Eric Stone
I just finished revisiting the Wool omnibus after finding a physical copy at a library sale. It’s been years since I first read it, and I'm pleased - though not surprised - that it holds up well. Even with the new show on Apple TV, there is something about the way Hugh Howey builds this world on the page that a screen just can’t capture.
The whole story takes place in a giant underground silo - and I love a closed system. You’ve got 144 floors and no elevator. My favorite thing about this book is that the setting is the antagonist. Howey writes in a such a way that you can feel the weight of the dirt and institutional oppression.
The story focuses on my favorite kind of protagonist - regular person in an irregular situation. She’s a mechanic. She treats her problems as things that need to be fixed, and seeing her realize the silo is her prison remains satisfying.
If you’re into high-stakes stories like Seveneves or The Long Walk, where the rules of the world are rigid and breaking them has actual consequences, Wool is for you. The tension and excitement far outweigh what you'd think possible in a book about a hole in the ground.
Definitely worth the shelf space.
I just finished revisiting the Wool omnibus after finding a physical copy at a library sale. It’s been years since I first read it, and I'm pleased - though not surprised - that it holds up well. Even with the new show on Apple TV, there is something about the way Hugh Howey builds this world on the page that a screen just can’t capture.
The whole story takes place in a giant underground silo - and I love a closed system. You’ve got 144 floors and no elevator. My favorite thing about this book is that the setting is the antagonist. Howey writes in a such a way that you can feel the weight of the dirt and institutional oppression.
The story focuses on my favorite kind of protagonist - regular person in an irregular situation. She’s a mechanic. She treats her problems as things that need to be fixed, and seeing her realize the silo is her prison remains satisfying.
If you’re into high-stakes stories like Seveneves or The Long Walk, where the rules of the world are rigid and breaking them has actual consequences, Wool is for you. The tension and excitement far outweigh what you'd think possible in a book about a hole in the ground.
Definitely worth the shelf space.