Ashfall

This book is freakin' scary. For some reason I wasn't super incredibly excited to read it. I wasn't unexcited, I just wasn't looking forward to it the most. But wow, Ashfall has probably affected me the most out of all the books I've read this year. This book will make you think, and wonder, and fear, and then go do research to see if it could actually happen. Because it could actually happen, and that's what makes this book so terrifying. Before I even finished reading, I started doing loads and loads of research, Googling all about the "Yellowstone supervolcano" and soaking up a bunch of information. In addition to being a total shocker, Ashfall was heart-wrenching. It kind of reminded me of the movie The Day After Tomorrow. That movie is about a devastating disaster, and then a father trekking from Philadelphia to Manhattan to save his son. In Ashfall, the Yellowstone supervolcano errupts, and Alex decides to trek over a hundred miles to get back to his family. The devotion and determination is really moving. Ashfall was actually funnier than I thought it would be! I mean it wasn't exactly in the humour genre, but Alex had hilarious thoughts sometimes and there were just little snippets here and there that made me laugh! Like this quote: ========== Darla had been doing something by the fire. Now she returned and began stripping the blanket off me. I grabbed it before she could pull it away from my groin, to preserve my modesty. "Let go. There's nothing there I haven't seen. Who do you think undressed you, anyway? And honestly, I've seen better equipment on goats." ========== Alex had such an awesome personality and I loved reading from his point of view. He's kind of a cool kid who clearly used to be a bit awkward and antisocial. He was sucked into video games and books and didn't seem to enjoy the "real world" that much. Maybe that's part of why he's so blunt and has such an awesome take on everything. There were a few times where I felt that Ashfall was getting a little slow, but that quickly disappeared once I got to the last third of the book. There were some huge plot progressions and the romance started. OH MY GOD, THE ROMANCE! I absolutely adored the romance in Ashfall. It was so real.. I mean Alex and Darla had great chemistry, but Mike Mullin also included some of the awkward parts of a romance, and that's what made it feel so real. Like two people talking about whether or not they're virgins, considering having sex, and so on. Usually books make those kind of things sound so easy and just brush over them. But in Ashfall, those conversations are kind of awkward, which is totally awesome! As a heads up, there are a few pretty violent and/or gruesome scenes in Ashfall. There's some killing, detailed descriptions of gutting animals, horrible living conditions, starvation, etc. Some of them were pretty disgusting, but it was also very realistic. I mean with no food, no help, and no communication, people are hunting animals and prepare their own meat, raiding and looting, defending themselves from intruders, and so on! But if you're squeamish, just beware! The loss of humanity is a huge thing in Ashfall. I already alluded to it a bit, but in the book we really see how apocalypse brings out the worst in some people. There are those who will do absolutely anything to get their hands on food and supplies -- including murder. Some people go about it with violence, and others go about it with dirty politics. Seeing these things happen in Ashfall is so saddening and eye opening. It's terrifying to imagine that there are people who would do those kinds of things. Ashfall is a terrifyingly realistic post-apocalyptic book and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it! It has my brain totally alive and buzzing, imagining the possibility of disaster and fearing the worst. But Ashfall also gives you a glimmer of hope. Despite all the horrible things in the world, great things can still happen. Romance can still be found and families can find a way to stay together!

