Ashfall

By Mike Mullin

Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don't realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano, so large that the caldera can only be seen by plane or satellite. And by some scientific measurements, it could be overdue for an eruption. For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to seach for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tanglewood
• Release date: Oct 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9781933718613

Mike Mullin

Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really glad this writing thing seems to be working out.Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. Ashen Winter is his second novel. His debut, Ashfall, was named one of the top five young adult novels of 2011 by National Public Radio, a Best Teen Book of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews, and a New Voices selection by the American Booksellers Association.Learn more or contact Mike at www.MikeMullinAuthor.com

Book preview

Chapter 1

Civilization exists by

geological consent, subject to

change without notice.

—Will Durant

I was home alone on that Friday evening. Those who survived know exactly which Friday I mean. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing, in the same way my parents remembered 9/11, but more so. Together we lost the old world, slipping from that cocoon of mechanized comfort into the hellish land we inhabit now. The pre-Friday world of school, cell phones, and refrigerators dissolved into this post-Friday world of ash, darkness, and hunger.

But that Friday was pretty normal at first. I argued with Mom again after school. That was normal, too; we fought constantly. The topics were legion: my poor study habits, my video games, my underwear on the bathroom floor—whatever. I remember a lot of those arguments. That Friday they only fueled my rage. Now they’re little jewels of memory I hoard, hard and sharp under my skin. Now I’d sell my right arm to a cannibal to argue with Mom again.

Our last argument was over Warren, Illinois. My uncle and his family lived there, on a tiny farm near Apple River Canyon State Park. Mom had decided we’d visit their farm that weekend. When she announced this malodorous plan, over dinner on Wednesday, my bratty little sister, Rebecca, almost bounced out of her chair in delight. Dad responded with his usual benign lack of interest, mumbling something like, Sounds nice, honey. I said I would not be going, sparking an argument that continued right up until they left without me on that Friday afternoon.

The last thing Mom said to me was, Alex, why do you have to fight me on absolutely everything? She looked worn and tired standing beside the minivan door, but then she smiled a little and held out her arms like she wanted a hug. If I’d known I might never get to argue with her again, maybe I would have replied. Maybe I would have hugged her instead of turning away.

Cedar Falls, Iowa, wasn’t much, but it might as well have been New York City compared to Warren. Besides, I had my computer, my bike, and my friends in Cedar Falls. My uncle’s farm just had goats. Stinky goats. The males smell as bad as anything short of a skunk, and I’ll take skunk at a distance over goat up close any day.

So I was happy to wave goodbye to Mom, Dad, and the brat, but a bit surprised I’d won the argument. I’d been home alone before—I was almost sixteen, after all. But a whole weekend, that was new. It was a little disappointing to be left without some kind of warning, an admonition against wild parties and booze. Mom knew my social life too well, I guess. A couple of geeks and a board game I might manage; a great party with hot girls and beer would have been beyond me, sadly.

After I watched my family drive off, I went upstairs. The afternoon sun blazed through my bedroom window, so I yanked the curtains shut. Aside from the bed and dresser, my bedroom held a huge maple bookcase and desk that my dad had built a few years ago. I didn’t have a television, which was another subject Mom and I fought about, but at least I had a good computer. The bookcase was filled with computer games, history books, and sci-fi novels in about equal proportions. Odd reading choices maybe, but I just thought of it as past and future history.

I’d decorated my floor with dirty clothes and my walls with posters, but only one thing in the room really mattered to me. In a wood-and-glass case above my desk, I displayed all my taekwondo belts: a rainbow of ten of them starting with white, yellow, and orange and ending in brown, red, and black. I’d been taking classes off and on since I was five. I didn’t work at it until sixth grade, which I remember as the year of the bully. I’m not sure if it was my growth spurt, which stopped at a depressingly average size, or finally getting serious about martial arts, but nobody hassles me anymore. I suppose by now those belts are burnt or buried in ash—most likely both.

Anyway, I turned on my computer and stared at the cover of my trigonometry textbook while I waited for the computer to boot up. I used to think that teachers who gave homework on weekends should be forced to grade papers for an eternity in hell. Now that I have a sense of what hell might be like, I don’t think grading papers forever would be that bad. As soon as Windows started, I pushed the trig book aside and loaded up World of Warcraft. I figured there’d be enough time to do my homework Sunday night.

None of my friends were online, so I flew my character to the Storm Peaks to work on daily quests and farm some gold. WoW used to hold my interest the way little else could. The daily quests were just challenging enough to keep my mind occupied, despite the fact that I’d done them dozens of times. Even gold farming, by far the most boring activity, brought the satisfaction of earning coin, making my character more powerful, achieving something. Every now and then I had to remind myself that it was all only ones and zeros in a computer in Los Angeles, or I might have gotten truly addicted. I wonder if anyone will ever play World of Warcraft again.

Three hours later and over 1,000 gold richer, I got the first hint that this would not be a normal Friday evening. There was a rumble, almost too low to hear, and the house shook a little. An earthquake, maybe, although we never have earthquakes in Iowa.

The power went out. I stood to open the curtains. I thought there might be enough light to read by, at least for a while.

Then it happened.

I heard a cracking noise, like the sound the hackberry tree in our backyard had made when Dad cut it down last year, but louder: a forest of hackberries, breaking together. The floor tilted, and I fell across the suddenly angled room, arms and legs flailing. I screamed but couldn’t hear myself over the noise: a boom and then a whistling sound—incoming artillery from a war movie, but played in reverse. My back hit the wall on the far side of the room, and the desk slid across the floor toward me. I wrapped myself into a ball, hands over the back of my neck, praying my desk wouldn’t crush me. It rolled, painfully clipped my right shoulder, and came to rest above me, forming a small triangular space between the floor and wall. I heard another crash, and everything shook violently for a second.

I’d seen those stupid movies where the hero gets tossed around like a rag doll and then springs up, unhurt and ready to fight off the bad guys. If I were the star in one of those, I suppose I would have jumped up, thrown the desk aside, and leapt to battle whatever malevolent god had struck my house. I hate to disappoint, but I just lay there, curled in a ball, shaking in pure terror. It was too dark under the desk to see anything beyond my quivering knees. Nor could I hear—the noise of those few violent seconds had left my ears ringing loudly enough to drown out a marching band if one had been passing by. Plaster dust choked the air, and I fought back a sneeze.

I lay in that triangular cave for a minute, maybe longer. My body mostly quit shaking, and the ringing in my ears began to fade. I poked my right shoulder gingerly; it felt swollen, and touching it hurt. I could move the arm a little, so I figured it wasn’t broken. I might have lain there longer checking my injuries, but I smelled something burning.

That whiff of smoke was enough to transform my sit-here-trembling terror into get-the-hell-out-of-here terror. There was enough room under the desk to unball myself, but I couldn’t stretch out. Ahead I felt a few hollow spaces amidst a pile of loose books. I’d landed wedged against my bookcase. I shoved it experimentally with my good arm—it wasn’t going anywhere.

