Tuesday 25 June 2013

Wool - Hugh Howey

A dystopian view of the future published in a fantastically tactile hardback.
An entire community exists in a silo over 100 stories deep with a class system in place.
There are engineers, IT specialistsand a mayor so present day is still in existence. But there's no email available or internet. If anyone steps out of line they are sent to be a 'cleaner' - a description of the role they will take cleaning the outbound cameras when they are sent into the poisonous atmosphere.
A simple expressed criticism of the system earns a person this punishment.
But is all as it seems?
Following the death of the Sheriff a replacement is needed and both the mayor and the IT supervisor have someone in mind. The trouble begins when each wants a different person.
After the new person is appointed she has access to previously undreamed of information. Putting information together reveals a hidden world of sabotage. Asking questions is risky as is trusting anyone else.
Garnering support from a long term friend she voices her doubts and is promptly sent to 'clean'. But armed with the new knowledge does she die?
This has echoes of the Schwarzenegger film where he's sent into the future and I can easily picture it as a film. It's very well written and whips you along. Saga rather than novel it has a follow up novel 'Shift' and then a final book to complete the series.


Publisher - Simon and Schuster

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