Sunrise is the third book in Mike Mullin's engaging Ashfall trilogy.
One of the things I really like about Mullin's writing is that he keeps the pace moving but is always filling in details so that the reader is kept immersed in the world of Ashfall and sees and feels the things the characters are experiencing, like we see in this section where Alex and Darla are venturing into a deserted town near Chicago in search of supplies:
"The final pair of scouts -- Nylce and Francine -- had followed East Avenue to a commercial district on the south side of town. When they returned, they were grim and ashen-faced. I could hardly believe what they told me. Instead of talking about it longer -- which I couldn't bear to do -- I asked them to take me there.
-- We went as a party of six -- me, Nylce, Francine, Ed, Darla, and another survivor of the Warren massacre., Trig Boling. He was a lanky nineteen-year-old with a slightly misshapen face, like it had been frozen while he was scowling in a particularly energetic way. But despite his appearance, Trig was unfailing friendly and cheerful -- I liked having him around.
-- We only had three guns, but everyone was carrying at least one knife. We stalked through the city in silcned, dreading our destination. After about ten minutes we passed the Freeport City Cemetery -- only a few of its tallest monuments protruded above the snow., lonely sentinels standing watch over a buried age.
-- Most of the buildings on West Avenue had burned. The first two shopping centers we passed had collapsed. As we approached the third, I noticed that Francine was caressing the handle of her knife, rubbing it as if it were a knotted muscle. Nylce's head flicked constantly from side to side as if she were afraid someone would sneak up on her in the few seconds since her last sidelong glance.
-- As we approached the Meadowlands Shopping Center, I saw a glint of firelight through the glass storefront of a J.C. Penney. We slowed our approach, using the snow-covered mounds hiding parked cars as cover. When we got close enough to see inside the Penney's, I realized that if anything my scouts had understated the horror of the scene.
-- Three men dressed in ragged, bloodstained clothing crouched in front of a greasy fire. Around them were scattered thousands of burnt and cracked bones. Behind them, the grisly bone pile nearly reached the high ceiling. I could identify femurs, ribs, hip bonds, and skulls -- all of the fragmentary, roasted and cracked for their marrow.
-- All the bones were human.
Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys an engaging, well-written YA novel about two teens trying to survive in a world made harshly dystopic by natural disaster.
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