Book Review: Wool by Hugh Howey

In the wide breadth of stories that fall under the umbrella of science fiction, dystopian is one of the most interesting subgenres. This is partially because there is so much potential for interesting and convention pushing innovation. It is surprising then, that much of the subcategory has come to be dominated by a few specific flavors. Hugh Howey’s Wool falls into one of these; namely, the rigid class stratification flavor of dystopian fiction. In the same vein of many popular titles such as Red Rising and the Hunger Games, Wool follows a group of people living in the titular Silo, divided into classes by their roles in society. The levels in the impossibly massive underground bunker are, of course, also separated by socioeconomic level, leading to an exceedingly familiar, fortunate on top, unfortunate on bottom, style of world. It carries the same general feel of many of its predecessors, which might have led to a far less interesting story from a less capable author.

However, from this rather familiar premise, Howey does spin out quite a compelling narrative. His story is part murder mystery, part conspiracy thriller, and part revolutionary story all wrapped up in the rather basic science fiction premise. Unlike many similar books however, his use of multiple and varied POV’s and consistent unexpected twists keeps the narrative feeling fresh and unexpected. While genre fans might initially scoff at yet another reimagining of familiar genre tropes, I wouldn’t discount this book or the series too quickly. Howey makes many bold storytelling decisions and establishes interesting, complex characters that really set the book apart from similar offerings. As a result, Wool starts off the Silo series with a bang that leaves plenty of room for exploration and sets up compelling mysteries to be unraveled in the future.

Full Review

Wool has been on my TBR for years for multiple reasons. One reason is that Hugh Howey is one of the earliest indie authors to obtain mainstream success and notoriety and as an indie author myself, I was curious what set his book apart. Albeit to say, when I started this book and found the premise rather uninspired, I was a bit disappointed. However, Howey is nothing if not a bold storyteller. He elevated his initial premise with choices that were both interesting and unexpected, multiple time steering the story in a direction I personally was not expecting.

One strong choice that Wool makes is not to be confined to the experience of a single point of view character. While there is certainly a central protagonist, the book explores the story through the eyes of several different characters, leading to a far more interesting narrative which feels familiar for the genre but still unique enough to be compelling. Even characters that get very limited POV time are used to great effect, telling little vignettes which really emphasize the stakes at play and the complexities of the world. In addition, characters range the gambit of age, social status, and political affiliation, making the story much more well rounded and interesting.

Similarly, Howey chooses to develop his story in ways that are constantly surprising and that make the most of the genre conventions at play here. Rather than feeling like he is rehashing expected genre tropes for convenience, he uses them to springboard into new ideas and twists that keep the reader guessing until the end. Howey is not afraid to inflict real damage and change the established dynamics of his setting several times. Because of this, his story ends up feeling both tight and satisfying yet leaves the reader with many questions and plenty of room to explore in the subsequent novels. Even the rather on-the-nose metaphor of a these people living on top of each other in a massive Silo with no way to ascend or descend aside from a single, central staircase is used to great effect, forming the basis for several plot points that might not have worked as well otherwise.

As a reader, I found Wool to be a well told, engaging written installment in the genre which left me wanting to pick up the next book and learn more about this world and story. As an author, Howey’s success is a strong reminder of the idea that you don’t necessarily need a wildly new concept to create something unique or special. You just need to be bold and write something that is unique to your own style and voice, a fitting moral to take away from this tale of class inequity and power struggles. Overall, I think Wool would leave the vast majority of science fiction fans satisfied and wanting to return for more. I know I certainly will be.