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quercus707's review against another edition
This has happened to me twice with this series. I make it through the first two books, and by the time I'm ready to read this one . . . I don't care.
witchshark's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
sueodd's review against another edition
3.0
This is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, in my not-so-precise rating system. It closes out the story but leave a lot of threads dangling. The world building continues to be problematic. Donald is still milquetoast. And it touches on the worst of humanity but backs off a little too quickly.
World Building:
We learn that the problem with the air outside is now originating from the Silos as the cleanings are used to spew poison into the area and keep the residents inside until some magic date about 1000 years from the start of the silos. We learn that Silo 1 has strict control over the births in each Silo through the lottery system, presumably to eradicate any behavioral traits that go against the original goal to fix humanity. We also learn that Silo 1 has multiple ways to kill a Silo - from poison gas to demolition to remote drones. I'm still unable to believe that this entire system could have been built in the first place.
But there are other inconsistencies. Jimmy/Solo survived for years in the secret area in IT in Silo 18, but ultimately started venturing out because his canned food stores were starting to go bad. Yet, Silo 1 is entirely fed on canned food. It doesn't have farms like the other Silos. Why isn't Silo 1 haven't this same problem? Seed was also filled with supplies to restart life outside, which apparently are also perfectly preserved. How did the material not rot after all of that time?
Finally, the big one, the original destruction of the world. We are supposed to believe that the Silos are all that is left of humanity. But the world beyond the Silos seems perfectly fine after just 800 years. Are we supposed to believe that the nanobots destroyed everyone else? How did that happen? I'm assuming the nuclear bombs were just for show, to get everyone inside the Silos, because the world couldn't have recovered that quickly after such destruction. Are we supposed to believe that Thurman got everyone into the Silos in the nick of time, and no one noticed thousands of people disappearing at a political convention in Georgia? Or are we supposed to believe that humanity was wiped out by the nuclear strike and the natural world somehow recovered in just 800 years?
Ideas barely explored:
The groups that made it to Silo 17 included a religious congregation, the planning committee, and whoever happened to be in the lower levels at the time of the gassing of 18. We are given a few encounters with the religious group, enough to make us believe that they are rigid and evangelical. There's a brief but creepy scene with Elise, who wanders off and finds herself being tricked into marriage (she's, what, 7 years old?) because women are in short supply. Yet, Jimmy rescues her without too much difficulty and the story just drops this plot entirely. What happened when the congregation left Silo 17 and discovered that everything they were taught was wrong?
Thurman's diabolical plan: It's not just the building of the Silos, but all of the systems put in place to keep them in line and prepare one (just one) for survival. This could have been fleshed out better.
What the heck was going on with the air in Silo 17? Somehow it has magic nanobots that kept its few residents healthy and even healed Juliette's scars. (/spoiler)
Spoiler
Dangling Threads: Silo 18 is destroyed by Thurman in Silo 1, but not before they complete the dig to empty Silo 17. About 200 people from Silo 18 make it to 17, where they ultimately are lead by Juliette out beyond the silo area to where the air is safe. Throughout Shift and Dust, we are told about rogue Silo 40 and several others that went dark. Silo 40 was destroyed by the drones, but what about the other rogue silos? And all Silos are connected to Silo 1 via power and possibly gas lines. What happened to the remaining Silos when Silo 1 was destroyed? Presumably their IT level went dark. And Silo 1 is destroyed, full of a bunch of innocent people in deep freeze, with almost no emotional impact.World Building:
We learn that the problem with the air outside is now originating from the Silos as the cleanings are used to spew poison into the area and keep the residents inside until some magic date about 1000 years from the start of the silos. We learn that Silo 1 has strict control over the births in each Silo through the lottery system, presumably to eradicate any behavioral traits that go against the original goal to fix humanity. We also learn that Silo 1 has multiple ways to kill a Silo - from poison gas to demolition to remote drones. I'm still unable to believe that this entire system could have been built in the first place.
But there are other inconsistencies. Jimmy/Solo survived for years in the secret area in IT in Silo 18, but ultimately started venturing out because his canned food stores were starting to go bad. Yet, Silo 1 is entirely fed on canned food. It doesn't have farms like the other Silos. Why isn't Silo 1 haven't this same problem? Seed was also filled with supplies to restart life outside, which apparently are also perfectly preserved. How did the material not rot after all of that time?
Finally, the big one, the original destruction of the world. We are supposed to believe that the Silos are all that is left of humanity. But the world beyond the Silos seems perfectly fine after just 800 years. Are we supposed to believe that the nanobots destroyed everyone else? How did that happen? I'm assuming the nuclear bombs were just for show, to get everyone inside the Silos, because the world couldn't have recovered that quickly after such destruction. Are we supposed to believe that Thurman got everyone into the Silos in the nick of time, and no one noticed thousands of people disappearing at a political convention in Georgia? Or are we supposed to believe that humanity was wiped out by the nuclear strike and the natural world somehow recovered in just 800 years?
Ideas barely explored:
The groups that made it to Silo 17 included a religious congregation, the planning committee, and whoever happened to be in the lower levels at the time of the gassing of 18. We are given a few encounters with the religious group, enough to make us believe that they are rigid and evangelical. There's a brief but creepy scene with Elise, who wanders off and finds herself being tricked into marriage (she's, what, 7 years old?) because women are in short supply. Yet, Jimmy rescues her without too much difficulty and the story just drops this plot entirely. What happened when the congregation left Silo 17 and discovered that everything they were taught was wrong?
Thurman's diabolical plan: It's not just the building of the Silos, but all of the systems put in place to keep them in line and prepare one (just one) for survival. This could have been fleshed out better.
What the heck was going on with the air in Silo 17? Somehow it has magic nanobots that kept its few residents healthy and even healed Juliette's scars. (/spoiler)
marcantoineb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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? Yes
4.25
miba67's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
books_penguin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
the_gilded_serpent's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Did I marathon all 3 audiobooks in 2 days? Sure did. I was emotionally invested in the characters and desperate for more truths. The ending has left me feeling conflicted. I’m happy with how things turned out, but I still have questions. I need to know what happened to the other silos after what happened in silo 1. The truth of silo 40? The dome? The rest of the world? I also want justice for some of my favorites.
Overall, a great series and I am glad I listened to the audiobooks. Edoardo Ballerini gives a stellar performance.
* I hope Howey revisits this world with a time jump and flashbacks. 🤞
Overall, a great series and I am glad I listened to the audiobooks. Edoardo Ballerini gives a stellar performance.
* I hope Howey revisits this world with a time jump and flashbacks. 🤞
ohio_enthusiast's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
iamkati's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
madoc_mattox's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This is the series I will be recommending to anyone who asks for a suggestion for a while. The social conversations, the character growth, the love, the pain, the hurt was just so magnificently done.
Wool and Dust were so great. The conclusion of Dust was satisfying and makes me feel ok to walk away from the story, but I'll happily return if High Howey ever peeks behind that curtain again.
Wool and Dust were so great. The conclusion of Dust was satisfying and makes me feel ok to walk away from the story, but I'll happily return if High Howey ever peeks behind that curtain again.