Ashes [Hardcover]

Ilsa J. Bick (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 6, 2011

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.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.
 
Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

Gripped me from beginning to end – dark, creepy and suspenseful.  James Dashner,
New York Times Best-Selling author of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials       
             
A haunting and epic story of survival in a shattered world, ASHES is a must read.  
Michael Grant, New York Times Best-Selling author of Gone

Editorial Reviews

Review

Gripped me from beginning to end – dark, creepy and suspenseful.  James Dashner,
New York Times Best-Selling author of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials       
             
A haunting and epic story of survival in a shattered world, ASHES is a must read.  
Michael Grant, New York Times Best-Selling author of Gone

“…a harrowing apocalyptic survival tale that brims with true horror….Ashes inhabits the same dark country as The Stand (and is, in fact, delightfully King-esque at times) or Justin Cronin’s recent viral apocalypse The Passage…. Bick’s ability to convincingly render the mindset of people exposed to horrors and those still living with them makes not just Alex but all the characters around her feel real enough that we ache for them.”  Locus Magazine
 
The gorgeous (and disturbing cover) is sure to grab attention; an impeccable sci-fi/horror
balance, quick pace, and risky storytelling all live up to the jacket’s promise.  The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
 
An action-packed tale of an apocalypse unfolding, launching a trilogy with flair.   Publishers Weekly                 
 
Gritty, grim, grotesque, gruesome, gratifying and ultimately deeply satisfying, Ashes is this year's best ya dystopian novel. Pamela Thompson,  El Paso Times Sunday Living  
 
Splendidly paced apocalyptic zombie horror ends with a thrilling, terrifying cliffhanger and a number of unresolved mysteries.   Kirkus Reviews
 
You won't want to put it down and, quite frankly, it blows the rest of those dismal-future books clean out of the water.  Donna at Bites, www.bitemybooks.com
 
Ashes is disaster done right, it has to be one of the best disaster books I have read in a long while... I cannot recommend this book enough.  (Five Stars) www.readforyourfuture.org
 
It's like the Walking Dead, but in a YA novel…. I can't wait for the sequel!   Hallie Wilkins, age 16, Anderson's Bookshops
 
Dystopia on steroids, exactly what it should be.  Pamela, Hickelbees, San Jose, CA
 
Front and center we have my current obsession, Ilsa Bick's Ashes, which is like Justin Cronin's The Passage for the YA set.   Suzanna Hermans, co-owner of Oblong Books & Music in Rhinebeck, N.Y
 
If Cormac McCarthy and Justin Cronin bore a lovechild (I read The Passage directly following ASHES), Ilsa J. Bick would be their bouncing baby girl. A. Ragheb, randomactsofreading.com  
 
“Great writing. Fantastic plot. Likeable characters. Mt. Everest-type cliffhanger. It all makes for a fabulous book -- for young adult readers and adults alike.” –Examiner.com (Chicago)
 
“Ashes is one that fans of Suzanne Collins's trilogy will surely devour. …What will really grab readers is the wonderful narrative that carries Ashes through every shocking, unexpected plot twist. Bick clearly has a natural gift for storytelling, and here she has crafted a compelling story that will suck you in.” ---Examiner.com (national) 
 
“An easy read with engaging characters and an intriguing plot. …This novel is gripping and intense but very dark…it's not a book for the faint of heart or young and may leave readers checking for their flashlights and battery-operated radios — just in case.” –Deseret News

About the Author

Ilsa J. Bick is a child psychiatrist, as well as a film scholar, former Air Force major, and now a full-time author. Her critically acclaimed first YA novel, Draw the Dark, won the 2011 Westchester Fiction Award and was named a Bank Street College 2011 Best Book. Ilsa currently lives with her family and several furry creatures in rural Wisconsin, near a Hebrew cemetery.  One thing she loves about the neighbors: they’re very quiet and only come around for sugar once in a blue moon. You can visit her online at www.ilsajbick.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: EgmontUSA; First Edition edition (September 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606841750
• ISBN-13: 978-1606841754
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (207 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #503,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Among other things, I was an English major in college and so I know that I'm supposed to write things like, "Ilsa J. Bick is (fill in the blank)." Except I hate writing about myself in the third person like I'm not in the room. Helloooo, I'm right here . . . So let's just say that I'm a child psychiatrist (yeah, you read that right), a wannabe surgeon, a former Air Force major--and an award-winning, best-selling author of short stories, e-books and novels. Believe me, no one is more shocked about this than I . . . unless you talk to my mother.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best *zombie* books I've read August 31, 2011

