Wool, Shift, Dust

Hugh Howey’s series of books, starting with “Wool” followed by “Silo”, and ending with “Dust”, have captivated audiences around the world. “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.”

The story moves with grace and vigor mixing the sweet elements of love with the sour taste of life. Tragedy mixed with triumph intermingled with challenges that keep the reader on edge. Howey’s well developed writing style will pull you into the world of the silos. The reader can taste the grease in the air and smell the heat of the bodies as they race up and down the spiral staircase connecting the deepest places of the silo to the highest reaches.

Howey does not rehash information from previous books with each new volume. It is refreshing to not be bogged down with re-stated details from the past allowing the reader to jump in with both feet and in the blink of an eye and find themselves still reading into the wee hours of the night.

At the end of the Omnibus Edition of “Wool” Hugh Howey was asked “Why are these books so cheap?” His reply, “Because I’m a big fat nobody, that’s why!” It seems safe to say that Hugh Howey is no longer a “fat nobody”. He has made his mark on the science fiction genre that will remain for a very long time.