Book Review - Wool (JS)

Wool (Wool Trilogy 1) by Hugh Howey

 

 

Review by Jacqui Slaney

 

I bought this book, as I liked the look of the next in the series. Yes, I know that is a strange reason for buying a book but that is what happened. I did not know the author, but the whole idea sounded very readable.

 

This is the description:

 

In a ruined and hostile landscape, in a future few have been unlucky enough to survive, a community exists in a giant underground silo. Inside, men and women live an enclosed life full of rules and regulations, of secrets and lies. To live, you must follow the rules. But some don't. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple and deadly. They are allowed outside. Jules is one of these people. She may well be the last.

 

As I have mentioned in other reviews, I do like science fiction, in fact, they were the first books I read, but some can be disappointing and difficult to read with very technical writing and poor characters that were as interesting as lumps of wood. This book does not fall into that category I am happy to say.

 

I found within a couple of pages of starting it, that I was hooked. The first character you meet, Holston the sheriff, pulls you in and by the time you meet Juliette the real main character, you cannot put the book down.

 

Imagine living inside a Silo, your life restricted to the different landings and the stairwell that runs from Down Deep to Up Top, where the airlock is and the canteen. This is where you can look out through screens and see what remains of the world. The screens are dependent on the people who choose to go or are sent outside by the judge to clean them. The result of which is a clean viewing lens and the death of the cleaner due to their space suit failing. Imagine living in this Silo and that the only time that a child can be conceived is when someone has died. Imagine what happens when someone popular and loved is sent outside to clean and what would happen to the mood of the silo when a rumour starts about the quality of the suits used for the cleaning.

 

You think all this would be hard to imagine, but this novel is so good, the writer makes the scenario very believable for the reader. You feel that you are there and you empathise with the different characters.

 

There are different points of views but in no way does this distract from the story, if anything it makes the story more tense and suspenseful, and ensures interest in even some of the secondary characters.

 

Juliette or Jules as she calls herself is a brilliant main character. She is strong and resourceful, though she still has doubts and fears, which make her more real. I liked Lukas with his stargazing and Bernard is someone everyone can dislike.

 

Normally by now in the review I am writing the part which says I like this book but.., but honestly I cannot find much fault. I can pick holes and say at times the pace of the story dips, but that is being very fussy.

 

As you can tell I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to all to read, as for me, well I’m going to read book 2.

 

9 out of 10