Bea Reviews Surface Tension by Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 8th, 2018
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | Indiebound |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

After witnessing an act of domestic terrorism while training on his bike, Jake is found near death, with a serious head injury and unable to remember the plane crash or the aftermath that landed him in the hospital.

A terrorist leader’s teenage daughter, Betsy, is sent to kill Jake and eliminate him as a possible witness. When Jake’s mother blames his head injury for his tales of attempted murder, he has to rely on his girlfriend, Laurissa, to help him escape the killers and the law enforcement agents convinced that Jake himself had a role in the crash.

Mike Mullin, author of the Ashfall series, delivers a gripping story with memorable characters and all-too-real scenarios.

Trilogy Giveaway & Blog Tour Review of Sunrise by Mike Mullin

 

Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Series: Ashfall #3 
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 17, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* |  B&N |  Book Depository* | IndieBound
* affiliate links; purchases made through these links result in a small commission for the blog.

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 epic finale has the heart of Ashfall, the action of Ashen Winter, and a depth all its own, examining questions of responsibility and bravery, civilization and society, illuminated by the story of an unshakable love that transcends a post-apocalyptic world and even life itself.

ARC Review of Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Series: Ashfall #2
Release Date: October 16, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble   The Book Depository   Tanglewood Press


Book Blurb (from goodreads):

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.

Reviewed By: Bea

*May contain spoilers for Ashfall*


Bea's Thoughts:


Last fall I read and enjoyed the first book in this series, Ashfall. It was a compelling story that kept me up until 3AM. I knew I had to read Ashen Winter and it was worth the wait. I worried that it wouldn't be as good the first book, that Mullin wouldn't be able to sustain the story and keep it interesting and well-told. I didn't give him enough credit. *bashes self on head*

I started the book early in the day which was a good thing because it is long, 576 pages. A few times it dragged, some scenes could have been shortened in my opinion, but overall I wouldn't change a thing about this book. It starts shortly after Ashfall ended; Alex is determined to go look for his parents while Darla thinks they should stay where they are but insists on accompanying him. Naturally, the search doesn't go as planned, there are many things that go wrong, a few that go right and even a reunion or two along the way. At times I had to remind myself that Alex was only sixteen; he was impulsive, emotional and reactive. But that's part of the beauty of Mullin's writing; I got so caught up in the story telling and what was happening that I'd be getting upset with Alex and mentally fussing at him not to do this or to please do that just as if he were a real person. Although Alex has matured a great deal during the months since the eruption, he's still young and still sometimes reckless.  

The story grips you and makes you feel what it must be like to be in Alex and Darla's circumstances. Mullin did a lot of research and it shows but he doesn't hit you over the head with it, it's part of the story. It's amazing, detailed, realistic world building. I particularly appreciated his depiction of someone with autism; it was honest, respectful, and realistic. That character is a good addition to the story and I hope to see more of him in the next book. In addition to all of the technical details that contribute to the reader feeling like they are there, Mullin doesn't forget about the emotional aspects. You feel the cold and hunger, the desperation to survive, and ultimately, the costs of the choices we make. Every choice has a consequence, some positive, some negative, some neutral, but there is always a reaction and sometimes there are no good choices or answers. Alex learned that in Ashfall, but it gets brutally reinforced in this book. It's not a happy, easy, or comfortable book. But is is, I believe, an honest look at survival and the choices we make. There's currently one more book left in the series but the world Mullin has created could easily support an entire multi-book series, with or without Alex and Darla.

If you want a compelling, engaging, well-told story that makes you both think and feel, then you want to read Ashen Winter.

I received an eARC from the publisher.

Cover for Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Very eye-catching, no? That red really stands out. Ashen Winter is book 2 in Mike Mullin's Ashfall trilogy, due out in October of this year. Ashfall was a wonderful book, and I have high hopes for Ashen Winter. I stayed up very, very late reading Ashfall (I think it was 3 in the morning or something ridiculous like that). I'll be sure to start Ashen Winter earlier, maybe on the weekend.

Click on the cover to link to the goodreads description. You want this book, you really do.

