Will I love Wool?

I actually read Hugh Howey's whole trilogy: Wool, Shift, and Dust. And I couldn't get over how unique and wonderful the concept was. But more importantly, it struck me as one of the deepest thrillers I'd read. The characters were multi-dimensional and grew deeper with each turn, the story itself was layered. It didn't feel churned out to meet a formula, but seemed to spring deeper — from the heart of the author. How does one feel this in a work of fiction? As a writer, I wish I knew. I can only hope that all the heart I put… show more.

It's a science-fiction book? Dystopian? And it's called 'Wool'?
Intriguing, yes?
The intrigue continues as you read on, to discover a world in a silo. Politics, petty squabbles, class distinction and discrimination all carry on much as they do today, but in the microcosm that these people live in, minor tensions can lead to revolution or execution.
With a strong female protagonist, and a whole flock of well-crafted characters, I enjoyed the book so much I immediately ordered the sequels ('Shift' and 'Dust'), which are equally as good.

I jumped in and hung on, and loved the ride.

This series is the epitome of change from a world order in chaos towards a solution to survive. The creativity explodes from every page, as you immerse yourself in a new environment full of amazing and wonderful characters, experiencing insane challenges, personal and professional, as well as moral and emotional. The whole evolution of the ‘silo’ world is seamlessly integration into the story, making it all seem so normal.

This series is absolutely the best ever! I never wanted it to end!

Though it’s a dystopian underground world, I enjoyed my time in the Silo. Thankfully, I had a strong woman to guide me and help solve its mysteries. I was totally immersed in the experience and immediately read the second and third books in the series.

I loved this book because it’s unlike any other dystopian novel I’ve read. I wanted to be there with the characters. The twists and turns of the story were like the central staircase that connects all the levels of the mysterious world. I had no idea where it would go next or what I would… show more.

The title is what grabbed me first. It was amorphous, thus intriguing. The post-Apocalyptic theme is nothing new. In fact, the concept of a cataclysmic event sending people into shelters recalls the videogame Fallout. But, "Wool" turns in a different direction, and I found the premise of "law breakers" been sent out into a wasteland to perform a specific task (plot spoiler, not gonna tell you) to be a clever spin.

I read the entire trilogy (series name 'Silo') with great gusto! This brilliantly imagined world makes us question the motives of those who leads us and asks what each us of would do to protect the lives of others (or to destroy them.) Never preachy, it packs a moral punch.

I chose this book because I watched the Apple TV series adaptation of it called Silo. It is a post-apocalyptic thriller set inside an underground bunker (the silo of the title).

Why were they there? What was really happening outside? What was the origin of the silo’s strange rules? As the show was so thought-provoking, raising so many questions, I decided to turn to the source material.

And I wasn’t disappointed because Howey’s worldbuilding reminded me of that done by Frank Herbert so memorably in Dune. And the great thing is, Wool is long and is followed by… show more.

Juliette—humble and gutsy, kind and relentlessly motivated in her journey for the truth—kept the pages turning for me.

Juliette is a mechanic from the Down-Deep of the underground Silo, humanity’s last refuge to a toxic world. When Juliette inexplicably lands the job of sheriff, she treats her new position as a tool to seek the truth about her lover’s mysterious recent death. At her own peril, she pulls on threads that ultimately reveal a great conspiracy. 

Juliette’s literal and metaphoric rise from the Down-Deep to the Up-Top is a feminist’s journey that transcends intersectional barriers as she battles small-minded men… show more.

I was quite taken by the Silo TV series this past year and decided to further explore this universe by reading the independently published novels the show is based on.

In Wool, Howey describes a cylindrical bunker city containing 144 levels accessible via a spiral staircase that takes several days to climb. Each level is dedicated to a particular occupation, the miners and mechanics living in the “down deep” and the bureaucrats living “up top” with limited contact between them.

When Juliette Nichols, the newly appointed sheriff from Mechanical, climbs up to mingle with the bureaucrats, the order in… show more.

The story of people living in an underground Silo who don’t know why they're there, and only that the outside world is toxic and they must survive.

The characters in this story are heroic and relatable. I just wanted this book to keep going, and luckily there are two more in the series – Shift and Dust. The TV series is also a great addition and keeps a similar tone to the book.