Even though it has been in the triple digits outside this past week, I have been chilled through and through as I read Mike Mullins' ASHFALL (Tanglewood, October 2011). When a supervolcano erupts in Yellowstone, ash spews far and wide turning daylight into darkness. Alex is home alone when this happens: his parents and younger sister have gone off to visit family in Illinois while he stayed home in Iowa. Without electricity, running water, and food supplies things turn nasty quite quickly. Alex decides to leave his neighborhood and travel to Illinois to find his family. It is a journey fraught with many dangers. First, there is the ash which is caustic to breathe and hard to traverse. Marauders looking to prey on innocent travelers pose any even bigger threat. Readers who loved Susan Beth Pfeffer's trio of books beginning with LIFE AS WE KNEW IT, will definitely want to read this novel. Chapters are short (3-5 pp.) making this ideal for a quick read aloud every day; it should also appeal to reluctant readers because of the action-packed scenes where Alex must defend himself and others. <370>
There will be a sequel to ASHFALL in 2012, ASHEN WINTER. You can read an excerpt on the author's web site: www.mikemullinauthor.com
My worst nightmare premise for a book. Yellowstone is my favorite place on earth. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, that is, which includes the Tetons.
ReplyDeleteThe opening chapters of this book were as riveting as any I had ever read. I read this as a manuscript, but sadly, am not selling it. Helping though where I can.