Wool

1. A really unique idea that did initially intrigue me; humanity is preserved in silos and this becomes oppressive due to the unequal balance of power. Certain levels abuse their power, and the action when the characters were fighting against this as part of an uprising was certainly intense and during these parts, the book was a page-turner and I felt compelled to continue reading. However, it took a while to get to these parts, and the climbing up and down the stairs to get to the exciting parts started to feel repetitive and seemed like a filler between one piece of action and the next. A lot of it could have been cut out.2. The writing style flowed well and there was an appropriate balance between description and dialogue. In general I thought the use of figurative language really helped to set the tone throughout, particularly at the beginning.3. Although I didn't get annoyed by the characters, they were just “ok”. I liked Holston in the first part, and I started to admire Juliette's strength towards the end. But I didn't completely connect with any of them, which stopped me from caring for them in certain scenes. I felt like more character development at the start would have been useful, particularly because the focus keeps shifting between characters and I struggled to remember who was who because there was no initial in-depth establishment of them. I kind of feel like there were so many characters that it ended up being about quantity over quality...4. Some elements of the world could have been more believable because I just didn't feel entirely convinced by it like I do with the worlds in most dystopia/sci-fi novels. I don’t really know what it was about it, but it felt unfinished and too many questions were left unanswered even by the very end.

Wool is escapism done right; a gripping account of post-apocalyptic life, set in a vividly-realised world-in-miniature. It began life as a self-published short story, expanded in chunks by first-time author Hugh Howey in response to its growing popularity. One can see traces of the novel's origins in its structure; prior to the emergence of the mechanic Juliette as the hero of the tale, Wool has an episodic feel; introducing and dispatching several characters in short order. It begins with the exile of the Silo's Sheriff, Holston, to certain death in the toxic world beyond the Silo walls. This sets in motion a power struggle which comes to destabilise the delicate balance of life in the Silo.Compelling and suspenseful, Wool is an accomplished sci-fi thriller; but Howey's ambition elevates it above mere pulp. Holston and Juliette in particular are well-characterised, with the personal cost of the Silo's totalitarian regime clearly felt in their inner turmoil. The oppressive necessities of life in the Silo - from compulsory birth control and a command economy, to the class struggle between the greasemonkeys in Mechanical and the elites in IT - succeed both in adding depth to Howey's city in a bottle, and instilling in our protagonists a believable yearning for the world outside. However, Howey's inexperience as a writer is also apparent in places. HIs prose - particularly his dialogue - can be clunky, and his characterisation is spotty. Juliette's love interest, Lukas, is soppy and dull, whilst head of IT Bernard comes across more as a petty, spiteful bureaucrat than the Silo's secret powerbroker.Nevertheless, Howey's debut is a compelling yarn; difficult to put down, but with satisfying depth. I raced through it in the course of a few days. The first of a trilogy; it stands alone as a rewarding novel, whilst leaving plenty of loose ends that leave the reader inpatient for its sequel Shift.

A really solid series, woven with a lot of twists and turns throughout, keeping the reader constantly guessing. The way the mystery within unravels will keep you reading late into the night, and I couldn't put these down once I had started! It goes to some very interesting places, and asks some rather deep and philosophical questions of the reader throughout. Recommended

'Wool' by author Hugh Howey is my 'must read' for this week, actually this year!!, closely followed in this trilogy is 'Shift' and hopefully soon to be finished, 'Dust'.A random visit to Amazons Sci-Fi section, I happened upon this title, raised my eyebrows and promptly downloaded it.... Seven hours later, oblivious to my own reality and relishing in the one created by Hugh's imagination, I downloaded Shift.. Utterly hooked....Wool is a frightening but fantastically well written, 'none put down-able' read. Purely self indulgent it demands to be read from cover to cover without a break, no, not even to feed the children! For those in the know it is a terrifying prospect of a future probability at the hands of man men with delusional wishes of selfish, self preservation. Excellently written throughout, you cannot help but become immersed totally in all of the characters, so well written are these books. Their lives in the Silo should be a stark warning for Humanity not to become complacent. There are too many clues in this book to issues I have researched and addressed on my wall and Blog for there not to be a connection. Mr. Howey may well be unaware that he may just have written a blue-print very similar to the Elites. Regardless... I would highly recommend you treat yourself to the best bit of writing I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time....

Wool is a vision of a dystopian future in class of it's own. The characters are well drawn, the prose smooth and the tension in the storyline almost unbearable at times.I was an avid fan of sci-fi many years ago (John Wyndham, Ray Bradbury, Frank Herbert and many others) but recent science fiction has left me vaguely dissatisfied as much of it seems to lack depth or is overly contrived. This book is a refreshing return to what I (admittedly a dinosaur by many standards) regard as a golden age. The story is absolutely rivetting as the world of the silo is gradually revealed, with the reader constantly wanting to discover more. The characters who inhabit this dark world are warm and real, I cared about what was going to happen to them.There have been comparisons made to The Hunger Games, which are wholly unjustified. This is a far superior novel which is better written and much more absorbing on many levels (I would agree with the reviewer who compared it to the early work of Steven King).I have just downloaded the second book and will be straight into it.Thank you Hugh Howey for restoring my faith in the sci-fi genre