Mike Mullin Signing

I arrived right at the start time and Mike was chatting with some of the audience. The audience was a mix of students, who seemed to range in age from 10 or 12 (I'm rotten at estimating ages) to about 14 or 15, and adults. The adults were mostly the parents or guardians of those kids, some librarians, and maybe one other adult who, like myself, was there to hear Mike talk. Mike was energetic, dynamic, and bopped all over the place; the only time he slowed down was when he sat to autograph books at the end of the night. His energy level was especially impressive considering he drove from Indianapolis, with a tour stop in New York state, and had a high school presentation earlier in the day.

"Ashfall" is the first book in a trilogy; book two, "Ashen Winter", comes out in October of this year.

For the first part of the presentation, Mike talked about writing the book, research he had done, the process of writing, different types of volcanoes, and how he came up with the idea of "Ashfall". He focuses his attention on the students and engaged them all throughout his talk; he didn't neglect the adults but the students were his focus, which was appropriate since he's a YA author. Mike is a tae kwan do practitioner and part of his appearance included a demonstration. At the beginning of the presentation, he invited anyone who was interested to try breaking a practice board. It appeared to be made of plastic and hinged in the middle. In order to separate the two halves, you had to hit it just right. Mike demonstrated a method (there are several) and explained why he chose that one (basically, it's a safe method, especially for non-practitioners). At the end of the night, he passed around a concrete block so people could examine it and verify that  it really was made of concrete. He then placed it on top of two large concrete blocks, placed a washcloth on top (to protect the skin on his hand) and, with one chop, broke it clean in half. I've seen it done in movies but this was the first time I saw it live and it was impressive.

Mike was engaging, funny, smart and enjoyable. He never talked down to his audience, but treated them with respect, and seemed to enjoy being there. After his talk, and the tae kwan do demonstration, he sat and signed books, chatting with each person. I held back until all of the students had a chance to get their books or event fliers signed, then got in line. I had told Mike on Twitter that I would be there so he knew who I was when it was my turn and I got a big bear hug. A few other adults had also held back and he chatted with us and showed us some pics of real ash fall on his laptop.

My cell phone battery died before I could get any pix at the signing; one of the librarians at the library where the event was held offered to send me pics; when she does I'll add them in. She also arranged the signing after she was contacted by a patron, Cindy, who had read Mike's book, "Ashfall" and saw that he was coming to Massachusetts. So, BIG THANKS to Ellen and Cindy for setting things up. :)

It was an enjoyable evening, well worth the drive. If Mike comes your way, even if you haven't read his book,  go. You won't regret going to see him.

He Writes Awesome Books & Breaks Concrete Blocks With His Bare Hands!

Who is this Superman, you ask? Why it's YA author Mike Mullin (I almost typed Mulligan instead of Mullin :D There's a kids book, "Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel" that always comes to mind when I see "Mike Mullin" in print. Yes, I know, I'm weird. :P)

Aaaanyway, back to the matter at hand. Mike's debut novel, "Ashfall", was recently released and it's very, very, very good. Don't believe me? Check out my review. Buy and read the book. Then, if you can, go to one of Mike's Book Tour stops where he will dazzle you with his martial arts abilities, including chopping cinder blocks with his bare hands (his character Alex does something similar in the book). If you're really lucky, he'll sign it and you can take it home. You have to admit, it's not your typical book swag, LOL.

Mike is coming to the Northeast portion of the US in the spring and I am hoping that he'll be within a reasonable driving distance so I can meet him. Maybe, just maybe, I'll leave with a signed cinder block (and a signed book of course :) )

You can get more info on both blog tours and bookstore tours at his site.

Review of "Ashfall" by Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood Press

Release Date: October 11, 2011

Series: #1 in Ashfall series

Buying Links:  Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

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.

Teaser: "Yeah...no." My sorrow dissolved in a wave of pure fury. What kind of place was this, where tens of thousands of people were herded together without adequate shelter, without decent latrines? A cattle pen, not fit for humans. And the guards, Captain Jameson, they were people just like me. For the first time ever, I felt ashamed of my species. The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn't taken our humanity. No, we'd given that up on our own.


