The Sword and Laser discussion

I totally dug this book. I found it interesting, and then, at about the halfway mark, it was enthralling, and I could hardly put it down. I think I read the final 40 percent in the last day and a half. I think this story will make a very compelling film. I know it's been optioned, but who knows if that means it will definitely make its way to the big screen. I hope so. There were some really intense (and suspenseful) action sequences in Wool that will translate well to film. Honestly, I think the title is not great, mostly because I can't be sure why the author decided to call the book Wool. I think if he had gone the traditional publishing route, his editor might have suggested that he change the name. Self-publishing of course means that the author has complete control, so... I just think the title is a little abstract. I'm sure the movie will be called something like The Silo or something along those lines.

With stories like these I often wonder, could humans really survive in that kind of situation? I wonder the same thing with books like Leviathan Wakes. Can people really survive in enclosed spaces without room to roam around? I feel like roaming is in our nature as a species. Sure, humans are resilient and adaptable (at least we like to think we are), but I truly wonder if people could live underground for generations. I tend to think that we'd all end up like (view spoiler)[Silo 17 (hide spoiler)]. What does everyone else think?

I believe it's called Wool because of the wool being pulled over people's eyes. To pull wool over someone's eyes is to deceive them. I think the title works really well with the premise of the book. I do agree though that if it is made into a movie they'll probably change the name, or at least lengthen it. Maybe something like...

Wool: blah blah blah future/dystopia/what have you.

I think humans could adapt to live in that kind of situation. Remember how MASSIVE the silo is, and how many people it can house on so many different levels. It's a vertical (down) city. I've finished the omnibus but haven't started on the next ones yet (6-8 are already out). Maybe we'll learn more about the construction of the silos there?

Kathryn wrote: "I believe it's called Wool because of the wool being pulled over people's eyes. To pull wool over someone's eyes is to deceive them. I think the title works really well with the premise of the book..."

There's that, plus they use actual wool to clean the lenses. The title works a little less with each additional part, but when the author wrote the first part, there wasn't really any plan for anything else written in that world. Then people discovered the short story and starting asking for more, and at that point, the title was already there.

The next 3 books do cover a lot of back story in how the whole thing got started.

Stuart wrote: "Honestly, I think the title is not great, mostly because I can't be sure why the author decided to call the book Wool."

All the individual parts are named using "knitting" terms as an analogy of the story.

So book 1: Wool - They use wool to clean
book 2: Proper Gauge - in knitting is about getting the size of the stitches right to get the size of the end product right - in the book this is where we get the scale of the silo
book 3: Casting off - In knitting - when you tie off a loose end at the end of a session to prevent the job from unravelling - in the book "casting off" or tying off loose ends involves sending people off to cleaning. Tantalizingly, the next book is called the unravelling
book 4: Unravelling - in knitting self explanatory; in the book, when the crap hits the fan
book 5: The stranded - stranded knitting is a term used when knitting with more than one ball of wool at a time - in the book we have more than one story arcs across two silos.

Yeah, its still quirky.

I really enjoyed this book. I began reading and found that I could not stop until I was finished. I even had to download the audio book so I could listen during my commute to and from work.

The story with the first Sheriff was very interesting, but the next with the Deputy and Mayor was hart-warming and sincere. The new Sheriff and her struggle brought everything full circle. I liked it!

As for the name.... "What is in a name?" This book stands on its own...

I read this book back in December and did enjoy it, though for awhile it is so bleak that I was starting to wonder if I should give up hope. I think that was the biggest issue. Living in a Silo, how could life not be bleak? All of the rules they had to follow. I think the promise of them escaping that life never seemed to be too great of a promise, making it harder for me to care. After awhile of so much horrible happening, people tend to give up. I am glad I didn't though. Perhaps this could be a greater metaphor for the world in which the characters lived. Don't give up!

