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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don’t realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano. It has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years, and it will erupt again, changing the earth forever.
Fifteen-year-old Alex is home alone when Yellowstone erupts. His town collapses into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence, forcing him to flee. He begins a harrowing trek in search of his parents and sister, who were visiting relatives 140 miles away.
Along the way, Alex struggles through a landscape transformed by more than a foot of ash. The disaster brings out the best and worst in people desperate for food, clean water, and shelter. When an escaped convict injures Alex, he searches for a sheltered place where he can wait—to heal or to die. Instead, he finds Darla. Together, they fight to achieve a nearly impossible goal: surviving the supervolcano.
(Above text from ashfallbook.com)
If the above text doesn’t make you want to read this book, I’m not sure what will…but if you need a little more persuasion here is my humble review of this amazing book.
I don't want to go into too much detail and spoil the story, but the whole story is very realistic. The premises of the supervolcano, obviously since there hasn't been a supervolcanic eruption in human history we don't know exactly what will happen. There is plenty of speculation and scientific researcher as to what could happen if a volcano of that size were to erupt, and the author has done his research on that part.
The characters are very believable. Alex is just your average 15 year old who is thrown in to this devastating situation, and his emotional and physical journey as he tries to make his way to his family is very moving. In addition to Alex’s true to life partial the way the satellite characters react to the eruption and to Alex is very realistic. Some of the people he encounters are very giving despite the hardships they are forced to endure others are far from generous. Over all I think Mike Mullin’s portrayal of a society in crises is very accurate.
Unlike other dystopian novels that are set in the distant future with a society that is hardly a shadow of our world now Ashfall happens in our world in our not too distant future. On the first page of the book Alex says he will always remember where he was the day the volcano erupted just like his parents will always remember where they were on September 11th so at its earliest this story could be set in 2016 (I’m assuming Alex was not born until sometime after 2011) but no later than 2030. We can only hope something like this doesn’t happen in our lifetime.
For more information about the book and supervolcanos make sure you check out the books website (ashfallbook.com) and if you get a chance to read this book don’t pass it up it is well worth the read. I’m anxiously awaiting the sequel [b:Ashen Winter|9867814|Ashen Winter (Ashfall, #2)|Mike Mullin|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|14759379] which is set to come out October 8, 2012.
Fifteen-year-old Alex is home alone when Yellowstone erupts. His town collapses into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence, forcing him to flee. He begins a harrowing trek in search of his parents and sister, who were visiting relatives 140 miles away.
Along the way, Alex struggles through a landscape transformed by more than a foot of ash. The disaster brings out the best and worst in people desperate for food, clean water, and shelter. When an escaped convict injures Alex, he searches for a sheltered place where he can wait—to heal or to die. Instead, he finds Darla. Together, they fight to achieve a nearly impossible goal: surviving the supervolcano.
(Above text from ashfallbook.com)
If the above text doesn’t make you want to read this book, I’m not sure what will…but if you need a little more persuasion here is my humble review of this amazing book.
I don't want to go into too much detail and spoil the story, but the whole story is very realistic. The premises of the supervolcano, obviously since there hasn't been a supervolcanic eruption in human history we don't know exactly what will happen. There is plenty of speculation and scientific researcher as to what could happen if a volcano of that size were to erupt, and the author has done his research on that part.
The characters are very believable. Alex is just your average 15 year old who is thrown in to this devastating situation, and his emotional and physical journey as he tries to make his way to his family is very moving. In addition to Alex’s true to life partial the way the satellite characters react to the eruption and to Alex is very realistic. Some of the people he encounters are very giving despite the hardships they are forced to endure others are far from generous. Over all I think Mike Mullin’s portrayal of a society in crises is very accurate.
Unlike other dystopian novels that are set in the distant future with a society that is hardly a shadow of our world now Ashfall happens in our world in our not too distant future. On the first page of the book Alex says he will always remember where he was the day the volcano erupted just like his parents will always remember where they were on September 11th so at its earliest this story could be set in 2016 (I’m assuming Alex was not born until sometime after 2011) but no later than 2030. We can only hope something like this doesn’t happen in our lifetime.
For more information about the book and supervolcanos make sure you check out the books website (ashfallbook.com) and if you get a chance to read this book don’t pass it up it is well worth the read. I’m anxiously awaiting the sequel [b:Ashen Winter|9867814|Ashen Winter (Ashfall, #2)|Mike Mullin|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|14759379] which is set to come out October 8, 2012.
