Wool

I started reading this series individually but by the time i got to the third novella and was chewing them up so quickly, I was thrilled to see this collection of all five stories. Howey is an amazing new voice (in the wilderness?). Wool is less sci-fi and more dystopian than I had originally been led to believe, but if you're a sci-fi fan, don't let that stop you. Like all truly great stories, Wool comes down to the people. Set in a future we see as horrific, the people of the silo find their world normal, and to some extent comfortable. In some ways, Wool is more of a murder mystery. Early on, we know there are secrets someone is trying to keep. Further in, it's obvious who the bad guy is, but the motives are still unclear. Finally in the last two sections, the pieces come together even as lives begin to unravel. The shift from the individual to the whole pulls the reader in until, like the characters, at the end we find ourselves breathless and exhausted in our concern for the outcome. Without such well-written characters none of the tension would have touched the reader. I can't wait to see what Howey has up his sleeve next.

Well written novel that, I gather, started out as a number of short stories or novellas. Howly has a readable, verbose style and has built a fantastically detailed and fascinating world filled with realistic and well-written characters. Only complaint/comment is that the justification for the "big secret" and how it manipulated generations of people into odd action is flimsy and hard to buy into. The last hundred pages or so felt rushed but it could have been the suspence building toward conclusion that made it feel that way. I would definitely read more in this series if more get written.

Fantastic book! Definitely worth reading the full set of five books (contained in this volume). While the first novella(?) stands alone, the overall story gains depth with each subsequent volume.

This is a story full of twists and turns. You'll probably see some of them coming, but I'd be very surprised if you see all of them. The author plays on the reader's expectations of what "should" happen given a particular scenario. He also does an excellent job of giving credible motivation to all of the characters - "good" and "bad" alike.

At its core, this is a book about human nature and it has some really thought-provoking moments.

Excellent science fiction! Knowing something of the plot beforehand, I went into this novel fearing it would be too similar to the popular dystopian video game series "Fallout", which also deals with humans living in vaults after the end of the world. Thankfully, that was about where the similarities end. The book also has a strong, independent female lead, which is rare in dystopian science fiction.

The first book gets the reader acquainted with the basics of life in the silo, and focuses on Juliette, a low level mechanic thrust into the political life of the silo, and stumbling upon a murderous conspiracy.

The second book in the series is both a prequel and a sequel, and takes place in a different 'location' than the first. The final book completes the story and connects the first two books. After reading each book, I felt like I needed to 'digest' what was happening before moving on with the story. This book and series were great reads.

Brilliant. I would not say I am a huge science fiction fan but I absolutely loved this book as it was believable and fast paced.

What an amazing read! I loved how he was able to create such an in-depth world with richly outlined characters in a single book. As you read it you can literally see the world inside the silo and get a sense of what it must be like to trap inside.
AWESOME!

This book is an excellent and unique take on a post-apocalyptic earth.

I found this tale believable not only as a possible reality for our future on earth but allegorically speaking as well. From the very beginning one of the characters warns that everything they have been told about the outside world is a lie. While we may not have to live in a silo to protect ourselves from a poisoned planet yet, I do believe most of what we are fed by our government and media is basically a lie and part of the cradle to grave programming we are inundated with to keep us pacified, consuming, working and uniformed. It reminds me of a Roger Waters lyric, "We watched the tragedy unfold. We did as we were told we bought and sold." I love that just like the characters in the book, after 510 pages I still know very little about how or why what is left of the entire population has been crammed into 47 giant silos. Hugh has definitely piqued my curiosity and I have to find out how this horrific, dystopian future came about. I have a feeling it might have something to do with a nightmare tranhumanistic or biological warfare.

If you're lucky enough to get pulled into this story at the beginning, you'll be hooked through the end. A strong sci-fi post-apocalyptic page turner.

This is one of those books that can't be put down once you start it. Great writing style, great characters and overall very good storyline. The other two books of the series are equally a must read!