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Plague 99 #1
Plague
Three teenagers attempt to survive on their own when a devastating plague sweeps London.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
14 people are currently reading
386 people want to read
About the author
Jean Ure
265 books119 followersProlific English children and young adult author.
Had her first book published while still in high school, then studied theater at Webber-Douglas in London. Her most well-known work is the Point Crime novel Dance with Death. Others include Plague 99, After the Plague (previously "Come Lucky April"), Big Tom, Family Fan Club and Shrinking Violet, as well as the fantasy The Wizard In the Woods.
Today, Ure is very popular with British female teenage readers with novels such as Shrinking Violet, Family Fan Club and Passion Flower.
Ure has also translated Danish writer Sven Hassel's WWII novels to English.
Had her first book published while still in high school, then studied theater at Webber-Douglas in London. Her most well-known work is the Point Crime novel Dance with Death. Others include Plague 99, After the Plague (previously "Come Lucky April"), Big Tom, Family Fan Club and Shrinking Violet, as well as the fantasy The Wizard In the Woods.
Today, Ure is very popular with British female teenage readers with novels such as Shrinking Violet, Family Fan Club and Passion Flower.
Ure has also translated Danish writer Sven Hassel's WWII novels to English.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 8, 2021
i don't know if this just happened to have been written before the australian renaissance of really stellar YA lit, or if this is just a fluke, but this book contains one of the most annoying characters i have read in my life. and i have read The Adolescent. i had to skim whenever she was on the page, because it was altogether too frustrating.
(AND I HAVE JUST LEARNED THAT THE AUTHOR IS NOT, IN FACT, AUSTRALIAN, SO ALL BETS ARE OFF, BUT INSTEAD OF CHANGING THAT SENTENCE, I AM LETTING IT STAND SO YOU CAN ALL SEE WHAT A DUMMY I AM.)
the basic premise is similar to Tomorrow, When the War Began * : while a group of teens and counselors are deep in the woods, living without the comforts of the modern age, all hell breaks loose in civilization. in the marsden series, australia has been taken over by terrorists who put the citizens in prisons and six(?) teens have to figure out what to do with their freedom: hide, fight, or surrender. in this book, we follow one girl who emerges from the woods to find that london has been quarantined due to a mysterious illness and soldiers will shoot anyone who tries to leave. she sneaks through the barriers to get to her family, and finds everyone dead. except her best friend, who has descended into a sort of juvenile madness whose psychological break takes the form of victorian dress-wearing and regressing into baby-talk and petulance. oh dear god so much petulance. the one thing i thought i could rely upon in australian YA was the badassery of the characters. (REMEMBER WHEN I WAS DUMB???) and even though the action does not take place in australia, i thought we were in the clear. not so much. everything turns into whining and complaining and pouting and singsong rhymes and dancing and just generally acting like a five-year-old instead of a teenager. not that the other characters are much better. the two girls do meet up with one other person - a boy trying to make his way to his brother after their father finally succumbs to the disease, and i would have been okay with him throttling this girl unto death. she is an unnecessary, loud burden. the other girl is this passive, overly-reflective-considering-the-circumstances, peacemaker. sister, your friend is a lost cause. slap her into usefulness or leave her behind. stop with the coddling. and shahid is no better. no one will ever say that this book's strength is in its likable characters.
apart from them, and some "oooh, government is baaaaad" speechifying (which, to me, falls under "characterization") the rest of it is not at all bad. if i had read this in 1989, when it was originally published (LOOKING UP THE PUB DATE IS WHEN I FIRST LEARNED WHAT A MORON I AM TO HAVE TRANSPLANTED THIS POOR WOMAN TO A COUNTRY NOT HER OWN - TO AN ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT CONTINENT), or if i had read it as a younger reader, i think it would have stuck with me a lot better. there are certain elements that are gratifyingly rough and original in something intended for younger readers, especially in one written twenty years ago. in a way, this book did some really groundbreaking things. but also some really annoying things. the ending is satisfyingly ambiguous, but might frustrate younger readers. which is only fair, since older readers are going to be frustrated by a lot of other things. something for everyone to wince over! there are two other books in the series, taking place wellll after the events in this book, so i am hoping i will enjoy those more, and i am also hoping that certain aspects of her writing become more refined. and i am thirdly hoping that next time, i will get all my facts straight before i sit down to write my little book reports. but don't count on that.i stupid.
*but i don't want any of you people from sparrow's battle royale thread to start cluttering up over here with your nonsense.
come to my blog!
