Paperback, 511 pages
English language
Published March 11, 2013 by Simon & Schuster.
For suspense-filled, post-apocalyptic thrillers, Wool is more than a self-published ebook phenomenon―it’s the new standard in classic science fiction.
In a ruined and toxic future, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside.
His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants …
For suspense-filled, post-apocalyptic thrillers, Wool is more than a self-published ebook phenomenon―it’s the new standard in classic science fiction.
In a ruined and toxic future, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside.
His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising.
Despite the cliched title of this review, it’s absolutely true for this book. It’s tense and always leaves you wanting more.
I greatly enjoyed this book. I had heard about it awhile ago, but never checked it out. A friend lent me their copy and I've had it sitting on my desk for a few months. Finally got around to reading it on vacation and couldn't put it down.
I thoroughly enjoyed the tone of this book. While the premise is dark, and some of the lore that is slowly doled out even darker, the general tone is strangely positive.
I did fear for the main character as Howey almost reaches GRRM levels of murdering off characters. I do like that approach as it makes the stakes better for me as a reader. It's better if there some danger in there somewhere, for me anyways.
Looking forward to the other books in the series.
And I will have to go back and check out the show now, …
I greatly enjoyed this book. I had heard about it awhile ago, but never checked it out. A friend lent me their copy and I've had it sitting on my desk for a few months. Finally got around to reading it on vacation and couldn't put it down.
I thoroughly enjoyed the tone of this book. While the premise is dark, and some of the lore that is slowly doled out even darker, the general tone is strangely positive.
I did fear for the main character as Howey almost reaches GRRM levels of murdering off characters. I do like that approach as it makes the stakes better for me as a reader. It's better if there some danger in there somewhere, for me anyways.
Looking forward to the other books in the series.
And I will have to go back and check out the show now, to see how it stands up (not as good as the book, I am sure - but are they ever??).
La dystopie est originale et bien trouvée, un modèle du genre, et elle est bien exploitée par l’histoire, qui est pleine de bonnes idées. Bon, on sent bien que certains détails techniques sont survolés, et d‘autres sont franchement tirés par les cheveux, mais le livre ne se réclame pas de la hard SF, et ça n’empêche pas de se laisser entraîner par l’intrigue.
Non, ce qui m’a vraiment dérangé c’est l’écriture : c’est lourd, il y a des longueurs pénibles, et d’une manière générale l’écriture des personnages manque de finesse. J’ai même failli lâcher le livre au début, et j’ai traîné à le terminer.
Au final, ce roman m’a laissé une impression mitigée, malgré ses bonnes idées.
La dystopie est originale et bien trouvée, un modèle du genre, et elle est bien exploitée par l’histoire, qui est pleine de bonnes idées. Bon, on sent bien que certains détails techniques sont survolés, et d‘autres sont franchement tirés par les cheveux, mais le livre ne se réclame pas de la hard SF, et ça n’empêche pas de se laisser entraîner par l’intrigue.
Non, ce qui m’a vraiment dérangé c’est l’écriture : c’est lourd, il y a des longueurs pénibles, et d’une manière générale l’écriture des personnages manque de finesse. J’ai même failli lâcher le livre au début, et j’ai traîné à le terminer.
Au final, ce roman m’a laissé une impression mitigée, malgré ses bonnes idées.
Le moins que je puisse en écrire, c'est que "Silo" a tenu ses promesses : une écriture fluide et aisée sur une intrigue des plus imaginatives, qui résonne assez fortement avec des problématiques sociétales actuelles. Tous les ingrédients d'une science fiction réussie sont là : il n'est pas étonnant que ce premier opus ait fait fleurir une trilogie et engendré une déclinaison télévisuelle.
L'univers de ce roman n'est pas sans rappeler celui du Transperceneige : une humanité réduite à une dimension spatiale unique, repère des ses fractures sociales. La transgression, évidemment l'objet du roman, est ainsi révélée par les déplacements le long de cette unique dimension.
Les intrigues sont loin d'être similaires, mais, sans divulgacher, l'irruption d'une deuxième dimension est un point commun.
