While often conflated, postapocalyptic and dystopian literature are distinct but related genres. Dystopian literature focuses on political structures and themes concerning oppression and injustice, whereas postapocalyptic literature takes place in a world so radically altered by disaster that governments may have collapsed, leaving people to govern themselves. Dystopian settings typically demand resistance and the overthrow of a dangerous system or government, while postapocalyptic works examine survival and often emphasize humanity’s “true” nature, whether cooperative or combative. Furthermore, dystopias often originate in human activity, like the institution of oppressive laws or the development of dangerous technology, while postapocalyptic literature features the aftermath of external forces like plagues, floods, or alien invasions. Both genres experienced a boom in the 2010s, particularly in the YA genre, which correlated with a rising interest in speculative fiction and an overall greater awareness of world issues among younger readers.

Ultimately, The Eleventh Plague is postapocalyptic in its overall themes—in particular, Individualism Versus Communalism as Survival Strategies. However, the setting of Settler’s Landing introduces elements of an early dystopia; it is a seemingly idyllic but actually oppressive society that expels those who do not fit its standards.