Review: Ash

Ash by Tom Abrahams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Post-apocalyptic fiction is my guilty pleasure. For that reason alone, and without reading reviews, I picked up this novel and dove in. In retrospect, I should have been a tad more cautious and perhaps dipped my feet in the pool by actually perusing those reviews. Had I done so, I may have decided to forgo this one altogether.

First, the overall premise is a nuclear disaster—unusual in this day of authors preferring decimation via EMPs. The story is set in and around LA, which is ground zero for the blast, and not far (relatively speaking) from the college campus where several of the characters are located. In addition to the collegiate contingency, other characters include an immoral former con and an ex-military guy and his dog. Chapters initially rotate perspective between these characters until finally they are brought together through circumstances best described as coincidental.

The characters themselves are fairly well rounded and brought to life, each staying true to their prescribed personalities. My issue is with the “organization” that pulls them to common ground—the Oasis. Without spoilers, suffice it to say that this is where the plot goes off the rails and never really returns to the tracks. It was next to impossible to suspend my disbelief long enough to swallow the premise and made the read difficult at best, often bordering on simply ridiculous.

My recommendation here is to pass and find something else in this genre.

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