In Ashfall, Mike Mullin has given us a haunting and terrifying view of how the world might look if a Super Volcano really went off somewhere in this country. It is apparent an inordinate amount of research went into this book. Everything that occurs within its pages is very feasible, and that makes the story all the more compelling. The author creates suspense by withholding information. This story is a first person narrative, and the author sticks firmly to that narration choice. There is no head surfing, or extra information given. We spend the story firmly fixed in Alex's head. We only know what he knows, and that isn't much. This strict point of view choice adds suspense to the story. If I hadn't read the book synopsis I'd have no idea what was going on in the first few chapters. Something destroys Alex's home, crushing half of it. He barely escapes. Power and phones go out. Then the explosions start. Without any information on why these things are happening, it's all too easy to put yourself in Alex's shoes. This makes the story much more intense and compelling. Alex himself was a joy to read. On one hand, he's a realistic teenage boy - a bit resentful of his parents, and frightened of what he doesn't understand. On the other hand, he's heroic. His martial arts training and courage allow him to face seemingly insurmountable odds in this book. This story covers the gambit of challenging situations: First, there's the disaster itself; then the fall out, where people start turning on one another in a mad rush for food and resources; then there's the government's shoddy attempts to address the catastrophe. Through all of these trials, Alex is unwaveringly brave, determined, and a completely likeable character. Unfortunately he is saddled with a less than likeable companion. Darla bugged me. I admired her survival skills but found her personality deplorable. Through most of the book she's aggressive, angry, and sulky. When she's not acting bitchy, she's catatonic, and useless. She has her reasons (legitimate ones) for her attitudes, but those reasons don't make her a likeable character. I could definitely see the influence of this book's male author in her character. Why do male authors so frequently write female characters that are either sex kittens, bitches, or in desperate need of a big strong man to come and save them? Ashfall is an intense and engaging read. The book starts exciting, and has very few slow moments throughout. There are times the story was almost too dark and gritty for my tastes. The cannibalistic and rape scenes were hard to read. But those very same scenes lent to the authenticity and intensity of the story. The hero is exceedingly likeable, the villains are terrifying. Unlike so many dystopian and apocalyptic books, it has a feasible premise. By the end of the book, I felt like I'd caught a chilling glimpse of how our world might look if a super volcano ever erupted in reality. That's a version of our future I hope I never have to live through. "For the first time ever, I felt ashamed of my species. The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn't taken our humanity. No, we'd given that up on our own."

On the front cover of this book, Michael Grant is quoted as saying, "The scariest apocalypse is one that could really happen." He is so terrifyingly correct. When we think about an apocalypse, we like the comfort that it won't happen. With Ashfall, by Mike Mullin, you won't have that comfort. In fact, it will make you incredibly uncomfortable and terrified all in one fell swoop... and you will love every minute of it! Alex is excited for a weekend in the house alone while his family goes to his uncle's farm in Illinois. What he doesn't expect is a chunk of flaming rock to be hurled 900 miles from Yellowstone National Park where the supervolcano has finally blown. What was supposed to be a fun, independent weekend has become the end of life as Alex knew it. After he escapes the burning wreckage of his house, he stays with his neighbors while the terrifying explosions of the volcano continue. But after a few days, when looters attack the house and his neighbor kills them, Alex knows he must find his family (and hopefully escape the madness). Unfortunately, with ash falling steadily and crushing buildings and cars, the couple hour car ride seems like an eternity away. Alex grabs his father's old cross country skis and starts his journey. Along the way he encounters some kind people, lots of terrified people (many with guns) and a few maniacs. When Alex is attacked by a madman with a hatchet named Target, he gets away but is gushing blood from his ribcage. He falls into a barn, and luckily it was the right barn. Darla and her mother find Alex and put him back together. He stays with them for a while, but when Target returns, Alex knows he must go back to his journey to find his family. With nothing left, Darla joins him on the terrifying journey, but will they make it back to Alex's family? This was an amazing example of post-apocalyptic literature, and a boundary breaking example of young adult literature. The circumstances of the story are of course terrifying, but Mullin doesn't hold back when he tells the tale of what will really happen to a lone teenager when the world falls apart. There is rape, starvation, accidents, violence, and all of it could and would really happen. This book grabs the reader from the first page and doesn't let go even as you finish the last page. It is a book young adults will appreciate because it speaks to them like adults. There is no sugar-coating in this story, no fluff. Just cold, hard reality that will put a knot in your stomach. We all know teenagers can smell condescension from a mile away, and this book is anything but. It will make young readers feel adult and mature while still being accessible for young adult reading levels. The book is very mature and might be best left for grades 10 and up. I would give it to a younger student only if I was sure they could handle the mature subject matter. Nothing in the book is gratuitous or melodramatic. It is just stark, simple and realistic. Yes there are rape and murder scenes, but they are handled tactfully. Don't ignore this book because it is mature. Pick it up or give it to a student because it is written with respect to young adults as people- not kids- who can handle mature situations. This is one of the best PA stories I have read in a long time, and waiting until October 2012 for the sequel is going to be pure torture!

