I approached Wool (a five-part omnibus by the US bookseller Hugh Howey) with the appropriate amount of skepticism. The norm for the sci-fi genre is an over-imagined, barely believable world with a variety of half-baked characters who get so excited about their futuristic gadgetry that they forget their one true purpose - to enthrall, excite and challenge me. The setting and plot get too caught up in the unbelievable and the end result is a confounding mess of (literally) astronomical proportions.
Fortunately for readers, writers and booksellers
everywhere, Wool fails each and every one of the
criteria mentioned above, providing a beautifully worked array
of characters in a believable yet wonderfully creative world,
intertwined throughout with innate, challenging questions that
feed the conspiracy theorist in all of us - do we know the
truth, or is the truth merely what we are made to believe?
Sometimes, is it better not to know at all?
The story begins with the
initial novella, originally intended to stand alone. It has
a dark-edged, bleak, almost vintage sci-fi feel to it and
one becomes immediately enveloped by the protagonist and his
tortured quest for the truth. The story unfolds through
flashbacks, as we follow Holston's journey and unearth the
circumstances that lead to the dreadfully inevitable
conclusion - we desperately hope that it is not so, however
as the dark politics of Howey's world come to light we see
there is no way out other than that which Holston chooses
for himself. Howey does a splendid job of establishing the
setting, manufacturing it in such a way that the true
implications of the ensuing events can manifest themselves
in our minds - he gives us a taste of what is to come and
sows the seeds of doubt...he gives us the hints that
everything is definitely not
the way we perceive it to
be.
After the initial novella, Howey focuses the story on the
ordeal of Juliette (the Silo's new sheriff) - a capable young
woman from a mechanical background who dedicates herself to
the discovery and exposure of the truth around the origins of
the Silo (the huge, underground community to which humanity is
now confined), its history and the circumstances that led to
the entire human race being 'trapped' inside this giant,
self-contained, functioning community. Only problem is... to
leave the Silo means certain death and the punishment for any
untempered curiosity and/or dissidence is just this - to be
forced to leave. Juliette attempts to deconstruct the taboos
that exist within their society and begins to reach a
dangerous conclusion - they have been living a lie, a state of
affairs manufactured to keep terrible secrets from festering
into full-blown rebellion. Her odyssey unfolds with increasing
tension, taking the Silo and its inhabitants on a trip
through unrest, discovery and eventual rebellion. The moral
quandaries subsequently raised are catalysts for heated book club discussion and Wool is ideal fodder for anyone looking to further blend
the lines between truth, reality, right and wrong.
It is a mark of Howey's skill that he has been able to
write Wool in such a way that the characters, plot
and ideas drive the story along. Too often I see science
fiction start promisingly, but quickly descend into mayhem as
the over-described technology competes with a bizarre completely poorly realised world for your attention. Howey uses
the science-fiction genre as a means to an ends, to present
important ideas and valid observations. One gets the feeling
that Wool set within our contemporary, mundane
society would achieve much the same purpose as that which is
already achieved.
Another of Howey's strengths is solely in his characters.
While the story initially unfolds through the eyes of the
previously mentioned Juliette, Howey introduces other
characters that are wonderfully distinct, yet familiar in
their desires. They love, create, and have the innate
claustrophobia of the current living conditions hardwired into
their being - they all share a sense that something is not
quite right and long to explore beyond the strangling confines
what is essentially an underground skyscraper. The
storytelling is based on complex, multi-dimensional characters
placed in situations that both challenge and excite, instead
of world-building or laser guns.
It's always a great feeling when you finish a book, series
or (in this case) omnibus, feeling completely satisfied. Howey
has a remarkable skill which he exercises with extreme
effectiveness throughout Wool - he leaves you
curious, rather than unfulfilled. He paces the book perfectly,
ups the ante at every opportunity, maintains suspense, invests
your emotions into the action and (this is how good he is)
even manages to get you sympathising with the damn
protagonist!
The Silo is a dangerous place to be. It is a delicate
society supported by a tangled web of secrets, deception,
power and above all, the quest for survival. It is a
representation of humanity with a rollicking great storyline
to boot, the kind of book that raises your blood pressure with
plenty of well-written action sequences and leaves you
dreaming long after the final page has turned.
Thank you Mr Howey, thank you so very much.
- Angus
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