The burning smell intensified. I slapped my left hand against the desk above me and pushed upward. I’d moved that heavy desk around by myself before, no problem. But now, when I really needed to move it, nothing . . . it wouldn’t shift even a fraction of an inch.

That left trying to escape in the direction my feet pointed. But I couldn’t straighten my legs—they bumped against something just past the edge of the desk. I planted my feet on the obstacle and pushed. It shifted a little. Encouraged, I stretched my good arm through the shelves, placing my hand against the back of the bookcase. And snatched it away in shock—the wall behind the bookcase was warm. Not hot enough to burn, but warm enough to give me an ugly mental picture of my fate if I couldn’t escape—and soon.

I hadn’t felt particularly claustrophobic at first. The violence of being thrown across the room left no time to feel anything but scared. Now, with the air heating up, terror rose from my gut. Trapped. Burned alive. Imagining my future got me hyperventilating. I inhaled a lungful of dust and choked, coughing.

Calm down, Alex, I told myself. I took two quick breaths in through my nose and puffed them out through my mouth—recovery breathing, like I’d use after a hard round of sparring in taekwondo. I could do this.

I slammed my hand back against the wall, locked my elbow, and shoved with my feet—hard. The obstacle shifted slightly. I bellowed and bore down on it, trying to snap my knees straight. There’s a reason martial artists yell when we break boards—it makes us stronger. Something gave then; I felt it shift and heard the loud thunk of wood striking wood. Debris fell on my ankles—maybe chunks of plaster and insulation from the ceiling. A little kicking freed my legs, stirring up more dry, itchy dust.

I forced my way backward into the new hole. There were twelve, maybe sixteen inches of space before I hit something solid again. The air was getting hotter. Sweat trickled sideways off my face. I couldn’t dislodge the blockage, so I bent at the waist, contorting my body around the desk into an L shape.

I kept shoving my body backward into the gap between a fallen ceiling joist and my desk, pushing myself upward along the tilted floor. A lurid orange light flickered down into the new space. When I’d wormed my way fully alongside the joist, I jammed my head and shoulders up through the broken ceiling into what used to be the unfinished attic above my room.

A wall of heat slammed into me, like opening the oven with my face too close. Long tendrils of flame licked into the attic above my sister’s collapsed bedroom, cat tongues washing the rafters and underside of the roof decking with fire. Smoke billowed up and pooled under the peak of the roof. The front part of the attic had collapsed, joists leaning downward at crazy angles. What little I could see of the back of the attic looked okay. An almost perfectly round hole had been punched in the roof above my sister’s bedroom. I glimpsed a coin of deep blue sky through the flames eating at the edges of the hole.

I dragged myself up the steeply angled joists, trying to reach the back of the attic. My palms were slippery with sweat, and my right shoulder screamed in pain. But I got it done, crawling upward with the heat at my back urging me on.

The rear of the attic looked normal—aside from the thick smoke and dust. I crawled across the joists, pushing through the loose insulation to reach the boxes of holiday decorations my mother had stored next to the pull-down staircase.

I struggled to open the staircase—it was meant to be pulled open with a cord from the hallway below. I crawled onto it to see if my weight would force it down. The springs resisted at first, but then the hatch picked up speed and popped open with a bang. It was all I could do to hold on and avoid tumbling into the hallway below. It bruised my knees pretty good, too. I flipped the folded segments of the stair open so I could step down to the second floor.

Keeping my head low to avoid the worst of the smoke, I scuttled down the hallway to the staircase. This part of the house seemed undamaged. When I reached the first floor, I heard banging and shouting from the backyard. I ran to the back door and glanced through the window. Our neighbor from across the street, Darren, was outside. I twisted the lock and threw the door open.

Thank God, Darren said. Are you okay, Alex?

I took a few steps into the yard and stood with my hands on my knees, gulping the fresh air. It tasted sweet after the smoke-drenched dust I’d been breathing.

You look like three-day-old dog crap. You okay? Darren repeated.

I looked down at myself. Three-day-old dog crap was way too kind. Sweat had drenched my T-shirt and jeans, mixing with plaster dust, insulation, and smoke to form a vile gray-white sludge that coated my body. Somewhere along the way, I’d cut my palm without even feeling it. A smear of blood stained the knee of my jeans where my hand had just rested.

I glanced around; all the neighbors’ houses seemed fine. Even the back of my house looked okay. Something sounded wrong, though. The ringing in my ears had mostly faded, but it still took a moment to figure it out: It was completely silent. There were no bird or insect noises. Not even crickets.

Just then Joe, Darren’s husband, ran up behind him, carrying a three-foot wrecking bar. Glad to see you’re out. I was going to break the door down.

Thanks. You guys call the fire department?

No—

I gave him my best what the hell? look and extended both my palms.

We tried—our house phone is dead, not even a dial tone. Cell says ‘no service,’ but that can’t be; it’s usually five bars here.

I thought about that for two, maybe three seconds and took off running.

Chapter 2

Darren and Joe yelled something behind me. I ignored them and made tracks as best I could. My bruised knees weren’t helping, neither was my right shoulder. I probably looked kind of funny trying to sprint with my left arm pumping and my right cradled against my side.

Still, I made good time toward the fire station. Partway there, I realized I was being stupid. I’d taken off impulsively, needing to do something—anything—instead of jawing with Darren while my house burned down. I should have asked Darren and Joe to drive me or stopped to grab my bike from the garage. But by the time I’d thought through it, I was almost at the fire station.

I noticed a couple of weird things along the way. The traffic light I passed was out. That made the run faster—cars were stopping at the intersection and inching ahead, so I could dart through easily. I didn’t see house lights on anywhere; it was early evening and fairly bright outside, but usually there were at least a few lights shining from somewhere. And in the distance to my left, four thin columns of smoke rose against the deep blue sky.

A generator growled at the side of the fire station as I ran up. The overhead door was open. I ran through and dodged around the truck. Three guys in fire pants and light blue T-shirts with Cedar Falls Fire Department on the back huddled around a radio. A woman dressed the same way sat in the cab of the ladder truck.

Piece of crap equipment purchasing sticks us with, I heard one of them say as I approached.

Hey kid, we’re— The guy broke off mid-sentence when he got a good look at me. Then he sniffed. Burnt chicken on a stick, you’ve been in a fire. Y’ought to be at the hospital.

I was gasping, out of breath from the run. I’m okay. . .. Neighbors been trying to call . . .

Yeah, piece of junk ain’t working. The guy holding the radio mike slammed it down.

My house is on fire.

Where?

Six blocks away. I gave him my address.

A guy only slightly smaller than the fire truck beside him said, We’re not supposed to go out without telling dispatch—how we gonna get backup?

Screw that, Tiny. Kid’s house is on fire. Load it up!

They all grabbed helmets and fire coats off hooks on the wall. In seconds, I was sandwiched between Tiny and another guy in the back of the cab. I could just see the firefighter at the wheel over the mound of equipment separating the two rows of seats. She flicked a switch overhead, starting the sirens blaring, then threw the truck into gear. It roared down the short driveway and narrowly missed a car that failed to stop.

