A Land of Ash

I love the idea of this book, as post-apocalyptic novels are my thing. This novel is a selection of short stories, novellas if you will, written by mostly men. I struggled with the changes in writing style, not because of the complexity, but of the varying quality. Some stories are sheer brilliance, while others seem written for a college English class.

Overall, I enjoyed the hour and a half it took to read it. I just wish there had been more substance.

This collection of short stories is easily the most depressing bundle of words I've read in my entire life. The concept seems sound, but the end result is a collection of stories that are largely immensely depressing and lack any sort of continuity whatsoever, aside from the megatons of ash falling everywhere.

From parents making tough "choices" about the welfare of their children (born and unborn) to the elderly being taken advantage of, this book presents you with one horribly sad ending after another.

My advice is to not waste your time. That is, of course, unless you like reading about the human spirit being trampled on over and over. And over.

"A Land of Ash", an easy review... Horrible plot, grammar and character development. Ridiculous and boring situations with such laughable dialog I was in awe. This book is nothing more than an expensive roll of toilet paper. Save your money. Save your time. Save your hope/faith in future unknown authors.

I was really hoping for a different disaster/ apocalypse type story. It was pitiful! The first short story was almost a direct plagiarism. The others didn't even expound on thoughts about a volcanic wasteland. Not only were they not good stories( I'll take great ideas, poorly written just to have something new to think about)but they were poorly written, no character development, dismal ending, no action. It is not a book to waste any money on.

Review: A LAND OF ASH by David Dalglish

Three years ago this month I read ASHFALL, first in a trilogy by Mike Mullin about the eventual eruption of the Yelliwstone Supervolcano. Of course, in the story it's not eventual, but imminent and then actual. This well-written novel so terrified me with its implacability and realism that I hadn't read a book on the topic of the Yellowstone Supervolcano since--until now.

A LAND OF ASH is a collection of fictional stories on this very subject, including work by its anthologist, David Dalglish (successfully ranging rather far afield!). Let me tell you, many of these stories made me cry [me!!], the elicited empathy was so powerful. There is nothing I admire and fear more in horror or science fiction or thrillers than imminence and implacability; serial killers don't have it, but meteors, asteroids, and Yellowstone do! Unforgettable.

I downloaded this book from the store to my Kindle for free. After reading a number of the short stories in this book, I did not want this trash on my Kindle and I removed it from my Kindle.

The author of some of these short stories apparently is an an atheist who hates God and hates Christians. Profanity is directed against God. After I read the short story in which a Christian woman (who survived the ash storms in the USA caused by a volcanic eruption) is attacked, tortured, then executed by an atheist solely for her continuing belief in God, I immediately wanted to remove this trash from my Kindle and I did.

Avoid this book. I recommend that you do not purchase or download it even if it is free. This book promotes hatred of God and hatred of Christians.

Plot/Storyline: 5 Stars

What stood out most for me about this collection was the arrangement. It was so expertly done that it gave the feel of a novel told in short stories. Therefore, I'm going to deviate from my usual Short Story Collection Review Style and write this somewhat as though it were a novel.

The first few stories were about people who were either preparing to die from the ash conflagration or were attempting to get somewhere safe. The most heartbreaking was "Shelter," written by David Dalglish. I couldn't put this one down until I finished.

"Toward the Storm," also by David Dalglish, was another notable story in this excellent collection. This one was just creepy enough to be compared to a Stephen King tale. It could have been taken right out of The Stand. I think it was so disturbing because it showed the seamier side of humanity that could survive such a catastrophe.

"Secret Mission," yet another by Dalglish, yanked at the heart strings and brought me to tears. Seeing a refuge camp through the eyes of a child was gut wrenching.

"The One That Matters," by Robert Duperre, was an opposing force to "Toward the Storm." Instead of evil, it depicted a true hero, albeit an unsung one.

I've only mentioned my favorites among these eleven stories. However, all of them had something to add to this collection.

Characters: 5 Stars

Each story was peopled with characters that I could relate to or care about. The people in each of the stories were just average; they could be your neighbors, friends or co-workers. That was a big part of what made the collection so interesting, horrifying, and fun to read, all at the same time.

Writing Style: 5 Stars

The writing style in each story was so smooth that I never felt the transition between authors at all. Each of these authors have mastered the short story form and deserve kudos for their contributions.

Editing: 4 1/2 Stars

There were a few editing errors, mainly capitalization and punctuation issues. However, there were not so many as to spoil the reading experience.

Someone likened this book to "On the Beach" by Nevil Shute, and that is absolutely correct. IN this book the apocalyptic event is an explosion of the Yellowstone Caldera, sending tons of suffocating ash into the atmosphere over North America (obviously the rest of the globe would be affected though bits seem to reveal that the US was the hardest hit). These short stories are loosely linked and sort of follow the before and aftermath of the erruption. I liked that all stories were of realistic people and situations. There are the standard parent/child survivor stories which are not as effective as the short stories of the lone survivors. I would have liked to see one from the standpoint of scientists or maybe even the President as they realize the pending doom. 4 out of 5 stars.