By beckygardens TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Alex is camping in the woods, saying goodbye to her parents and facing her own mortality, when ZAP, the world changes. What makes Ashes work for me is not only great writing but the characters are believable. Alex is mature because her circumstances have made her so. Tom is a young soldier so it's believable he knows about guns, EMS, etc. Ellie is an 8 year old who dad has died, who has seen her grandfather die in front of her, and while she's whiny, selfish, and immature, well she's 8. Her behavior is believable, as is her maturing quickly because she has to.

None of the characters are perfect, no "Mary Sues" here, but as a reader I became very quickly invested in each of them, their strengths and their flaws, both well written. Alex's voice as the narrator is pitch perfect in a world gone crazy. The zombies aren't so much zombies as crazed humans, more like the rage-infected types in the movie "28 days later." They have some cunning and thinking abilities that make them even scarier monsters.

As Alex, Tom, and Ellie try to survive and find safety, they soon realize not all the monsters are the zombies. One of the great things about Ashes is nothing is tied in a pretty bow. It's gritty, and shows the ugly side of humanity and what people will do to survive or just how awful some people can become without the rules of society to stop them.

Ashes has a ton of twists and turns that are unexpected, the last third of the book is almost like another story but it works within the frame of the plot. Ashes is the first of a trilogy and it doesn't end neatly. There are a lot of unanswered questions. I can't wait until books 2 and 3. I want to stalk down the author and make her tell me what's next!...

Ashes is an intense, engrossing book that keeps the reader guessing, isn't conventional in storyline, and I highly recommend it. Read more ›

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FUN, Fast and Furious! September 24, 2012

By anaavu

Format:Paperback

A fast-paced, riveting read.

"It was that stages-of-anger thing. I was shocked and then I got pissed and then I fought like hell ... and then I went numb. They called it acceptance, but it wasn't. It's what happens when you have only two choices: live with the monster, or kill yourself."

"Alex thought the shrink was full of shit. Her parents were dead. She knew that. The dream was all about her life jumping the rails, blowing up in her face, leaving her with nothing but ashes."

If I had to pick my favorite dystopian reads, Ashes would be right up there at the top of it (along with Hunger Games, 1984, Blood Red Road, Gone, and Enclave). I've read Ashes twice, and each time, it gripped me with an iron fist until the end (and even after). When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about the latest twist in the story and after finishing last December, I obsessed about the crazy cliffhanger for months... actually, right up until the the day I got my hands on the sequel!!

Ashes starts out with an almost-teary goodbye with Alex's aunt on the phone because she's about to hike out into the mountains for a week-long trip before she becomes too weak (she has terminal cancer - heartbreaking, I know). But of course, our resourceful protagonist can't just die! She meets this old guy and his 8-year-old granddaughter while sitting on top of a mountain, and suddenly, some kind of invisible laser of intense pain (you'll have to read Ashes to find out what it really is!!) attacks all of them, leaving the man dead, Ellie weeping, and Alex... different. Cancer had taken away her sense of smell but somehow, she can now smell everything around her, including things normal people can't smell like fear and lies.... What's more - most teenagers have reacted to this beam by becoming flesh-eating zombies - the alive, fast, and insanely dangerous kind.

If you like horror movies or shows like The Walking Dead, you're definitely going to enjoy Ashes. Not only is it fast-paced and gritty, it is also super gory (guys, if you're looking for a book, this was made for you). Those who might be squeamish about reading explicit descriptions of regular-looking people renting human flesh, rupturing bellies, and enjoying the meal, close this review and don't look back. My favorite scenes of this book were two of the most spine-tingling moments I've ever had the pleasure of reading - even I turned my head in disgust. The rest is pure evasion and fighting to live through the horrifying circumstances.
Instead of banding together, the survivors (mostly elderly people) grow desperate and steal and kill each other for their goods. It's a dangerous world, but Tom, Alex and Ellie (who's just the best character in dystopian lit - she's so small and goes from a whiny, snot-filled kid to a survivor) manage to navigate it... well, that is until a small gang steals Ellie and their supplies, and injures Tom (possibly fatally). Then, Alex must travel alone to find help from the nearby town of Rule... leading to Part 4 - Rule!