C&P of my review:

Saying Wool Omnibus is more than a single book is redundant. It is 5 books (omnibus, doh!) in so many ways, it is almost impossible for me to consider it any other way. The style of writing, the pace and, well, everything. The difference between books 1, 2 and 3-5 (which can be kind groups) is enough to make you double-check it is the same author.

Anyway, books 1 and 5 were my favorite. You get a real sense of happenings, while reading through 2-4 was kind of an effort. Fortunately, book 5 is almost as long as the other 4 combined. Or is it bigger? Too lazy to check.

Wool is a dystopian tale of survival, or insanity and or mass delusion. It is something we are very likely to see in TV one of these days, specially with 20th Century Fox having acquired the rights.

Wool was May 2013's pick for Sword and Laser book club. Usually in cases like, I don't bother with the rest of a series. Wool might just be the exception. Books 6-8 look to be even better.

Overall, a unique tale.

David Sven wrote: "All the individual parts are named using "knitting" terms as an analogy of the story."

I haven't finished the book (barely started, in all honesty), but I did notice the knitting terms for the sections. Interesting to see that it plays a role.

I loved this book! It was hard to put down! I'm excited to read Shift

Kathryn wrote: "I believe it's called Wool because of the wool being pulled over people's eyes. To pull wool over someone's eyes is to deceive them. I think the title works really well with the premise of the book..."

Also because the people are sheep, it works on a number of levels.

David Sven wrote: "Stuart wrote: "Honestly, I think the title is not great, mostly because I can't be sure why the author decided to call the book Wool."

All the individual parts are named using "knitting" terms as ..."

You are awesome.

I really enjoyed it. I love Juliette- a smart lady to stubborn to give up. I think I will keep reading the series. I'm curious about the rest of the silos and what will become of those at Silo 17.

All in all I think there are a number of reasons that Wool works. But it takes giving the name some thought. I do wonder what the name might be changed to if it were made into a movie though... What do you think?

Kathryn wrote: "All in all I think there are a number of reasons that Wool works. But it takes giving the name some thought. I do wonder what the name might be changed to if it were made into a movie though... Wha..."

I think it will be called The Silo. Or just Silo or something like that. I think the publisher is starting to refer to the series as The Silo Saga.

I want to read the rest of the series, but I'm less interested in the prequel aspect of the second book. I'm more interested in what happens to Jules and what's going on in Silo 40 (which Howey teases in his self interview at the end of the book).

If I have to find a reason to pick a book back up, things aren't going well. If I try to find excuses to not put a book down, I'm a happy reader. Wool definitely fell in the latter group. I was sucked in quick by the premise and then stayed for the drama.

As some have mentioned elsewhere, I didn't dislike IT as much by the end as I did initially. However, while some continued to hate Bernard, I understood his actions, though I admit he approached them a bit too zealously. To keep things from going completely pear-shaped in that hermetically sealed pressure cooker, you've got to be ruthless at times. That means doing reprehensible things. That means sometimes being a tyrant. The good of the many.... I still didn't like the guy and doubt I could ever have been his shadow, but I understand the circumstances that allowed a guy like Bernard to exist.

In the end, while the book had some minor issues (never read one that didn't), I was never in danger of finding a reason not to pick it back up. Howey did an excellent job and I really hope this gets made into a movie.

I liked the book, and thanks a lot for explaining the knitting/wool references. I admit it had me baffled for a bit. English no being my first language is not helping ^^

What I do wonder is how the hell did Bernard achieve all the things he did. How does IT find the "viruses" in the system. I guess we get some explanation in the Shift series, becuase right now, if the Head of IT is really the only one in the know...

They probably have a lot of big brothering going on with all the servers, because it is also never explained what the heck they are doing with all that computing power.

I would like to go into some of the book club questions Howey brings up. Is it really worth knowing what is going on outside, or is it better to keep the masses ignorant. Worth a thought experiment, especially with extreme situations as in the book.

