Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Broad Reach (2011), Kindle Edition
Description
For generations, they've lived underground, looking out at the bleak world as it gets blurrier. The only way to preserve that view is to go outside and clean, but to go to cleaning is to go to death. That's why they have a system. A brutal code. And Sheriff Holston, after a lifetime of serving that code, has now broken it.
User reviews
LibraryThing member porch_reader
This is a very satisfying start to a 5-part series.
Howey places us in the midst of a post-apocalyptic world and only gradually reveals the details, so I don't want to provide too much detail and spoil it. The revelation of the details is quite satisfying, but it was not until a twist at the end of
Howey places us in the midst of a post-apocalyptic world and only gradually reveals the details, so I don't want to provide too much detail and spoil it. The revelation of the details is quite satisfying, but it was not until a twist at the end of
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the book that I realized the path that Howey had led me down. While Wool doesn't compare to the best of the post-apocalyptic genre ([The Giver], [Oryx and Crake]), it did entice me to download [Wool 2]. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cathy_Keaton
Plot: Holston is an aging man, weighed down by his desperation over wanting to leave his home in an underground silo. His wife is already dead because she dared to break the stringent rules of their community, and the sentence was to go outside, above ground, and clean the lenses on the cameras
Characters: It mostly centers around the very depressed Holston and why he's decided to willfully break a rule, despite being the silo sheriff, in order to get the cleaning sentence. His wife is featured in a few flashbacks, and she's an amazing character, what little we see of her. She's the one that got this ball rolling because she thought she found some evidence that computer files had been deleted or altered from previous generations. Did it mean their ancestors had lied to them? She ended up wanting to go outside so badly, she broke the rule of declaring she wanted to go out, and thus, got exactly what she wanted. That happened three years earlier, and now Holston is unable to live without her anymore. He wants to put all the pieces of the puzzle she left behind together and solve it, once and for all.
Writing: The writing is really top-notch. This author is quite good with words, not to mention his storytelling ability.
Story: And, now to mention that storytelling ability. Wow. This one is impressive. I finished it thinking, “I couldn't possibly hope to ever think up something like this. What a story!” It left me questioning so many things about the society Holston and Alison (his wife) had been raised in. And, the shocker at the end.... Yeah, not a happy ending, but it answers the question of why the cleaners always end up cleaning the lenses. Leaves you wondering a lot about stuff like, what did Holston do to get his sentence? I either missed it or can't remember. Who is really in charge down in that silo? Holston is the sheriff and there is a woman mayor, but she seemed so uniformed about stuff. Alison said the IT guys knew everything. Did they? There are sequel novellas, but I'm unsure if they reveal these answers.
Overall Quality: Super high! I don't think there was a thing wrong with it, unless you count how short it is.
Favorite Scene/Moment: I can't even reveal it to you because it is a major spoiler, but it happens at the end when Holston does finally go outside the silo, above ground to see the real world with his own eyes. Craziest fake-out ever. O__o
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that reveal the outside world's view. That outside world is filled with toxic gases that will destroy anything in minutes, so this punishment truly is a death sentence. But now Holston wants to follow in her footsteps. He wants to find out why she and all the others sentenced to clean the lenses have always followed through with cleaning them, as ordered, even though they all died shortly afterward. He wants to know what's really up on the surface outside.Characters: It mostly centers around the very depressed Holston and why he's decided to willfully break a rule, despite being the silo sheriff, in order to get the cleaning sentence. His wife is featured in a few flashbacks, and she's an amazing character, what little we see of her. She's the one that got this ball rolling because she thought she found some evidence that computer files had been deleted or altered from previous generations. Did it mean their ancestors had lied to them? She ended up wanting to go outside so badly, she broke the rule of declaring she wanted to go out, and thus, got exactly what she wanted. That happened three years earlier, and now Holston is unable to live without her anymore. He wants to put all the pieces of the puzzle she left behind together and solve it, once and for all.
Writing: The writing is really top-notch. This author is quite good with words, not to mention his storytelling ability.