I glanced at Tiny once during the drive back to my house. His eyes were scrunched shut, and he was muttering some kind of prayer under his breath. The firefighter at the wheel laughed maniacally as she hurled the huge truck back and forth across the lanes, into oncoming traffic, and even halfway onto a sidewalk once. She swiveled in her seat to look at me, taking her eyes off the road completely. Anyone else at home, kid?

No, I answered, hoping to keep the conversation short.

Any pets?

No.

The ride couldn’t have lasted more than a minute, but it felt longer. Between the crazy driving and Tiny’s muttered prayer, I wished I’d run back home instead. The truck slammed to a stop in front of my house, and before I could get my stomach settled and even think about moving, the cab was empty. Both doors hung open. I groaned and slid toward the driver’s side. Everything hurt: both knees, my right shoulder, the muscles in my calves and thighs: my eyes stung, my throat felt raw and, to top it all off, my head had started to ache.

Two huge steps led down from the cab. I stumbled on the first one and almost fell out of the truck backward. I caught myself on the grab bar mounted to the side of the truck. When I reached the ground, I kept one hand on the bar, holding myself upright.

The house was wrecked. It looked like a giant fist had descended from the heavens, punching a round hole in the roof above my sister’s room and collapsing the front of the house. Flames shot into the sky above the hole and licked up the roof. Ugly brown smoke billowed out everywhere.

Thank God my sister wasn’t home. If she’d been in her room, she’d be dead now. An hour ago I’d been looking forward to an entire weekend without her. Now I wanted nothing more than to see her again—soon, I hoped. Mom would burn rubber all the way back from my uncle’s place in Illinois as soon as she heard about the fire. It was only a two-hour drive. I gripped the bar on the fire truck more tightly and tried to swallow, but my mouth was parched.

The firefighter wrestled a hose toward the front of the house. Tiny hunched over the hydrant across the street, using a huge wrench to connect another hose to it. Darren and Joe were standing in our next-door neighbor’s yard, so I stumbled over to them. From there I could see the side of my house. One of the firefighters opened the dining room window from the inside and smoke surged out.

You okay? Darren asked.

Not really. I collapsed into the cool grass and watched my house burn.

We should take you to the hospital.

No, I’m okay. Can I borrow your cell? Mine’s in there. Melted, I guess. I wanted, needed, to call Mom. To know she was on her way back and would soon be here taking care of things. Taking care of me.

Still no service on mine, sorry.

Maybe it’s only our carrier, Joe said. I’ll see if anyone else has service. He walked across the street toward a knot of people who’d gathered there, rubbernecking.

I lay back in the grass and closed my eyes. Even from the neighbor’s yard, I felt the heat of the fire washing over my body in waves. I smelled smoke, too, but that might have been from my clothing.

A few minutes later, I heard Joe’s voice again. Nobody’s got cell service. Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T—all down. Nobody’s got power or landlines, either.

I opened my eyes. I thought landlines weren’t supposed to go down. I mean, when our power’s out, the old house phone still works. Just not the cordless phones.

That’s the way it’s supposed to be. But nobody’s telephones work.

Huh.

You know what happened to your house? Looks like something fell on the roof.

I dunno. Power went out, and then wham, the whole house fell on me.

Meteor, you think? Or a piece of an airplane, maybe?

Would that make the power and phones go down?

No . . . shouldn’t.

And there are other fires. At least four, judging by the smoke.

Joe peered at the sky. Yeah. Looks like they’re a ways off. In Waterloo, maybe.

I tried to sit up. The motion triggered a coughing spasm—dry, hacking coughs, every one of them setting off a sharp pain in my head. By the time my coughing fit passed, the headache was threatening to blow off the top of my head.

You want some water? Joe asked.

Yeah, I wheezed.

We should take you to the hospital, Darren said again, as Joe trotted back across the street toward their house.

I closed my eyes again, which helped the headache some. The water Joe brought me helped more. I chugged the first bottle and sipped the second. Joe left again—said he was going to find batteries for their radio. Darren stood beside me, and we watched the firefighters work.

They’d strung two hoses through a window at the side of the house. All four of the firefighters were inside now, doing who-knew-what. The hoses twitched and jumped as water blasted through them. Pretty soon the flames shooting out the roof died down. I heard sizzling noises, and the smoke pouring out the windows turned from an angry brown to white as the fire surrendered.

Two firefighters climbed out a window. One jogged to the truck and got two long, T-shaped metal pry-bars. The other guy walked over to me.

Are you okay? Having any trouble breathing? he asked.

I’m okay.

Good. Look, normally we’d call a paramedic and the Red Cross truck to get you some help, but we can’t even raise dispatch. You got anyone you can stay with?

He can stay with us, Darren said. Till we can get hold of his family, anyway.

That okay with you, kid?

Yeah, fine. I’d have preferred to see Mom’s minivan roaring up the street, but Joe and Darren were okay. They’d lived across the street from us forever.

The fire’s pretty much dead. We’re going to aerate some walls and do a little salvage work. Make sure you stay out of the house—it’s not stable.

Okay. What started it?

I don’t know. Dispatch will send an investigator out when we reach them.

Thanks. I wished he knew more about what was happening, but it didn’t seem polite to say so.

Come on, Darren said. Let’s get you cleaned up.

I struggled to my feet and plodded across the street alongside Darren. The sun had gone down; there was a hint of orange in the west, but otherwise the sky was a gloomy gray. No lights had come on. About halfway across Darren’s yard, I stopped and stared at the white steam still spewing from my partly collapsed home. I put my hands on my knees and looked at the grass. A numb exhaustion had seeped into every pore of my body, turning my muscles liquid, attacking my bones with random aches. I felt like I’d been sparring with a guy twice my size for an hour.

Darren rested his hand on my shoulder. It’ll be all right, Alex. The phones will probably be back up tomorrow, and we’ll get your folks and the insurance company on the line. A year from now, the house will be as good as new, and you’ll be cracking jokes about this.

I nodded wearily and straightened up, Darren’s hand still a comfortable weight on my shoulder.

Then the explosions started.

Chapter 3

The sound hit me physically, like an unexpected gust of wind trying to throw me off my feet. Two windows in the house next door bowed inward under the pressure and shattered. Darren stumbled from the force, and I caught him with my left hand.

I used to watch lightning storms with my sister. We’d see the lightning and start counting: one Mississippi, two Mississippi . . . If we got to five, the lightning was a mile away. Ten, two miles. This noise was like when we’d see the lightning, count one—and wham, the thunder would roll over us-the kind of thunder that would make my sister run inside screaming.

But unlike thunder, this didn’t stop. It went on and on, machine-gun style, as if Zeus had loaded his bolts into an M60 with an inexhaustible ammo crate. But there was no lightning, only thunder. I glanced around. The firefighters were running for their truck and the knot of rubberneckers had scattered. The sky was clear. I could barely make out a couple of columns of smoke in the distance, but those had been there for more than an hour. Nothing obvious was wrong except for the godawful noise.