Nekroskop wrote: "I liked the book, and thanks a lot for explaining the knitting/wool references. I admit it had me baffled for a bit. English no being my first language is not helping ^^

What I do wonder is how th..."

It's an intriguing question. In Stephen Baxter's "Ark" even though the population is told the truth, they choose not to believe it anyway. Human behavior is very unpredictable and likely a mixture of the truth and lies is what actually works, even if we don't all want to admit it. (view spoiler)[I didn't want to believe Howey meant the atmosphere was still poisonous until well into the fourth book. (hide spoiler)]

I enjoyed the book and if I'm honest I kind of saw the twist at the end coming. There are a lot of questions to be answered and hopefully that'll happen in the shift books and the books that are to come.

Back when I read this in January it was one of those books that consumed my life until I finished it. Easily the best book I've read in years.

Just wondering if this reminded anyone else of The Penultimate Truth (view spoiler)[with the whole living underground and being lied too, of course there's the obvious differences but the basic setup is very similar (hide spoiler)]

David Sven wrote: "All the individual parts are named using "knitting" terms as an analogy of the story." ...

I had no idea. Thanks for pointing that out. I actually like the title and more so now. Seems a lot of people would have preferred a more literal title. I personally think that would be less interesting.

Sean wrote: "@s"

Riveting.

A great read. Loved the story.

Can't wait to read the Shift books.

I was completely drawn in by the story of Holston, and completely intrigued about where the story would go after his demise. I was surprised that the Audible.com was voiced by a female until I realized that the protagonists were female.

I'm relatively new to the dystopian genre, but I loved this book. I look forward to reading the next 2 series (prequel and sequel).

I didn't think I would enjoy the book as much as I did until I got to the end of book 3. Althought the world is still in ruins around them, I was glad the book wasn't as depressing as I thought it would be. I gave it four stars.

Also, I have to say, I enjoyed the book more after reading the discussions here, much more than with earlier picks (I only joined the group this year, though). Made me think of different aspects of the book from other points of view.

I enjoyed Wool. In the first book I got a feel I was reading a story from the game Fallout. Not sure if I am going to read the other books connected to this or not.

I greatly enjoyed this book, much more than I thought I would. I was pleased to find several very strong female protagonists here - not something you often see in post-apocalyptic novels.

The Wool title and analogy worked for me. I like titles that take a little time and reading to understand.

While this world is very bleak, there's just enough hope for me to want to read more.

Stuart wrote: "I feel like roaming is in our nature as a species. "



Given this, I think large-scale roaming may be in the nature of a very small minority of people. It just seems that over the long run, evolution favors hominids that left, rather than those who stayed. However, this is a young science and the questions far outweigh the answers, since data is so hard to come by and we're still learning how to interpret it.

I haven't enjoyed a club pick this much in a long time. I found myself trying to find excused to listen to my book whenever possible. Commute, sneaking it in at work (don't tell anybody LOL). Washing dishes and even cleaning out the basement.

I found myself routing for Julia but didn't really think she would survive. I hope this story continues I want to see what they do to contact the other silos.

Could this cause a war between silos? Like different nations?

I'm so glad Bernard got his comeuppance.

Thank you for introducing me to such a great story. I would not have read it without this club.

I enjoyed the plot. It took some twists and turns that I did not expect, although there were parts that were almost too predictable. The writing was a little more flowery than I like, and the I felt the story could have been told more effectively with fewer words or with more detail. I felt the suspense was over the top and needlessly draw out.

I listened to the Audible version. I was not thrilled by the reader, especially the readers male voices. The female voices were good.

With all of that said, the story line was very good and enjoyable. In the end, I wanted to know more about what happened to Silo 18.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was good, but it was the world-building, so different and refreshing and well imagined, that really took it to the next level for me. Shift is now very high on my to read list!

