Book View: Ashfall

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget.

Short and Sweet:

Ashfall begins with a bang as a super volcano erupts leaving destruction in its wake. Tsunamis… earthquakes, and those are just to start. Once the ash begins to fall, the world is forever changed into a place that is similar, but oh so different.

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a lot longer than I care to admit. Sadly, it just never felt like the right time to read it. So when I decided to finally dig in, I was excited to find that Ashfall was nothing like I expected. And for once, that was a really good thing. From the male POV to the just right amount of post-apocalypticness, Ashfall was full of surprises and a complete joy to read.

Final Verdict:

I do not think that I have been this happy with a post-apocalyptic read since Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It. Mullin crafts an addicting read with Ashfall. All the elements blend so nicely together. And as a final note, Ashfall has taught me more about skinning / eating a rabbit than I probably ever wanted to know in the first place. Therefore, Ashfall gets double points for being not only an entertaining read, but also one that was educational.

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Kate

Kate is the co-blog owner of The Book Monsters. I am a twenty-something year old who is passionate about reading. I currently hold a B.A. in English and am married to my high school sweetheart. We have two (cat) children, Gracie and Kit, who are total divas. I have an insane and possibly unhealthy passion for reading. You can usually find me with my nose buried in a book.

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