My Thoughts: Mike Mullin, as you can see from the teaser above, pulls no punches. This is a dystopian novel and he really makes you feel it. At the beginning of the book, Alex lives a quiet life - he lives in a house in a small town in Iowa with his parents and sister, he attends public school, and enjoys computer games. The most exciting thing he does is take taekwondo classes. He's taken them for years and enjoys them, and at not quite sixteen he's earned a black belt. Then a volcano in Yellowstone Park blows and everything changes (BTW, the volcano is real, click here for more info). 

When the book starts, Alex is home alone. His parents and sister are away for the weekend, visiting his uncle Paul and his family in Illinois. Alex fought with his mother about going and was successful in his quest to stay home. That decision proves fateful. Alex is in his bedroom when there's an earthquake type rumble and the power goes out. That event is immediately followed by a cracking noise, the house falling, and his bedroom catching on fire. He manages to escape and takes refuge with some neighbors after his house burns down. He stays with them for several days and they learn that the supervolcano at Yellowstone blew and the affects are being felt all the way to the west coast in California and Oregon (click for a US map if you need a refresher or are unfamiliar with US geography).

For several days, the falling ash blocks the sun and the world is in near total darkness. The ash falls continually for about a week then falls more erratically after that. It's a rare day that goes by without ashfall. The fall has dumped from six inches to two feet, depending on location, topography, etc.The result is that crops have been buried, many killed off, the water supply in many areas is contaminated, power is out, phones are out, and there's little to no communication with the outside world. 

After a violent incident at the neighbor's house, Alex decides to find his family. He returns to the remains of his house, scrounges up supplies, and sets off to Illinois to find his family. Thus begins his trek. It's challenging, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The roads are covered, cars are buried in ash, many houses and buildings were destroyed in the eruption and people are terrified. Alex encounters people whose first reaction is to pull a shotgun and people who willingly share their home, water, and food. He also encounters people who, understandably, are inclined not to share but to hoard what they have for themselves. Alex himself discovers how far he is willing to go to save his supplies in an encounter with a little girl at shelter. Later, he redeems himself in a heartwrenching encounter with a mother and her young children. His companion, Darla, is more pragmatic and thinks his compassion will be the death of them. 

I rummaged through our pack. "What are you doing?" Darla whispered. "Making some dinner." "Alex, we should move on. Find another camp for tonight. We've helped them enough." ....."They don't have any food or water bottles. Who knows how long it's been since they've eaten." "And who knows how long 'til we'll eat again if you give away all our food." "I won't give it all away." "Where are we going to get more when we run out?" "I don't know.".....If all we did was what we should to survive, how were we any better than Target? I took out three water bottles and the frying pan....."She's right, you know. You don't owe us anything. You should keep your supplies."....."We might die because of all the stuff my stupid, softhearted boyfriend is leaving you. So don't you die, too.You take this stuff, and you keep yourself and your kids alive. You hear?" "I hear."

 Darla is not without compassion but she's eminently practical and a bit of a Darwinist. Alex is practical, resourceful and compassionate. He's willing to give people a chance but he's also capable and willing to defend both himself and what's his. Those taekwondo lessons he took come in very handy throughout the book.

 I loved this book and I don't love dystopian stories. I do like some forms of sci fi and I think this clearly falls in that category. Mullin did his research and it shows but at no time are we subjected to info dumps or long expository scenes that don't really quite fit into what's going on. He weaves it in so that we learn it as Alex learns it. The story is told in first person narrative and it works very well. We see through Alex's eyes and are in his head as he deals with surviving and finding his family. It happens to us, just as it happens to Alex. You feel like you're there.

Alex and Darla, a girl he meets on his trek who becomes his traveling companion, are very believable, and likable, teenagers. The adults are not all evil or nincompoops or incompetent but complex and detailed. We meet a wide range of characters and get a realistic look at how people react in a catastrophe. Mullin writes plainly and clearly, it's not fancy but it is very, very effective and he has a real knack for imagery. 