Story: And, now to mention that storytelling ability. Wow. This one is impressive. I finished it thinking, “I couldn't possibly hope to ever think up something like this. What a story!” It left me questioning so many things about the society Holston and Alison (his wife) had been raised in. And, the shocker at the end.... Yeah, not a happy ending, but it answers the question of why the cleaners always end up cleaning the lenses. Leaves you wondering a lot about stuff like, what did Holston do to get his sentence? I either missed it or can't remember. Who is really in charge down in that silo? Holston is the sheriff and there is a woman mayor, but she seemed so uniformed about stuff. Alison said the IT guys knew everything. Did they? There are sequel novellas, but I'm unsure if they reveal these answers.
Overall Quality: Super high! I don't think there was a thing wrong with it, unless you count how short it is.
Favorite Scene/Moment: I can't even reveal it to you because it is a major spoiler, but it happens at the end when Holston does finally go outside the silo, above ground to see the real world with his own eyes. Craziest fake-out ever. O__o
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LibraryThing member jmones
I had to read it. As soon as I discovered that there existed a science-fiction novel, written by an unknown author - that would be Hugh Howey -, which everybody ways saying it was so cool. As soon as I knew that the publication of this short novel in electronic format had spawned a whole series of
Wool is a well-written very short dystopian story which grabs you from the first page. It has all the ingredients of the best science-fiction classics: a very singular world, characters driven by strong motivations, uncertainty of what will come next and a powerful climax ending.
I've stop reading for a while to write this review. Let me keep it as short as the original story, so I can dive into "Wool 2", the next book in the series.
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books and finally 20th Century Fox bought the rights to adapt it to a film. As soon as I read the online reviews. And it didn't let me down.Wool is a well-written very short dystopian story which grabs you from the first page. It has all the ingredients of the best science-fiction classics: a very singular world, characters driven by strong motivations, uncertainty of what will come next and a powerful climax ending.
I've stop reading for a while to write this review. Let me keep it as short as the original story, so I can dive into "Wool 2", the next book in the series.
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LibraryThing member srearley
Yikes. That was quite a gut punch of a short read. Will definitely have to check out the rest of the story!
LibraryThing member Kaethe
Nicely done. I like the way Howey presents his society and how Holton questions what he thinks he knows. Good setup. Satisfying conclusion.
LibraryThing member wbwilburn5
Very odd, interesting, but odd. Not inclined to continue on with series.
LibraryThing member Kaethe
Nicely done. I like the way Howey presents his society and how Holton questions what he thinks he knows. Good setup. Satisfying conclusion.
LibraryThing member nlsobon
My initial reaction when I finished reading "Wool": WHAT?!
"Wool" is an excellent novelette. Honestly, I'm putting it near the top of my favorite reads for the year. Howey manages to pack so much emotion into these forty-nine pages that you can't help but to keep turning the page to see what will
Excellent world building. Fantastic writing. You can't go wrong with "Wool", especially since the eBook is currently free on Amazon.
"Wool" is an excellent novelette. Honestly, I'm putting it near the top of my favorite reads for the year. Howey manages to pack so much emotion into these forty-nine pages that you can't help but to keep turning the page to see what will
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happen next.Excellent world building. Fantastic writing. You can't go wrong with "Wool", especially since the eBook is currently free on Amazon.
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LibraryThing member chensel477
For a freebie I grabbed on a whim, this was a fabulous, very emotion packed post-apocalyptic novella. Having already known there were more to follow, I was quite shocked at the twist and look forward to the rest to see how the many questions I now have get answered!
LibraryThing member Claretta1
This book was imaginative, creative and original. I loved it from beginning to end. I am looking forward to reading the rest. Thank you for sharing this with us.
LibraryThing member BMorrisAllen
I'd been hearing about Wool for months, and when I saw that this story was available for free, I downloaded with great expectations. Largely, they were met. I was expecting a longer story, but that's not Howey's fault.
I confess to some trepidation early on - there are some infelicitous
turns of
All in all, nice story, and certainly worth a free read. I'd say it's a 3.5. I rounded down because I was disappointed with the handling of that central question.
I confess to some trepidation early on - there are some infelicitous
turns of
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phrase, some pretty clumsy language in general. But it picks up as time goes on. The story poses a core question, and it's not really adequately answered; there's a bit of hand-waving, but not really enough to leave me satisfied. The ending, the other element that's built up, is not entirely unexpected, but it's handled nicely nonetheless. I may well pick up the next in the series, to see whether language or narrative was the fluke.All in all, nice story, and certainly worth a free read. I'd say it's a 3.5. I rounded down because I was disappointed with the handling of that central question.
