Wool Collector's Edition: Book One of the Silo Series: 1

In a ruined and toxic landscape, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo's rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside. So I'm aware that this was originally written in parts and this is the whole brought together in one volume - I am actually immensely grateful that this did not appear on my radar earlier because it would have driven me absolutely insane to have to wait for each new instalment - ok I am pretty insane most of the time anyway, but still. Wool is that rarest of things - a completely character driven dystopian novel. Its a beautifully written one at that. The pace is fairly slow but oh so compelling - as we meet various characters living in the Silo, a lot of whom for one reason or another start to doubt the facts they have been living with. Endlessly fascinating, this little snapshot of a life led in one place and in one way, following very specific rules whose purpose seem to have been lost in the mists of time, its a living breathing thing. Of course that is not all there is to it by any means. The world building here is also superb but rather than extensive descriptive passages, we see pretty much all of it through the eyes of our characters - as they move through the various levels of the Silo and a wider picture emerges. The various aspects of the life they lead, the social structures and different communities that make up the whole. Some familiar themes are woven into the narrative - power, responsibility, rebellion and realisation - at times its emotive stuff - you will come to know these people well. As our protagonists start to learn more about the realities, what came before, what is being hidden, it is absolutely addictive - I could barely put it down. Absolutely brilliant writing. I am so pleased that I still have two more novels to go - I believe the next one is in the way of being a "prequel" and that the last will pull all the various strands of the tale together. I can't wait to see the whole picture. I really can't. Highly recommended. Happy Reading Folks!

0.4 - Mike Lancaster "My name is Kyle Straker and I don't exist anymore" And so begins the life of Kyle Straker recorded onto old audio tapes. Set in an unknown point in our future, the tapes reveal they contain the history of a past world. But as the novel progresses it is revealed that everything as we know it is a lie, but if what these tapes say are true, doesn't that mean that we are as well? This new generation sci fi is absolutely chilling, the whole concept and layout of the persona' s narrative is surprisingly well executed. The novel's plot is haunting and keeps the reader constantly on edge throughout each line and chapter. As it progresses there are so many questions that come to mind as this novel is entirely thought provoking and makes you question, wonder and hope. 0.4 (or Human.4 as it sometimes known) is complex and addictive, it is weird in the best possible way and quite simply brilliant. Lancaster's novel is wholly unique and was the book that made me fall in love with the science fiction genre all those years ago. Not only does it has the typical conventions of its genre, but it also subverts it and turns it entirely inside out. The novel is a transcript of the audio tapes and has annotations to the futuristic `audience' and intelligently comments on present day topics. This is not only entertaining for us as readers and even sometimes creates humour. The plot twists are surprising and are entirely unexpected providing a terrifying psychological horror as the characters become more frantic and as Lancaster develops the narrative. All of these ideas combine excellently and this is one of the main reasons why I love this novel. This sophisticated plot is also heightened by the characters who are realistic and three dimensional, allowing us to sympathise with these characters in their desperate plight for answers. Their fears, hopes and anxieties are both vividly and believably drawn by Mike Lancaster. The desperate voices are engaging and wholly believable, every character was a pleasure to meet and become involved with particularly the protagonist of Kyle Straker. His voice resonant and completely sets the tone and emotions of the novel. Overall this novel was complex and weirdly wonderful in the best possible way. The multiple layers completely balance each other and fit together brilliantly creating an eerie yet enthralling read. Rating: Four Stars For the original and other book reviews, check out my website https://emsview.wordpress.com/

I can't recommend this highly enough. I downloaded the first story in the Wool series for free. I had it read in ten minutes and immediately bought the complete collection. The first of the five stories? (Chapters? How about installments?) is also far and away the shortest. It introduces us to the world of the Silo and a glimpse of the life inside. It also ends with a nice twist, built on in the second and subsequent sections. Each story expands on its predecessor to extend our knowledge of the world a little more. The stories don't all focus on the same character, but each individual is very well written, with different lives, motivations and feelings creating highly believable people in each case. Characters expand, as do the length of the chapters, as the series develops. I can see how these had people clamouring for the next installment when these were originally published. You'll also learn why its such a great title. While selling a book in installments is an idea that's been around for hundreds of years, it's a system that could work well in the modern world. At the end of the collection the author hints of future stories. I'll certainly buy more, and I intend looking at his non-Wool books too. (He also says he reads every review, so Hi Hugh!) Get the first book for nothing. If you don't like it, you haven't lost anything. If you do, then buy the collection. It's worth it. And frankly, a bargain at just over £2.

