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jdarnold's review against another edition
4.0
This is a review of the "Wool Omnibus", which contains the (first?) five books in the Wool saga. It features a dystopian world, completely centered on the Silo, a 150+ floor hole in the ground inhabited by a whole colony of people. The Earth has become a desolate, poisonous wasteland, yet in the Silo is a functioning vibrant world, whose only view outside is via cameras. And those cameras are periodically "cleaned" by "volunteers" who are sentenced to a final trip outside to clear the scanners with wool pads.
Each of the five stories is told from a different point of view, but in the third person, so you're never sure where it is going or what will happen. It begins with the current "sheriff", who tries to figure out why his much beloved wife became a Cleaner three years ago. Other stories are told mainly from the current Mayor and Juliette, a mechanic with a big part in the stories.
The story is explained slowly - how they ended up in the silos, what happened, and what else is out there. There are some information haves and some information have nots, and the haves live under a constant fear the have nots will figure things out and then get really really mad. Which is, of course, what happens, as things explode in a vicious internal conflict.
I very much enjoyed Wool and found it hard to put it down. You always wanted to both find out what happens next but also, just as importantly, what they find out next. And, much like [a:George R.R. Martin|346732|George R.R. Martin|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1351944410p2/346732.jpg]'s books, just because some of the story is told from a certain person's point of view, don't get too attached to them...
The only real complaint I had was that I didn't believe the reasoning behind the quick explosion of violence. It seemed to happen far too quickly. And some of the writing was clunky - certain turns of phrases, repeated description, etc. There were also clumsy attempts at having the story be told by explaining the recent past for no real reason, as it sort of exposed the punch line way too early. And if Juliette compared the works of the colony or other groups of people to particular pieces of machinery, as far as dealing with them, one more time, I think I would have exploded.
Oh, and the title doesn't really make much sense. Wool shows up a few times briefly, and I suppose the author could have been implying something about pulling the wool off their eyes, but I almost didn't read it because of the name - I was afraid it was going to be about sheep :)
Anyway, good book, with an excellent dystopian setting. He does a great job of explaining the colony, while leaving enough mysteries for some promised followups. It starts out grim but ends hopefully, so give it a try and stick with it!
Each of the five stories is told from a different point of view, but in the third person, so you're never sure where it is going or what will happen. It begins with the current "sheriff", who tries to figure out why his much beloved wife became a Cleaner three years ago. Other stories are told mainly from the current Mayor and Juliette, a mechanic with a big part in the stories.
The story is explained slowly - how they ended up in the silos, what happened, and what else is out there. There are some information haves and some information have nots, and the haves live under a constant fear the have nots will figure things out and then get really really mad. Which is, of course, what happens, as things explode in a vicious internal conflict.
I very much enjoyed Wool and found it hard to put it down. You always wanted to both find out what happens next but also, just as importantly, what they find out next. And, much like [a:George R.R. Martin|346732|George R.R. Martin|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1351944410p2/346732.jpg]'s books, just because some of the story is told from a certain person's point of view, don't get too attached to them...
The only real complaint I had was that I didn't believe the reasoning behind the quick explosion of violence. It seemed to happen far too quickly. And some of the writing was clunky - certain turns of phrases, repeated description, etc. There were also clumsy attempts at having the story be told by explaining the recent past for no real reason, as it sort of exposed the punch line way too early. And if Juliette compared the works of the colony or other groups of people to particular pieces of machinery, as far as dealing with them, one more time, I think I would have exploded.
Oh, and the title doesn't really make much sense. Wool shows up a few times briefly, and I suppose the author could have been implying something about pulling the wool off their eyes, but I almost didn't read it because of the name - I was afraid it was going to be about sheep :)
Anyway, good book, with an excellent dystopian setting. He does a great job of explaining the colony, while leaving enough mysteries for some promised followups. It starts out grim but ends hopefully, so give it a try and stick with it!
reatschetter's review
5.0
I almost gave up on this after the first few chapters of Wool. My current state of mind wanted something hopeful and this was bleak. I decided to power through and ended up devouring all 3 books over the next week (I was on vacation, okay?). Yes, there is a lot of bleakness in these books. Life can be bleak and our best intentions can lead us into chaos. Life can also hold hope in the midst of the bleakness.
My oldest asked me 'what are they about?' when I was trying to explain why she should read them. It's hard to say very much without giving away some key plot points. Perhaps the best I can say is 'post-apocalyptic people struggle with questions of right and wrong. Is it our moral compass that makes a thing right, or the later consequences? Can we do a right thing for the wrong reasons, or a wrong thing for the right reasons? What, exactly, do we owe to others?' All of this plays out against some intriguing characters and a wonderfully detailed world. (I swear I could feel the damp and the drip in the Deeps, feel the rattle of machinery, smell the plants in the Mids.)