For those looking for a well-written, realistic post-apocalyptic tale/series, this 1st part of a 3 part series is right up your alley. I devoured this series and have re-read all the books a second time. Our hero Alex. starts out as a sullen, shallow, self-centered child and is forced to grow up quickly in order to survive but he still works to keep his humanity alive despite much of the inhumanity he encounters. The scrappiness, determination and ingenuity of the characters, especially Darla - Alex's eventual girlfriend, is admirable. As someone who is working towards becoming more self-sufficient (some might call "prepper"), I look for books that can inspire me and maybe teach me a thing or two. This series did both. (Side-note - I was fascinated by the concept of a hypocaust and I'm going to the library today to check-out the book that inspired the use of this old-world technology) Although there were weapons and physical/violent confrontations, I like that there was no "gun-porn" (paragraphs/pages full of descriptions of weaponry) and very little of what I call tacticool-ness (paragraphs/pages of descriptions of the blow-by-blow and shot-by-shot of physical confrontations). My eyes glaze over at that stuff and this author covered it briefly, but adequately for me to believe and follow the story without losing me. The only times the author lost me was when he used vocabulary that the main character would never use in real life. Things like detritus, sangfroid, abattoir, palanquin, sotto voce and many others. It was jarring to hearing a 16 year old use these words and took me out of the story briefly. (to be honest, I had to look a couple of them up because I didn't know their meaning). The characters were well-developed over the course of the series and I loved the "community building" in the final book. I wouldn't not recommend this for those under age 13. The violence and - <spoiler alert> **cannibalism** <spoiler alert> is probably a bit much for the younger crowd. There is some sexual content through-out the series but it is not frequent and not graphic but it is there. I hope Mike Mullin keeps writing in this genre. It's obvious that he has researched survival techniques and I'd love to see a new series in a new setting with a different catalyst (economic collapse, EMP, pandemic, etc.) I originally read this series via check-out (on my Kindle) from the public library but I enjoyed it so much, that I am purchasing my own copies, for both reference, and to support an author who has something important to add to this genre. P.S. I'll never look at kale in quite the same way after this series. I purchased several packages of seeds and I'm going to be planting some this fall - you never know - wink, wink.

More like 3.5/5 stars The whole concept of apocalypse by volcano has always fascinated me so I was immediately drawn to this novel. I liked the teenage protagonist, Alex, within the first few pages and battled to put the book down. However, there were a few things that bugged me. The biggest problem was the voice of a 15/16yr old boy. I teach 14/15 yr old girls and I'm pretty sure they'd never use words like bilious, bragadoccio, acme or ersatz. Every time I came across one of these words I was wrenched from the story because the voice just wasn't consistent with the level of maturity of the character who starts out pretty immature and doesn't spend the rest of the book studying a dictionary. By far the most engaging, interesting and awesome character was Darla. I would've much rather read her story than Alex's to be honest. Here's a girl who can fend for herself, who makes wise decisions even when they're tough and who is the very antithesis of a damsel in distress. While I did enjoy this book, I'm not sure I'd continue with this series

Ashfall by Mike Mullin is the first book in a post-apocalyptic series about something that could potentially (and I hope NEVER does) happen. You know the super volcano in Yellow Stone national park in the US? The author has centered his story around the “what if” it erupted. I can honestly say it was a shock reading the story as the main character faced one problem after another, as he listened to the eruption, survived the ashfall, and then began to wonder about all those too close to the eruption who were killed almost instantly. I get chills even thinking about it!!! Alex is a your average 15, almost 16, year old boy at the start of the story. His mom is nagging him, again, to go with the family to visit his uncle for the weekend. He gets out of it claiming homework, in reality he just wants to stay home and play video games with his buddies. And then the eruption occurs. Suddenly that sullen teen has aged ten years. His only thought is how selfish he was and how he needs to find his family. This drives the story forward as Alex ventures out to get to his family, to hug his mom and never let go. I was impressed with the author’s research for this book. He made the eruption and subsequent events so believable, eerily so! I was completely drawn into the story, Alex’s plight, and the race for survival. BUT the violence — as other reviewers have pointed out — was brutal! By the end of the book, I was numb to it. I just couldn’t handle anymore. I would like to think the best of my fellow human beings, but I think the scary part of this book is that it portrays such an accurate representation of what could happen. People turn on each other again and again. Neighbors, convicts, even the government can’t be relied on. It’s a terrifying thought! Overall I really enjoyed this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat, not able to turn the pages fast enough. The narrative style writing made it a quick and easy read, allowing me to be immersed completely in Alex’s story. And Darla....Darla is my hero. Just read the book and you will see why. But perhaps for me what made this such a great book is that it isn’t your typical dystopian. This story is about survival and what lengths you may or may not be willing to go to. Fans of dystopian should read this book ASAP, but fair warning it isn’t for the faint of heart.