(AND I HAVE JUST LEARNED THAT THE AUTHOR IS NOT, IN FACT, AUSTRALIAN, SO ALL BETS ARE OFF, BUT INSTEAD OF CHANGING THAT SENTENCE, I AM LETTING IT STAND SO YOU CAN ALL SEE WHAT A DUMMY I AM.)
the basic premise is similar to Tomorrow, When the War Began * : while a group of teens and counselors are deep in the woods, living without the comforts of the modern age, all hell breaks loose in civilization. in the marsden series, australia has been taken over by terrorists who put the citizens in prisons and six(?) teens have to figure out what to do with their freedom: hide, fight, or surrender. in this book, we follow one girl who emerges from the woods to find that london has been quarantined due to a mysterious illness and soldiers will shoot anyone who tries to leave. she sneaks through the barriers to get to her family, and finds everyone dead. except her best friend, who has descended into a sort of juvenile madness whose psychological break takes the form of victorian dress-wearing and regressing into baby-talk and petulance. oh dear god so much petulance. the one thing i thought i could rely upon in australian YA was the badassery of the characters. (REMEMBER WHEN I WAS DUMB???) and even though the action does not take place in australia, i thought we were in the clear. not so much. everything turns into whining and complaining and pouting and singsong rhymes and dancing and just generally acting like a five-year-old instead of a teenager. not that the other characters are much better. the two girls do meet up with one other person - a boy trying to make his way to his brother after their father finally succumbs to the disease, and i would have been okay with him throttling this girl unto death. she is an unnecessary, loud burden. the other girl is this passive, overly-reflective-considering-the-circumstances, peacemaker. sister, your friend is a lost cause. slap her into usefulness or leave her behind. stop with the coddling. and shahid is no better. no one will ever say that this book's strength is in its likable characters.
apart from them, and some "oooh, government is baaaaad" speechifying (which, to me, falls under "characterization") the rest of it is not at all bad. if i had read this in 1989, when it was originally published (LOOKING UP THE PUB DATE IS WHEN I FIRST LEARNED WHAT A MORON I AM TO HAVE TRANSPLANTED THIS POOR WOMAN TO A COUNTRY NOT HER OWN - TO AN ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT CONTINENT), or if i had read it as a younger reader, i think it would have stuck with me a lot better. there are certain elements that are gratifyingly rough and original in something intended for younger readers, especially in one written twenty years ago. in a way, this book did some really groundbreaking things. but also some really annoying things. the ending is satisfyingly ambiguous, but might frustrate younger readers. which is only fair, since older readers are going to be frustrated by a lot of other things. something for everyone to wince over! there are two other books in the series, taking place wellll after the events in this book, so i am hoping i will enjoy those more, and i am also hoping that certain aspects of her writing become more refined. and i am thirdly hoping that next time, i will get all my facts straight before i sit down to write my little book reports. but don't count on that.i stupid.
*but i don't want any of you people from sparrow's battle royale thread to start cluttering up over here with your nonsense.
come to my blog!
November 12, 2011
I originally read this novel when I was a teenager, and the scene where Fran unknowingly returns to a plague-ridden London after a remote camping trip has stayed with me for years. Having lost my copy years ago I tracked down another on ebay recently and re-read it. I was surprised at to how eerie the story and setup still was. Even though it is aimed at a YA audience, Jean Ure does not shy away from dealing with certain realities, and the fear and loneliness felt by the characters is borne by the reader too. Luckily there's enough comic relief and character development to prevent the story from being completely desolate. Jean Ure wrote the novel during the cold war and the shadow of the bomb colours the novel, the character's motivations and fears, even though a plague is involved. In the end, even though the novel is YA all the way, it unsettled me enough to disrupt my sleep that night. Perhaps I've become more fearful in my old age...
July 20, 2012
One day, I will stop reading post-apocalypse-type novels about how everyone keels over from super-deadly illness and freaking myself out in the process. Today is not that day, as I'm thoroughly freaked out. Unfortunately, while that part was great, there was a disappointing lack of closure on several plot strands, and the novel itself felt half-finished when it ended.
(update: evidently there is a sequel? But a sequel that takes place 100 years later? so no dice on that whole half-finished/lack of closure problem)
(update: evidently there is a sequel? But a sequel that takes place 100 years later? so no dice on that whole half-finished/lack of closure problem)
Read
January 5, 2018I suddenly remembered that this is a book I read as a very young teen. The Polish translation had no indication of this being part of a series (trilogy)... But I remember the apocalyptic imagery stayed with me for a long time, and probably gave me a good few nights of anxious sleeplessness.
