Getting out of visiting relatives with his parents and annoying sister and having some alone time to play World of Warcraft online seems like the perfect way for 16 year old Alex to spend the weekend. That is... right up until he finds himself trapped in the dark beneath his desk and there's this burning smell coming from somewhere. What can it all mean? From the opening paragraph, Mike Mullin's "Ashfall" grabs you and takes you on a wild ride through his realistic post-apocalyptic vision of hell on earth.
A supervolcano in Yellowstone has erupted and changed the landscape and civilization almost overnight. Everything is covered in layers of ash.
Rescued by his neighbors, Darren and Joe, the three hunker down to wait out the deafening sounds of explosions and eat what's left in the fridge. Things can't get much worse, or can they? Three men break in and attack Joe. Alex, a taekwondo black belt manages to take one down, then Darren returns with a gun and suddenly their living room is drenched in spilled bad guy blood. Too much for Alex, he hits the road on a journey that he hopes will take him to his uncle's farm and his family.
The journey won't be easy. Who can he trust? Food is in short supply. Yet, there are some people out there who seem to have no trouble finding meat. Along the way, injured and struggling, he meets Darla, who may be one of the coolest possible girlfriends any boy in the new world of ash and snow could hope for. I won't give away anything further. You'll have to join Alex on a road trip that will keep you up reading until the last page and keep you thinking about possible scary futures and what to do to avoid them and maybe brushing up some martial art skills. "Ashfall" is a debut title from Mr. Mullin... and it won't be the last, because "Ashen Winter", the sequel, will be out in the fall and I'll be giving you an advance review next week.
"Ashfall" fan video (above) by Karin Perry
Check out this footage (below) taken when Mt. St. Helens erupted!
I lived 60 miles away from the mountain. This book reminded me of Mt. St. Helen's, too. If you lived it, you sure won't ever forget it...
ReplyDeleteHi Jo Ann,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I can't even imagine how scary and horrible that must have been!!! I thought the book captured what most of us can only imagine a disaster like that would be like!
The book has good parts in it and the violence isn't as bad as the first one was so I think the first one was better.
ReplyDeleteDelaware Property Management service