Ashfall
&
Ashen Winter
By Mike Mullen
I am not
often a fan of disaster movies or disaster novel, but Mike Mullen has written a
series that has changed my mind.
Ashfall and Ashen Winter are both dystopian and disaster novels. They are well-written, have incredible
plots and characters, and are thought-provoking. It’s clear that Mike did his research prior to writing these
novels. They are “meaty” and draw
on historic scenarios. In
addition, the landscape and hardships described are spot on for life where the
winters are long and cold.
In
Ashfall, the story begins as teenage Alex refuses to go to Illinois with his
family for the weekend to his Uncle Paul’s farm and instead stays home as they
head off without him. He is
sitting at his computer when something hits house and knocks it silly. The next thing he knows, he’s scrambling
like crazy to get out of his room and out of the house because he realizes it’s
on fire. He seeks refuge with his
neighbors and before long they all figure out a huge volcano has exploded and
all is covered in ash. The story
proceeds and ultimately Alex goes off on his own heading toward Illinois in
search of his family. Ashen Winter
is the continuation of the story.
Both
books literally had me unable to stop reading. I could hardly believe that a story about a volcano
exploding could pack so much into one book, let alone two. The reality is that Mike was able to
turn his story into so much more than a story about a volcano exploding. He has written a story about coming of
age and family love. He has
written an exploration of human nature.
He has written about the response of government organizations to
disasters. He has written about
survival – and he has written about so much more. Ashfall and Ashfall Winter are books to be read and talked
about for many years to come.
Melissa
Singleton Josef, MLIS
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