This is an incredible read, I love to try out the "bargain end" of the kindle book store... I feel it gives a chance to up-coming authors and I like the exclusivity of it. I finished "Yesterday's Gone" and went to write a review as the authors begged, but when I did, I read a review that knocked YG and said how disappointed they were because it was a recommendation after reading Wool... Well, curiosity got the better of me, as I thoroughly enjoyed YG seasons 1&2 and I thought this guy must have some personal grievance or something... Anyhow, three quid or so later and a few sleepless nights and poor performances at work and arguments with managers and WOOL is brilliant! I was shocked to find that Hugh Howey is younger than me and American! After reading Wool, I was sure that any man with such a natural and innate ability to convey desperation and struggle would surely be British! Anyhow, Mr Howey is a master of characterisation and imagination. He can really make you care for Holston and be really interested in him and then kill him! -The beginning of the book really can throw you off if you're not prepared, and I nearly gave up, thinking that the author was taking the pish in some way... I now understand it was a good way to "Set the limits" from the start. There are a LOT of similes in Wool with present attitudes and approaches by various factions currently warring in day to day life we currently face. Some are obvious and others I enjoy thinking about when I'm drinking. Either way, this is fantastically well-written/crafted and has a maturity about it that is rare in Sci-Fi. It is a credit to Mr Howey and I can't wait to read "Half Way Home" which I bought today. Only one thing that I picked out was that the Sump pump was wired into IT's 24V supply. It should have been at least 3 phase... See, I can believe that there is a Silo holding 1000's of people underground and sustaining life for 100's of years, but when it comes to running a pump of a 24 v supply I immediately go "Nah... He's having a laugh with that!" See, that's the problem with Sci-Fi, it has to be well-written to be believable, and if the best I can come up with after reading Wool, is the correct bloody supply voltage for a sump pump, then the man did well... Damned well.

The idea that a self contained eco-system like the Silo could be self sustaining for decades, if not longer, is frankly, daft, but the beauty of Wool is that this doesn't matter. The strength of Wool is in the writing, the characters and the highly plausible politics of the unique situation in which the occupants of the Silo find themselves. I loved the claustrophobia of this story, and the Silo was definitely home to me for the duration of the story. The main character is a delight, and felt the loss of other characters that didn't make it ! ... I will definitely be reading more in Shift and Dust. On the downside, the actual story arc doesn't make a lot of sense ********** Spoiler alert ************ 1) the idea that Mechanical would not stock up for a seige before starting the uprising is unlikely 2) If Juliette could build a suit capable of going down four floors of submerged silo, why didnt she use that suit to go back to Silo 18? 3) Once everything was resolved, why didn't they build some decent suits and go and collect Solo and the others ? 4) I thought Solo was supposed to have been alone for years .. far longer than the age of "Rickson" 5) The dead end sub-plot of the pump re-wiring was frankly, annoying Minor points, but they did detract from what in all other respects was a tremendous read

As perhaps one of the few people not to have seen The Silo on TV, I came to the book with a completely open mind. Currently feeling like my working life is some weird dystopian mess, I wanted something properly hellish to pull me out of it. Wool delivers on that pretty well. Unfortunately for me, it also delivers up some of the same characters I find in my soon-to-be-ex colleagues. Bit of a busman’s holiday, but without the actual murder. I digress. It would be hard to explain what kept me so gripped from about a third of the way through the book without serving up spoilers. While there are some things that feel a little too neat, our protagonist, Juliette, is well-drawn and convincing. The rivalries between sectors of the silo, as well as their relative importance to the success of the ecosystem, should be familiar to anyone who has worked in a corporate environment, as well as observers of our wider society. Published in 2013, it’s nice to see an absence of AI overlords or abuse, despite the book being set ostensibly hundreds of years in the future. For all that the IT department represents the ruling class, this is a world in greater balance than our own in some respects, which makes it easier to draw parallels. Overall, a satisfying read, that raises some interesting questions.

I heard about this author and "Wool" on a Radio 2 book review. It is rare that I pick up a book in this fashion I usually go on friends recommendations, but the story sounded very compelling and the reviews I read following seemed to back this up... This is the usual post apocalyptic fare we have seen time and time again - Terminator, The Road, I am Legend but to name a few. The world ends and the survivors story is... But, this drew me in as I like the idea of the Silo, the confined space where the human race can survive like a seed pod waiting to be brought back to life once conditions are suitable. This is a great idea and felt to me like an original take on a tired idea. The air outside is poisoned and what is left of the human race must remain underground till the time is right. The politics and social control is interesting and well thought out. But... I wasn't completely satisfied, where this fell over was the characters for me, I didn't feel enough for them. They all seemed a bit empty and wishy washy, the villain is not really a villain, the lead characters are flat and don't really drag you into them enough to make you really care what happens to them. Another gripe was the depth of the background, I found it frustrating that we learn very little of why the Silo is there and what happened, I appreciate that this will follow in the sequels, but even still it could have given me more as this for me was the main reason I want to read the book and I don't like the idea of having to buy into a franchise of books to learn more. That said - Overall, it was a good read and I will read the other novels in the series. At times it is fresh and the author has revamped a tired idea.

The tv series left a lot of gaps in the story line, the book is a much better read and recommended.