Ashfall by Mike Mullin.
Ashfall book one.
Available now.
What's it about?
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.My review
5/5
One of the things I loved about this book is the realism, the author has really done his research into the supervolcano and theories on what might happen if it were to erupt. The book felt entirely realistic, from the eruption to peoples reactions and what people do to survive, Alexs journey through the book is not an easy one and I was there for every nail biting minute, seriously, I couldn't put the book down to go to bed!
It's written so well and I loved the characters and everything that happened, Ashfall is a long book but it never felt like it, as I followed Alex on his journey to find his family I was really rooting for him and I liked him a lot. But I loved tha character of Darla, she's so clever and resourceful.
Both characters are young and you really see them grow up throughtout the boko as they go through some pretty horrific ordeals, things I was not expecting! By the end they really are adults and the relationship that grows between them was great to read.
I don't want to say more to avouid spoilers but Ashfall really was a terrific read and I cannot wait for the next book!
My thoughts on the cover
Whilst I like this cover I don't love it, it does give the feeling of destruction but I don't know why they're looking in a mirror, if it's a scene in the book then I don't remember it lol It is an eye catching cover but I don't know that it's memorable.
Favourite quotes
'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.'
'For the first time ever I felt ashamed of my species. The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn't taken our humanity. No, we'd given that up on our own.'
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Great review - I really enjoyed Ashfall too!
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