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LibraryThing member BMorrisAllen
I'd been hearing about Wool for months, and when I saw that this story was available for free, I downloaded with great expectations. Largely, they were met. I was expecting a longer story, but that's not Howey's fault.
I confess to some trepidation early on - there are some infelicitous
turns of
All in all, nice story, and certainly worth a free read. I'd say it's a 3.5. I rounded down because I was disappointed with the handling of that central question.
I confess to some trepidation early on - there are some infelicitous
turns of
Show More
phrase, some pretty clumsy language in general. But it picks up as time goes on. The story poses a core question, and it's not really adequately answered; there's a bit of hand-waving, but not really enough to leave me satisfied. The ending, the other element that's built up, is not entirely unexpected, but it's handled nicely nonetheless. I may well pick up the next in the series, to see whether language or narrative was the fluke.All in all, nice story, and certainly worth a free read. I'd say it's a 3.5. I rounded down because I was disappointed with the handling of that central question.
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LibraryThing member bookczuk
One of my reader friends recommended this to me, then I read about it in a newsletter somewhere, then an indie bookstore owner friend of mine suggested I might like it. When I took the book home, and sat down to read it, my husband informed me it was written by the son of an acquaintance of mine
If you like alternative histories, with a dystopianish flair, and are pretty certain that we're going to screw things up somehow, and wonder where we go from there, this novel might catch your fancy. I kept thinking of Animal Farm, for some reason, though the protagonist groups are different.
My big question is why does Atlanta seem to appear in all these dystopian (and zombie) novels and movies. Is it that the traffic patterns mesmerize us into doom?
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here in Charleston. Small world? You betcha. And there are more silos out there.If you like alternative histories, with a dystopianish flair, and are pretty certain that we're going to screw things up somehow, and wonder where we go from there, this novel might catch your fancy. I kept thinking of Animal Farm, for some reason, though the protagonist groups are different.
My big question is why does Atlanta seem to appear in all these dystopian (and zombie) novels and movies. Is it that the traffic patterns mesmerize us into doom?
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LibraryThing member sffstorm
Loved the ending. It absolutely forced my to but the omnibus immediately after finishing.
LibraryThing member Uvi_Poznansky
This story explores alienation and falsehoods in an institutional society, one that has adjusted itself to surviving in a buried underground silo. Holston embarks on a terrifying quest, following the death of his wife, Allison. He wants to believe that she has found a way out of the labyrinths of
Despite the warmth and love between them, Holston stands on the side of the law, at least initially, while Allison is a rebel, a free thinker. She wanders, what is the nature of the world outside the silo? Confined inside, people are forced to trust the view coming through blurry lenses. They are told a version of history, parts of which have been blanked out. They are brought up to adhere to rules, strict rules that preserve a possibly altered perception of the outside world,
“Holston turned back to survey the muddy, lifeless landscape. It only looked depressing compared to sense from the children books—the only books to survive the uprising. Most people doubted those colors in the books.” These lenses must be cleaned by those sentenced to death, and they are prepared for the cleaning process with meticulous instructions, and with a protective ‘space suit’ and a special visor, which may or may not give the one wearing it an altered perception.
“Nothing you see is real,” Allison claimed, during her last hour. “There could be people outside… They could be watching us.” After her death, Holstone undergoes a change. “”He’d spent the first anniversary of her death scrubbing the holding cel clean, washing the yellow airlock door, straining for some sound, some knock, that the ghost of his wife was back to set him free.”
Is there a difference between the perception of this confined society, and truth? Would you dare break the boundaries and find out, at the risk of losing your life?
Five stars.