Ashfall is one of my favourite genres, post-apocalyptic, and one of my least favourite genres (for many reasons), Young Adult. My aversion to Young Adult novels comes from reading, or more frequently, starting to read, novels in the YA genre that feel far too simplified and clichéd for my tastes. Having said that, although Ashfall is a YA novel, it all stands out as a great post-apocalyptic novel in a genre currently awash with new ideas and viewpoints, different events and outcomes and questionable ideas on the moral behavior of human beings in a crisis. The story starts with Alex, a teenage boy left at home for a weekend whilst his parents travel to his Uncle's farm, two hours drive away. Within hours of being left to his own devices, a super-volcano at Yellowstone erupts, raining ash over the town where he lives and the surrounding areas. Desperate to find his parents, and despite a serious lack of resources, he decides to travel to the farm to reunite with his family. On his journey, punctuated by experiences with the good, the bad and the ugly of the human race, he meets Darla, a head-strong, inventive and determined girl and after a devastating event, becomes his travelling companion and girlfriend in his quest to find his family. The landscape is harsh, food scarce in an environment where all livestock and food sources have been smothered and crushed by the ash fall, buildings have collapsed under the weight of the fall, and the extreme change in the atmosphere has caused a severe, early-onset winter. People are, rightly-so, incredibly defensive of what they have, desperate to have what they don't and are driven to the most extreme behavior imaginable. There are parts of this novel that I found to be unnecessary to the story, and I found the `love story' particularly hard to swallow. However, in the author's defense, this perspective in any post-apocalyptic story is hard to convey convincingly, without falling into the almost inevitable clichés. The challenges faced by Alex and Darla on their journey are fully imaginable and probable in such extreme conditions and are very realistically portrayed. Their experiences with the Army and organized humanitarian aid is particularly feasible in a world that has become ever more reliant on instant results and trade to maintain their current standards of living, with small stockpiles of food and supplies. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in PA, or YA that is a little more mature - but even if you aren't into YA, you can easily overlook the parts of the story that may not be to your personal tastes if you are the kind of reader that can downplay the facets of the story that you find slightly clichéd. I will keep an eye out for the next book in the trilogy.

Okay, let me start off by saying that I was skeptical of Ashfall when my mom handed me the Kindle. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who judges books by their covers (like 95% of us); however, I decided to dive in, and man was I blown away. Mr. Mullin has woven a masterful tale that's wrought with suspense and action. The love story between Alex and Darla is definitely one of the most dynamic and REALISTIC elements of the book. Too many times have I read books where the love stories have the same tone the whole time, they're puritanical, and 100% wholesome aside from the occasional kiss (talking about teen love stories, anyway). Not Ashfall. Mullin hit the nail on the head with Darla and Alex, they're young, impulsive, they fight, they make up, both are wondering about their bodies and they feel the attraction that goes way beyond just the heart, like an actual teenage relationship. Now, my title says that this is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read, and I'll explain why. I'm 18 years old, and am an aspiring novelist, with a book due to be published at some point in the next two to three weeks. While I was reading Ashfall, I saw elements of Mullin's story that mirrored my own. I'm not talking about storyline or setting or anything like that, my book is totally different in those regards. I'm talking about the characters, how ALIVE they were, how you can feel the desperation, their hope, their sadness, their anger. And Mullin's description of the surroundings, it's like everything I attempted to create with my novel was displayed in these pages, as if this book were a neon sign saying: Austen, you're on the right track. Truly, Ashfall has been the bright ray of hope I've needed to tell me that my book may be successful. Thank you, Mr. Mullin; you are an absolutely amazing author, and inspiration to myself, and probably to other young authors!

