Review: Sunrise (Ashfall #3) by Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Published: April 15, 2014
Pages: 466
Source: For Review from Tanglewood Press/NetGalley
Rating: 4 Stars

The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. Communities wage war on each other, gangs of cannibals roam the countryside, and what little government survived the eruption has collapsed completely. The ham radio has gone silent. Sickness, cold, and starvation are the survivors' constant companions.
When it becomes apparent that their home is no longer safe and adults are not facing the stark realities, Alex and Darla must create a community that can survive the ongoing disaster, an almost impossible task requiring even more guts and more smarts than ever — and unthinkable sacrifice. If they fail . . . they, their loved ones, and the few remaining survivors will perish.

This review is spoiler-free

In short: Sunrise by Mike Mullin is a truly satisfying finale to a riveting series.

It's rare that I get to read a post-apocalyptic novel set after the storm has settled. Most post-apocalyptic reads take place during the height of the apocalypse or shortly thereafter when alarm is high and people are panicking. In this finale to the soberingly realistic Ashfall Trilogy, Sunrise, Alex and Darla and co. are finally faced with the prospect of a future together. Whereas Ashfall and Ashen Winter were about surviving and making it through to the next day, in Sunrise the plot revolves around not simply surviving, but also making a life and community for themselves.

That is not to say that Sunrise is without conflict and peril, however. Mike Mullin knows how to write good action scenes and surprising twists and so, like the previous books before it, Sunrise has plenty of bloodshed and WTF moments. But as its title implies, it is also a cautiously hopeful story. For me, the strength of the trilogy has always lied in the realistic and well-conceived plot and that is no exception in Sunrise. Mike Mullin does his research and creates characters and situations that are as authentic as they are compelling.

I've never been a fan of Mike Mullin's writing style, but I truly can't wait to see what he writes next and I definitely recommend his Ashfall Trilogy. You are guaranteed to fall in love with Alex and Darla and their genuine romance and be impressed with how much the characters and relationships mature and grow over the course of the series. Sunrise is a truly satisfying finale to a riveting series.

Previously, my reviews of Ashfall and Ashen Winter.

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Review: Ashen Winter (Ashfall #2) by Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Published: October 16, 2012
Pages: 576
Source: For Review from Tanglewood Press
Rating: 4 Stars

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

In short: Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin is a strong sequel that takes a very raw and realistic look into humanity in the advent of a terrifying post-apocalyptic event.

Six months after the supervolcano has erupted, plunging North America into darkness and a deluge of ash, Alex and Darla are still struggling to survive in a frozen and crime-ridden world in Ashen Winter. The ramifications of such a destructive, post-apocalyptic event are on full display in Ashen Winter in all its gruesome and cruel glory. This is something that Mike Mullin excels at: he presents a raw and realistic look into humanity akin to The Road, that showcases the lows that people would sink to survive. It is absolutely believable and that makes it all the more terrifying.

Alex remains one of my favourite male protagonists. He is an inherently moral and noble character. Almost to a fault really, as there is admittedly not a whole lot of room for kindness and generosity in such a cruel post-apocalyptic world. But that is why it is so impressive. Time and time again, when faced with the prospect of screwing someone over to his advantage or treating them fairly to his disadvantage, Alex always does the honourable thing (much to Darla's chagrin). In a world full of people who do unforgivable, disgusting things, Alex at least never compromises his morality.

My only problem with Ashen Winter is the same as it was for Ashfall: there is an excessive amount of details in Mike Mullin's writing style, making for an unnecessarily long read that could have been edited and made shorter. Despite the elaborate writing style, I can't deny that I was never bored while reading Ashen Winter. Mike Mullin somehow manages to achieve almost literally non-stop action scenes over the course of the 576 pages. Now that's impressive.

Overall, Ashen Winter is a strong sequel and is definitely recommended to all fans of Ashfall. Ashen Winter will be released October 16, 2012 by Tanglewood Press, with the third and final book to follow in 2013.

Previously, my review of Ashfall.

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Review: Ashfall (Ashfall #1) by Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood Press

Published: October 11, 2011

Pages: 466

Source: Won from "That's Swell!" (thank you!)

Rating: 4 Stars

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.

In short: Ashfall by Mike Mullin presents a very real and scary post-apocalyptic setting, one which showcases the very best and the very worst of humanity in equal amounts, at every turn.

A supervolcano erupts, plunging North America into darkness and a deluge of ash. There is mass chaos as people struggle to find shelter and food in an atmosphere of so much destruction. This is something author Mike Mullin does very well in Ashfall: both the science behind such a destructive explosion and the actions people take in such an intense post-apocalyptic setting were very realistic and well done. Ashfall showcases the very best and the very worst in people; you are equally as likely to run into a good and honourable person as you are a bad and nefarious one.

I adored Alex, the protagonist of Ashfall. Though inherently nerdy and a bit ungrateful towards his family in the beginning, he soon learns after being separated from them that he shouldn't have taken them for granted and treks 100 miles across the country to be reunited with them. Alex is one of the most moral and noble characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. Even in the face of extreme danger and hunger, he manages to put others before himself and does the honourable thing. I was also pleased that Mike Mullin had written a male character with legitimate male feelings towards sex. Too often the male narrators I read about have only the very most chaste thoughts about girls and sex, which is frankly ridiculous.

My one quibble with Ashfall was the writing style. There were an excessive amount of details, everything from every step taken to prepare a rabbit for a meal to every bathroom break taken, which seemed unnecessary and pointless. At 466 pages, Ashfall was a lengthy read that could have easily been edited and made shorter, I feel. I will say this though: despite the excessive details, I was never bored. Mike Mullin maintains the action and intrigue throughout Ashfall, which I appreciated.

Overall, Ashfall was a very realistic post-apocalyptic read with a lovable and moral narrator. Ashfall is in stores now and the sequel, Ashen Winter, will be published in October 2012.

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*Read as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge