Ashen Winter (Ashfall) Paperback – October 22, 2013

This book is a rare and wonderful find. I thoroughly enjoyed ASHFALL, and had very high expectations for ASHEN WINTER, which Mike Mullin delivered as easily as Alex traded away his kale seed packets and fiercely loved Darla to the very last page. At nearly 600 pages, this book would appear to be a slow read, with burdened pacing and a snail's pace plot. However, this book turned out to be a breathtaking, fast-paced, agonizing read where every page met with plot twists, cliff hangers, and seriously triggered my asthma more than a few times. I chided Mike Mullins to add a trigger warning for asthmatics, to which he admitted his own struggle.I have not found a book or series with such well-developed characters, both main and minor, such gripping storytelling, and a second book of a trilogy that delivers everything it promises to and more. I am stunned by the depth of Alex's task, something that would appear at first to be simple to complete, but through the course of the pages, turns into an epic quest that kept me turning pages all the way to the end.Having read two books with many of these beloved characters, they are now cemented in my mind and very much alive to me as a reader. I loved the strength of both Alex and Darla, and the way Mike Mullin used their story to present what an apocalyptic disaster would do to two young people with the will to survive, seeking to find a durable future together.With such seemingly effortless detail, Mike uses his exhaustive knowledge and obviously well-researched insights to bring to life how every gun, vehicle, seed, medicine, food, and tool might play into the survival of those trying to find a way to live when the world is covered in ash and snow, ice and devastation. These details paint a vivid backdrop to the otherwise bleak surroundings Alex and Darla trudge through on their journey.Now I am eager to dive into SUNRISE, the final book of the trilogy, and have determined to add Mike Mullin to my "auto read" shortlist of authors.Thank you, Tanglewood Press, for finding not just a diamond in Mike Mullin, but a veritable goldmine in this articulate author, who would make Smaug himself take another look in his direction.What an amazing story of survival, overcoming, and love. Mike, you gutted me near the end, which I won't spoil here, but you did so in a way I had to choke back my tears, and accept the hard truth, and the world left behind in its wake. Your title speaks admirably well to that fact, an ASHEN WINTER both sobering and as gripping as if we were being flensed by your words.Powerful, powerful read.I will be ruminating on this one for a long while. Thankfully, I have Darla's Story and SUNRISE to satiate my craving for more. 5/5 stars is a mere nod to this book. 100 stars would be closer. Highly recommended.

Alex and Darla made it through the insanity following the volcano in Yellowstone blowing, but they were far from unscathed. In Mike Mullin's Ashen Winter, Alex and Darla will risk their lives again (and again and again) for each other and for a little sense of normalcy in the madness they now call life.The world is cold. With a year long winter after the eruption, the snow continues to fall and people struggle to stay alive, let alone stay warm. Even though they feel relatively safe at their aunt and uncle's house, there is something missing: Alex's parents. Before he and Darla arrived, his parents head left to look for him, heading out into the post-apocalyptic wake left by the volcano. Now Alex is convinced he has to go look for them. Knowing all the dangers out there, he is terrified to think of his parents all alone searching for him. Despite trying to convince Darla to stay behind, she won't leave Alex's side. Together they set off on a fool's mission against all kinds of monsters and demons... unfortunately, these are the incredibly human variety.They don't make it far before they encounter trouble. The world has taken a deep turn for the worse and the reality of that fact doesn't take long to soak in. They don't take unnecessary risks, but still, it isn't long before Alex's inability to sit by and watch an ambush of cannibals against innocent people leads to an accident where Darla is shot, falls off an overpass, and lands on top of the cannibals' truck. Alex will do anything to get Darla back, even if it means abandoning hope of finding his parents. But his travels are dangerous and give him an unwanted view of the way the world is, complete with kidnapping, rape, slavery, and most repulsive, the trafficking in human meat. Will Alex save Darla, or is he doomed to lose everyone he loves in this frozen, ash-covered world?I must warn you that if you aren't prepared for a dark post-apocalyptic story, this isn't the series for you. It is brilliant and realistic, but it is certainly mature. If you question a student's ability to handle this dangerous and violent world, I would save it for when they are a little bit older. That being said, this is an amazing portrayal of what could really happen if the supervolcano were to blow. Do you think it would be all kittens and tulips? Then you would probably be one of the first to go at the hands of flensers or bandits. So, I have to say that while I would choose the student to pass this series onto carefully, I would be sure the right student would be just as enthralled with it as I was.Since the first book, the situation has gotten worse. And why wouldn't it? Are our governments really so selfless that they wouldn't tuck and run as everything swirled down the toilet? But the thing I love the most is these characters. Even though Alex wants nothing to happen to Darla, he can't seem to help himself from sticking his neck out for other people. And there are others, too. People they come across who are willing to help others, and it is those people who will struggle with this new world the most. They will crave teh morals of a world that has passed and despise the new world order that makes them a dying species. It is a terrifying and fascinating examination of the human species, and I will bet you won't be able to stop thinking about it when you finish the book. I know I couldn't. So if you are a fan of serious post-apocalyptic literature, pick up this series. You won't be sorry. But you might be terrified. I certainly was.