Wool Book Review

​​Title: Wool
Author: Hugh Howey
Genre: Sci-fi 
Published: 2012
Pages: 566 (Kindle Edition)
Goodreads Rating: 4.22
Rating: 7/10

“None of us asked to be where we are (…) What we control (…) is our actions once fate puts us there.”

How would you feel if your entire life was lived underground? Basics like fresh air and sunlight are simply not an option for you. Windows? Natural light? No and no. Are you starting to feel claustrophobic? Desperate to get outside? I hope it’s worth the few moments you’ll have as you succumb to the deadly elements. This dystopian attempt at life is the fate of humanity in Wool by Hugh Howey.

Pros:
Silo structure
It was fascinating to learn about the structure of the silo including the hierarchy and physical set-up. The societal structure is based on the physical structure which is split into thirds… the up top, mids, and down deep. Each area has its own personality and core opinions, and like oil and vinegar, they don’t mix well. 

Who? What? Where? How? Why?
In Wool, you learn with the main character, Juliette. And the questions just start piling up. What is going on? How did this happen? Who did this? Where are they? Why are they in the silo? Was it climate change? Did super-volcanoes erupt and destroy the atmosphere? Nuclear war? Alien invasion? Just some horrible experiment? As Juliette starts to learn bits of disjointed details, it only adds to the initial confusion. 

As you get closer to the end of the book, you start to get some answers to your many questions and it is truly horrifying. I’m extremely excited to start Shift because it is a prequel to Wool and hopefully filled with the answers to the rest of my questions. 

Cons:
Plot Convenience 
Smaller examples of plot convenience appear throughout the book but it really ramps up towards the end. Critical moments just happen to conveniently line up perfectly… Side characters, against all odds, happen to be in the right place at the right time… New characters are introduced who seemingly only serve the purpose of adding some intense moments… Simply put… it wasn’t as believable or realistic as it could have been. 

Ending
So many intense elements happen at the end of the story and Howey either doesn’t address them at all or provides very few details as an explanation. I’m limited in what I can say because I don’t want to include spoilers… but my frustration was real. 

Quick note
Parts one through three of the book make up the first season of the show, Silo. 

Overall…
I chose to read Wool after reading a couple books on climate change… So the dystopian setting was more horrifying than normal as we deal with the reality of wildfires, heat waves, and melting glaciers. Aside from my terrible timing, Wool was an enjoyable read. It hooks you immediately as you keep reading to try to gain more insight into the world they’re dealing with.