Friday, September 21, 2012

Ashfall (Ashfall #1) 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.
 This is quite an adventure for the YA and adult crowd alike. In this story a volcano erupts in Yellowstone and covers much of the west in ash. Surviving the explosions and ash which doesn't seem to stop falling isn't enough, you have to also learn to quickly discern who is friend or foe. Knowing the difference could be life or death. We follow Alex, a brat child who learns quickly what is important in life while journeying to his uncle's house to learn the fate of his family. They were separated but needing to know what happened to them trumps any danger he will find along the way. It's not just marauders he has to avoid, he has to also find food, water and shelter within this newly formed dystopian world. He meets Darla along the way and they form a bond. One that saves both of their lives in more ways than one.

I have to say that this quite an adventure. You wondered how he could survive and make it to his destination even when just going a few miles is tiring and almost impossible. I had a minor problem with him dealing with as much ash as described. I think he would have had much greater breathing problems than he did but for the sake of the adventure, it wouldn't do if he simply couldn't pass while the ash was still falling. Still, despite that criticism, I think the author does an apt job of dealing with how harrowing Alex had while learning how to adapt.

There is also a romance budding within the story. It becomes a romance that reads more true to me than a lot of YA novels out there. It is one based on thinking of the other than just about the self. True consideration is given and I was glad to see this kind of relationship. I really enjoyed those two together.

I do have a word of warning for people like me who love animals. There are several scenes where they butcher farm animals to eat. Those actually make total sense to have in the book. There was one scene that made me almost throw my ereader across the room however that really upset me and curse the author (hint: it wasn't about survival) ;)... so consider yourself warned. *sigh*

I give this book 4 stars. It's an engaging adventure for YA and adult readers. It will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out how our couple survives.
I got this ebook from the library! 

14 comments:

  1. Sounds good and I'm glad the romance is of a more realistic type.

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  2. It sounds like a fun book. Thanks it's nice to be warned.

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  3. You know I've seen this around recently and have been wondering if its worth reading - from the sounds of it, it is! And I never really think they take advantage of animals in these life or death situations...even if it's not neccessarily a comfortable thing to read!

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    1. It wasn't the slaughter for food that I was talking about (although I admittedly didn't like that, but it made sense)... I'll leave it at that. :(

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  4. Hmmm, that's the first time I've seen a trailer for the book. I have read all kinds of good about this book and just haven't had a chance to read it. Good to know about the animal scenes though. I like to be forewarned.

    I've read the reviews of the 2nd book from the ARC's and they say it's better than the first so hope you get it!

    Heather

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  5. I read and reviewed this last fall and enjoyed it even though at times it was brutal. i picked this one up because I grew up living an hour and a half from Yellowstone so I was curious. My biggest disaplointments were that there was so little discussion on the volcano and I didn't believe that the volcano could erupt u expectedly and catch people miles away off guard. With modern day technology that is imposiible. I have the sequel for review and can't wait to see how it goes.

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    1. Oh there were areas that bugged me that didn't quite ring true to me as well. For example, the fact that he had symptoms of lung disease and was suddenly fine or that they were able to travel during the falling ash with a wet cloth on their face. It would have caught too much ash and they wouldn't have been able to breathe. I decided to not worry about those small niggles since it was YA and not quite the point of the story. You do make a good point, however, as well. :) Suspension of belief for the sake of fiction. LOL

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  6. Hm..wouldn't they all die since the ash is toxic..

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    1. No, you can survive during an ashfall if you take steps to protect yourself. Two geologists read the manuscript, both of whom have been in real ashfalls. I made numerous changes based on their suggestions to make ASHFALL as realistic as possible.

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  7. Thanks for spending some of your precious reading time with ASHFALL, Melissa. Hope your e-reader wasn't damaged. If the scene where your e-reader went sailing is the one I suspect (Jack's demise?), then, sadly, I didn't make that up. That really happened during Hurricane Katrina. Read Eggers non-fiction work, Zeitoun, if you want to throw your e-reader even harder. Luckily I read it on paper, so no devices were ruined in the process.

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    1. Yes it was Jack's part. Plus, I almost threw it. ;)

      And... DON'T TELL ME ABOUT IT BEING REAL! :( I figured that part was pretty accurate and that is why it upset me so much. Ugh... you know how to torture me, don't you? ;)

      Heh... and I've been saying YA isn't dark enough... ;D

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  8. YAY! Thanks so much for reviewing this book. I'm so happy you liked it! I for one LOVE this book. I heart it hardcore. Awesome Review.

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  9. Oh I never heard of a dystopia from a volcano. Neat to hear this one. Thanks!

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  10. I remember Jenny really liking this one, but I was a bit burnt out from the same ole ole dystopian read that have come out lately. I completely forgot about this one. I'm definitely going to check it out close to book 2's release.

    p.s. Sorry about the lack of comments. You blog seems to have sneakily gone away from my blogroll. I don't know why but I'm back. :)

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