Le moins que je puisse en écrire, c'est que "Silo" a tenu ses promesses : une écriture fluide et aisée sur une intrigue des plus imaginatives, qui résonne assez fortement avec des problématiques sociétales actuelles. Tous les ingrédients d'une science fiction réussie sont là : il n'est pas étonnant que ce premier opus ait fait fleurir une trilogie et engendré une déclinaison télévisuelle.
L'univers de ce roman n'est pas sans rappeler celui du Transperceneige : une humanité réduite à une dimension spatiale unique, repère des ses fractures sociales. La transgression, évidemment l'objet du roman, est ainsi révélée par les déplacements le long de cette unique dimension.
Les intrigues sont loin d'être similaires, mais, sans divulgacher, l'irruption d'une deuxième dimension est un point commun.
This was a fun read! Very unique post-apocalyptic Earth plotline with some good twists.
But the characters are a little two dimensional, and the protagonist is a little too good at everything. I'll certainly read the other books in the series. Again, it's a good story, but I'm not craving more time with these characters immediately.
This was a fun read! Very unique post-apocalyptic Earth plotline with some good twists.
But the characters are a little two dimensional, and the protagonist is a little too good at everything. I'll certainly read the other books in the series. Again, it's a good story, but I'm not craving more time with these characters immediately.
I’m an absolute sucker for fictional dystopia. It's the perfect arena to discuss complex real world issues and hypothesise what the extremes of those might look like. Hugh Howey's 'Wool' does all of this brilliantly, scratching an itch for me that’s not been touched since 2016’s The Power.
I discovered Wool through its engrossing television adaptation, 'Silo', on Apple TV. While it excels at character development and gives it an intriguing detective noir spin, I found myself needing to know what happens next. So, when I saw book two in the series on offer, it was a great excuse to get the first two to see how the source material compares.
I'm pretty sure it's a bit trite - I've come across a lot of the ideas and tropes before. But I expect that that’s what I needed at this point in time - fast paced, gripping, comfort …
I’m an absolute sucker for fictional dystopia. It's the perfect arena to discuss complex real world issues and hypothesise what the extremes of those might look like. Hugh Howey's 'Wool' does all of this brilliantly, scratching an itch for me that’s not been touched since 2016’s The Power.
I discovered Wool through its engrossing television adaptation, 'Silo', on Apple TV. While it excels at character development and gives it an intriguing detective noir spin, I found myself needing to know what happens next. So, when I saw book two in the series on offer, it was a great excuse to get the first two to see how the source material compares.
I'm pretty sure it's a bit trite - I've come across a lot of the ideas and tropes before. But I expect that that’s what I needed at this point in time - fast paced, gripping, comfort food.
To sum it up, 'Wool' is a well-crafted tale that had me hooked, made me think, and left me wanting more. So much so, that the only thing stopping me from starting on the second book, 'Shift', is writing this.
I’m an absolute sucker for fictional dystopia. It's the perfect arena to discuss complex real world issues and hypothesise what the extremes of those might look like. Hugh Howey's 'Wool' does all of this brilliantly, scratching an itch for me that’s not been touched since 2016’s The Power.
I discovered Wool through its engrossing television adaptation, 'Silo', on Apple TV. While it excels at character development and gives it an intriguing detective noir spin, I found myself needing to know what happens next. So, when I saw book two in the series on offer, it was a great excuse to get the first two to see how the source material compares.
I'm pretty sure it's a bit trite - I've come across a lot of the ideas and tropes before. But I expect that that’s what I needed at this point in time - fast paced, gripping, comfort …
I’m an absolute sucker for fictional dystopia. It's the perfect arena to discuss complex real world issues and hypothesise what the extremes of those might look like. Hugh Howey's 'Wool' does all of this brilliantly, scratching an itch for me that’s not been touched since 2016’s The Power.
I discovered Wool through its engrossing television adaptation, 'Silo', on Apple TV. While it excels at character development and gives it an intriguing detective noir spin, I found myself needing to know what happens next. So, when I saw book two in the series on offer, it was a great excuse to get the first two to see how the source material compares.
I'm pretty sure it's a bit trite - I've come across a lot of the ideas and tropes before. But I expect that that’s what I needed at this point in time - fast paced, gripping, comfort food.
To sum it up, 'Wool' is a well-crafted tale that had me hooked, made me think, and left me wanting more. So much so, that the only thing stopping me from starting on the second book, 'Shift', is writing this.
