Shift (Omnibus) by Hugh Howey

Holy hell...this audiobook was 18+ hours long. And I could not stop listening....

Hopefully, you will read/listen to Wool (Omnibus) first even though Shift is the prequel. I frickin' loved Wool and there were so many things left at the end that just confused me. How did these people come to live in Silos? What happened to America that forced so many people underground? Shift explains.

Shift flips between the somewhat current years with politicians (I KNEW it had to be politicians ruining the earth!!!) planning a nuclear waste area in Georgia, including building an underground silo that would be used in case there was a nuclear "issue" and all the workers had to go somewhere in an emergency. Donald is the very green congressman tasked with designing this silo. He commits a great deal of time to it, working with his ex from college and a senior congressman's daughter, Anna.

Then we flip to many many years in the future and the silos are in full use. Silo 1 has shifts of people who work for 6 months and then are frozen for a period of time until their next shift. Troy comes on shift and is the head of the silos. He is struggling with his shift because, despite the medication given to him, he remembers.

The omnibus continues to flip back and forth between pre-silo and post-apocalyptic silos. I am loathed to give anything away because of how many times I was surprised when I was listening.

Truly, read this series but start with Wool.

Shift (books 6-8)

Book 6 - Legacy

First Shift is a prequel to the story in the first five Wool novels, where the actions that led to the status quo of the world are explained through the eyes of Donald, a young congressman, in two different timelines.

Book 7 - Order

Second Shift follows a few of the characters of Book 6 when they are woken from cold-sleep 100 years later to be consulted on some unresolved problems, as well as a young new character in silo 18 named Mission, where they are experiencing internal fighting which threatens their survival.

Book 8 - Pact

Third Shift brings a close to the prequel trilogy. It tells the story of the fall of Silo 17, and the transformation of Jimmy into Solo, as well as the continued story of Donald Keene in Silo 1.