Point of View

Mike Mullin tells his novel, Ashfall, from the first-person, limited omniscient perspective, from the point of view of main character and principal protagonist, Alex Halprin. This is done for two primary reasons. The first is that the novel is about the experiences of Alex following the eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano, and there is no one better to tell Alex's story than he, himself. The second reason is that the first-person narrative mode is very intimate and personal, and allows the character to directly communicate thoughts, feelings, and emotions to the reader without the presence of a third-person narrator. This allows a greater sense of relation between the character and the reader, and makes the events of the novel that much more emotionally compelling.

Setting

Mike Mullin sets his novel, Ashfall, in Iowa and Illinois, parts of the American Midwest. This is done for at least...