Wool by Hugh Howey

For me, this one is personal.

Hugh Howey’s trilogy, which starts with Wool, was first self-published as a novelette by Hugh himself back in July of 2011. It was his seventh book, only 60 pages long and, by all accounts, he was already knuckling down on another project as soon as it was published. Little did he know that what began as a novelette would soon turn into a modern-day dystopian cult classic, growing from those initial few pages into a well-paced, action-packed trilogy that was set to be published by Random House in the UK, and by publishers in multiple other countries around the world. Not only that, the book trilogy has now been turned into a highly successful TV series for AppleTV – one of its most-viewed shows when released – it was nominated for a number of awards and was generally highly celebrated by book reviewers, journalists and ordinary readers alike. And I can see why.

Wool is very well written. Indeed, it reads like poetry in places. The characters are believable, likeable and strong, while intrigue is artfully sown throughout each book in the series.

The story begins with Holston, Sheriff of the silo where Wool is set, as he wearily climbs the staircase he has climbed for a lifetime, the sounds of normal life resonating all around him. And it starts with one hell of an opening line: “The children were playing while Holston climbed to his death.” Who wouldn’t want to read more?

The detail with which Hugh writes is impeccable. I can feel the metal treads beneath my own feet. The vibrations in the railing through the palm of my own hand. Hear the squeals of the children playing above me and feel the heaviness in Holston's heart as if it were my own as he continues his slow and methodical climb upwards to clean on the outside – the worst of punishments, reserved only for those who break the most severe of rules while living in this silo buried underground.

The silo originally became home to survivors of a terrific environmental disaster that devastated the landscape and poisoned the air, making it impossible to live outside. Their ancestors now follow the worn treads of those survivors’ footsteps, with Holston introducing us to the rules of a life lived far differently from the one we experience today.

As the story unfolds you really get a feel for how long these people have been living underground, waiting for the environment to heal. Or maybe just existing. Questions about their true history and how they really got there soon begin to swirl: what’s really outside? How did the silo come to be and the outside world come to be so deadly? For stepping outside is in itself a death sentence. Which begs the question, why do those sentenced to clean agree to perform the task at all?

All of these questions – and many, many more, about the silo’s history, how it all came to be in the first place and what the future may hold – are answered as you journey with the main characters through the silo and all of its secrets.

Back to 2026...

So why is a 15-year-old trilogy (Wool, Shift and Dust) worthy of this short book review in 2026? Because, back in the twenty-teens, when I was first beginning to contact agents, I made use of a feedback service which I think was offered by Bloomsbury Publishing. It was there that I first learned of Hugh Howey and the existence of his trilogy, which at that time was being hailed as the new Hunger Games! I remember feeling somewhat crestfallen when the agent I saw practically told me my novel had already been done and she seemed shocked that I hadn’t read it. (Not only had I not read it, I’d never even heard of it!)

So on her advice I went straight out and bought the trilogy. And it sat there, staring at me (from various bookshelves) for some eight or nine years. Until I finally plucked up the courage to read Wool last year – the year I decided I was ready to publish my own book, The HIVE.

I’m so glad I left it so long before I turned those first pages. I would never have gathered the courage to publish my own book had I read those stories in Hugh’s trilogy first. I would have considered his writing too good, his characters too well fleshed out, his storyline and worldbuilding too well formed to risk sharing my own words with the world. But I’m so glad I did publish my own book now too, because if I hadn’t, I never would have read Wool. It would still be sitting there on my overcrowded bookshelf, watching me.

There are other reasons why this trilogy touched me, and why, without it, I wouldn't be on this journey today…

When I was first pondering how on earth I would market a fiction book, I was being set on a path that would have seen me spending an awful lot of time on social media writing about ‘things I already know’. At that point, all I thought I really knew was writing. So I was preparing to write lots of posts on how to be a writer to sell a speculative science fiction thriller to readers. It didn’t sit well with me at the time (and not just because I’ve never been a big fan of socials). I felt quite perturbed at having to dedicate so much time and energy to it.

It was around that time I came across a blog post by Tim Grahl which really spoke to me. It was controversial (tick – I like people who say what they really think regardless of the consequences), because (from memory!) it basically condemned the notion that sales come from social media posts. He proved it too with some research or evidence (I confess, I can’t remember the details now, but I remember the general gist because it caught my attention). So I sought out his book, Your first 1000 copies, and as my mouse was hovering over the buy button, I spotted a review. A rather long one that was quite denigrating about a key point in his strategy.

I admit, I was put off. My mouse cursor shifted to hover several centimeters away from the ‘Buy now’ button. Was this unknown reviewer right? Did they have a valid point? I looked again at the cover of the book, uncertainty filling my chest. And that’s when I spotted it. In small white capital letters at the top of the book’s cover: “If I could give an aspiring writer one piece of advice, it would be to read this book – Hugh Howey, New York Times best-selling author of Wool.”

How could I ignore such a clear sign from the universe?! That’s really how I came to be on this journey all these years later. And the best sign of all? When I was reading Wool (I confess, I think it was Wool, but it could have been in Shift or Dust too. In truth, I made so few notes while reading because I forgot to, I was too engrossed and eager to discover what happened next… I was also only supposed to read Wool, begrudgingly at the time, too, if memory serves me correctly, after spending so many years dreading turning these pages…) I spotted another incredible sign from the universe which confirmed to me that yes, I was supposed to be reading this trilogy (and no, my destiny as an aspiring author hadn’t been assumed by someone else). There, described in black and white, was a mutt with a smiling face and lolling tongue, Jackson.

This is my Jackson!

He too can get overexcited (and vexing) when he spots an unsuspecting victim to foist himself upon next – why wouldn’t everyone want to fuss such a cute and cheeky fluffball, his grin asks? Just like the Jackson in Wool.   So thank you, Hugh Howey, for all the signs you unwittingly helped the universe send to me, and thank you for writing such an engrossing ‘new cult classic’. I quite like to see it staring back at me from my bookshelf now. Copies of all three of Hugh’s books in the trilogy are available to buy on Amazon, and I expect in all good bookshops too. You can also check out his trilogy and his many other titles on his website, at hughhowey.com And finally, in what could be described as the final positive signal from the universe – a synchronicity to confirm the existence of divine timing – the third series of Silo on AppleTV starts streaming in July this year (2026), just two short months away as I write! Perhaps this is a perfectly timed blog post after all… The first of 10 episodes drops on July 3rd. You can catch a first look on Apple’s website. Looking for more good reads? Why not try a sample of my debut novel, The HIVE? It's a speculative science fiction thriller and my own 'what if' scenario that I hope encourages people to question the systems we trust and the stories we are told. Receive the first eight chapters for free by signing up to my newsletter (you can unsubscribe at any time), or you can read more about it on my store page.