eleventh Plague was a credible piece of Speculative Fiction thanks to Hirsch's use of elements of conflict, theme, and red herrings. Hirsch helps make his story believable by adding some conflict that some people can relate to, bullying. On page 105 Will the bully said to Stephen "What are you doing here?" At first I didn't realize anyone was talking to me, but then Will's knee hit my side hard." and on page 111 “The doors opened again and someone hit me in the shoulder, throwing me forward. I turn around only to see a golden flash of blonde and Will's smiling face. Will is bullying Stephen just because he's from a different background than the rest of the people in town (settler landing). more believable story because some people can identify with bullying as a conflict, but most of the time not with more intense conflicts like slavers, mercenaries, etc. Hirsch also develops a theme in his story, which is that you have to be yourself . and don't try to be and act like someone else. I think this because on page 275 Jenny said to Stephen... “Look, she said. “Forget them. You've spent your whole life following someone else . This is your world now. What do you want?" And on page 210 he said again: “This is your name, this is where you live. This is who you are. We have never chosen any.