This was the dullest part of the novel, and in my opinion, the portion that could have been much shorter. It's all about her getting to Rule, finally finding safety, and falling instantly in love with a dude called Chris. They're all passionate and lovey-dovey, in contrast with the rest of the book where there were at most two kissing scenes. This portion served mostly to create an unnecessary love triangle. BUT this part totally and utterly redeemed through the aforementioned cliffhanger, where Alex realizes just what the town leaders are up to. And I can't say anymore in fear of spoiling this fantastic book :D

*I received a digital e-galley of Ashes to read and post an honest review* Read more ›

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars And I reduced you to ashes on the ground, in the sight of all who were watching September 23, 2011

By BrianB VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Zombies are hot. They show up in movies, novels, comics, commercials and video games, with humor or horror, sometimes with humor and horror. Most of the recent zombie entertainment has been squarely aimed at a low common denominator. Ilsa Bick's new novel is an exception. This is a skillfully written thriller, a story that will grab your attention without letting go until the final pages.

There are a lot of unfinished story lines at the end of this novel, which left me highly dissatisfied, until I discovered that this is only the first book in a series. I will definitely read the next one: I have to find out what happened to everyone. I am looking forward to it.

This is good writing, but not great writing. Character development is limited to the main character. Some of the events strained my willingness to suspend disbelief. For example, Alex gains a super sense of smell, and the zombies are super smelly, but they often seem to surprise her, to be right behind her when she turns around. That creates suspense, but seems inconsistent. I am willing to read the whole series before I strongly criticize the plot, but it seems a bit rough from here.

One element of the story was conspicuous: the bible quoting Christians turn out to be evil incarnate, while the atheist is basically a good person. Maybe that is just a coincidence, not a position statement by the author. That will probably become clear before the end of the story.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic first half that falls apart in the second half. September 20, 2011

By Wendy Darling

Format:Hardcover

It all starts with a cataclysmic electromagnetic impulse. Dead birds fall from the sky. Deer run off a cliff, maddened for unknown reasons. And people drop dead instantaneously and inexplicably--or they are miraculously, irrevocably changed, some for the better, and some for the worse.

The first half of this book is a phenomenal. 17-year-old Alex is transformed by the big event in ways that she can't understand. She is saddled with an angry 8-year-old and an attractive ex-Army guy who's hiding secrets, and they all must find safety and shelter from the other survivors who are no longer...human. The prologue is well-written and compelling, and I was drawn to the bleak, lonely mood and stark setting right from the very beginning. I liked the strong but fragile Alex, and I was thoroughly engrossed by the incredible suspense and visceral, shudder-inducing scenes that will be forever seared into my memory.

But literally halfway through the book, something really odd happens. During a tense standoff with a band of vicious kidnappers, one of the three people in Alex's group is shot. This cliffhanger ends one chapter and when the next one begins, the story takes up three days later. WHAT? Talk about leaving your readers high and dry! From that point on, things stop making any kind of sense at all. The story changes tone completely, there is a whole new cast of characters, the story is poorly plotted, the writing became disjointed, and every single element I liked about the first half of the book was completely abandoned. Alex herself suddenly seems like she's just stumbling from one random encounter to the next, and by the time it all ended with a somewhat interesting but predictable cliffhanger, I was ready to abandon them all to whatever horrible munchy fate might befall them....

It is such a shock to go from loving a book and then to being completely annoyed with it, so I had no idea what to do about rating this one. The first half of this book is literally a 5 star read for me (and I don't give 5 stars that often), but the second half is maybe a 1.5. It's as if the second portion was written by a completely different person! What a disappointment.

I really wish that these problems had been fixed in the outlining stage, but certainly they should have been sorted out by the time the manuscript made it through several drafts and edits and rewrites. I really regret the wasted potential of the amazing first 240 pages, as well as fantastic premise. I don't know if I'll ever recover from the abrupt downhill hurtle that this book plunged down; 5 days after I finished this novel, I was still mad at it.

*An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.* Read more ›