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A review by brooke_review
Ashfall by Mike Mullin
5.0
It is a statement oft proclaimed around the world – that our planet, our society, civilization as we know it, is in the end of days. Perhaps this is what makes the dystopian/apocalyptic fiction genre so popular. In these doomsday novels, readers can explore our impending destruction safely while living securely in a still comfortable world. And let’s face it – the ruination put forth in the dystopian novel is much, much worse than anything that awaits us in the future … right?
Ashfall is the first novel in an apocalyptic trilogy, written by Mike Mullin. This novel is by no means new to the scene, as it was published in 2011; however, it may be one that you missed - and miss it you should not! Ashfall is terrifyingly gripping in all the right ways and places – if you prefer a realistic scare, as opposed to those of ghouls and goblins, then this novel is for you.
At the start, we are introduced to Alex Halprin, a fifteen-year old Iowan, who has convinced his family to leave him home alone for the weekend as they traverse over to neighboring Illinois to visit family. However, Alex is not alone long before disaster strikes – a supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park has erupted, ejecting projectile for hundreds of miles, emitting deafening sounds, and coating the Northern United States in a thick layer of volcanic ash. The initial eruption does not take up much space in this riveting tale. The story of Ashfall follows Alex as he attempts to survive in this bleak new world, trekking across a desolate landscape as he searches for his family.
This harrowing account of Alex’s endeavor to sustain in a world where nothing grows, air is unbreathable, water is scarce, and food is even scarcer is grim. For anyone who is food and shelter secure, thoughts such as, “Where will my next meal come from” or “Will I have a warm place to sleep tonight,” may never be something that will have to be considered in a lifetime. However, if disaster were to strike, how many of us would find our fragilely secure world broken to bits, and the masses of us thrust into a world where survival comes down to either what you know or our basic human instincts? This is Alex’s world now – a place where survival is often a matter of knowledge, preparation, or simply chance. Never mind that humanity has been thrown out the window, and the fear of death has turned many people into wild savages. What is a worse fate – death by nature or death by your neighbor?
The simplicity of the story is what makes Ashfall work. Mullin doesn’t go for the shock and awe here. Rather, he exposes us to our world as it would be should disaster strike … and that is dramatically terrifying enough. As you learn the “rules” of this new America alongside Alex, you will undoubtedly find yourself questioning what you would do in the same situations. Would you make the same decisions? Would you stay or would you go? How would you protect yourself and your loved ones? What would you do for food, for water? Would you kill is it came down to it? The underlying depth of the subject matter presented in Ashfall is what makes it work so well as a dystopian novel. To top it off, Mullin has written a novel with vivid, memorable characters. Ashfall is a thoroughly enjoyable read, despite its grim, desperate tone and subject matter. It doesn’t try too hard to be something that it is not; rather it stands simply as a testament to a life that we may someday face.
Ashfall Novelist Appeals
GENRE: Science fiction
TONE: Bleak
PACE: Fast-paced
WRITING STYLE: Compelling; Richly detailed
STORYLINE: Action-packed
Ashfall is the first novel in an apocalyptic trilogy, written by Mike Mullin. This novel is by no means new to the scene, as it was published in 2011; however, it may be one that you missed - and miss it you should not! Ashfall is terrifyingly gripping in all the right ways and places – if you prefer a realistic scare, as opposed to those of ghouls and goblins, then this novel is for you.
At the start, we are introduced to Alex Halprin, a fifteen-year old Iowan, who has convinced his family to leave him home alone for the weekend as they traverse over to neighboring Illinois to visit family. However, Alex is not alone long before disaster strikes – a supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park has erupted, ejecting projectile for hundreds of miles, emitting deafening sounds, and coating the Northern United States in a thick layer of volcanic ash. The initial eruption does not take up much space in this riveting tale. The story of Ashfall follows Alex as he attempts to survive in this bleak new world, trekking across a desolate landscape as he searches for his family.
This harrowing account of Alex’s endeavor to sustain in a world where nothing grows, air is unbreathable, water is scarce, and food is even scarcer is grim. For anyone who is food and shelter secure, thoughts such as, “Where will my next meal come from” or “Will I have a warm place to sleep tonight,” may never be something that will have to be considered in a lifetime. However, if disaster were to strike, how many of us would find our fragilely secure world broken to bits, and the masses of us thrust into a world where survival comes down to either what you know or our basic human instincts? This is Alex’s world now – a place where survival is often a matter of knowledge, preparation, or simply chance. Never mind that humanity has been thrown out the window, and the fear of death has turned many people into wild savages. What is a worse fate – death by nature or death by your neighbor?
The simplicity of the story is what makes Ashfall work. Mullin doesn’t go for the shock and awe here. Rather, he exposes us to our world as it would be should disaster strike … and that is dramatically terrifying enough. As you learn the “rules” of this new America alongside Alex, you will undoubtedly find yourself questioning what you would do in the same situations. Would you make the same decisions? Would you stay or would you go? How would you protect yourself and your loved ones? What would you do for food, for water? Would you kill is it came down to it? The underlying depth of the subject matter presented in Ashfall is what makes it work so well as a dystopian novel. To top it off, Mullin has written a novel with vivid, memorable characters. Ashfall is a thoroughly enjoyable read, despite its grim, desperate tone and subject matter. It doesn’t try too hard to be something that it is not; rather it stands simply as a testament to a life that we may someday face.
Ashfall Novelist Appeals
GENRE: Science fiction
TONE: Bleak
PACE: Fast-paced
WRITING STYLE: Compelling; Richly detailed
STORYLINE: Action-packed