Hugh Howey

First sentence: The children were playing while Holston climbed to his death; he could hear them squealing as only happy children do. While they thundered about frantically above, Holston took his time, each step methodical and ponderous, as he wound his way around and around the spiral staircase, old boots ringing out on metal treads.

My thoughts: I first read this one in 2013. I loved it so, so, so much. I never went back to reread it, however, until now. I saw that it was being adapted show more into a show/series. I may never see the adaptation, but I am so glad that I took this chance to reread it. It's been long enough that it was like reading it for the first time--which was glorious for the horror-mystery bits. I love the tension of this one.

Premise/plot: Set in the future. What remains of humanity is living underground in a silo--or silos, as the case may be. Generations have come and gone, hundreds of years have passed, those that live in the silo have only ever known the silo. It functions or malfunctions, as the case may be, by following or "following" rules and guidelines put into place. But what happens when little things trigger chain reactions?

So this one is titled, "Wool." Those trouble-makers, those "law-breakers," if you will, are "punished" by being sent OUT. And one of their last responsibilities is cleaning. Cleaning cameras, viewers, windows? But one woman sentenced to this fate refuses to clean....and subsequently....well life in Silo 18 will never be the same.

Further thoughts: I definitely recommend this book. It's a little bit of everything--dystopia, mystery, suspense, horror, science fiction. It alternates points of view. But this is an instance where that is a great thing--used for building suspense. show less

Even though this was a self-pub phenom, I didn’t hear about the books until very recently. I’m not a dystopia/post apocalypse fiend, but I do enjoy a good yarn (ugh) and so when enough peeps on LibraryThing gave this high marks, I read it. Luckily for me, my tardiness meant that I could read all the installments at once. Not only that, but the sequels or prequels, too. I’m not sure I will though.

Not to say Wool was bad. It wasn’t. But it is self-contained. Sure, there are lingering show more questions such as what caused the need for the silos in the first place and how will they manage in the future, but my imagination can fill those in well enough. I’ve read and seen enough of this type of story to do that and be satisfied with my own ideas.

Character-wise I think everyone was done well enough, meaning that they filled the roles they were supposed to fill; tragic hero, wise counselor, villain, dupe, side-kick, triumphant hero, etc. A few of them were filled out a bit more and I did enjoy reading about the trip down the silo with Mayor Jahns and Deputy Marnes. Strangely, most people found that section tedious. Eh.

While overall I think the world-building was successful, I think a few more bits of arcana could have been used to good effect. Things like the mutation of the word tomboy into johnboy. Overuse is something a lot of these books suffer from, but Wool suffers from underuse; the misspellings in Romeo and Juliet notwithstanding.

Spoiler territory. Stop now if you haven’t read it.

The best bit is the whole IT scheme to keep people in the silos, under control and amenable to cleaning when necessary. When Holston’s wife asks exactly why almost everyone sent out to clean the sensors does it...what could be their motivation, it got me thinking, but I never got close. To deliberately tap into what IT considers dangerous views, meaning that the world outside the silos is actually a paradise, and then manipulate that with a fake viewer inside the helmet to show them that exact world, and then understand that the person would then want to conceal that true world, is unbelievably calculating and cruel. Spot on, but damn, that’s harsh. And then when the poor victim goes tra-la-laing up the hill only to strangle and die within sight of the viewers...ah that little caveat...in sight...that’s just genius. Evil genius, but genius.

Anyway. I was pretty well-satisfied with this first omnibus. Yeah, the battle scenes went on a bit long and Lukas was a complete dolt, but it was a satisfying tale that ended well; a bit of home and victory and maybe a path for the future. Overall, well done. show less

I, Zombie follows a variety of zombies through their everyday lives: shuffling around, attacking humans, rotting, and moaning. That doesn't sound too exciting, does it? This book has the only zombies I have ever seen that have fully conscious, normal people behind those vacant, rotting faces. Zombies are horrifying enough on their own (walking dead that want to eat us), but putting a person that can't communicate or control their actions inside each one makes the situation infinitely worse. show more The horror isn't just for the survivors; it's even more so for the zombies. They are a captive audience to every meal eaten, their bodies degenerating, and whatever action their body takes while experiencing it with all of their senses. Every wound is excruciating and they can't even make the slightest move to alleviate the pain.

