Volcano - The Presidents of the United States of America

Ashfall
Ashfall, Book 1

Author: Mike Mullin
Pages: 456
ARC Acquired from: Tanglewood via NetGalley

Brief Summary:
When the supervolcano underneath Yellowstone explodes, ash falls for days and days. Some bits of burning matter were flung as far as Iowa, where it hit Alex's house. He's lucky to escape alive and lucky that his parents and sister were away from home when it happened. Of course, he still has the difficulty of surviving the noise, the lack of food, the ash, the plummeting temperatures, and the dangers of other people all out for themselves. Can Alex survive to find his family?

Review:
For those of you who don't know, there really is a gigantic supervolcano underneath Yellowstone. This is one of many ways the world could (as we know it) could end, according to me highly optimistic Intro to Geology professor. So, in case you feel like all of that sounds preposterous, you may want to think again. I cannot verify the accuracy of the details, but the volcano is definitely real.

This definitely falls into the realm of shit goes to hell really, really quickly. In some ways, I question that. How could all of the food everywhere pretty much been claimed within a matter of days, especially given how difficult it was to move around? I mean, maybe that's realistic, but, goodness, how can anyone survive that?

Whatever concerns I may have about certain story elements, it certainly makes an excellent dystopia, especially since, despite the terrifying, it was really amusing to think back to geology. Also awesome was the fact that, even though the weather and all that is certainly bad, the real danger after the initial volcanic onslaught, is definitely other people. Trusting anyone is tough, since most people would rather kill you and take your food than look at you; some might even just eat you.

When the second book in the series comes out, I will definitely be reading it, to find out more about Alex and Darla, whether his parents survived and whether anyone can possibly live through this business. Recommended especially to people who liked Life as We Knew It. This is so much better and so much darker.

"It's in there flowin'... it's in there growin'
You don't believe me... that this scenery
Could be a cold blooded killer

It's gonna blow... Volcano
It's gonna blow... Volcano
It's gonna blow... Volcano"