Wool - by Hugh Howey

ratsy

ratsy

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Has anyone read the serial by Hugh Howey? I heard a radio interview with him last weekend and was really intrigued. I guess he started out writing a short story and self pubbed it. The feedback he got was so good he decided to keep writing and every few months he would release another section. I guess the complete story is available on kindle and paperback. Right now on Amazon it looks like you can get the collection for 3.99 US.

I guess it is a post apocalyptic story about a civilization that lives under ground in a huge silo. They are fed information about what happened and what is happening above them from the government but it may just be wool pulled over their eyes.

I am very curious to read this and the authors story is intriguing as well.
 
I must admit that I like the sound of this and it's one of the few SF books that I've seen advertised. From what I hear, it sounds like it could be a little like the Amtrak Wars. Theme wise anyway.
 
It started as a story then expanded. I think the story is available free as an e-book or used to be. It's about a man who decides to go to the surface, which everything considers tantamount to suicide. I read the first few pages, but didn't finish it. Sounded like a good book though.
 
You can get the first 4-5 chapters free and then if you like it buying the rest is really reasonable also.
 
I actually have read Hugh Howey's book "Wool" it is decent. I would say that its chief strength is a very original concept. I've read nothing like it before, and that's saying something for a 62 year old SF reader. The characters are interesting and the story is fairly believable. The things that made the story less than believable for me were the political background. and the long range planning behind the story set up (I won't say more for fear of writing spoilers.) . I have been tempted to get into something else he wrote. But "Wool" is distopian in concept and I have something of an aversion to that kind of setting. So, so far I have not. I've been reading SF at a terrific pace the past 6 months since I've bought a Kindle. I'm so happy with it!! I don't think "Wool" is published in any other form.

__

I bought an actual hard cover a month or so ago, and hated the inconvenience of the bulky thing. E books for me!!

_____
 
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Thanks guys. Parson, I have yet to make the Kindle jump. My brother and his family each have one and swear by them but I just can't commit to it for some reason. And I love the feel of a hardcover or just a book in my hands. But that being said, I have way too many books and have no where to put them so many are boxed in a closet.
 
I bought the trade paperback version and read it a month ago. I was very impressed. It read more like a mystery to me, albeit in a SF context. I was sucked into the story right from the beginning and had a hard time putting the book down.
 
It's quite good, and as previously mentioned very original. I'm starting into the next trilogy called The Shift Omnibus. First Shift is giving the backstory to Wool.

I give these books four out of five silo rating.
 
Musky said:
It's quite good, and as previously mentioned very original. I'm starting into the next trilogy called The Shift Omnibus. First Shift is giving the backstory to Wool.

I give these books four out of five silo rating.
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Good info. I didn't know there was more.
 
BetaWolf said:
Hugh Howey's got a new short story in Lightspeed for those interested: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/deep-blood-kettle/ I don't know if it's in the same universe as Wool, though.
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Read the story. It definitely is not part of the same universe as Wool. But on one level it has some connection. Without a name to call it, I would say its got the same sense of dread and inevitability to it. You keep wanting to slap someone and say "Wake up!".
 
Parson said:
Read the story. It definitely is not part of the same universe as Wool. But on one level it has some connection. Without a name to call it, I would say its got the same sense of dread and inevitability to it. You keep wanting to slap someone and say "Wake up!".
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Thanks, Parson. Here's a very brief interview with Howey on the story and finishing the Wool trilogy--I'm just starting Wool but looking forward to the rest of the series now.
 
I finished reading it yesterday. I thought it was a good book, it's a fascinating setting and the plot is compelling. I thought the last story was perhaps the weakest, while I liked most of the characters I found Lukas to be very irritating and he's involved in an unconvincing and underwritten romance.

Rodders said:
From what I hear, it sounds like it could be a little like the Amtrak Wars. Theme wise anyway.
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I was reminded of the underground cities in The Amtrak Wars when reading Wool, there's a definite similarity in the setting although the difference is that Wool is entirely focused on that setting whereas most of The Amtrak Wars take place in the outside world. I did prefer Wool to The Amtrak Wars which had some interesting ideas but I found it hard to care about the characters in it.
 
Finished Wool a few nights ago. It had been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. I'd bought the individual paperbacks that make up the 5 parts of the story and decided to take them away on holiday. What a surprise! I honestly thought it was excellent and I'd definitely recommend anyone that likes dystopian fiction to give it a go. I now have Shift and Dust waiting patiently......
 
My wife absolutely loves the Wool series. She even left me by the pool with the kids, on our honeymoon, while she disappeared to our rooms to finish part of it. :D
 
Did you have a go, Brian? It's Still on my to buy and to read lists.
 
I enjoyed Shift even more than Wool. There is a third book called Dust, but I can't get it in Canada yet.
 
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