''Plague 99'' () is a 1989

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

written by Jean Ure. It tells the story of a

pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...

that shuts down

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and a group of three teenagers that survive the

outbreak In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...

. The book takes an apocalyptic view and details the experiences of the three principal characters at the end of the year 1999, as the plague wipes out the population of London in the course of a few weeks. It was written during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

and reflects many aspects of the fears of the time. The principal characters are Fran, her best friend Harriet, and a schoolmate, Shahid. The book has two sequels set 100 years later called ''Come Lucky April'' (also published as ''After the Plague'') and ''Watchers at the Shrine'', which did not receive as much praise as the first by some readers. ''Come Lucky April'' follows the story of the descendants of Fran and Harriet, Daniel and April. Daniel, Fran's great-grandson, travels to her home town to find her diary. There he discovers a feminist community founded by Fran's friend Harriet, who was sexually harassed in the original book. In the community, all males are neutered in order to prevent "male aggression". ''Watchers at the Shrine'' is set several years later and follows April's son, Hal, when he is sent to live in his father's community to avoid the ritual castration. He ends up at a neighboring community living with religious fanatics who worship "The Power", a religion derived from the awe of a nuclear power station.

Awards

''Plague 99'' won the

Lancashire Children's Book of the Year The Lancashire Book of the Year (previously Lancashire Children's Book of the Year) is an award given to works of children's literature, voted for by a panel of young judges. It was established in 1986 with the first award presented the following ...

award in 1990. 1989 British novels 1989 children's books British children's novels English novels Children's science fiction novels Novels set in London Fiction set in 1999 Novels set in the 1990s Methuen Publishing books {{1980s-child-sf-novel-stub