Although the existence is the same with every person, their reactions, emotions, and experiences differ from person to person. One religious woman thought she was being damned for sins during her life and she continually reflected on her life. Another very old woman was elated to be able to move again and delighted in feeding off the young after she had been in a nursing home, immobile and waiting to die. A survivalist woman reflects on the irony that she was so prepared in her apartment for the apocalypse, but isn't even wearing shoes in her current existence. A drug addict suddenly realizes that his mother could still be there inside her wasting, unresponsive body and that she knew when he beat her or shot up heroin in front of her. Some wish to die, while others prefer to exist in some manner rather than be permanently dead. One even wanted to turn his friends into zombies, giving in to the uncontrollable urges of his body. The thought processes of each person were fascinating to read. Hugh Howey did a wonderful job of capturing the voices of vastly different people from Alaskan tourists to high powered business people to drug addicts. Each chapter changed in tone and completely immersed me in each character's story from their perspective.

This book is incredibly bleak. There is really no hope for anyone. The humans have no idea the zombies have any sort of consciousness left and are either eaten by them or kill them indiscriminately. The zombies know that other zombies are conscious, but are damned to be utterly alone. Each zombie is trapped in their own mind and realized what they should have done with their lives before it was considered a luxury to be able to move or scratch your nose or decide which direction you want to walk. They realize they were already zombies when they were alive, not doing the things they really wanted to do. The little things added up and take away what free will they had, like addiction, drive to fit societal norms, fear, boredom, and the comfort of familiarity.

I, Zombie is an amazing book that grabbed me right from the beginning. The disconnected narratives worked well in painting a horrifying picture from so many different perspectives. It's not for the faint of heart as there are a great many descriptions of eating people, rotting, and various bodily functions. I highly recommend this to any zombie fan looking for a thought provoking and depressing read. show less

The title has little if anything to do with the story, which will disappoint any knitters who chance upon it - this is instead an interesting dystopia (as born out by the titles for the rest of the series). I don't think I really believe the possibility of the scenario, and there are a couple of other occasions which seem highly unlikely - but if you allow those as dramatic license then the rest of it works fairly well.

The opening is dramatic, an old sheriff is willingly going to his death. show more He knows this, yet hopes for something else, but is comforted by the knowledge that at least he will be re-joining his wife who took the same route three years ago. Perhaps he will finally be able to share the secrets that she discovered. And so we as readers are introduced to life in The Silo. A word that has changed from our understanding of it to mean Home/Safety to all those who dwell within - over a hundred floors deep, with hydroponics and farms for food, mines Supply and Mechanics for limited goods and power, and of course Law and IT keeping it all running together smoothly, yet democratically through the office of Mayor. The outside is viewable only through screens, of a dust coated barren wasteland with collapsed building visible in the distance. But every day the screens get coated with a little more grime, and the view ever more obscured, until someone can take the pressure no more, and voices the heinous crime of daring to think about being 'out'. The Law will give them their desire and send them cleaning. None have ever failed to do so, and the Silo celebrates their passing with the new view, although no-one is sure why all such criminals do obey the instructions when there is no coercion to do so. Until of course the secrets get too much, and then we learn some of the truth, and the life beyond the truth...

Well written in five parts (each originally a short story in their own right?) we follow a different character each time as they learn more about the Silo and the world outside. The characters are well linked together and clear in their positions from the previous narrative so it all follows very well. The pacing of the revelations about the Silo is well handled with the impact of each revelation being explored before another is offered. The initial trite themes of office politics gives way to deeper thoughts: how to handle hard truths; the difficulties of population level manipulation; and the personal touch of romance within controlled environments; who and how to trust; secrets and lies; and what to do when trust breaks down. Different answers are proposed by different characters situations, but the author is pretty clear which set 'works' for him. Not all readers will agree, and some may find the conclusions drawn unlikely.

I struggled more with a few of the more grievous stretches of biology and physics - concerning reflexes and breathing. The key heroine Jules (although she doesn't really even appear until he third part), manages some extraordinary feats that could have been plotted better without recourse to unbelievable lengths. Likewise the whole mob mentality thing just didn't' quite seem right - close, but not right. there would have been far more (some) voices for the status quo. there always are, even in our free societies. Within the Silo the status Quo is paramount, and yet too may were willing to abandon it at the word of a charismatic person. However these are minor niggles. It remains very readable, thought provoking, and enjoyable.

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And remains so upon re-read. show less