This posting is
very late as I finished this book almost a week ago. It just so happens that
this past week was the first week of our Summer Reading Program (SRP for short)
and it has left me exhausted. With it
being the weekend, I feel a little more enthusiastic about writing and can tell
you what a thrill this book was to read.
Many survival/post-apocalyptic
stories of our time have involved the supernatural or fantasy beings such as
zombies. In Ashfall, Mike Mullin
presents us with a scenario that is more realistic than we think…and it’s
terrifying. No joke, I normally do not get freaked out by a book, but Ashfall has me paranoid enough to
consider back up plans for the imminent supervolcano eruption. It also led to
an investigation of the concept of supervolcano via Wikipedia. The last time
any supervolcano erupted was 26,000 years ago (Lake Taupo, New Zealand) and
though the worlds supervolcanoes remain quiet at this time, this does not mean
an eruption could not happen in our lifetime, though scientists are somewhat skeptical
(phew). Even the powers of these volcanic eruptions are larger than life with a
thousand times more the power and ejection than a normal eruption like Mount
St. Helens. This pretty much has the potential to wipe out most of our species.
Now, I am over-dramatizing this a bit (what can I say the thought of human
extinction really does freak me out), but if this book got to me that much than
that should tell you how well it is written.
Ashfall starts with our main protagonist
Alex hanging out home in Cedar Falls, IA and doing normal teen stuff. He’s
playing a little World of Warcraft,
eating some snackage, and enjoying the time with himself while the rest of his
family is with his uncle in Illinois. This serene alone time quickly goes to
hell. Loud explosions and volcanic rock destroys most of Alex’s house and he is
forced to come up with a survival plan. He stays with neighbors for a little
bit, but the violence that ensues causes him to leave to find his family. On
his way to Warren, Ill (140 miles away) he experiences the human condition in
the time of apocalypse. Pretty much we become satanic, cannibalistic creatures in
the name of survival. This is apparent as many strangers try to kill our Alex
for food. Also, never step foot in Dubuque because it went crazy. Alex does
eventually find companionship in another teen, Darla and they travel together
to get to Warren, Ill and Alex’s family. There are a lot of points that I do
not want to spoil so the synopsis will end at that. This book being the first
in a series (seriously another one?) ends quite abruptly, but the second one is
already available to order.
This book is a
great action-packed thrill ride and goes on non-stop. Teens who enjoy survival
stories, such as Island of the Blue
Dolphins, Hunger Games, and Julie of the Wolves would love this new
series. There are few eye roll moments that only a YA book could give. For
example, Alex and Darla want to have sex, but do not want Darla to get
accidentally pregnant. This leads to parts of the story where they are
searching for condoms (really kids?) and where I tried very hard to not laugh
at the sort of silliness of it. Still, the maturity of Alex and Darla during a
time of extinction can be heart wrenching and almost relatable, especially for those
teens who too had to grow up quickly. I
recommend that YA collections purchase this book for its appeal to both sexes
and just simply so that I can find a library who will have the second book.
That is the Iowa
selection for the reading
challenge with 15 down, 35 more to go.
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