I'm on Book 5 now, but so far I like and dislike it. Good worldbuilding, but the fact that the "good" guys always lose and die pathetically gets a little depressing and unfun. Granted that is part of the worldbuilding, a world dying slowly, but it was difficult to enjoy.

Loved Wool. Written to a high standard, immersive, great characters, original plot. What more could you ask for?

I liked it.

His writing was very simple (sometimes even seeming juvinile), the polar opposite of, say HP Lovecraft, but effective.

Perhaps like Lovecraft (as opposed to, say, Joe Abercombe), Howey does not invest in creating deep characters, but instead creates a world of mystery driven by hidden forces that are at best indifferent, at worst hostile to the characters.

I guess I didn't post in here. I enjoyed the book a lot. Ended up re-arranging my reading plans to finish it sooner. You can read my full review if you're so inclined.

I finished this last night and I really enjoyed it. I found myself setting aside other reading (and some work) so that I could keep reading. I love a good post-apocalyptic tale and this one rocked. I was having Fallout flashbacks at times...and that's a good thing. I'll have to pick up First Shift: Legacy now. I can only hope it's as good.

I couldn't put it down... I ended up reading it in 3 days even though I didn't really have time to read. But I kept stealing moments to read. It just totally hooked me and I liked that I wasn't sure what was coming. And also the way characters felt really real. I felt surprised of Nathan's comment above that Howey doesn't invest in creating deep characters. I didn't really think about when I was reading this, but if the characters don't feel right to me, I tend not to like the book. Maybe he doesn't spend a lot of time explaining the characters, but I felt I got enough information and what's more important: I felt the characters acted true to themselves.

I started the kindle sample of Shift and I hope it's as good as this one was.

I really, really enjoyed this read. I read part one last summer and liked it, but I hate installment stories so I was so glad we read the omnibus. I thought it was rather action-packed and like some of the readers who posted above, couldn't wait to get through my work in order to get back to the story. It DID bog down a couple of times for me, mostly in scenes with Lucas, but it was never off putting or a deal breaker. I feel as though I have read the A-Z of dystopian lit, and was shocked to find Wool brought something new to the genre. I will give it some time and then look into the second book.

Also, I forgot to mention, my legs hurt (in sympathy for the characters?) All of those stairs....

Chad wrote: "I'm on Book 5 now, but so far I like and dislike it. Good worldbuilding, but the fact that the "good" guys always lose and die pathetically gets a little depressing and unfun. Granted that is part ..."

You've expressed my view perfectly. I almost lemmed this book because of all the downers. It was very depressing. But then I had to find out what was going to happen next; so I kept reading to the end. I was glad that I did (view spoiler)[ and that the ending was hopeful. The worst would have been if Bernard had won and things had gone back to status quo. All that work, all those deaths and happily there was change in the end (hide spoiler)].

Great writing though, the way it pulled you in, fed you facts one drip at a time, and made you figure out how things fit together. New and interesting type of world.

Knowing that they have the ability to expand their world should make the lottery a non issue. It is like a whole new frontier. I hope they expand their world. How would you all feel if they started taking suits and exploring the other broken down silos. Obviously there is room for an expanded population.

Really enjoyed this one. I thought the elements in the story were introduced so wonderfully in the beginning, and whilst I didn't like the other books as much as the first two, I thought it continued well and gave a full and satisfying ending.

While I am interested in learning more about the world Howey created, and certainly enjoyed his writing style, I'm not sure I'll read the other books, at least not in the immediate future, simply because I really enjoyed this as a whole and don't feel the need for any more. But perhaps when my 'to read' list is a little smaller.

I really enjoyed this book. (view spoiler)[ It had me wanting Bernard to be caught from the get go. Until the end of the book I thought Juliette was going to die. Going into silo 17 was great, to see how bad the uprising could have gotten back in silo 18.