I should probably thank Margaret Thatcher for that - is my guess ;)
I should probably thank Margaret Thatcher for that - is my guess ;)
August 8, 2023
A bit flat for me
February 27, 2008
Jean Ure's book Plague, orginially published in England as Plague 99, had your basic end-o-the-world premise. As best I can tell, there really are only three: War, Plague, and Natural Disaster. This is, obviously, the second.
Fran, shy, timid, anti-social teenager, and her best friend Harriet ("Harry") plan to go on a month long excursion into the wilderness--a "Stone-Age" camp" cut off from all civilization--but at the last minute Harry breaks her wrist and Fran, who was depending on the gregarious Harry to make the excursion tolerable, is forced to go by herself. She enjoys herself eventually, but upon returning to her home in a suburb of London, finds that the unimaginable has happened--a plague of some sort is attacking London and her little neighborhood is behind the contamination line. So what does Fran do? You guessed it! Goes behind the line. But who could blame her? She has absolutely ZERO idea what's going on.
Later on she finds Harry and they link up with a Muslim classmate. And then they try to survive.
My main problem with the book is that it ends too abruptly. It's almost as if she ran out of ideas for what to happen next. There's next to zero resolution with most of the elements of the plot. It ends, suddenly, with that trite ending that most Post-Apocalyptic novels end with: The future looks bleak, the world as we knew it is over with and won't be coming back, but darnit! we've got each other, and therefore, we've got hope! GAG.
The characters are all fairly flat and static; even Fran, who is supposed to have become some sort of Amazon while she was in the wilderness (okay, maybe not, but at least she could have learned some more basic survival skills and some more confidence in herself), seems just a shade or two more forceful than she was before. I was expecting her to really step up and throw down (ha), but she stays meek and mild through most of the book, even to the end! And there were several currents of "Down-With-Men" and "Yay!Women" so it was surprising that the author thought that her females were positive reflections of the gender. Great, the cracked and silly female-who-can't-take-the-pressure and the blessed-are-the-meek-who-will-inherit-the-earth female who bows to the boy's infinite wisdom. And WHAT is with the Muslim stereotypes. Frankly, I was astonished that this book was written in 89. I expected it to be in the seventies or something.
I can't give it one star, because I was interested the whole time in what was happening. I can't say I didn't like it. But I also can't say that I did like it. Also? I sure am glad this is a library book, and I didn't waste my money in the purchase.
Fran, shy, timid, anti-social teenager, and her best friend Harriet ("Harry") plan to go on a month long excursion into the wilderness--a "Stone-Age" camp" cut off from all civilization--but at the last minute Harry breaks her wrist and Fran, who was depending on the gregarious Harry to make the excursion tolerable, is forced to go by herself. She enjoys herself eventually, but upon returning to her home in a suburb of London, finds that the unimaginable has happened--a plague of some sort is attacking London and her little neighborhood is behind the contamination line. So what does Fran do? You guessed it! Goes behind the line. But who could blame her? She has absolutely ZERO idea what's going on.
Later on she finds Harry and they link up with a Muslim classmate. And then they try to survive.
My main problem with the book is that it ends too abruptly. It's almost as if she ran out of ideas for what to happen next. There's next to zero resolution with most of the elements of the plot. It ends, suddenly, with that trite ending that most Post-Apocalyptic novels end with: The future looks bleak, the world as we knew it is over with and won't be coming back, but darnit! we've got each other, and therefore, we've got hope! GAG.
The characters are all fairly flat and static; even Fran, who is supposed to have become some sort of Amazon while she was in the wilderness (okay, maybe not, but at least she could have learned some more basic survival skills and some more confidence in herself), seems just a shade or two more forceful than she was before. I was expecting her to really step up and throw down (ha), but she stays meek and mild through most of the book, even to the end! And there were several currents of "Down-With-Men" and "Yay!Women" so it was surprising that the author thought that her females were positive reflections of the gender. Great, the cracked and silly female-who-can't-take-the-pressure and the blessed-are-the-meek-who-will-inherit-the-earth female who bows to the boy's infinite wisdom. And WHAT is with the Muslim stereotypes. Frankly, I was astonished that this book was written in 89. I expected it to be in the seventies or something.
I can't give it one star, because I was interested the whole time in what was happening. I can't say I didn't like it. But I also can't say that I did like it. Also? I sure am glad this is a library book, and I didn't waste my money in the purchase.
January 26, 2018
This was one of the first post-apocalyptic books I ever read, not long after it was published in 1989. I was the same age as the main characters back then, and I remember enjoying it. I was keen to read it again, as I'm currently hooked on end-of-the-world stories.
Sadly it seemed nowhere near as good as I remembered it, and it was rather disappointing.
