Blog Archive

Tuesday 26 July 2016

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.


No comments:

Post a Comment