Okay, Hugh Howey knows how to write.

Before I say anything else… what the hell is wrong with him? Why name this ‘Wool’? It has nothing to do with textiles, and that’s stupid. I’m calling it SILO henceforth.

Now that that’s settled: I read the entire SILO series — all three omnibuses — and I have to say that I’m impressed.

The writing is great, the story is concise, and the character development is amazing. The story describes a dystopia, and yet it feels so full of life. It was odd, and I was so engaged with my reading throughout this, that I once dreamt of that world. It was a crappy dream bordering on nightmare, but Howey’s writing had me there nevertheless, and it drove the point home: what I was reading was affecting me deeply.

Now, this world Howey is describing revolves around people living and dying inside of an underground silo, a self-sustaining contained world in and out of itself.

If you’re an old-school gamer like myself. You’ll instantly be reminded of the Fallout series. I’m not talking Fallout 3 or New Vegas or whatever they’re playing these days. I’m talking origins, I’m talking Fallout 1 and 2. Don’t be offended if you like the new Fallouts, I’ll explain.

In the first two Fallout games, the vaults were much bigger. Due to the isometric nature of the games, the map could be much more compact. Granted, they never used this to give you the massive vaults you expect, but the many inaccessible doors and collapsed corridors gave you the illusion of grandeur.

In the SILO universe, the silo — or the vault for all of you Fallout fans — is a vertical metropolis nestled underground.

The resemblance ends there, however. Because in the silo universe, the silo is something that could house 10,000 occupants, and the whole thing — all hundred and fifty or so floors of it — is connected by a single stairwell massive in scale.

Another difference is that the SILO universe is one where thinking about leaving the silo is a crime punishable only by leaving the silo. Get it?

Spoilers below.

Spoiler

The story follows the life of Juliette Nicholas, the bad-ass mechanic turned sheriff then sentenced to cleaning — going outside, which meant death — and whom escapes that fate through the help of a friend down in mechanical. She decides not to clean the exterior cameras and that leads to an all out war in the silo. She then discovers another silo — silo 17 — and goes to explore it. She makes contact with a character named Solo, who had lived his entire life in solitude, and they help each other out. Long story short: she goes back to her original silo — silo 18 — and becomes mayor. Whereupon she vows to fuck everything up for Silo 1 and the ones running the show.

Now that we’re done with the most massive spoiler in the history of spoilers, let’s move on.

Howey’s attention span is massive; that, I can say for sure. The amount of detail, the overlapping plot lines, and the complex characters; it’s all fascinating, and I’m truly envious to say the least. The character interaction deserves special mention, too. Yet, I feel that some of the other characters deserved more attention in this instalment, especially Solo; but not to worry, he gets his own story told in the sequel from his own point of view.

This is the first solid five from me, and most likely the last. Because finding something so beautifully complete and whole is an unlikely event. Remembering all of this, I’m honestly tempted to go read the whole series again.

I highly recommend reading this. It’s a true master work, and deserves every penny and second you spend reading it.

Title:


Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1-5)




Series:


Silo Saga




Author:



Hugh Howey





Genre:


Science Fiction




Publisher:


Broad Reach Publishing




Release Date:



January 25, 2012





Pages:


550

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.

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