The book follows Shahid, Harriet and Fran, three schoolfriends from Croydon, as they attempt to deal with the aftermath of a virulent disease that rapidly kills a huge chunk of the population. Good concept, but...poorly executed.
The opening plot development is that Fran has been on a camping trip in a remote area for a month, and returns to London unaware that the plague has happened. This really doesn't seem credible. Even in the days before mobile phones, it doesn't seem possible that a major emergency could break out without anyone going to tell the people at the camp. The UK is very densely populated and even the very remote bits can easily be reached quickly.
Next, when the organisers drive the campers back to London, they completely fail to notice anything is wrong. Again, this isn't credible - all hell would have broken loose. There would be chaos on the streets. The descriptions of what's happened conveniently omit the fact that there would be bodies everywhere, widespread damage and looting, and the people left (there are a few) would probably form into roving gangs. Everything is far too tidy.
Too little actually happens, and the main characters have practically no interaction with the other survivors. Also, the main characters are incredibly annoying and two dimensional. Fran is bland and pathetic and practically devoid of any personality, and her parents are described like they were about 150 years old. Harriet is just a giant tantrum-throwing toddler with no redeeming features, and Shahid is Stereotypical Conflicted Muslim Guy.
Harriet randomly disappears, and it's a relief when she does.
The author states in an interview that she suffered severe writers' block about two-thirds of the way through, and it really shows, with an abrupt and lengthy change of style that doesn't really work.
The book is also full of "issues" that seem very clumsily shoehorned in. It ends very abruptly, obviously to set things up for a sequel, but it feels like practically nothing happens.
"Empty World" by John Christopher handles the subject matter much more effectively.
Sadly it seemed nowhere near as good as I remembered it, and it was rather disappointing.
The book follows Shahid, Harriet and Fran, three schoolfriends from Croydon, as they attempt to deal with the aftermath of a virulent disease that rapidly kills a huge chunk of the population. Good concept, but...poorly executed.
The opening plot development is that Fran has been on a camping trip in a remote area for a month, and returns to London unaware that the plague has happened. This really doesn't seem credible. Even in the days before mobile phones, it doesn't seem possible that a major emergency could break out without anyone going to tell the people at the camp. The UK is very densely populated and even the very remote bits can easily be reached quickly.
Next, when the organisers drive the campers back to London, they completely fail to notice anything is wrong. Again, this isn't credible - all hell would have broken loose. There would be chaos on the streets. The descriptions of what's happened conveniently omit the fact that there would be bodies everywhere, widespread damage and looting, and the people left (there are a few) would probably form into roving gangs. Everything is far too tidy.
Too little actually happens, and the main characters have practically no interaction with the other survivors. Also, the main characters are incredibly annoying and two dimensional. Fran is bland and pathetic and practically devoid of any personality, and her parents are described like they were about 150 years old. Harriet is just a giant tantrum-throwing toddler with no redeeming features, and Shahid is Stereotypical Conflicted Muslim Guy.
Harriet randomly disappears, and it's a relief when she does.
The author states in an interview that she suffered severe writers' block about two-thirds of the way through, and it really shows, with an abrupt and lengthy change of style that doesn't really work.
The book is also full of "issues" that seem very clumsily shoehorned in. It ends very abruptly, obviously to set things up for a sequel, but it feels like practically nothing happens.
"Empty World" by John Christopher handles the subject matter much more effectively.
April 5, 2020
Reading this book was kind of eerie because it felt a little too real and a little too close to being a reality we could face.
I’m not totally sure how I feel about this book.
On one hand being that I have a weird love for end of the world type books, I felt I had to read this when I heard about this.
And although the topic is interesting I couldn’t help but feel like it was lacking something.
And it kind of felt like it could have been so much more.
I struggled to connect with the characters and although I liked some of them I felt like they were lacking depth.
The story as well seemed to be just kind of ticking along. And most of it I managed to guess fairly early.
All I could say is it was ok and is ok if you just want something to pass some time and not feel too involved in.
I just wish it felt more complete and more time had been spent on the characters and plot.
I can’t see this as being one I would hold onto purely because I would remember it too much.
So a 3 star and off to a charity shop I think.
I will however read the next ones in hope some more depth may be added to the story.
I’m not totally sure how I feel about this book.
On one hand being that I have a weird love for end of the world type books, I felt I had to read this when I heard about this.
And although the topic is interesting I couldn’t help but feel like it was lacking something.
And it kind of felt like it could have been so much more.
I struggled to connect with the characters and although I liked some of them I felt like they were lacking depth.