My hands were clamped over my ears. I had no memory of putting them there. The ground thumped against the soles of my sneakers. Darren grabbed my elbow, and we ran for his front door.

Inside, the noise was only slightly less horrendous. The oak floor in Darren’s entryway trembled under my feet. A fine waterfall of white plaster dust rained from a crack in the ceiling. Joe ran up carrying two stereo headsets and a roll of toilet paper. A third headset was clamped over his ears. He pantomimed tearing off bits of toilet paper and stuffing them in his ears. Quick thinking, that. Joe was definitely the brains of the couple.

I jammed a wad of toilet paper into each ear and slapped a headset on. The thunderous noise faded to an almost tolerable roar. But I heard a new sound: my ears ringing, like that annoying high-pitched whine a defibrillator makes when a patient is flatlining on TV.

We probably looked silly, standing there with the black cords dangling from the headsets, but nobody was laughing. I shouted at Joe, Should we go to the basement? But I couldn’t even hear myself talking over the noise.

Joe’s lips moved, but I had no idea what he was saying. Darren was shouting something, too, but the noise of the explosions drowned out all of us. Joe grabbed me and Darren and towed us toward the back of the house. We ran through their master bedroom—it was the fanciest bedroom I’d ever seen, but with the auditory assault we were enduring, I wasn’t about to stop and gawk.

The master bathroom was equally impressive, at least what I could see of it by the dim light filtering in from the bedroom. Pink marble floor, huge Jacuzzi tub, walk-in shower, bidet—the works. But best of all, it was an interior room, placed right in the center of the first floor. So it was quiet, sort of. When Joe closed the door, the noise diminished appreciably. Of course, that plunged us into total darkness. Joe reopened the door long enough to dig a D-cell Maglite from under one of the sinks.

I held my hands out at my sides and screamed, Now what? but I don’t think they could hear me. I couldn’t hear myself.

Joe yelled something and pointed the flashlight at the tub. Darren and I didn’t respond, so after a moment Joe stepped into the tub, knelt, and covered the back of his neck with his hands.

That made sense. The tub itself was plastic, but it was set into a heavy marble platform. If the house fell, it might protect us. Maybe we’d be better off outside, in the open, but the explosive noise was barely tolerable even now, in an interior room. Joe stood up, and I stepped into the tub beside him.

Joe shined the flashlight on Darren’s face. It was red and he was shouting—I saw his mouth working, but his eyes were wide and unfocused. His arms windmilled in wild gestures. Joe stepped out of the tub and hugged him, almost getting clocked by one of his fists in the process. Darren tried to pull away, but Joe held tighter, stroking Darren’s back with one hand, trying to calm him.

The beam from the flashlight lurched around the room as Joe moved, giving the whole scene a surreal, herky-jerky quality. He coaxed Darren into the tub, and all three of us knelt. It was a big Jacuzzi, maybe twice the size of the shower/tub combo I was used to, but we were still packed tightly in there. I put my head down on my knees and laced my fingers over the back of my neck. Someone’s elbow was digging into my side.

Then, we waited. Waited for the noise to end. Waited for the house to fall on our heads. Waited for something, anything, to change.

My thoughts roiled. What was causing the horrendous noise? Would Joe’s house collapse like mine had? For that matter, what had hit my house? I couldn’t

Reviews for Ashfall

[thelittlebookworm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Little BookwormWhen the supervolcano at Yellowstone erupts during his first weekend home alone, 16 year old Alex finds himself on a journey across ash covered land and extreme weather changes trying to get to his family.At first when I started this book I felt it was going to be a retread of Life As We Know It, but I was happy to find out as I read on that it was different. Sure both books are about an event that causes extreme changes in the climate and changes society but LAWKI was more of a isolated book. Ashfall explores the world as it has changed. Alex is trying to get to Illinois where his parents went for the weekend. What is a three hour car ride takes him more than a few months. Along the way he has a lot of encounters with both nice people and cruel, vicious people. And there are some really horrific things happening in this lawless state. The most horrific happens off page but still just hearing about it was enough. It's all sort of pre-Mad Max. Alex was a typical enough teenager and I liked his personality growth. He changed from normal teenage boy to a survivalist. I liked his relationship with Darla. I was glad that it didn't turn too mushy but instead maintained that balance between needing each other and still being their own persons. Alex is, in a way, more caring than Darla and she is definitely the tougher one. But it worked out okay for them. Everyone else is more anecdotal than fleshed out, but given the nature of the book that definitely fits.

[vykic37 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read this review and more at On The Shelf!Ashfall is a wonderful debut novel by Mike Mullin. It’s very well thought out and realistic. The eruption of a supervolcano that destroys so much is a very scary thing. He does an excellent job of showing the nature of people when a natural disaster of this magnitude strikes. The good, and the very, very bad. People can become very ugly when a crisis like this happens, and the author put to page some of the worst humans can become when desperate.I liked the characters very much, and I could feel my heart breaking for them in several places of the book. Some situations are very gruesome and tough to deal with, but in a world so rough, there are going to be plenty of harsh times. Alex did a lot of changing through his journey, starting off as a shelfish teenager who wants to stay at home instead of going to have a good family weekend at his uncle’s farm and turning into a much stronger, grown version of himself who would do anything for those he cared for. I really liked Darla as well; she is a very strong female, and having been raised on a farm, is very resourceful and smart.This book is so raw and real. I liked the romantic aspect of it because it wasn’t the typical type of YA romance. How could it be in this kind of world? I liked the bond between Alex and Darla, and that they could find something good in a place so wrought with destruction and ugliness.Ashfall evokes plenty of emotions and is a very powerful story. There were numerous times I was so mad at the behavior of people, but it is most likely what would happen if people were in this kind of situation. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about were the slower points during travels. The action points were good and fast-paced, but while travelling through the ashen wasteland, it dragged a bit for me. All in all, I really enjoyed it and I will definitely be reading the next installment.Very real, emotionally involving, riveting, thought some slow points.