I don't think this is realistic. Not because of the volcano, but because I don't think society would fall apart that badly quite that quickly. I also didn't enjoy having so many bad things happening, whether or not it's realistic (some content not appropriate for all readers).
If you want to read something better on the same subject, try The Memory Boy/The Survivors series.
If you want to read something better on the same subject, try The Memory Boy/The Survivors series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Good adventure book. Pretty realistic, too. Makes me scared of what could happen if Yellowstone actually did erupt.
very graphic content written for 12 year olds. that combination doesn't work well.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
One of the best books I've read this year. Absolutely amazing.
Let me start of with saying that I loved Ashfall. It exceeded my expectations and was one of the most intense books I read this year. The story was great from beginning to end with never a dull moment.
The disaster scenario of a supervolcano with major ash fall is interesting and original. The aftermath as described in Ashfall is terrifying and results in a lot of intense scenes in the book. There are quite a few mature themes that are being dealt with (references to rape and cannibalism) and there are some graphic and violent scenes.
Alex is such a great character. He is strong and brave, and does what he needs to do in order to survive and to get to his family. His heart is obviously in the right place and it's interesting to see him struggle with some of the horrible decisions he was forced to make.
Of course there is also a bit of love. Judging from the blurb I was a bit wary of this as it could have been so corny. Darla, the female character is so refreshing: she is just as brave and strong (if not stronger) than Alex, and absolutely not a damsel in distress. They complement each other and I really liked how their relationship developed.
The ending reminded me a bit of the ending of "Life as we knew it", another post-apocalyptic book that I liked a lot. It was similar in how they look for ways to survive this new world, but it also ended with a tiny spark of hope in a very bleak future.
I enjoyed the writing style. The descriptions are very detailed and I could easily picture the landscape covered in ash. The language used is vivid and rich and the writer seems to be very eloquent. Not sure if it really reflects how an average teenage boy would speak, but I could definitely appreciate it.
The only thing I did not like about the book is the cover (well, obviously I have not seen the actual cover, but only the one on Goodreads). I am not sure if it represents the story very well, and it also seems to target a more junior audience than the book is actually aimed at.
Ashfall is a great. It's intense, depressing and terrifying, which are in my eyes the key elements for a good post-apocalyptic story. It's a must-read for fans of the genre and I will definitely keep an eye out for the sequel: Ashen Winter.
http://www.fragmentsoffiction.com/2011/05/arc-review-ashfall-ashfall-1-by-mike.html
The disaster scenario of a supervolcano with major ash fall is interesting and original. The aftermath as described in Ashfall is terrifying and results in a lot of intense scenes in the book. There are quite a few mature themes that are being dealt with (references to rape and cannibalism) and there are some graphic and violent scenes.
Alex is such a great character. He is strong and brave, and does what he needs to do in order to survive and to get to his family. His heart is obviously in the right place and it's interesting to see him struggle with some of the horrible decisions he was forced to make.
Of course there is also a bit of love. Judging from the blurb I was a bit wary of this as it could have been so corny. Darla, the female character is so refreshing: she is just as brave and strong (if not stronger) than Alex, and absolutely not a damsel in distress. They complement each other and I really liked how their relationship developed.
The ending reminded me a bit of the ending of "Life as we knew it", another post-apocalyptic book that I liked a lot. It was similar in how they look for ways to survive this new world, but it also ended with a tiny spark of hope in a very bleak future.
I enjoyed the writing style. The descriptions are very detailed and I could easily picture the landscape covered in ash. The language used is vivid and rich and the writer seems to be very eloquent. Not sure if it really reflects how an average teenage boy would speak, but I could definitely appreciate it.
The only thing I did not like about the book is the cover (well, obviously I have not seen the actual cover, but only the one on Goodreads). I am not sure if it represents the story very well, and it also seems to target a more junior audience than the book is actually aimed at.
Ashfall is a great. It's intense, depressing and terrifying, which are in my eyes the key elements for a good post-apocalyptic story. It's a must-read for fans of the genre and I will definitely keep an eye out for the sequel: Ashen Winter.
http://www.fragmentsoffiction.com/2011/05/arc-review-ashfall-ashfall-1-by-mike.html