The story as well seemed to be just kind of ticking along. And most of it I managed to guess fairly early.
All I could say is it was ok and is ok if you just want something to pass some time and not feel too involved in.
I just wish it felt more complete and more time had been spent on the characters and plot.
I can’t see this as being one I would hold onto purely because I would remember it too much.
So a 3 star and off to a charity shop I think.
I will however read the next ones in hope some more depth may be added to the story.
October 3, 2014
A plague kills the oldest inhabitants of the UK and works it way through the population, attacking younger and younger people. The book follows three teenagers from London and their attempts to adapt as civilisation breaks down. Unfortunately I didn't really like any of them and didn't really care what happened to them. In particular, some of the dialogue just sounds false.
It's not a terrible book by any means, but I didn't feel like a lot happens and it all feels a bit too safe. I can't help feeling that the reality of the situation would be a lot less pleasant. This book appears to be aimed at teenagers and suffers from it slightly as everything feels a bit 'watered down'.
It's not a terrible book by any means, but I didn't feel like a lot happens and it all feels a bit too safe. I can't help feeling that the reality of the situation would be a lot less pleasant. This book appears to be aimed at teenagers and suffers from it slightly as everything feels a bit 'watered down'.
March 15, 2020
In mijn tienerjaren las ik "1999" van Jean Ure en ik vond het een gruwelijk maar geweldig verhaal. Met de corona-crisis in de wereld, vond ik het een mooi moment om het boek te gelezen.
Fran gaat op vegan-kamp. Blijkbaar bestond dat in 1989. Ze mag 4 weken geen contact hebben met de buitenwereld en zit met een groepje in het bos. Na 4 weken rijden ze met de hele groep naar huis. De straten zijn uitgestorven en dat vinden ze allemaal gek, maar toch dumpen ze Fran bij een verlaten bushalte om het laatste stukje alleen te reizen.
De woonplaats van Fran blijkt te zijn afgesloten, maar ze krijgt het voor elkaar om naar binnen te komen.
Haar moeder heeft een briefje op de keukentafel gelegd, waarin ze omschrijft dat vader is overleden en dat ze zelf ook snel dood zal gaan. Fran vindt haar ouders inderdaad boven dood op bed.
Ze snapt er niets van en gaat op zoek naar haar vriendin Harry. Harry zit nog thuis en is door de hele situatie een beetje gek geworden. Haar moeder ligt dood op bed en Harry wil alleen jurken passen.
Harry en Fran gaan op zoek naar eten en ze komen Shahid tegen. Hij weet beter wat er gebeurd is. In London is een dodelijke ziekte uitgebroken. Mensen die besmet raken, zijn binnen een paar dagen dood. Genezen doe je niet. Shahid is zijn hele familie kwijt.
De drie tieners gaan samen op pad om de broer van Shahid te zoeken. Dit is hun laatste redding.
Het boek is vanaf het begin super spannend. Je valt meteen in de gebeurtenissen en je kijkt afwisselend mee met Fran die er niets van snapt en Shahid die bij zijn stervende vader waakt.
In het verhaal zelf zitten erg veel foutjes, weten wij nu tijdens de corona-crisis, maar dat is Jean Ure vergeven.
Het verhaal vond ik minder gruwelijk dan ik me kon herinneren. Natuurlijk is een dodelijke ziekte heel erg beangstigend en de spanningsopbouw en de snelheid van het verhaal benadrukken dit wel, maar toch voelde het niet overal even realistisch aan. Ook lijken er soms wat kritische fouten in de vertaling te zitten. Fran gaat in haar eentje op zoek naar eten, ze kijkt in huizen. Later vertelt ze juist dat ze het niet aandurft heeft om huizen binnen te gaan.
Het verhaal heeft een gigantisch open einde en het loopt niet goed af. Voor lezers die met een goed gevoel een boek weg willen leggen, is dit dus niet echt een aanrader. Wil je even lekker vol spanning zitten en een verhaal lezen dat nu eigenlijk heel erg actueel is, dan is dit een boek voor jou.
Er zijn nog twee delen na dit deel verschenen, maar helaas heb ik deze niet kunnen vinden. Ik zou graag willen weten hoe het de tieners uiteindelijk verloopt.
Fran gaat op vegan-kamp. Blijkbaar bestond dat in 1989. Ze mag 4 weken geen contact hebben met de buitenwereld en zit met een groepje in het bos. Na 4 weken rijden ze met de hele groep naar huis. De straten zijn uitgestorven en dat vinden ze allemaal gek, maar toch dumpen ze Fran bij een verlaten bushalte om het laatste stukje alleen te reizen.