Wool is, in my opinion, the best of the three and the most detailed. I think the series benefits from being combined into one massive omnibus; I think my attention might have lagged if I had waited to read Shift and Dust.
My oldest asked me 'what are they about?' when I was trying to explain why she should read them. It's hard to say very much without giving away some key plot points. Perhaps the best I can say is 'post-apocalyptic people struggle with questions of right and wrong. Is it our moral compass that makes a thing right, or the later consequences? Can we do a right thing for the wrong reasons, or a wrong thing for the right reasons? What, exactly, do we owe to others?' All of this plays out against some intriguing characters and a wonderfully detailed world. (I swear I could feel the damp and the drip in the Deeps, feel the rattle of machinery, smell the plants in the Mids.)
Wool is, in my opinion, the best of the three and the most detailed. I think the series benefits from being combined into one massive omnibus; I think my attention might have lagged if I had waited to read Shift and Dust.
v_leinad's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
breq's review against another edition
I'm surprised I made it through the whole series last time
guidok's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
prmichael's review
4.0
The books are very different from the Apple TV series, but since the books are a bit lengthy that stands to reason. Shift was difficult to get into because the plot jumped around and the character names changed as the plot advanced. The books did come together in Dust, but I felt that the author was pushing to bring an end to the story. Overall, the series kept me entertained and engaged.
afrobloomingla's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
Good plot but the but each book could have been about 30% shorter. He’s kind of a mediocre writer who doesn’t know that so there were a lot of plot holes and if he used all of his rambling text to fill those, it would have made the books better.
This is the only time in my life where I think the show is better than the book. Exponentially better than the books.
This is the only time in my life where I think the show is better than the book. Exponentially better than the books.
mfrench73's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it and can't wait to read the 2nd book in the trilogy!
melissarochelle's review against another edition
4.0
Knowing that this was originally published (and is still available as) five novellas/short stories, I'm having a difficult time rating it as a whole.
[b:Wool|12287209|Wool|Hugh Howey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327889474s/12287209.jpg|17263666] -- 5 stars. A GREAT story. I can understand why fans wanted more.
[b:Wool 2: Proper Gauge|13178410|Wool 2 Proper Gauge|Hugh Howey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1323761382s/13178410.jpg|18358443] -- 4 stars. It took me a little longer to get into this one, but (again) the ending grabs you and you MUST keep reading.
[b:Wool 3: Casting Off|13202200|Wool 3 Casting Off|Hugh Howey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327889740s/13202200.jpg|18385155] -- 5 stars. Possibly my favorite. Juliette is such an awesome character.
[b:Wool 4: The Unraveling|13314945|Wool 4 The Unraveling|Hugh Howey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327889828s/13314945.jpg|18520973] -- 4 stars -- We start getting real answers, but it lost the urgency I felt with the first three stories, but I never once thought I would put the book aside. There's TOO much I need to know!
[b:Wool 5: The Stranded|13425846|Wool 5 The Stranded|Hugh Howey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330545630s/13425846.jpg|18908634] -- 4 stars -- We've got answers, we've got heroism, we've got bravery, we've got truth. It's awesome and (I feel) complete. I wouldn't mind more stories from the Silo, but I think the author did a great job of telling this story completely.
I read a couple of reviews that mentioned the title...and I think it makes sense. Part of why I wanted to read this is because the title was so random. Points to the author for grabbing my attention!
[b:Wool|12287209|Wool|Hugh Howey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327889474s/12287209.jpg|17263666] -- 5 stars. A GREAT story. I can understand why fans wanted more.
[b:Wool 2: Proper Gauge|13178410|Wool 2 Proper Gauge|Hugh Howey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1323761382s/13178410.jpg|18358443] -- 4 stars. It took me a little longer to get into this one, but (again) the ending grabs you and you MUST keep reading.
[b:Wool 3: Casting Off|13202200|Wool 3 Casting Off|Hugh Howey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327889740s/13202200.jpg|18385155] -- 5 stars. Possibly my favorite. Juliette is such an awesome character.
[b:Wool 4: The Unraveling|13314945|Wool 4 The Unraveling|Hugh Howey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327889828s/13314945.jpg|18520973] -- 4 stars -- We start getting real answers, but it lost the urgency I felt with the first three stories, but I never once thought I would put the book aside. There's TOO much I need to know!
[b:Wool 5: The Stranded|13425846|Wool 5 The Stranded|Hugh Howey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330545630s/13425846.jpg|18908634] -- 4 stars -- We've got answers, we've got heroism, we've got bravery, we've got truth. It's awesome and (I feel) complete. I wouldn't mind more stories from the Silo, but I think the author did a great job of telling this story completely.
I read a couple of reviews that mentioned the title...and I think it makes sense. Part of why I wanted to read this is because the title was so random. Points to the author for grabbing my attention!