Wool by Hugh Howey

This book was also lend to me by a friend which meant I read two post-apocalyptic books in a row. Halfway through I found out there's 2 more books which meant a trip to the library. I love that the stories are collected in these books making reading a lot easier for those who weren't able to read the standalone shorts.

Goodreads says "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."

Basically something happened and the world outside is not habitable. Nothing grows there, it's all grey and even the air is poisonous. People live in a silo underground that has 100 floors and no elevator. Most people never do the trip uptop or only does it when it's time for cleaning duty and they want to watch. It means that monitors to outside world are clean again and you can see the world properly. From very early on you find out cleaning duty is just another word for death sentence. It's also not a very fun way to die either.

First story of the book focuses on Holston. He is one of the sheriffs as you learn later on that there are few stations scattered around the silo for convenience. No one man can monitor hundred floors. Holston had a wife who was send to cleaning duty and her husband hasn't gotten over it. He wants to find out what happened, why did his wife actually volunteer for the duty. This sends him on a dangerous path.

Second story continues from the first one focusing on the mayor this time. She starts the work for mayor campaign and decides to make the trip down all those stairs. The campaign isn't the only reason for the trip but revealing it would spoil a lot. Eventhough these 2 stories seemed a little slow I did enjoy reading them. I loved learning more of the characters and the world this silo is in. Howey also made clear quite soon that life in silo isn't all rainbows. Death occures and it isn't always an accident. It made me little worried about liking any characters if I'm honest.

Last part of the book is where I didn't want to put down the book. A lot starts happening and you realise not everything is as it seems. We follow Juliette who is a mechanic but who is given a new duty. Which once again I can't reveal for spoilers. With Jules the story really kicks in. Things that have never happened in the silo before or if they have, the knowledge is buried. I was up until 4am because of how invested I became. This was also the point we were introduced to the first character that I just loath. Actually wished bad things to happen to them. Last half of the book also guaranteed I needed to read the other books for full understanding of the world.

I honestly loved this book. Sometimes post-apocalyptic stories are very similar with this heroine who doesn't want to be the leader or is clumsy or just not the heroine type you'd imagine. She does something amazing anyway while falling for the first guy to notice her. As much as I enjoy those books I was happy to find something different. Where need for the truth was more powering for these characters than some random person they happened to fall in love. There is romance elements of course but they aren't the center of the story as much as the person's journey. It makes me really happy. I honestly would recommend this one and I am actually reading the sequal as we speak.

Batman by Craig Shaw Gardner

                                          Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Here is the novelization of the blockbuster Warner Brothers summer movie of 1989, Batman, from the author of The Lost Boys movie tie-in and the Ebenezzum fantasy series. Stars Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger. Original.

I don't know where to start. I don't think I've ever read a novelization of a movie before and it feels weird. I saw Batman as a kid and don't think I've seen it since. It was a pretty good movie and I loved Jack Nicholson's Joker. All I ever remember is the Joker falling in the poison and his catchphrase "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" he likes to say everyone before he kills them.

If you've seen the movie you know what this book is about. How Joker was born from Napier, Bruce Wayne dated a reporter called Vicki while trying to be Batman and keep his identity as a secret and what chaos Joker caused. It's darker than Batman stories used to be.

The book is surprisingly good. I'm not sure it was necessary but if you love reading and Batman then this probably works for you. It keeps you on your toes and makes you interested in Joker. I found him to be more fascinating than Batman if I'm honest. He was the main reason I liked the book. Vicki and Harvey Dent for example weren't something I invested in as characters and it made me a little sad. I'm probably biased though as I've never been a huge Batman fan. I like him but billionare superhero thing isn't really my thing.

Overall it's easy to read book that you will be done in few hours. It will keep you entertained and invested. It shows superhero stories can be dark and work well. Which seems to be the popular direction these days. Not sure I'll read it again but it's still nice to have.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Friend lend me this book and I have to be honest, I hadn't heard about it before nor did I know there was a movie made of it. Post - apocalyptic books can be really fascinating though so I was quite excited to read it. Especially since it was rather short book that would only take a few hours.

This is a book about father and son and their journey through burned America. The landscape is grey, full of ash and nothing moves there, nothing grows there. All they have is each other, the cart with some food and a pistol. Somehow they need to get to the coast even if they have no idea what waits there. It's a long and very cold road.

Since there is something really bugging me I just have to put it out there. I understand the dialogue works for this narrative, fits the story being told. I'm just not a fan when you can't tell when dialogue starts as it's not indicated with " and very rarely it was describing who said what. Sometimes I had to go back to the beginning of the dialogue to make sure I was correct in who was saying this and who that. Maybe I'm just easily distracted but it didn't really work for me.

That being said, this book worked for me. I didn't expect a happy ending in a world where nothing lives. I didn't expect huge spectacles, just a man and his son surviving. It can get a little repetitive but the book was short enough for this not to become a huge problem. Few scenes were horrifying and I did end up shedding a few tears.

At the end this book is about hope, about luck. This pair has been surviving, just the two of them for years. Still they see themselves as the good guys, the ones that carry the flame inside. Ones that don't just kill people and eat them. This is very evident in the boy who has empathy for every living person he sees. He knows there are bad guys but until there's proof someone is bad, he just wants to help them. Even if nothing can really help those people anymore. He isn't hardened to the world which does make you worry if he is fits to survive.

There's not a lot more you can say about this book without really spoiling it so I'll just say I enjoyed it. If you want a quick read and love slow paced journeys where the focus is on ideals you will enjoy this book as well. If Walking Dead is more your style of post - apocalyptic world then maybe give this one a pass. If anyone has read this one I would love to hear your thoughts on it!