I really enjoyed “Ashfall”. It was really engrossing and the characters are so ‘real’ you feel very wrapped up in their struggles. Even though it is a YA book, I still enjoyed it as an adult. Highly recommended!

It was a great idea but it was a book that basically consisted of a bit of action and then day to day, step by step walk. So much time spent explaining how they skied down this hill then up this one then made a fire, then ate some food, then kept warm then skied over here, then over there. You get the picture. It was readable but I need a bit more action. It was a bit too focused on the two main characters and not enough of telling you about how the world is now.

Ashfall was recommended to me by a friend, so I added it to my kindle and promptly forgot about it. A few months later I found it and thought I'd give it a go. I presumed it would be along the same lines of Bick's Ashes or Baggots Pure: world ending in one big disaster, teens left to pick up the pieces.... Ashfall follows a male lead, which makes a change in this genre, Alex and his journey to find his parents after the supervolcano in Yellowstone blows. The world hasn't ended, there are no zombies (although there are some cannibals) and the book takes a new look at the 'what if' world. Alex's world is destroyed, for the first few chapters both Alex and the reader don't really know whats happened, nor how far the damage has gone. The scene setting chapters are thrilling, and you really start to get to know Alex as he realises what the world has become, then the journey starts - I put in spoilers as I don't want to ruin it for anyone else, so I'll keep it vague. Alex's prioity throughout the book is finding his family (who were at his uncles farm at the time of the eruption, leaving alex at home alone), and the majority of the book is about this journey - the people he meets (good and bad), the state of the US following the disaster (and the politics that it creates) and young love. Everything you could need in a book. Twists and turns are kept to a minimum, Mullin doesn't need cheap tricks to keep the reader interested, the story unfolds as you'd expect it to, but that is a good thing here. Its a story that you really can imagine happening, no sudden paranormal abilities or zombies, just the good and bad in every individual. A fascinating story, and one I hope to continue to enjoy in book two

Ich war absolut begeistert vom ersten Teil der Ashfall Trilogie. Aus der Ich-Perskeptive geschrieben erzählt der Autor vom Überlebenskampf eines Teenagers nach dem großen Knall. Es gelingt ihm dabei, die Situation sehr realistisch zu beschreiben und immer wieder packende Situation zu inszenieren, in die man sich sehr gut hineindenken kann. Ich war absolut überrascht, zumal der Autor mit Ashfall seine ersten Werde veröffentlichte. Habe den zweiten Teil schon bestellt und sehr gespannt wie es weitergeht.