This is a nice anthology of short stories about events that occur after the Yellowstone caldera erupts, covering the country with a later of ash. There is a focus on the people rather than science that I found quite compelling. I thought that the authors did a great job of creating stories that hang together nicely. I did notice a few typos, but nothing that really detracted from the overall impression of "a good read".

This is a collection of short stories about the aftermath of the Yellowstone Caldera erupting. The first few stories are about different people trying to get somewhere safe or preparing for their inevitable death. "Shelter" by David Dalglish was a bit of a tear jerker. Another one from this collection that I really enjoyed was "Secret Mission" Also by David Dalglish. This one was totally heartbreaking and really makes you think about things. One that wasn't quite so sad was "The One That Matters" by Robert Duperre, it's about a hero of sorts and a little lighter than some of the other stories in the collection.

I was able to connect with many of the characters in these stories and enjoyed most of them. I found this little collection to be really thought provoking. I found myself asking questions that had never occured to me before, like what would I do in that situation? I really enjoyed the style of the different authors. I felt like they did a good job of working together to make a cohesive story. This collection could almost read like a novel instead of several seperate short stories.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars because I really enjoyed it, I would recommend it to anybody who is a fan of the horror genre, but it is also great for someone who is looking for a really thought provoking read. This is definately a dark book without so much of a happy ending, but it was a great book anyway.

I found the different perspectives of the characters in this book to be enlivening. Not all people see the SHTF the same way, and that's the way the book is set up. I think some people want a happy ending to all books and need closure, but that's an individual choice. You won't get that here, and that's what makes this book hard hitting and enjoyable. The one star people who rated this book have to get over feel good plot lines, because, honestly, that is not reality. I felt like the book had a well developed characters with plenty of flaws, which is humanity in a nut shell.
I'm a fan of this genre and found other similar books such as City A Stranded Novella very similar and Prae Omega as well.

This is a collection of short stories that deal with the aftermath of a huge natural disaster. The writing is top-notch, and the descriptions are wonderful. The book, however, is just a bunch of short stories that really have very little to do with each other. Different characters, waiting to die in many cases. It just didn't really keep me as interested as if we were following one or two groups of people as they try to survive.

As I said before, the writing is excellent. It just didn't grab me. Something was missing.

Eleven superbly told unconnected short stories of a few resilient Americans grasping on to life as the USA is suffocating under a seemingly endless rain of volcanic ash. Each story is told from a different author's perspective and the result provides the reader with an uncommon view of a catastrophe destroying a nation. I highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed reading this. I would love to read more about the lives of each charcter perhaps in a prequel...maybe starting a week before the eruption. You know, a glimpse of their normal lives before hand...and then their reactions to the "news". All in all, each character and scenario are all completely plausible and very believable. Makes the reader sit and think, which one am I? It was easy to read and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I really enjoyed this book. i was surprised at how I wanted to get back to it. The only thing that kept me from giving it five stars is the short story format. I would love to have seen the stories intersect more or at least be longer. those are small quibbles with a unique storyline. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Shar (Wisconsin) This book is great but needs more. It isn't so much about the Yellowstone eruption as azbout the human condition and how people would reazct in a given circumstance. It ends as a no ending, and maybe that is how it would be. But never the less, it is well worth the read.

A Land of Ash is a collection of stories surrounding the eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera. While the writing was good, I never felt connected to any of the characters. Additionally, there are only so many people that one can kill with a cloud of ash before I start skimming just to finish the book. A good idea, good writing, but it just didn't come together for me.

I just recently finished reading "A Land of Ash" and overall enjoyed it. I purchased the Kindle edition, and the editing was just fine - no weird formatting or spelling errors that I saw.

This is a collection of short stories surrounding the eruption of the Yellowstone caldera, and focuses on people before they are affected or during the times after. I felt a few of the stories were lackluster, but a few I thought were pretty good. The one that stands out for me is the one about the little boy sent on a "secret mission" by his mother. It was quite touching.

Overall, certainly worth the $0.99 I spent. It probably took be no more than 3 hours to read, but it was quality reading time.

This book goes back and forth between several individuals who are struggling to survive after a massive eruption in Yellowstone National Park. The stories are gripping and horrific in nature as we struggle to not only survive against the ash but against other survivors.

This book is a collection of short stories that revolve around one huge natural disaster that brings America, and the world to it's knees. All of the short stories are interesting, and well written. I found this book to be a page turner, and completed it in one sitting. The theme is more about exploring human character in hardship, and each story is a short study of specific moral and emotional happenings.

I never like short story collections but tried this anyway. First of all it's a very short/thin book and that's always disappointing second there were too many "everyone dies" endings. I like it more when the world ends but some people survive.

Anyway, not worth the money I paid (about $10)

After reviewing the "Product Description" above I was a little hesitant to buy this book. Leaving aside the phrase, "warm, dead snow", how about, "ash billows east,... falling upon the Pacific Coast"? An egregious, geographic disconnect. Doesn't inspire confidence. Premise sounds interesting, though.