It could happen tomorrow: Ashes, by Ilsa J. Bick
It could happen tomorrow . . .
An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.
Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.
I’ll just start right off and say…what makes Ashes so exciting and very chilling at the same time, is the absolute possibility that this could happen at any moment. Take what we know about the military testing of new weapons every day and the idea of multiple EMPs cutting out communication isn’t unheard of in the least.
Kind of like the TV series Jericho, only with zombies, Ashes is the story of Alex and her insane determination, tenacity and lots common sense. Alex is a seventeen year old who has been stricken with brain cancer, or “The Monster” as she refers to it. After giving the middle finger to any more treatments, Alex decides to take a hike into the Michigan wilderness in order to say a proper good-bye to her parents whose ashes she carries along with her in her pack. Her relative peace and quiet is ruined when a retired man and his eight year old granddaughter catch up to her on the trail. That is when disaster strikes as the EMPs unleashed their fury.
Ellie’s grandfather drops dead and Alex feels obligated to protect the little girl so they head on up the trail in search of the Ranger Station, unaware of the broad scope of this disaster until they come upon a pack of maddened dogs and a crazed man intent on munching on them for dinner. When Tom shows up and saves them, Alex finally starts to understand the hot water they are all in, and how lucky she was to have been in relative isolation when “the Zap” happened.
I’ve never been drawn to the Zombie craze, and to be honest had I known Ashes was in some ways a “zombie book”, I probably wouldn’t have requested the ARC. Luckily for me, I just thought it was about what happens when teenagers have to go longer than a few days without their cellphone. I was surprised, intrigued, and above all, completely sucked in to this book. If there ever was a plausible zombie storyline, this is it: Ashes operates on the fact that since the brain is essentially run on electricity, the Electromagnetic pulses could do some serious damage to the hard-wiring up there, turning hormonal teens into cannibalistic monsters.
Fortunately for Alex, Ellie, and Tom, not all young’ uns fell victim to the “change”, but also unfortunately for them, those left alive aren’t trusting of anyone under about sixty who is still alive. Ashes is more about human nature and how people – singular and in a group – cope with a disaster such as this. In the US, where supplies, food, sundry items, guns and ammunition are ever plentiful, it’s a book like Ashes that points out the lengths people will go in order to stay alive, and the devious things they will do all in the name of survival.
Ashes is long – clocking in over 400 pages, but it doesn’t take long to become sucked in. It’s a page turner by the very definition and it’s next to impossible to put down. The ending will send a chill up your spine and leave you wanting more all in the same instant. I’m almost positive there is at least a sequel in the works, or at least I certainly hope there is because there is little in the way of resolution. It’s perfectly primed for a second book, and probably a third. I can only hope it comes quickly, because by the end of the book I had grown quite close to Alex. She’s an excellent and strong female character – something that is in short supply in YA fiction these days – and she is very relatable. Despite all she has been through, she tries not to let herself get too depressed about her situation, but instead vows to find a way out. With her street smarts, and her wilderness knowledge, she’s like the teen female version of MacGuyver. I’d definitely want her on my side if this kind of fate befell me!
I give Ashes 4.5 out of 5 fangs. It would have been a perfect 5 out of 5 if I knew for certain there would be a sequel.
edited to add: The author was kind of enough to notify me via Twitter to let me know there is not one, but TWO more books in this series. So I have to give it a perfect 5 out of 5 fangs now! (and you can follow Ilsa J. Bick on twitter HERE)
The release date for Ashes is September 6th, and is available for pre-order now!
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I have to agree with you, Sue. Zombies are NOT my thing at all. However, given the rave review from you on this, and the fact that the reason for the zombies is about the make up of our brains…. well, I’m eager to give this book a try. I always like to find books with strong female leads. My daughter is now officially a teenager and I always keep an eye out for books that will give her a good story as well as good characteristics to appreciate. Thanks for rec!
~Lisa
IMO, this is a great book for teen girls. Alex is an awesome and strong character. She doesn’t take anything at face value and challenges authority when she thinks something seedy is going on, but she tries very hard not to be disrespectful. I really like her a lot. I don’t want to wait another year to read more. *lol*
First, thank you for such a lovely review. I’m so glad you liked the book.
And–second–would *I* be so awful as to write an ending like that and NOT have a second and third book in this series? Absolutely NOT. SHADOWS appears in Fall, 2012.
So . . . any chance I can squeak a five out of five? ;-)
done!
But what really sucks is that I have to wait another year to find out what’s up. I have many many questions… =)
This sounds like a book I definitely want to read. Thanks for the review :)