De woonplaats van Fran blijkt te zijn afgesloten, maar ze krijgt het voor elkaar om naar binnen te komen.
Haar moeder heeft een briefje op de keukentafel gelegd, waarin ze omschrijft dat vader is overleden en dat ze zelf ook snel dood zal gaan. Fran vindt haar ouders inderdaad boven dood op bed.
Ze snapt er niets van en gaat op zoek naar haar vriendin Harry. Harry zit nog thuis en is door de hele situatie een beetje gek geworden. Haar moeder ligt dood op bed en Harry wil alleen jurken passen.
Harry en Fran gaan op zoek naar eten en ze komen Shahid tegen. Hij weet beter wat er gebeurd is. In London is een dodelijke ziekte uitgebroken. Mensen die besmet raken, zijn binnen een paar dagen dood. Genezen doe je niet. Shahid is zijn hele familie kwijt.
De drie tieners gaan samen op pad om de broer van Shahid te zoeken. Dit is hun laatste redding.
Het boek is vanaf het begin super spannend. Je valt meteen in de gebeurtenissen en je kijkt afwisselend mee met Fran die er niets van snapt en Shahid die bij zijn stervende vader waakt.
In het verhaal zelf zitten erg veel foutjes, weten wij nu tijdens de corona-crisis, maar dat is Jean Ure vergeven.
Het verhaal vond ik minder gruwelijk dan ik me kon herinneren. Natuurlijk is een dodelijke ziekte heel erg beangstigend en de spanningsopbouw en de snelheid van het verhaal benadrukken dit wel, maar toch voelde het niet overal even realistisch aan. Ook lijken er soms wat kritische fouten in de vertaling te zitten. Fran gaat in haar eentje op zoek naar eten, ze kijkt in huizen. Later vertelt ze juist dat ze het niet aandurft heeft om huizen binnen te gaan.
Het verhaal heeft een gigantisch open einde en het loopt niet goed af. Voor lezers die met een goed gevoel een boek weg willen leggen, is dit dus niet echt een aanrader. Wil je even lekker vol spanning zitten en een verhaal lezen dat nu eigenlijk heel erg actueel is, dan is dit een boek voor jou.
Er zijn nog twee delen na dit deel verschenen, maar helaas heb ik deze niet kunnen vinden. Ik zou graag willen weten hoe het de tieners uiteindelijk verloopt.
August 16, 2020
As I didn't have a U in my alphabet list, Plague 99 by Jean Ure was recommended to me by friends.
It is aimed at teens/YA and is about a plague that has appeared and affects the UK... timely!
It is about a young 13yo (I think) girl called Fran, who goes off on a youth camp for the summer, and returns to a deserted London. Away at camp, nobody had any idea what was going on in the rest of the world, and Fran has to come to terms with the impact the virus has had on her family as she struggles to survive.
As the book starts, I think it is very obviously written for teens, however, don't let this put you off reading it. The plot progresses, and you become drawn into their world, and it is interesting to see things from the view point of a teen. Surviving is not easy for Fran or anybody else who remains. She meets a boy from her class at school and with her best friend Harry, they try to make sense of everything around them, and determine what they need to do and where they need to go to for food and shelter.
Despite the beginnings, I really enjoyed this book. So much so, that I was going to buy and read the second book in the trilogy immediately - the only thing that stopped me was that it no longer focuses on Fran, and I was desperate to find out what happened next in her story. I have added the subsequent books to my wishlist, and I have recommended this book to DD1 (12yo). I really enjoyed it.
It is aimed at teens/YA and is about a plague that has appeared and affects the UK... timely!
It is about a young 13yo (I think) girl called Fran, who goes off on a youth camp for the summer, and returns to a deserted London. Away at camp, nobody had any idea what was going on in the rest of the world, and Fran has to come to terms with the impact the virus has had on her family as she struggles to survive.
As the book starts, I think it is very obviously written for teens, however, don't let this put you off reading it. The plot progresses, and you become drawn into their world, and it is interesting to see things from the view point of a teen. Surviving is not easy for Fran or anybody else who remains. She meets a boy from her class at school and with her best friend Harry, they try to make sense of everything around them, and determine what they need to do and where they need to go to for food and shelter.
Despite the beginnings, I really enjoyed this book. So much so, that I was going to buy and read the second book in the trilogy immediately - the only thing that stopped me was that it no longer focuses on Fran, and I was desperate to find out what happened next in her story. I have added the subsequent books to my wishlist, and I have recommended this book to DD1 (12yo). I really enjoyed it.