The only thing I wish I could have seen in this book, was Juliette talking to silo 1 while in silo 17 to learn more. This might be in the newer books but to also see maybe crews from silo 18 going back and forth between the two silos to get silo 17 back up and running as well. (hide spoiler)]

I think Wool was the best S&L pick in a while.
(view spoiler)[
Though some of the twists were predictable, I found the book as a whole to be fresh and exciting. The author's choice to kill off the main characters in the first two parts was a welcome change, partly because I was not fond of them. By the time I got to know Juliette I found myself hoping she wouldn't be killed off and was happy to see her become the main focus for the rest of the story. Much like the Song of Ice and Fire series, I found myself reading late into the night to find out if a character would survive. That's a very different type of page-turning experience!

The world Howey created inside the silo was fascinating -- when I finished the book, I found myself daydreaming about how I would operate the other abandoned silo and what changes I would make when you didn't have to live by the IT code. Hopefully one of the sequels will cover this ground.

My only criticism would be that I felt like parts 4 and 5 needed a good editor to trim down (or possibly eliminate) the mechanics' rebellion part of the story. The action needed to happen, but telling it from their point of view slowed the pacing and contained information that could have easily been handled through other parts of the story. I realize some readers will probably disagree with this, but that's my take!
(hide spoiler)]
On a side note, I listened to this on Audible, and it might be one of the worst narrated stories I've had the displeasure of experiencing. The reader's sing-song cadence and affected voices constantly pulled me out of the story and had me wondering how much better I'd feel about the book had I read it the traditional way.

I greatly enjoyed the book. I have been reading a lot of post-apocolyptic stuff lately, but this seemed to be a different take on it. I've already picked up the Shift Omnibus, so I'm curious to see how it all began.

I did like that (view spoiler)[ first two point of view characters died (hide spoiler)]. It really made me want to know what on earth was going on!

I will say that it never really felt like separate stories to me, even though I knew the story was originally published as short stories, it just felt like one book. That may have been because of slight editing done for the omnibus edition.

I am curious about how much of our own technology was actually kept. Paper and writing instruments are clearly luxuries and the use of email is costly as well. What else have they held on to?

Also, despite the use of chits, it seems like there may be some sort of bartering system in place. I don't remember if there were any places to shop. Was food rationed out? Clothing? I know that the overalls seemed to be standard issue for the residents, but I wonder if there were other ways to get stuff. Was there a black market? I may just have a bad memory, but I would be curious as to how those things worked, if they even existed.

This ended up being a lot better than I expected it to be. I found the beginning to be a little over written, but once we met Juliette, it really picked up for me. Admittedly, I found the romance parts a little weak, but I really enjoyed the suspense.

I haven't picked up Silo yet (my library has yet to pick up a copy) but I know I will in the future.

I loved the book.

As a note: I was reading this at the same time as reading Abercrombie's "The Blade Itself" and I kept thinking about Glotka being in the silo with all those stairs.

I really enjoyed the book. I do think books 4 & 5 should have been culled down. It seemed like there was a good bit of information that was unneeded (did we really need to know ever detail of the rebellion in Mechanical?), and I could have done without so much of the harping on the romance...but I still gave it 4 stars out of 5. I also bought Shift Omnibus Edition on Kindle daily deal yesterday, but I think I'll wait for it to come out on Audible. I enjoyed listening to it.

I loved this book. First book I've read in years that consumed me this much. I bounced between the kindle book and the audible version. Like others, I found whispersync failed often, but unlike some of the commenters, I really enjoyed the narrator's voices.

I am going to purposely stay away from Shift Omnibus Edition. I actually don't care or need to know how this all came about. In the context of the story, the characters never know, so why do we need to? I like that level of mystery.

I quite enjoyed it too. I loved the first three stories then felt like it bogged down bit during the second half. I think I would have preferred keeping it more focused on Juliette with her getting updates on silo 18 over the radio.

Like a few others, despite enjoying this I'm not that interested in picking up Shift Omnibus Edition. I feel like wool told a strong, complete story and I don't really care how the world got to that point.