I remember a lot of those arguments. That Friday they only fueled my rage. Now they're little jewels of memory I hoard, hard and sharp under my skin. Now I'd sell my right arm to a cannibal to argue with Mom again,

 Long tendrils of flame licked into the attic above my sister's collapsed bedroom, cat tongues washing the rafters and underside of the roof decking with fire.

But unlike thunder, this didn't stop. It went on and on, machine-gun style, as if Zeus had loaded his bolts into an M60 with an inexhaustible ammo crate.

 "Ashfall" is powerful, emotional, thrilling, and it hooks you from the opening line. This book is pretty close to perfect - the pacing, the action, the characterization, the story line, the language, almost everything. The only thing I question is the depiction of the government and the military, it's pretty stereotypical. I'm curious to see what happens in the next book and how events play out about it, not just with the government and the military, but everything. If you like a strong, emotional story that will keep you reading until 3AM (I was so tired the next day but it was so worth it), go buy "Ashfall".

I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Guest Post by Author Mike Mullin: The Censorship Game

Today we have a guest post from YA author Mike Mullin, whose debut, "Ashfall", will be released on October 11th (my review will be up on Oct. 10th). Mike’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really hoping this writing thing works out.

 

Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife and her three cats. ASHFALL is his first novel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The Censorship Game

On the 28^th of August, I spoke at the Children and Young People’s Division of the Indiana Library Federation (CYPD). My topic: How Censorship Hurts Kids.

Since I don’t particularly love the sound of my own voice (and always suspect my audience doesn’t either), I decided to design a game that I’m creatively calling The Censorship Game. Every librarian got a card assigning a role as they came in the door. The cards sorted them into three broad categories: librarians, kids who were struggling with various issues, and censors. All the librarians got a few books with their cards. The books were almost all titles that have been banned or challenged—titles that deal with homosexuality, suicide, rape, and abuse. Titles that an unfortunately large group of children desperately need. The idea was for all the participants to mingle, talk to each other, and exchange books. 

It worked out fairly well. Next time I run the game I’ll explain it a little better and plant a ringer in the audience to get the game off to a fast start. Once they got going, though, the librarians really got into it. There were dozens of book discussions going on at once as the players bartered over the books they had, needed, or wanted to take off the shelves.
 
To make it more interesting, I created two types of librarian roles. Type 1 had an established selection and reconsideration policy in place and therefore was allowed to refuse to remove a book from the shelves. Type 2 had no selection or reconsideration policy in place, and had to surrender their books immediately in response to any challenge.

Both types of librarians were about equally effective at distributing books. In the 15 minutes we played the game, the two groups distributed an average of 2.3 and 2.6 books respectively. As you might expect, the group with a selection policy did substantially better in resisting the efforts of censors. The librarians with a selection policy had an average of 0.8 books banned, while the ones without a policy lost 1.4 books on average.

The other interesting thing I noticed about the game is what kind of “kids” had trouble obtaining books. The librarians roleplaying gay teens had no problems at all, probably because Alex Sanchez was speaking at the conference, and I had a lot of his books on hand. In fact, none of those roleplaying teens had much trouble getting books—it was the few librarians I’d asked to roleplay younger kids who couldn’t find the books they needed. Perhaps the selection of books I supplied was at fault, but I think it reflects a deeper problem. Edgy books for teens have become generally accepted, but it’s much rarer to see difficult subjects tackled in works for younger children.

Do younger children need edgy literature, you might ask. I wish they didn’t. But the sad fact is that many of the difficult topics tackled by courageous YA authors are equally a problem for younger children. Child abuse is not confined to teens. Sexual abuse in particular is more common among 8-12 year-olds than among teens. But brilliant works like Lyga’s Boy Toy or Rainfield’s Scars have no analogue I’m aware of for the middle grade set.

Overall, I’d say my censorship game was an interesting experience, both for me and the participants. I’ll post the materials I created for the game on my website—feel free to download it and try playing it at your library or school. And thank you Bea for inviting me to guest post at your banned book week celebration!