[alcarinqa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A gripping tale of survival in a post-apocolyptic world, Ashfall made me reconsider everything I thought I knew about living in the wild. Many similar books use zombies or cannibals to increase the horror of such a world, but Mike Mullin doesn’t need anything of the sort to describe Alex and Darla’s harrowing fight to endure.Although Alex wasn’t exactly a likeable character before the super-volcano erupted, I liked him from the very first page because of his frank and honest style of narration. He knows he wasn’t a stellar kid before the disaster, but he also knows how much he has changed and how quickly he had to grow up. On the other hand, I didn’t like Darla at all when I met her (and it seemed to take a long time for her to be introduced), but she eventually grew on me. The two protagonists balance one another out perfectly. Darla is a pragmatic, farm raised girl and a talented mechanic with experience in taking care of herself, while Alex was raised in the city and has basically zero knowledge of survival, but he is more caring and empathetic than Darla, trained in taekwondo, and a quick learner. Their inevitable attraction is interesting to read because it’s told from Alex’s point of view – its void of silly swooning and pumping hearts, instead focussing on Darla’s strength and the changes she provokes in Alex to become stronger.The world building in the book is great – it’s obvious that the author has researched volcanic eruptions thoroughly (from what I remember of my own studies into the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius anyway), and describes their effects accurately. He also takes a long, heard look at human nature, and I believe he has wonderfully described the quick devolution to selfishness and greed that most people would undergo when faced with a natural disaster of such massive scale. But there are wonderful, helpful people who Alex and Darla meet along the way, and they restored my faith in humanity. The behaviour of the army and politicians after the disaster made me extremely uncomfortable: they locked people up in survival camps and declared certain areas red, yellow or green zones. I was saddened to realise that in the interest of protecting the greater population, the army may treat individuals so horrendously.The plot and pacing left a little to be desired in my opinion, because it does take a long time for Darla to be introduced, and Alex spends much of his time wandering around alone, which leads to a great deal of reflection on his part . I thoroughly enjoyed the book after Darla was introduced, but the first third with Alex surviving alone felt slow. I feel like the story could have been just a little tighter. While I loved the plot of the story and how it all unfolded, the end-game seemed anti-climactic to me. After all that time spent trying to get to the farm in Warren, I didn’t quite believe that Alex would agree to stick around after realising his parents left to look for him. I’m not sure how much of that decision came from Alex’s growth as a character, and how much from the author’s desire to write a sequel.I really enjoyed Ashfall, especially because it is so different from a lot of the YA that I usually read. I loved reading from a male point of view, I liked that there are nil supernatural elements to the story and that the two protagonists go so well together. I am going to read the sequel, Ashen Winter very soon, since I am on the blog tour, and I hope I enjoy it as well. Ashfall is the perfect book for those who love stories about survival, and for any readers looking for something different to read. Fair warning though – the book is very realistic and features certain survival tactics which may make readers uncomfortable.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.

[tripsis_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

booknook — Young Adult book reviewsThis 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!

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read the first in the series and it was great, so I read the second and it was even better; here comes the last of the trilogy and it was the best of all. Trilogies don’t usually get better and better but this post apocalyptic series did just that.
Alex is 16 and is celebrating his first weekend home alone. As you can imagine, he’s glad to be free of parental hassles and his bratty younger sister. All is well until the unimaginable shatters his world and destroys life as Alex knows it. A volcano in Wyoming erupts, and the force of the eruption shoots a giant chunk of rock 900 miles at supersonic speed. This boulder lands on Alex’s house in Iowa. Such a bizarre catastrophe was totally unanticipated. The first challenge is for Alex to get out of the tangled wreckage of his bedroom and his house. His next challenge is to travel to his uncle’s house and reunite with his family. His trek is horrific, grueling, terrifying and full of despair. Murder, cruelty, cannibalism and greed stalk every mile of the journey. The Midwest has fallen into a never ending winter. The animals have died from breathing the ash and the vegetation is covered in mounds of ash.
But Alex also experiences kindness along his route.. After he is stabbed in a fight, he stumbles into a barn, near death from loss of blood. There he finds Darla, (you’re going to either love the character Darla.) and her mother who save his life. Then when Darla’s mother is tragically raped and killed, her house and barn burned, Darla joins Alex on the journey to find his parents. Oh also on the journey is Jack the rabbit, but don’t get too attached to Jack.
Even with their combined reserves of strength and ingenuity, their travel is unimaginably difficult and life threatening. At one point they come across a FEMA camp, relived to finally find relief from starvation, but the camp is more of a prison that help by any means. They escape and avoid FEMA from now on.
As you read, you can almost taste, feel and smell the drifts of volcanic ash for which the book is titled. This post-apocalyptic world is real. The relentless struggle to survive and the ever-present violence destroy what we consider civilization.

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ashfall was a book that took me a little bit to fully appreciate, but I ended up falling fully in love with it. I won't deny that the first few pages of Ashfall left me a bit angry towards Alex. As a main character he starts out the book just like most stereotypical teenagers. He is not at all appreciative of his family or the life they've built for him. Then again though, I quickly reminded myself that this was a dystopian novel. What better character to teach how important all that is, than one who doesn't know what he has until it's gone? Once I let myself become invested in Alex's struggle, I was hooked.

The world that Mullin builds is dark, volatile and eerily easy to envision. It is apparent that research has been done into supervolcanoes, because the world just bleeds off the page and into reality. As Alex and Darla slogged through feet of ash, battled ever changing weather conditions, and fought just to stay alive, I was on the edge of my seat. A quick warning to more sensitive readers: this book is very realistic. It shows mankind at their lowest and most afraid. There is violence in this book, there is death, that makes it all the more real.

It was really Alex and Darla's character growth through this story that struck me most though, and kept me reading on. These are kids, teens. However they have so much heart and will to live, that it's hard not to become immersed in their struggle for survival. Mullin doesn't take it easy on these two. There were moments where I just wanted to throw my hands in the air and yell "Give them a break already!", but then I'd quickly go back to reading to see what happened next. Truth be told the pacing in this story is just perfect. There's always enough to keep you reading, without making it seem forced. I loved that.

Again, I won't deny that at first I had a little bit of a tough time getting into Ashfall. Still, once I started really becoming invested in this story, it was all over. I couldn't have put this book down even if I wanted to! That's the truth. If you're looking for a fantastic dystopian novel, one with a world based in reality, this is one for you.

[satyridae · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the novel twist at the beginning. Pretty sure it's not a spoiler to say that the agent of change in this dystopia is a super-volcano eruption. The research that went into Mullin's speculation around that appears solid, and it added interest to an otherwise grim end-of-civilization novel. I don't know if I've read too many of them lately or if this one was especially depressing, but I felt more despair than hope after the end of this one. I see that there will be a sequel.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For those of you who don't know, there really is a gigantic supervolcano underneath Yellowstone. This is one of many ways the world could (as we know it) could end, according to me highly optimistic Intro to Geology professor. So, in case you feel like all of that sounds preposterous, you may want to think again. I cannot verify the accuracy of the details, but the volcano is definitely real.

This definitely falls into the realm of shit goes to hell really, really quickly. In some ways, I question that. How could all of the food everywhere pretty much been claimed within a matter of days, especially given how difficult it was to move around? I mean, maybe that's realistic, but, goodness, how can anyone survive that?

Whatever concerns I may have about certain story elements, it certainly makes an excellent dystopia, especially since, despite the terrifying, it was really amusing to think back to geology. Also awesome was the fact that, even though the weather and all that is certainly bad, the real danger after the initial volcanic onslaught, is definitely other people. Trusting anyone is tough, since most people would rather kill you and take your food than look at you; some might even just eat you.

When the second book in the series comes out, I will definitely be reading it, to find out more about Alex and Darla, whether his parents survived and whether anyone can possibly live through this business. Recommended especially to people who liked Life as We Knew It. This is so much better and so much darker.

