Wool: Hugh Howey review

Wool

By: Hugh Howey
Rating: 5 Star

Wool and its follow on novels, Shift, and Dust enjoy a huge following. Wool is the first of the series.

Set in an unspecified future, Wool follows the story of a group of people forced to live permanently inside a gigantic Silo.

The outside air is toxic, the confines of their silo the only safe habitat. Wool shows people doing everything that they can to survive in a difficult environment. It's a great survivor's tale. All of their water has to be dug for, oil has to be drilled for, and all food has to be grown within the gigantic structure. 

Over time, the occupants of the silo divide themselves by function and skill-set. This include groups such as mechanics, information technology, medical, etc., and over time those functions have developed their own class structures, and distinct psyches within the silo. 

Howey explores how those various functions interact and clash with each other throughout the story. Is everyone really in it together or is one faction keeping information from the other? The tensions between the departments really reminded me of Lord of the Flies and it's gripping stuff.

The legal system inside the Silo is brutal. Anyone who breaks the rules or desires a wish to 'go outside' is sent outside the silo to the toxic wasteland to die.

The Silo world created by Howey is amazingly detailed and you really get immersed into the world as you read through it. 

I've already started on Shift, Wool is definitely highly recommended!