Auf dem Cover meiner Ausgabe von „Ashfall“ von Mike Mullin findet sich folgendes Zitat vom Autor Michael Grant: „The scariest apocalypse is one that could really happen. “ Ich kann dieser Aussage nur zustimmen; ihr Inhalt ist einer der Gründe, warum ich eine so ausgeprägte Schwäche für Dystopien habe. Es ist schwer zu erklären, was mich an negativen Zukunftsvisionen so fasziniert, doch ich schätze, dass die Vorstellbarkeit hierbei eine erhebliche Rolle spielt. Dystopien loten die verschiedenen Möglichkeiten aus, wie sich unsere Gesellschaft unter bestimmten Umständen entwickeln könnte; es gefällt mir, mir vorzustellen, wie ich selbst innerhalb dieser Entwicklung überleben könnte und mich verhalten würde. „Ashfall“ von Mike Mullin beleuchtet eine sehr realistische Variante einer möglichen Apokalypse: bekanntermaßen befindet sich unter dem Yellowstone – Nationalpark im Westen der USA ein Supervulkan. Dieser bricht unvorhergesehen aus und überzieht das gesamte Land mit Dunkelheit, giftiger Asche und Chaos. Damit ruiniert die Eruption auch die Wochenendpläne des 15-jährigen Alex Halloran aus Cedar Falls in Iowa, den seine Eltern allein zu Hause ließen, während sie mit seiner kleinen Schwester seinem Onkel Paul im Nachbarstaat Illinois einen Besuch abstatten wollten. Nachdem das Haus der Familie von einem riesigen Felsbrocken getroffen wurde, beschließt Alex, sich auf eigene Faust zu Fuß auf den Weg nach Illinois zu machen. Seine Reise ist lang, beschwerlich und gefährlich, doch glücklicherweise begegnet Alex der 18-jährigen Darla, die ihm mehrfach das Leben rettet und ihn auf seinem Marsch nach Warren, Illinois begleitet. Gemeinsam müssen sie sich den Auswirkungen der Eruption stellen; können sie in der postapokalyptischen Welt überleben und Alex‘ Familie ausfindig machen? Während der Lektüre von „Ashfall“ bemerkte ich, dass ich durchgängig Probleme hatte, meine Konzentration aufrecht zu erhalten. Ich habe lange gerätselt, woran das lag, denn eigentlich gefiel mir der Roman gut. Ich kam zu folgendem Schluss: der Spannungsbogen der Handlung ist konstant niedrig. Es gibt in „Ashfall“ wenig überraschende Momente, da Mike Mullin sich hauptsächlich auf die Darstellung des alltäglichen Kampfes in der postapokalyptischen Welt nach der Eruption konzentrierte. So sind die Protagonisten Alex und Darla eher selten zwischenmenschlichen Konflikten ausgesetzt, was in einen recht unspektakulären Handlungsverlauf resultiert. Der Fokus liegt auf den Folgen des Vulkanausbruchs; das heißt, der Leser begleitet Alex und Darla bei ihrem Kampf gegen Kälte, Durst, Hunger und toxische Asche. Hinzu kommen natürlich noch die von der Asche ausgelöste Dunkelheit (bzw. das Zwielicht) und die Isolation von der Welt. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist „Ashfall“ wirklich toll geschrieben; Mullin demonstriert eindrucksvoll, wie das Leben nach dem Ausbruch eines Supervulkans aussehen könnte. Seine Interpretation der möglichen Konsequenzen ist gut recherchiert, im Anhang meiner Ausgabe gibt er sogar eine kurze Übersicht über seine Quellen. Tatsächlich bin ich geneigt, mir eines der Bücher zuzulegen und mehr über die Materie Supervulkane zu lernen. Die Charaktere des Romans sind Sympathieträger; an Alex mochte ich besonders, dass er so herrlich normal ist. Er ist ein Durchschnittsjugendlicher, der im Grunde keine speziellen Überlebensfähigkeiten hat, von seiner Ausbildung in Taekwondo mal abgesehen. Dadurch wirken seine Reaktionen real und nachvollziehbar. Eine Figur, die so alltäglich ist, läuft schnell Gefahr, stereotyp zu sein; Alex ist es jedoch nicht, seine Normalität lässt ihn stattdessen lebendig wirken. Dem gegenüber steht die super toughe Darla, die schon seit Jahren eine Farm allein bewirtschaften musste. Darla ist handwerklich begabt und praktisch veranlagt; obwohl ich die Erklärung für ihre Fähigkeiten ein wenig dünn fand, behindert das die Identifikation mit ihr nicht. Die Beziehung zwischen dem Leser und Alex ist zwar deutlich intensiver, doch Darla fügt der Geschichte eine handfeste Facette hinzu und darüber hinaus fungiert sie als Alex‘ Lehrerin. Insgesamt gefiel mir „Ashfall“ gut, meine Konzentrationsschwierigkeiten rührten vermutlich daher, dass ich eine aufregendere Geschichte erwartet hatte. Mike Mullins Roman überzeugt dementsprechend weniger durch die Handlung, sondern eher durch den Realismus der dargestellten Umstände. Ich kann dieses Buch daher Lesern empfehlen, die konkrete Dystopien mögen und bereit sind, dafür auf eine rasante Handlung zu verzichten.