Sunday, February 10, 2013

Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey

There are 5 Wool books and this little Omnibus puts them all in one collection. I heard about this from the CraftStash podcast and since it included knitting I'd thought I'd give it a try. WAIT!!! STOP!! It's not a knitting book! Come back.....

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. (Goodreads)

This is a bizarre apocalyptic collection about people who live in underground silos because the outside world is toxic now. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people in this silo and it's basically functioning world in there, complete with castes and people in their places. Mechanical in the down deep (over 130 levels below ground) and Law up top (first floor). The silo is so large there are "hotels" on several floors because it simply cannot be traveled in a day.

We start off with the current Sheriff, Holston, climbing to his death (really, this is the first sentence of the collection). We learn that he lost his wife 3 years prior and he's decided to punish himself with the capital punishment the Silo mets out. A cleaning.

From there we spiral down into a world that is just bizarre and frightening. The people in the silo learn things that they were never supposed to know -Truth spreads like a virus - and uprises are organized.

If you like sci-fi, apocalyptic works, I highly recommend Wool. Get the collection. If you don't, you'll instantly regret it when the first book leaves you hanging.

1 comment:

Austin Search Engine Optimization said...

With each book and story, Hugh just keeps getting better as he continues to hone his skills. I look forward to seeing this novelette with three others in some kind of collection in the future and can't wait to see what he writes next.