March 7, 2021
Fran, mimo początkowej niechęci, udaje się na miesięczny obóz przetrwania. W głuszy, z dala od wiadomości o świecie, z grupą rówieśników i wychowawcami spędza spokojne wakacje. Powrót do Londynu burzy dotychczasowe niewinne i beztroskie życie dziewczyny. Znany jej świat znika zaatakowany przez śmiercionośny wirus.
W drugim roku pandemii koronawirusa pozycja ta nabiera innego wydźwięku. Część dotycząca zaleceń dla społeczeństwa, w tym prośba o pozostanie w domu, zachowanie dystansu, noszenie maseczek, brzmi znajomo. A trzeba pamiętać, że książka powstała w 1984 roku, gdy nie było internetu i telefonów komórkowych, a życie toczyło się nieco wolniej niż obecnie. Ówczesna sytuacja polityczna sprzyjała jednak myślom o możliwej wojnie bakteriologicznej.
Niewielkich rozmiarów książeczka zawiera sporo treści - napisana jest zwięzłym językiem, przypominającym wręcz literaturę faktu. Stawia przed czytelnikiem pytania o człowieczeństwo, o to, jak każdy z nas zachowałby się w obliczu wydarzeń, które przytrafiły się Fran, Harriet i Shahidowi. Mocna, dosadna lektura.
W drugim roku pandemii koronawirusa pozycja ta nabiera innego wydźwięku. Część dotycząca zaleceń dla społeczeństwa, w tym prośba o pozostanie w domu, zachowanie dystansu, noszenie maseczek, brzmi znajomo. A trzeba pamiętać, że książka powstała w 1984 roku, gdy nie było internetu i telefonów komórkowych, a życie toczyło się nieco wolniej niż obecnie. Ówczesna sytuacja polityczna sprzyjała jednak myślom o możliwej wojnie bakteriologicznej.
Niewielkich rozmiarów książeczka zawiera sporo treści - napisana jest zwięzłym językiem, przypominającym wręcz literaturę faktu. Stawia przed czytelnikiem pytania o człowieczeństwo, o to, jak każdy z nas zachowałby się w obliczu wydarzeń, które przytrafiły się Fran, Harriet i Shahidowi. Mocna, dosadna lektura.
June 2, 2017
Fran goes off to a one month vegan camp out in the wilderness. When she comes back to London, she finds the city has been hit with a plague and that both her parents are dead. She teams up with her best friend Harriet (Harry) and a school chum, Shahid, to try to find somewhere safe to stay. They think that will be with Shahid's brother on the other side of London. As they travel, they encounter dangerous people willing to do anything for food, out of control crowds, and sickness. The question is: will they make it to safety?
I liked most of this book. I hated the character of Harry, and the way she was written she seemed like a complete lunatic (I could only guess that the trauma of the situation pushed her over the edge). She was so completely unlikable it was hard to imagine Fran being her best friend- even if Fran was socially inept. I also disliked the pages of diary entries near the end of the book. They were tedious and blah, blah, blah.
I liked most of this book. I hated the character of Harry, and the way she was written she seemed like a complete lunatic (I could only guess that the trauma of the situation pushed her over the edge). She was so completely unlikable it was hard to imagine Fran being her best friend- even if Fran was socially inept. I also disliked the pages of diary entries near the end of the book. They were tedious and blah, blah, blah.
December 10, 2020
This story takes place in modern England. Fran, the main character has been off on an extra curricular camping trip and has just returned only to find out that while she was away England has gone into lock down. Fran has no idea what's going on until she finds that her neighborhood has been barricaded and she see's some small children wearing surgical masks. This book follows Frans struggle to protect herself from the deadly plauge and protect her friend Harry. We follow Fran through the struggles to find food in the raided stores, gather information from whatever channels on the television still work, and the fight to keep a sane mind.
I really liked this book. I think it is especially fitting for this year as as well. There was just enough action and suspense to keep the reader engaged. There is some strong language towards the end of the story and some mentions of sexual activity among teens so for those who are sensitive to that be warned.
I really liked this book. I think it is especially fitting for this year as as well. There was just enough action and suspense to keep the reader engaged. There is some strong language towards the end of the story and some mentions of sexual activity among teens so for those who are sensitive to that be warned.
August 17, 2022
This was a random second-hand purchase which I read to see if it was good enough to pass on to my kids. It's not terrible but it didn't make the cut.
It was interesting to see a 1989 view of how a pandemic would be managed but the characters were not engaging and the ending was unsatisfying: they just sort of wandered off the last page - presumably into a sequel (which I'm not going to hunt out, but may read if I stumble across it).
