Thursday, April 17, 2014

Book Review: Wool by Hugh Howey

I just finished Wool by Hugh Howey, the first 5 books in the Silo series of Sci-Fi novellas. Wool was first released in 2011 as a stand alone short story. Demand was so great that Howey went on to write first 4 more books to accompany the original first book and has since written Shift (books 6-8) and Dust (book 9).

I really liked the first book, titled Wool, and I could see a movie being made from just that book alone. After reading the next 4 books I feel partway between wishing I had only read the first book since I liked the compartmentalized story and the opposite, I want to devour the rest and wish there was more.

I hate to give away the plot of this one so I will highlight some areas that will not give up too many spoilers for those that want to try this book out.

The book is a post-apocalyptic story set in a future where the remnants of society live in underground silos since the surface of the earth has become uninhabitable. Society is based on a rigid system and this system is strictly upheld so as not to have society crash down.

The first books title of Wool is multifaceted and I really enjoyed the layers that the title leant to the story. Wool as material, the pulling of wool over one's eyes, and wool as a metaphorical relation to society being a bunch of strands that knit together; were all fun to think about while reading the books.

I really enjoyed the protagonists in the books and Juilette in particular. Her character is so kick-ass and strongly written that you'd mistake her for a male lead. She is reminiscent of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the Alien series of movies. This is the kind of woman with balls men wish they had.

If you are even remotely interested in the book, try Part One of Wool for free on Amazon Kindle. Then check out the omnibus if you enjoyed the first book and want to know more about this word that Howey has created. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you like the first book.

As another note, this was the most well received book of the Redmond Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Club since I have started going 3 months ago. By the sounds of it, the consensus is that it has been one of the best books read by the club so far.

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