[emma_manolis · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is a horrible book. Period. It is full of characters that are completely unlikable and situations that are not all that believable. I did not find it to be a page-turner in the slightest and found myself more appalled than anything else. I honestly wouldn't recommend this to my enemy.

[68papyrus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ashfall is a standout in the post-apocalyptic genre. The premise of a long dormant volcano erupting and disrupting weather patterns and life as we know it seems believable and makes the book all the more terrifying. The main characters in the book were really likeable and I grew to care about them and their evolving relationship. Looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, buckle your seat belts and get ready for a fast moving, adrenaline rush as you read Ashfall by Mike Mullin. This apocalyptic story of the Yellowstone super volcano erupting and spreading it devastation for thousands of miles is all the more scary as there is a grain of truth here. There is a super volcano underneath Yellowstone Park and it could erupt again, although it is generally believed that we would get some advance warnings.Alex lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa and was left at home for the weekend when his family went to visit relatives in Illinois. When the eruptions occur, Alex manages to escape his burning home and eventually sets out to find his family. Along the way, he meets and hooks up with Darla and together they make the perilous 140 mile trek. As Alex and Darla travel across a wasteland of ash and snow, they soon learn that along with the climate, hunger, and hazardous conditions, there is a further enemy, and they learn the hard way to avoid contact with others. When they finally cross the Mississippi, they believe the worst is behind them, only to discover the horror of government refugee camps.I love books that deal with survival, and I fully expected to like and be entertained by Ashfall, I am however, somewhat surprised at how much I loved it. This is a book that deserves to be found by a wider audience as it is an exciting, well written story that is a true page turner. I highly recommend Ashfall to those who enjoy dystopian, apocalyptic stories.

[theeccentriclady · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I went to see Mr. Mullin speak at our local book store. I decided to give his book a try even though this is not my usual subject matter. I really enjoyed this book. Mike drew me in right away. I looked forward to quiet time when I was able to read and was unwilling to stop to watch some of my favorite TV shows! I also found myself feeling like I was living in this post apocalyptic world since we have had heavy snow and grey skys for days now. When I would go for a snack after reading I often felt like I needed to ration my food. His writing needless to say was very realistic.

[arielfl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alex is a sixteen year old staying at home while his family is away for the weekend visiting relatives. As soon as they leave a super volcano under Yellowstone National Park erupts blanketing the country in ash. Alex rides out the first days of the disaster with his neighbors but after a brutal incident at their home he decides to set out on his own to find his family. Along the way he hooks up with Darla and the two set out on a remarkable journey across a country that has been forever changed and where civility no longer exists.I really enjoyed this novel. The action starts up right away and never lets up. I always wanted to keep flipping the pages to find out what would happen next. As a horror fan the image of poor "Roger" roasting on a spit in the center of town rivals many of the adult horror novels I have read this year. Another thing I really liked was all of the karate references in the book. Alex is karate student and it saves his bacon on more than one occasion. My daughter is a second degree black belt so I hope that all of those years I spent driving her and waiting at lessons will pay off if the apocalypse ever hits. I also loved that Darla, the girl character, was not a damsel in distress. She was a strong kick butt character equal to any of the challenges that faced her and Alex. As much as I think my thirteen year old daughter would enjoy this book I will not be passing it along to her. Alex and Darla are given a portion of the world's dwindling supply of condoms and they know what to do with them. While I won't be endorsing this for the daughter I will be checking out the sequel Ashen Winter.

[liz_s_24 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked the idea of this novel!! Supervolcano in Yellowstone national park erups, caos reigns everywhere, yes please!! I liked the characters. I really liked how believe able the story was! The only thing I didn't particularly like was the lack of drama. I mean there were plenty of hardships for our heroes, but it seemed like for every problem there was a solution. It just wasn't like I thought it would be. I thought this book was pretty age appropriate. Even the scenes that were " hot and heavy" weren't really that hit an heavy. I mean you know what's going on, but it doesn't go into detail. I would definitely recommend this book, and will be getting the next in this series!

[waltnoise_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ashfall is a YA survival novel that will appeal to adult readers as well. The event to survive is the explosion of the Supervolcano in Yellowstone. That probably sounds derivative of Turtledove’s latest series, but Mullin’s book appears to predate the Turtledove series. Moreover, the focus is completely different. Turtledove offers his patented multiple viewpoint alternative history overview. Mullin focuses on one kid caught up in a horrendous event.Alex is a fifteen-year old home alone in Iowa when the volcano blows. His weekend rapidly devolves from his enjoyment at finally being old enough not to have to tag along to visit boring relatives. Alex finds himself homeless and hoping to find any relatives still alive. In Alex’s travels, he teams up with an eighteen-year old “older woman”. Alex, of course, falls in love with the super-competent Darla. Who wouldn’t? I certainly did. What ensues is a great adventure story. It is always a pleasure to find a new author, and this 400+ page book is only the first of a trilogy. It would certainly make a good movie; disaster, romance, survival, and violence in an apocalyptic landscape.This is an excellent adventure tale for both male and female teens. YA librarians should know that there are several potential pitfalls. A gay male couple are amongst Alex’s neighbors. They are realistically portrayed good people who help him without expecting anything in return. Some might object to the very normality of these characters. One religious group is portrayed as waiting for Jesus to come take them home, rather than helping their neighbors. This portrayal is offset by that of a fine group of Baptists doing everything they can to help the hungry. Sexuality is treated in a realistic manner. Darla and Alex’s relationship, including its physical aspects, develop believably. An example of this book’s realism is that only food is valued more than condoms and tampons. There is one scene of violent rape, and the female characters are constantly aware of the danger of assault or exploitation, There is nothing in this book that would shock a teenager, but some parents might object to young teens reading it. That certainly isn’t a reason not to add it to the collection, but it is good to know what they’re going to complain about. (And it's always something, right?)For adult readers, this is a great near-future adventure story. For those who are enjoying the Turtledove Supervolcano series, this will be an interesting read. Nothing in either author’s books contradicts the other’s work. Mullin takes a small-scale view of the Supervolcano event in a part of the country that so far has not figured prominently in the Turtledove books.If you enjoy prepper/survivalist fiction, such as books by James Wesley Rawles, you will like Mullin’s work. Questions such as how to use cross-country skis on volcanic ash are dealt with in detail. And FEMA and its contractor lackeys are dealt with harshly.This is a great read for almost everybody. The second book of the trilogy is Ashen Winter.

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alex convinces his parents to let him stay home for the weekend while the rest of the family goes to visit his Aunt and Uncle on their farm in Warren, Illinois. His weekend does not go as planned when a Yellowstone super volcano erupts and life turns upside-down. From just surviving the aftermath of the disaster to dangerous encounters with bandits, Alex tries to cross Iowa to get to his family. He meets Darla along the way. An action-packed page turner where only the strong, smart, and well-prepared survive.

