Audio Review: Wool by Hugh Howey

Wool by Hugh Howey
Narrator: Edoardo Ballerini
Series: Silo #1
Published by William Morrow on 2012-01-27
Length: 594 pages
Length: 15 hours
Listening Speed: 2.25x
Reviewing Audiobook, Kindle from Audible, Kindle Unlimited
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2025 Audiobook Challenge, 2025 Beat the Backlist

The first book in the acclaimed, New York Times best-selling trilogy, Wool is the story of mankind clawing for survival. The world outside has grown toxic, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. The remnants of humanity live underground in a single silo.

But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they want: They are allowed to go outside.

After the previous sheriff leaves the silo in a terrifying ritual, Juliette, a mechanic from the down deep, is suddenly and inexplicably promoted to the head of law enforcement. With newfound power and with little regard for the customs she is supposed to abide, Juliette uncovers hints of a sinister conspiracy. Tugging this thread may uncover the truth . . . or it could kill every last human alive.

This one has been on my TBR since I watched the first season of Silo on AppleTV+. I loved it! Wool by Hugh Howey is a collection of novellas set in a dystopian future where people are living in an underground silo. Each story interconnects and weaves a fascinating tale of survival and what that costs. Focusing mostly on Silo 18 and the newly appointed sheriff Juliette Nichols, the story unfolds as Juliette uncovers the truth behind the “cleanings” and works to expose those behind it.

This review is hard to write because I do not want to spoil anything so I may be vague. Juliette is a worker in the down deep, a mechanic with unrivaled skills. She can study something and come up with a solution quickly. It’s why the previous sheriff recommends her for the job when he goes out to clean. Juliette’s ability to solve problems quickly and efficiently lands her in a heap of trouble when the mayor dies and she realizes it was no accident. The head of IT wants her to put the case to rest, but Juliette suspects she knows who did it. Her search for the truth leads to her own arrest.

This story is mostly told from inside the silo. Above ground, the air is toxic and land uninhabitable. People live their entire lives in the silo working for the greater good to make sure the silo survives for the next generation. When someone dies, a lottery is performed where married couples can enter to have a baby. When someone does something wrong or requests to leave the silo, they are sent out to clean. On the outside of the silo are cameras that feed into a screen inside the silo to show them the outside world. Everyone sent out to clean is given a suit and a piece of wool to clean the grime off the cameras. The suit protects them from the elements long enough to do so. Everyone who has been sent out does their job until Juliette.

The tension in this book is unparalleled. I loved how the author conveyed each story through a series of stories and characters. Juliette is one of the main characters, but there is also Bernard the head of IT, Lukas his shadow, the mechanics in the down deep, and some characters Juliette meets later in the story. The mystery surrounding the silo–who built it, why did they build it, why are they there–is at the heart of the story. The characters are missing a world they never knew existed and hoping that one day they can go out too, but no one dares voice that aloud.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wool. I devoured it, honestly not able to read it fast enough for my liking. The constant threat hanging over the characters heads drove the plot. And the mystery about how it all began kept me intrigued to the very end. I cannot wait to dive into book two. Side note: for those that have watched the series, it follows fairly closely to the book (at least so far). The few things they’ve changed do not affect the overall story.

Audiobook Note: I opted to listen to this story, and I’m glad I did. It kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. I listened at 2.25x, a pace slightly faster than my normal.

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