Think of a North America with no electricity, no running water, no government, almost no buildings left intact, and ravaged by a plague made in China, even though it's hard to tell 'Imagine that's what happened. in The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch. In Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, a family made up of father, mother, grandfather and son tries to survive in a North America ravaged by the Chinese plague. But then mother and grandfather die and Dad and Stephen are left to their own devices. but when the father is injured while fleeing from 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 away, and when they play a prank that throws the town into chaos. A war has started and it's up to them to help stop it. I thought The Eleventh Plague was a credible piece of speculative fiction because of Hirsch's use of elements of conflict, theme, and red herrings. Hirsch helps make his story believable by adding a 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 slammed into my side hard. and on page 111: “The doors opened again and someone slammed into my shoulder, sending me forward. I turned around just to see a golden flash of blonde and Will's smiling face. Will only bullies Stephen because he comes from a different background than the rest of the townspeople (settler landings). And I think that makes the story more believable because some people may view bullying as conflict, but most of the time not as more intense conflicts like slavers and mercenaries and so on. Hirsch also develops a theme in his story of being yourself. and not trying to be and act like someone else. I think this because on page 275, Jenny said to Stephen... “Listen,” she said. “Forget the future. “Forget them. Forget me. You've spent your whole life following someone else. This is your world now. What do you want?" And on page 210, she repeated: "This is your name, this is where you live. This is who you are. We never chose anything.