Hoarder in the Down Deep

Silo Saga Universe

by Marilyn Peake

It’s against the law to have children without winning the lottery. Implanted with a birth control device as required by law, Evangeline Hubbard, a dirt farmer in the down deep, discovers that implants sometimes fail. But in a world strictly controlled by the authorities, one pays a terrible price for tampering with the established order. Consumed by fear and madness after things go horribly wrong, Evangeline hoards in order to hang onto things. She adds them to the nest she’s building in the down deep.

Hoarder in the Down Deep is a novelette based on the best-selling Wool series by Hugh Howey, and was written with his permission. It’s set in the time when Sheriff Holston and his wife Allison had won the lottery, giving them one year to conceive a child. Investigating the case of Evangeline Hubbard, Sheriff Holston and Mayor Jahns are unprepared for what they find. Hoarder in the Down Deep explores how psychological issues and emotional pain can lead to hoarding. It also explores the mental strain placed on women who have lost control over their own reproductive processes.

57 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 21, 2015

About the author

USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Marilyn Peake writes Science Fiction and Fantasy. She's one of the contributing authors in Book: The Sequel, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at The Daily Beast. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor for a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and on the literary blog, Glass Cases.

AWARDS: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, Finalist placement in the 2015 National Indie Excellence Book Awards, Winner of "Best Horror" in the eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards, two Semi-Finalist placements in the Young Adult category of the Kindle Book Awards, and Gold Award in the Fantasy / Science Fiction category of the eLit Book Awards.

Reviews

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pretty curious about Hoarder in the Down Deep by Marilyn Peake when I saw that it was set in the same place as Howey’s Wool. I only ever read the first book of that, but the setting really stuck in my mind over the years.

Having that existing setting made it easy for me to visualize things in this story, but all throughout I did wonder how that would affect a reader if they didn’t have that prior knowledge. I’m curious to see whether my teammates did or not and how they felt about that. For me though, that helped because the author was able to focus on other aspects of the story instead.

I’m a fan of dual timelines so that worked well for me also. The glimpses of both at the start had me intrigued right away. Reproduction in that setting was bound to cause various complications so when I realized that would be the topic, I was very curious.

Sadly, I didn’t really get on with it as much after that as I had hoped. I found the underground network interesting, but the actual story was told in a way that was keeping me at a distance emotionally for most of the story. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending. I think I have an idea what the author was trying to show maybe, but it felt callous and too abrupt to me. Maybe that’s because I have personal experience with loss, but I felt speechless at the end—and not in a good way. The story did show that the setting was dangerous, but I still had a hard time with that ending, especially since it felt unresolved in some aspects as well.

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOARDER IN THE DOWN DEEP
By: Marilyn Peake

Published 2015
Length: 57 pages
Available for purchase only on Amazon

* I received a free electronic copy of this novella from the author in exchange for an honest review.*

First I feel that I must comment on the absolutely stunning cover of this novella. Kudos go out to Mike Tabor for creating such a gorgeous cover.

This story is set in the world of "Wool" created by author High Howey. This is FAN FICTION.

I have been fascinated by the world of "Wool" ever since reading Hugh Howey's series. If you have not yet read this series, you must read it as soon as possible. It is a fascinating world rich in detail and depth.

In "Hoarder in the Down Deep" couples are banned from having children unless they are chosen to do so in a lottery based system. This is necessary for population control as they live in a silo that is built deep into the earth. The silo can only sustain a limited number of inhabitants or resources will be depleted and everyone's lives could be jeopardized.

Evangeline Hubbard, like all other women of child-bearing age in the silo, has had a birth control device implanted to prevent pregnancy as required by law. Evangeline is a farmer in the down deep.

This story is set during the period of time when Sheriff Holston and his wife had won the lottery and were given a year to conceive a child. Six months into their one year of allotted time, his wife Allison has yet to become pregnant.

