Wool

Wool is a post-apocalyptic novel by Hugh Howey. I knew nothing about this book and just picked it up at my local bookseller on a whim. I'm glad I did. It's an interesting situation.

from the back of the book:

What would you do

if the world outside was deadly,

and the air you breathed could kill?

And you lived in a place

where every birth required a death,

ad the choices you made could

save lives -or destroy them.

This is Jules's Story.

This is the world of Wool.

The Washington Post opens with this: "Even if it were just a run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic novel about a society forced to live underground, “Wool” would still be quite a tale." The Guardian says it "is uneven but shows a great deal of promise". The Independent closes with this: "...with the film rights already sold to Ridley Scott, Howey's Wool is likely to be spoken about in the same breath as The Hunger Games and The Passage before long."

Wired says,

Howey’s strength is in his characters. They are distinct and yet familiar in their desires. They love, even when it isn’t allowed, they explore even within the confines of the silo and they create. So much happens in Wool that little more can be said about the characters without giving much away. Let’s just say that this is storytelling based upon good characters placed in difficult situations...

Fantasy Book Review says, "Give it a go. It's pretty good." SF Book concludes, "Wool is a fascinating tale of the world in a tube, a classic not to be missed." Kirkus Reviews has an interview with the author.