It was interesting to see a 1989 view of how a pandemic would be managed but the characters were not engaging and the ending was unsatisfying: they just sort of wandered off the last page - presumably into a sequel (which I'm not going to hunt out, but may read if I stumble across it).
June 16, 2023
Well this was very eerie and I probably shouldn't have read it at night!
Unfortunately this novel from 1989 had far too many parallels with the recent pandemic, which proves Ure realistically predicted a plague where people are isolated and distrusting of the government, with masks, food shortages and society grinding to a halt.
If I hadn't known this was written over 30 years ago, I'd have thought it was a post-pandemic writing exercise, so take from that what you will.
Unfortunately this novel from 1989 had far too many parallels with the recent pandemic, which proves Ure realistically predicted a plague where people are isolated and distrusting of the government, with masks, food shortages and society grinding to a halt.
If I hadn't known this was written over 30 years ago, I'd have thought it was a post-pandemic writing exercise, so take from that what you will.
October 10, 2018
I read this as a teen and every once in awhile it'll pop into my memory so yesterday I decided to go hunting for it. Read it in less than two days. Much easier read as an adult. Also easier now that I have some knowledge of London. I never knew before it was the first of a trilogy so.... Yeah I know what I'll be doing the next couple days.
February 12, 2025
SOMEHOW the most annoying characters ever. Harry just running off and leaving was a godsend. Crazy, annoying, and casually racist too, but not well written enough to come off like a real, flawed character. It skipped scenes of violence but talked about condoms and sex so I'm not sure who the audience was supposed to be.
January 29, 2022
I remember reading this book years ago and being thoroughly interested, though disappointed with the ending. I've never come across any of the sequels, nor have I seen another copy of this book; the copy I read was from the library. I'd love to find this book again and revisit some memories!
February 2, 2019
I read this as a teenager and it terrified me. I still think about it 20 years later!
sony-or-android
December 4, 2019Not Found
December 31, 2019
Easy quick read, some annoying characters and a simple plot but good for a beach day
May 10, 2020
Quite a story that reminds me of the Covid19 situation. It has an eery setting that reflects a strong sense of survival. Worth reading!
December 29, 2021
summer read, read it on vacation for the 3rd time was 10/10
March 21, 2023
Cute, simple. Very 1990s, but also reminiscent of COVID. Interesting to read
February 14, 2024
Hard to compare to the reality!
May 18, 2024
The characters were so annoying, especially Harriet. The story was boring despite the setting of a distopian plague.
March 18, 2017
I didn't like this. Thought it was all rather lazy, weakly plotted and v derivative.
August 25, 2017
Fran returns from camp to discover that London has fallen victim to a plague and has been fenced off. She breaks in and goes in search of her family and friends. Her best friend Harry is alive but seemingly unhinged by her experience and they meet schoolfriend Shahid who wants to get to the safety of his brother's house on the edge of the plague zone where people are still alive. This is the story of their journey.
I did give this 3 stars because the book was well written and I liked the story. I found myself wondering what I would do in the same situation. Where would you go? What would you do? But the characters were appalling! Shahid was the know it all who liked ordering the girls around in a somewhat obnoxious manner. Harry was an annoying, moronic little cow who you wanted to slap every time she spoke and i despised the spineless Fran for just giving into her whims all the time. If these three are the future of mankind then we are all doomed!
This is a short and light read in the dystopian genre and it wasn't bad at all. Less of Harry would've been nice-in fact with a bit more depth and nicer characters, this could have been a little gem.
I did give this 3 stars because the book was well written and I liked the story. I found myself wondering what I would do in the same situation. Where would you go? What would you do? But the characters were appalling! Shahid was the know it all who liked ordering the girls around in a somewhat obnoxious manner. Harry was an annoying, moronic little cow who you wanted to slap every time she spoke and i despised the spineless Fran for just giving into her whims all the time. If these three are the future of mankind then we are all doomed!
This is a short and light read in the dystopian genre and it wasn't bad at all. Less of Harry would've been nice-in fact with a bit more depth and nicer characters, this could have been a little gem.
May 26, 2013
I found this book on the shelves in a classroom at school, old and tattered, but looked good. There are some parts that are interesting, the beginning when one of the main characters, Fran, returns from what sounds like an Outward Bound trip, and finds that those 'outside' London are being prevented from entering. She sneaks into her little town, finds many, including her parents, dead of some terrible plague. Teaming up with a friend, Harriet, and a classmate, Shahid, who have both endured the weeks where terrible illness took over their world, they set out on a journey of survival. There are parts that reminded me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy, although the writing is not as good. I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone but the most diehard of post-apocaplytic book lovers.
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