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bureaucracy. He hopes for a mystical transformation, an insight about his existence. I was drawn in from the first sentence: “Holston climbed to his death while children were playing.” Despite the warmth and love between them, Holston stands on the side of the law, at least initially, while Allison is a rebel, a free thinker. She wanders, what is the nature of the world outside the silo? Confined inside, people are forced to trust the view coming through blurry lenses. They are told a version of history, parts of which have been blanked out. They are brought up to adhere to rules, strict rules that preserve a possibly altered perception of the outside world,
“Holston turned back to survey the muddy, lifeless landscape. It only looked depressing compared to sense from the children books—the only books to survive the uprising. Most people doubted those colors in the books.” These lenses must be cleaned by those sentenced to death, and they are prepared for the cleaning process with meticulous instructions, and with a protective ‘space suit’ and a special visor, which may or may not give the one wearing it an altered perception.
“Nothing you see is real,” Allison claimed, during her last hour. “There could be people outside… They could be watching us.” After her death, Holstone undergoes a change. “”He’d spent the first anniversary of her death scrubbing the holding cel clean, washing the yellow airlock door, straining for some sound, some knock, that the ghost of his wife was back to set him free.”
Is there a difference between the perception of this confined society, and truth? Would you dare break the boundaries and find out, at the risk of losing your life?
Five stars.
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LibraryThing member DebbieBspinner
Excellent. Stayed up late to finish.
LibraryThing member alicson
The story went quite as I expected, yet well-written and beautifully told. A very pleasant, quick read, and does offer much to consider if one wishes to do so.
LibraryThing member KateBond
I understand why so many people have given this five stars. It is incredibly well written--it's also depressing, and I didn't buy into the big plot twist at the end (it carries throughout the series, and every time it pops up I shake my head involuntarily), so it's just not my thing.
I read a lot
I read a lot
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of science fiction short stories, so I'm a picky consumer of the medium. Were that not the case I imagine I'd have rated this much higher. Show Less
LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
This one was over-hyped for me. Hugh Howley is a fine writer and Wool is a fine dystopian novel with a good balance of worldbuilding intrigue and urgency, but I didn't experience anything extraordinary like what the other readers are gushing about. Maybe it's Howley's rise from
I do intend to read the next two books of the series because I want to see how it all turns out. And I would love to see Wool: The Movie if it ever makes it to the big screen. There are plenty of dusty visuals here that would look fantastic in IMAX.
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regular-guy-who-dreams-of-being-a-writer to bestselling award winner via self-publishing that propelled the Legend of Wool.I do intend to read the next two books of the series because I want to see how it all turns out. And I would love to see Wool: The Movie if it ever makes it to the big screen. There are plenty of dusty visuals here that would look fantastic in IMAX.
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LibraryThing member Carrie.Kilgore
49 fabulous pages: a dynamite short story, well-written and compelling, set in a dystopian future (although it could be another world like ours). The ending is completely satisfying, even while leaving the reader hungry for more. Although I've seen several more in the series, I haven't read them
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yet, so cannot say if this general setting is continued, or if the author takes us elsewhere. Either way, the writing is so excellent I would have no trouble recommending them. The issue at hand in this story is one that should leave readers thoughtful, considering parallels already at work in our own real world. Show Less
LibraryThing member Paul.Kohler
Wool was a very fast read. I had no problem following along with where the author was steering me as the reader. I felt as if I was sitting there in the cell the whole time. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
LibraryThing member Jfurnee
New treatment of a dystopian future in underground silos. Could not put down. Get the omnibus edition for books 1-5 of Wool.
LibraryThing member Liz_57
I have to read the rest of these, very compelling. I became immersed in Wool #1 and quickly bought the rest of this series. Book one was just 84 pages and I wanted more of this dystopian story of people living underground, only going out-side to clean a lens that shows the poisoned world above when
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they have committed a crime, etc. I first heard of this self-published book in an article I recently read on self-publishing and the ever changing world of publishing which is a hot topic in our profession of library collection development. Books of this quality will change our perceptions on self-publishing. Show Less
LibraryThing member beentsy
Really very good!
LibraryThing member Pinniped23
A great start to Hugh Howey's Wool. I read this as part of the Wool book (the full Wool collection in one). This first one gets you hooked and was a great way to introduce the reader to the silo in which a group of individuals are confined.
I won't mention details as I hate spoilers. However this
I won't mention details as I hate spoilers. However this
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had me convinced of one thing and then had my mind spinning back and forth with possibilities. Show Less
Original publication date
2011
Other editions
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