Apocalyptic & post-apocalyptic fiction is one of my favourite genres, so I began this book enthusiastically. I was not disappointed. As usual, this young adult book was written better than many adult books that I have read.

The protagonist in this novel is a sixteen year old boy who is left home alone for the weekend after arguing with his mother over a road-trip to visit rellies. Unfortunately for him, his timing could not have been worse.

Just hours after the departure of his family, he is fighting for survival as the Yellowstone Supervolcano erupts. After riding out the worst of the eruption with some neighbours, Alex decides to leave to find his family.

He soon finds that the world, and the people in it, are no longer what they once were, and survival will be even harder than he imagined.

This is the best post-apocalyptic book I have read in a long time. With no technical errors to distract from his superb story-telling, Mike Mullin allows us to fully immerse ourselves in the world that Alex inhabits. Mullin's style reminds me of the kind of tale one hears sitting around the campfire, listening to an oral history of the world as it was.

Ashfall was so enthralling that I read it one sitting. I began reading it in the afternoon and finished the following morning. I was so into the book that I didn't even notice until I closed the book and saw the dawn sun peeking through my window!

I definitely recommend this book to adults and teens alike.