Books: Wool, Shift, Dust
Author: Hugh Howey
Recommend: Definitely worth the read! These books are one of the best dystopian series I have read since The Hunger Games.
I have had the first book in this series, Wool, sitting on my shelf for quite a while. I had heard great things and was always meaning to get to it but I really enjoy reading a series all in one go when possible, so I was waiting. I got a gift card to Half Price Books for Christmas and used it as an excuse to pick up books 2 and 3 in the series. I had just finished a reread of one of my favorites but was still in a science fiction dystopia place when I decided to pick these up.
The book centers around Jules, a young woman who is thrust into power when she does not want it, unknowingly causing a chain of events that will change everything in their world.
First of all, I was expecting something totally different than what I got. I had heard many things about this book regarding it’s popularity in hipster circles and it made me wonder if it was a good read or simply a popular one with a certain section of the popultion. My fears were unfounded. Howey has created wonderfully rich and complex characters who are dealing with living a life in an underground silo. The balance of action and character devleopment is superb and definitely makes it worth the read. The story is compelling and the more I found out about the world the more disgusted and fascinated I was.
The only slight critism I might have with this book is the fact that the second book takes us away from the main storyline so much. It is necessary but I wish that the author had given us more in the first book from the secondary cast and less in the second because it would have felt a lot more balanced. By the time he gets to the third book though, he finds his stride and I am eagerly awaiting more books from this author.
The Obsessive Book Worm 