[elliepotten · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The ash looked almost white in the dim light, giving us a ghostly aspect. Maybe we were ghosts of a sort, spirits from the world that had died when the volcano erupted. Now we haunted a changed land. Would there be any place for us in this new, post-volcanic world?" I can't remember where I first heard about this book, but it immediately grabbed my interest and I ordered a copy the same day. It's basically an environmental-apocalypse-type dystopian novel, for older YA readers, hypothesising about what would happen if the supervolcano squatting under Yellowstone actually erupted. Within the first few pages Alex, a teenager left alone in Cedar Falls while his parents and sister head off to visit his uncle a couple of hours' drive away, has seen his house destroyed by a falling chunk of burning debris. Escaping to the safety of his neighbours' house, the relentless deafening booming of the eruption, happening 900 miles away, is the next thing to hit, continuing for several days. When it finally stops, all that's left is darkness, and rumbling thunder, and the ashfall, drifting grey... Once this set-up is complete, the survival story takes over. It actually reminded me a tiny bit of The Hunger Games in that respect, as every possible extreme of human behaviour is brought to the surface by the ongoing catastrophe. Leaving his neighbourhood behind, Alex sets out for Warren, where he hopes he'll find his family safe at his uncle's farm. En route he meets Darla, an earthy farm girl with some of the practical knowledge he'll need to stay alive, and she falls in with him on his journey. On the way they have to balance their own needs - defending themselves and their property, and finding food where they can - with retaining their humanity, helping people they meet on the road and aiding community survival efforts as they pass through. I was quite impressed by how thoroughly Mullin had thought everything through, working in every imaginable consequence of an environmental disaster in a scarily realistic way. He covers the ongoing need for food and shelter, the lack of water and power, the scarcity of available medical help, and the collapse of authority. He explores the possibilities for corruption and panic, and the way that while most people will instinctively come together and work hard to keep life going, others will allow their most brutal impulses to come to the fore and exploit the vulnerability of others, out of need or just for kicks. It's amazing how quickly a civilisation can fall apart once people realise the fragility of the social boundaries we all live by. Overall I was genuinely impressed by this novel, particularly given the rather cheap feel of the cover design and the book itself, which did ring alarm bells a bit when I first bought it! I was completely gripped by the end of the first chapter, and remained hooked through every twist and turn, every tentative encounter and dangerous confrontation, that Alex (and later, Darla) encountered on the road to Warren. There were some truly horrific moments (hence the Hunger Games comparison), including one early on which I felt might have been a bit TOO gratuitous - I have a strong stomach these days but this particular incident made me feel a bit queasy - and if you can't read any scenes of animals being harmed then you might want to skip this one. After all, the aim is survival, and food is food... Blood and gore aside, however, I thought it was superbly written and emotionally astute (yes, I cried at least once), and I can't wait to read the next installment of Alex and Darla's adventures in the second book, Ashen Winter.

[callmecayce · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like a good disaster movie and when that's something you can accomplish in a book, more power to you. Mullin took the idea of the super volcano (the one under Yellowstone) and made it real. It reminded me of Life as we Knew It, only without the emotional drain of that book. Both are good in different ways, but Ashfall was way easier to read and I'm fine with that, because I want to know what happens next. I liked Darla and Alex, their story is intruding and both characters are tough. I love that Mullin made Darla the stronger of the two, both mentally and physically. But I also like that they weren't perfect, either. This only got 3.5 stars because I liked it, but didn't really love it. I definitely do want to read the next book, too.

[chaysebwb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What would you do if the placed you loved and lived was all of a sudden put in a post-apocalyptic era? What if there was barely any food to survive? What would you do if all there was to eat was your best friend, husband, ore wife. Or even your pet animal. Would you kill them so you could survive one more day. This book had me thinking a lot of what I could possibly do to survive. And even now, I wouldn't know what to do. The plot was fast-paced and had me hooked from the very beginning. I could tell this book would grab me after reading the first chapter. We were able to see a lot of growth in the characters as they made their way through the ash to reach their destination. My favorite character had to be Jack, the rabbit, but sadly he reaches a point where he could no longer go on. I felt tears constantly pick up whenever I read the death of a character. Filled with action, death, sadness, adventure, and the things a good dystopian novel should have. Ashfall will only leave you wanting more. So come give this book a chance and decide what you would do in a situation like this. I give this book 4 souls!

[meggle_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was rather impressed with this book. I've read quite a bit of post-apocalyptic fiction but never before have I read a story that used the Yellowstone volcano to bring about the end of the world as we know it. Alex is left home alone while his parents and sister drive across state to visit family for the weekend when the volcano erupts. The sky starts to rain ash, people panic, law and order go out the window, and Alex decides to go on foot to find his family. The journey takes much longer than he anticipated, there are many dangers and adventures, and Alex does a bit of growing up along the way. I hope the sequel is just as good.

[kayceel_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I appreciated the concept - and pray that a supervolcano NEVER explodes - the reading level of this one felt waaaay to low for the content. Alex witnesses and participates in some very ugly fights for life, arrives to late to save a friend from being raped, and later frankly discusses having sex with his girlfriend. While the violence is rough, it doesn't seem out of place in Alex's world. However, the low reading level (well, it felt very low) contrasts with the violence and the length - not really sure who the author was writing for.That said, this will find an audience with older teens reading for plot and action - Alex goes through a lot in this book!

[titania86_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Alex Halprin is a typical sulky teenager who bickers with his sister and fights with his mom constantly. He sulks his way into staying home alone for a weekend while his family visits his uncle in a town about 2 hours away. Celebrating his good luck, Alex settles down to play some video games when his room suddenly collapses. He manages to escape safely, but the danger isn't over. The supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park just erupted and the explosion can be heard all over the US. Ash falls for weeks so heavily that the sun is blotted out. Alex's entire world changes. People he has know forever commit horrific acts to survive. Food and clean water are scarce. The air is hard to breathe. After recovering from the initial shock, Alex decides to find his family and make sure they are safe. The journey leads him to many unexpected places and he will experience death, sorrow, hunger, but also love and friendship. His enduring hope is to find his family at the end of it all.I hadn't heard a lot about Ashfall before I read it. I was expecting a mediocre, typical disaster novel, but I was so incredibly wrong. Ashfall is one of the best books I've read all year. I loved just about everything about it from the eerily realistic situations to the pacing to the tone to the characters. I couldn't put the book down and read it in every spare moment of my day. The thing I most loved about the novel is the realism. There wasn't anything supernatural in the story at all. Everything that happened in the book is well within the realm of possibility. The science of supervolcanoes was very well researched and plausible, although there is a lot simply not known about them. The rapid breakdown of society after the eruption completely makes sense. The necessities of life are scarce and most people seem to try to hoard these items or forcibly take them from others. Few actually try to help each other, which is depressing but realistic. It shows how things like community, trust, and friendship are precious and rare in truly extreme situations. The pacing could have been terrible since Alex's adventures were chaotic and oftentimes rapidly changing. However, from beginning to end, through his travels and his stints staying with various people, I was always engaged and excited to see where Alex would go and what he would encounter next. The characters are what makes this book so special. Alex is a typical teenage boy. He isn't superhuman or imbued with powers, but uses everything he has plus logic to make the best decisions. Of course he makes mistakes and blunders about a bit, but he learns and changes from an annoying sulky teen to a strong, resourceful man in a very short time. What makes Alex truly exceptional is that he never loses his humanity, his kindness, or his sense of what is right. In a post-apocalyptic world, it's shockingly easy to justify the most of horrific of acts as survival. Darla is my second favorite character as Alex's companion and friend. Alex may be skilled in Tae Kwon Do, but Darla has way more physical strength and mettle due to working on a farm since childhood. With her practical knowledge and strength, she saved Alex many times. I loved their romance. It grew organically through time spent together and developed through mutual support and care. Ashfall could have been an incredibly depressing, soul sucking book, but their sweet relationship and teasing back and forth provided just enough hope and light to counteract some of the heart rending events. I am usually against a lot of romance in non-romance novels as it tends to overpower the plot, but in this case it is essential to the balance of the novel.Ashfall is an excellent novel, rivaling many books in the post-apocalyptic genre in general. I like that things aren't sugar coated for a teen audience, including the killing of animals for food and the general violence in this world beyond laws. I can't wait for the next book, due out in October. I would highly recommend this to just about anyone.

