Wool
by Hugh Howey · first published 2011
73% recommend20% neutral7% critical
Why HN recommends it
Post-apocalyptic dystopian sci-fi about people living in a sealed silo, immersive enough that readers move on to the rest of the Silo series. Suits fans of survival-in-hostile-worlds stories.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
They live beneath the earth in a prison of their own making. There is a view of the outside world, a spoiled and rotten world, their forefathers left behind. But this view fades over time, ruined by the toxic airs that kill any who brave them. So they leave it to the criminals, those who break the rules, and who are sent to cleaning. Why do they do it, these people condemned to death? Sheriff Holston has always wondered. Now he is about to find out.
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Are you looking for something similar? It's not easy to recommend something based on a single book but have a look at Vicious by V. E. Schwab, This Perfect Day by Ira Levin or Wool by Hugh Howey.
on “Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?” ↗>Are there any deep earthscrapers Not exactly what you are looking for, but you might enjoy _Wool_ by Hugh Howey: http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Hugh-Howey/dp/1476735115/
on “Renderings vs. Reality: The Improbable Rise of Tree-Covered Skyscrapers” ↗Howey is perhaps my favorite new(ish) sci-fi author. His novels are almost always page turners, even if they aren't always deep. Wool (book one of the Silo series) was my introduction to Howey, and also among his best. I also recommend it for anyone that likes post-apocalyptic sci fi. Sand is good, too.
on “Neo – Desired Word Processor for Authors” ↗I enjoyed Artemis by Andy Weir. If you liked The Martian, you will probably like Artemis. Hugh Howey's Wool series was a lot of fun to read. I also have enjoyed all of Daniel Suarez' books, especially Daemon.
on “Frivolous, Empty, and Perfectly Delightful” ↗If you are be interested in written-form scifi stories based on that idea, I strongly recommend Wool by Hugh Howey - the book series also goes by the same name,IIRC. A TV show based on the books is also in the works.
on “Alaska's one-house town, home to hundreds (2015)” ↗I like Ivan Efremov’s works, if you can find those in English. Wool by Hugh Howey (Silo is now steaming on AppleTV).
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗…Being of the Star Wars generation I've grown up with computers and see them as a sideshow now, not to last long because of the complex infrastructure behind it all. Some influential books I've read: Wool, by Hugh Howey The New Wilderness, by Diane Cook Why We Need to be Wild, by Jessica Carew Kraft Feral, by George Monbiot
on “Ask HN: Do you also marvel at the complexity of everyday objects?” ↗I was unexpectedly blown away by a post-apocalyptic book called Wool by Hugh Howey, the first one of the Silo trilogy. Hard to say what did it exactly, just the overall combination of plot, storytelling and pacing. I read (or rather listen to) a lot of fiction and sci-fi…
on “Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?” ↗…springs, treadle operated computers, etc. There are some pretty grim stories in there, some may find them distasteful. https://windupstories.com/books/pump-six-and-other-stories/ Also I guess Silo / WOOL by Hugh Howey is perhaps closer to what you wrote literally but probably not quite the vibe maybe.
on “A low-carbon computing platform from your retired phones” ↗Wool - Hugh Howey Post-apocalyptic dystopian sci-fi at it's best.
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗Wool by Hugh Howey (fiction)
on “Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015” ↗…forward to reading more of these. Spanish Verb Tenses / Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions by Dorothy Richmond - I've been trying to learn Spanish and these are some of the best workbooks I've found. Wool by Hugh Howey - A friend kept recommending this and it was so hard to put down once I started. It always kept me wanting more. It was a great journey, but at the very end things were becoming a little…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…Names (The Shadow Campaigns series) by Django Wexler -- Napoleonic era military fantasy! - The Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage series) by Brian McClellan -- Dudes snort GUNPOWDER and get magic! - Wool by Hugh Howey -- Post-apocalyptic world where everyone lives in a silo! NUTS. - Disenchanted by Robert Kroese -- Hilarious fantasy world, several books in this world - The Lies of Locke Lamora (The…
on “Top Fantasy Series to battle quarantine boredom” ↗What is the negative affect they are having on authors? Isn't Amazon the reason we have access to such amazing new talents as Hugh Howey (Wool series)? The ability to independently publish into an established marketplace is a pretty great boon for aspiring authors.
on “Kindle MatchBook” ↗Not reading it currently, but I can't let a thread like this go by without suggesting the Silo Saga by Hugh Howey. The first book in the series is "Wool: Part 1", which (last I looked) was a free Kindle book on Amazon, and I'd graduated to purchasing the rest of the series before finishing the second chapter. It's a phenomenal series, and I'm a little…
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading?” ↗