⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 – Just as good on a re-read! Fast paced, tighly plotted and addictive sci-fi!
Format: Kindle
Read: April 2024
I first read Wool in 2014 (TEN YEARS AGO, WTF!) after I found it in a charity shop, and promptly devoured the whole trilogy. I’d been thinking about rereading them for a while, but then when I saw Apple TV had made an adaption I decided I had to revisit the books before I give that a watch!
It actually felt like an apt read as I’ve also been replaying Fallout 4 and obsessed with the Fallout tv series! Wool has a similar premised where people live in an underground locked vault, or silo in this case, after some kind of disasterous nuclear event that has left the outside an irradiated wasteland… Just without all the wacky weirdos!
The population of the silo live in a tightly controlled society based on the levels devoted to different occupations (supply, mechanical, IT etc). The only way to travel between levels is a giant staircase, a physically arduous task. Anyone who breaks the rules, the most important if which is questioning anything about the silo, risks being sent out “cleaning.” That is sent outside the vault, to clean the cameras that give them a view of the outside, before dying from radiation.
This is actually one of those books that is so good it’s hard to say much about it! It’s just great, it did everything I wanted.
The characters were good, I especially enjoyed Jules, and there is an intriguing conspiracy to unravel. It was originally self-published as short stories which might be why it never feels like it treads water, it’s fast paced and very tightly plotted. Chapters are relatively short which also makes is very easy to binge!
I’m not awarding 5 stars because I did find it lags for me a bit when the POV switches to the Mechanical conflict, mainly because I was so gripped by Jules I always wanted to get back to her. There are also some new characters that thrown in rather out the blue towards the end that didn’t have any payoff, and I was a bit confused by it.
One day we will get Apple TV again and I can’t wait to watch the TV adaption and see how they brought the silo and the staircase to life.
REVIEW SUMMARY
I LIKED
- A carefully conceived vision of a potential future of the human race that feels a little bit too possible!
- Fast paced plot with a compelling conspiracy mystery.
- Characters felt real and acted in believable ways.
- I also found it strikingly visual (I’d love to see the staircase).
I DIDN’T LIKE
- I enjoyed some POV more than others.
- Confused by the purpose of late addition characters who raised too many questions that had no answers.