[justablondemoment · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book really touched a place in my heart as I live in the Midwest and kept thinking ummmm..this could happen. Wonderful addition to all the apocalyptic / dystopian books out there. This one is really realistic and the attention to detail is amazing. It is clearly obvious Mullin did ALOT of research. There were times where I thought things were a bit redundant and that was all that kept this from a 5 star. Over all......Well done and can't wait to read next one.

[laneliterati · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

 Set in a world in which the Yellowstone volcano has just erupted, the reality of this happening is what made me pick up the book in the first place. It was well-written and caused me to care about the characters. The research done by the author helps in the believability of the plot.

[tinasbookreviews · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Alex is having a bad day, what starts off as something kind of cool has become a bit of drag, his parents decided to leave him home alone while they spent the weekend visiting his uncle in Illinois......but its not like they left without thinking about it. The neighbor couple is keeping an eye on him and for some reason things just seem off, perhaps its loneliness or perhaps its just feeling guilty for treating his mom bad, either way, something in the air feels wrong. When a huge explosion tears a chunk out of Alex's roof, loud banging noises deafen his hearing and black ash turns his sight pitch dark well lets just say that bad day Alex was having is about to turn into a bad month, heck Alex is about to lose everything normal in his life and everything that it meant to be a teenager in America. When Yellowstone's Volcano explodes, the devastation is astronomical to the United States, communication is instantly down, food, water and air are all effected and while some parts across the US are managing, other areas, like the States surrounding Alex are in complete chaos. When the explosions finally settle down, Alex decides to take and a chance and go looking for his parents. His first obstacle: Travel. With the amount of ash covering the ground and the ash floating in the sky walking is almost impossible.With a genius idea, a backpack of supplies and a case load of courage, Alex hikes it out of his hometown in Iowa with only skis and the wits to survive. In the first day there is trouble, the air is almost impossible to breath, Alex has to keep his face covered and the covering wet to block out the ash to his lungs, but with very little water supply, every drop is precious. Food is low, shelter is nonexistent and everyone is scared. People he encounter have guns, or people are rioting and turning to their basic savage need. Violence meets him around almost every corner and just surviving day to day is a mission in itself. When Alex runs out of his own luck a horrific event leads him to small farm run by a girl named Darla and her mother. The girls take care of Alex and nurse him back to health and as he awaits the days when he can hit the road again, life on the farm brings him a silver of peace. But peace in this world doesn't last for long and before any of them know it, tragedy has struck again and the only option is to get to his parents. The road this time is scarier than the first, violence has changed them, devastation has striped them of something and in the process corrupt leaders will steal what freedom they have left.I loved reading Ashfall and I think my favorite aspect of Mullin's story was that I got to be in the middle of the destruction, I got to be at the beginning of the "end of life as we knew it" for Alex and the world around him. I got to be a part of reading how the dystopian world was going to be set up and how everything was going to change for these people. Mullin's writing was for the most part smartly done, I enjoyed Alex's growth and seeing him at point A- a typical male teen to point B- a maturing man. The journey, the obstacles he faced, the near death experience, the love and relationship with Darla- everything changed that boy and in the end we see the potential of the man he will become. I also loved that Ashfall presented a real type scenario, something that could potentially happen in the face of disaster, yet in a small sneaking way it also touched on the power of the government, the ideas of socialism, the idea of self reliance and the lengths we would go for freedom. I cant help but think also (even if it was just me) that along the way the shelter, food and care which seemed to follow Alex had little to do with luck and more to do with a higher purpose, call it fate, or the will of his creator, leading him along the way.It was terrifying, exciting and no place I would ever want to be except for on my couch in my mind coasting along the wave of Mullin's imagination.

[seekayou · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Loved the realism of this post apocalyptic world, especially since this super volcano does exist and its eruption is a very good possibility. The grittiness and focus on survival really drew me in. However, I'm deducting some points because the romance was a tad too much and unbelievable for me, especially because Alex is 16yo boy. Don't let that stop you though, as I am a grump who doesn't like any romantic elements most of the time.

[mcgehee-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When the volcano under Yellowstone National Park erupts, 15 year old Alex sets out on a journey from Cedar Falls IA to Warren IL to find his family. With ash falling everywhere, motorized vehicles don’t work and water and food in short supply, Alex must use his wits to survive in an alien and increasingly hostile world. After a run in with a crazed survivor leaves Alex near death, he is saved by Darla and her mother, Gloria. When the same group attacks again, killing Gloria, Darla joins Alex on his journey to find his family. This story pulls you in from the start. The action starts immediately when Alex has to dig his way out of his burning home after it had been hit by something flung from the volcano several hundred miles away. This is a survival story that rivals The Hunger Games and I would argue, surpasses it. Alex is a normal teenager who grows up quickly and when Darla, who has already grown up quickly joins the story, they form a team that is believable and compelling.

[golden_lily-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars for some pacing issues, mostly revolving around the government and the fact that the book probably should have cut off a chapter or two before it did. Enjoyable, realistic, and a great love interest.

[teamdewey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First person post-apocalyptic novel. Male protagonist. Good pacing and believable. I want to read the rest of the series.

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you're into survival stories, read this book. When we first meet Alex, he's a jerky little kid, by the end he's a MAN. I guess that's what happens when a supervolcano erupts and destroys your home, your town, and makes it nearly impossible for you to find your family.Alex's "adventure" hiking across the ash is intense. He sees the worst of people and attempts to stay true to himself. But he quickly learns that when the world is nearly destroyed, you've got to make some serious changes about how you deal with others. While attempting to ind his family, Alex meets Darla -- and she's AWESOME. Such a contrast to Alex's "city-boy", Darla is one very tough lady-MacGyver. If I had to choose who was on my team when a supervolcano erupts, I choose Darla.