The Eleventh Plague

Twenty years after the wars that followed The Collapse, 15-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather travel post-Collapse America scavenging. But when his grandfather dies and his father decides to risk everything to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down.

What if the ten plagues from the Book of Exodus were coming true in America today? What if they were not acts of God but the brilliantly fiendish creations of an evil genius? In this galvanizing novel of medical terror, death stalks the land, and the only hope of preventing a cataclysm beyond biblical proportions lies with one maverick virologist who is himself in danger of becoming either a suspect or a victim. In present-day Southern California, two children die of a disease thought to be nonexistent in the United States. Within hours, Thoroughbreds at the legendary Churchill Downs are dying of a virus that cannot be identified, even by the most expert veterinarians. Called in to help shed light on these gruesome enigmas, noted virologist Jack Bryne discovers that the two events are not only connected, they are deliberate acts of bioterrorism. When it occurs to him that the deaths bear uncanny similarities to the Fifth and Sixth Plagues described in Exodus, Bryne is convinced he's uncovered a growing progression of horrors. He's right, and every month another monstrosity claims its victims. Every month sees the reenactment of another even more catastrophic plague. Soon Bryne's worldwide medical computer network, ProMED, is invaded by the power behind the horrors, teasing him, challenging him--a morbidly brilliant serial killer with a dangerously sophisticated knowledge of toxins and an obsession with biblical retribution. Bryne, himself now considered a suspect by the FBI, must convince the Bureau of his innocence and joins forces with his brilliant lab assistant, a TV newswoman, and a young Orthodox Jewish religious scholar--to track down the maniac and stop him in time. But even Bryne cannot predict how close the killer is until he meets this modern medical Moriarty in a midnight confrontation that will determine the future of New York City. Written by one of this country's most respected public health figures, and a novelist with a genius for the macabre, The Eleventh Plague is scientifically prescient and utterly compelling. It's a premier thriller for the millennium--bound to leave you with the disturbing realization that the real terror begins once the last page has been turned. The biblical plagues were acts of God, this time they are man-made Waters of Blood Frogs Lice Swarms Death of the Animals Boils Hailstorms Locusts Darkness Destruction of the Firstborns And the worst is yet to come...The Eleventh Plague--you will never feel safe again.

USA TODAY bestselling author Jeff Hirsch once again creates a futuristic world with stunning, dramatic realism. A civil war rages between the Glorious Path--a militant religion based on the teachings of a former US soldier--and what's left of the US government. Fifteen-year-old Callum Roe and his younger brother, James, were captured and forced to convert six years ago. Cal has been working in the Path's dog kennels, and is very close to becoming one of the Path's deadliest secret agents. Then Cal befriends a stray dog named Bear and kills a commander who wants to train him to be a vicious attack dog. This sends Cal and Bear on the run, and sets in motion a series of incredible events that will test Cal's loyalties and end in a fierce battle that the fate of the entire country rests on.

A Cornelius Quaint adventure. The thrilling sequel to The Equivoque Principle.

On one side of the Rift is a technological paradise without famine or want. On the other side is a mystery. Sixteen-year-old Glenn Morgan has lived next to the Rift her entire life and has no idea of what might be on the other side of it. Glenn's only friend, Kevin, insists the fence holds back a world of monsters and witchcraft, but magic isn't for Glenn. She has enough problems with reality: Glenn's mother disappeared when she was six, and soon after, she lost her scientist father to his all-consuming work on the mysterious Project. Glenn buries herself in her studies and dreams about the day she can escape. But when her father's work leads to his arrest, he gives Glenn a simple metal bracelet that will send Glenn and Kevin on the run---with only one place to go.With MAGISTERIUM, Jeff Hirsch brings us the story of a complex, captivating world that will leave readers breathless until the very last page.

Seventeen-year-old Cardinal has escaped the virus that ravaged his town, leaving its victims alive but without their memories. He chooses to remain in the quarantined zone, caring for a group of orphaned kids in a mountain camp with the help of the former brutal school bully, now transformed by the virus into his best friend. But then a strong-willed and mysterious young woman appears, and the closed-off world Cardinal has created begins to crumble. A thrilling, fast-paced work of speculative fiction for teens, from a bestselling author, Black River Falls is an unforgettable story about survival, identity, and family.

Few authors in America write with such sheer love of story, language, and imagination as T.C. Boyle, and nowhere is that passion more evident than in his inventive, wickedly funny, and widely praised short stories. In After the Plague, Boyle speaks of contemporary social issues in a range of emotional keys. The sixteen stories gathered here address everything from air rage to abortion doctors to first love and its consequences. The collection ends with the brilliant title story, a whimsical and imaginative vision of a disease-ravaged Earth. Presented with characteristic wit and intelligence, these stories will delight readers in search of the latest news of the chaotic, disturbing, and achingly beautiful world in which we live. "Boyle's imagination and zeal for storytelling are in top form here."—Publishers Weekly