During this time Evangeline discovers that the implants sometimes fail. This failure causes a chain of events that will impact her life forever.

This story combines all the things fans of "Wool" will want to read with a truly exceptional tale of what emotional trauma can do to a person's psyche.

It is well written and I read the entire novella in a single sitting.

I rate "Hoarder in the Down Deep" as 5 out of 5 stars. Marilyn Peake has written a tale that Hugh Howey should be proud to have as part of his series. This is Fan Fiction at its finest. I hope the author decides to write more stories based on Hugh Howey's "WOOL" series. If she does I will be first in line to read them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Marilyn Peake is the author of both novels and short stories. Her publications have received excellent reviews. Marilyn’s one of the contributing authors in Book: The Sequel, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at The Daily Beast. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor of a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in seven anthologies and on the literary blog, Glass Cases.


To learn more about the author of HOARDER IN THE DOWN DEEP visit www.marilynpeake.com

To read more of my reviews, visit http://amiesbookreviews.wordpress.com

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.This story is fan fiction and is based in the world of Silo by Hugh Howey.I had a difficult time pushing through the first few chapters of this book.The flowery romantic descriptions of a married couples interactions left me cold.But once the story moved on to the mystery surrounding an apartment in the deep down of the silo i was engrossed.The characters were well developed and I enjoyed the authors talent at world building.The ending seemed abrupt and I wish the author had fleshed out the ending a bit more.But overall I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of the authors future works.

[C.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway and have to say it was very enjoyable. Unfamiliar with the WOOL series, the story began slowly for me. The idea of population control is frightening, but given the circumstances the characters face, understandable. That a woman would so despair over her inability to have control over her reproductive rights that she'd resort to the mentality of constant need to "nest" became almost primal. This was a fun read for me and got me interested in the SILO saga and seeing more from Marilyn Peake!

[William Zorn]

What an excellent addition to the Silo Saga!

In a world where everyone lives in a silo deep within the ground, population control is a major concern. The solution, in this case, is birth control implants and a lottery system to select who gets to try and have a baby. This is a dark tale about a couple that find themselves facing multiple challenges, tragedies, and mental breakdown.

The author of this new addition, Marilyn Peake, has done an excellent job of integrating her story into the Silo world. It's definitely a must read for anyone who fell in love with the original series.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sad & poignant dystopian world!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this short story (about 50 pages). I hadn't read the series in which it was set and was concerned that I wouldn't understand what was going on. However, the author did a really nice job of establishing just as much of the world as was needed. I understood the situation perfectly.
The plot was interesting, and the story makes you think. It touched a lot on the psychology of women wanting children and hoarders, which was definitely interesting.
The characters were interesting and dealt with their own problems and thought-patterns. The narration switched between quite a few characters which helped to get a better view of the situation and story.
My main complaint is the ending. It was abrupt. The story was almost over, but it definitely needed at least one more chapter to actual feel like it was ending. I felt like I was missing the last few pages.
Overall, it was a pretty good read, if you want a short story that will make you think. It had flaws, but I enjoyed it much more that I expected.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

* I received a free electronic copy of this novella from the author in exchange for an honest review.*

I am not familiar with the world of WOOL so I had to research the series first, but I feel that this instalment is a very worthy fan fiction piece. I love Peake's writing anyway, and this book was very enjoyable. The cover is beautiful too. Well done to Peake for pulling off this very hard project!

I am already waiting to see what she will do next!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Read

This is a great story to go into the "Wool" world. It takes place before the new Sheriff is appointed.
It's a short story, and to me a Must Read for Wool fans.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the Wool series yet but this definitely has made me want to. In a small closed society hoarding really can't be tolerated, the loss of materials goes against the needs of the community. What they needed to do was to be able to publicly express their grief over losing their daughter but because she was a secret even their grief had to be a secret, one that eventually undid them. Wonderfully written, quick and to the point. You don't need to read the series to be able to understand the story