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Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Science Fiction (2014)The new novel from the international bestselling author of the Wool trilogy.
The old world is buried. A new one has been forged atop the shifting dunes. Here in this land of howling wind and infernal sand, four siblings find themselves scattered and lost.
Palmer has never been the same since his father walked out twelve years ago. His elder sister, Vic, is trying to run away from the past; his younger brothers, Connor and Rob, are risking their lives to embrace it. His mother, left with nothing but anger, is just trying to forget.
Palmer wants to prove his worth, not only to his family, but to himself. And in the barren, dune-covered landscape of his home, there is only one way to earn respect: sand-diving. Plunging deep below the desert floor in search of relics and scraps of the old world. He is about to embark on the most dangerous dive of his young life, aiming to become the first to discover the rumoured city below.
Deep within the sand lies the key to bringing his family together – and tearing their world apart.
The old world is buried. A new one has been forged atop the shifting dunes. Here in this land of howling wind and infernal sand, four siblings find themselves scattered and lost.
Palmer has never been the same since his father walked out twelve years ago. His elder sister, Vic, is trying to run away from the past; his younger brothers, Connor and Rob, are risking their lives to embrace it. His mother, left with nothing but anger, is just trying to forget.
Palmer wants to prove his worth, not only to his family, but to himself. And in the barren, dune-covered landscape of his home, there is only one way to earn respect: sand-diving. Plunging deep below the desert floor in search of relics and scraps of the old world. He is about to embark on the most dangerous dive of his young life, aiming to become the first to discover the rumoured city below.
Deep within the sand lies the key to bringing his family together – and tearing their world apart.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 4, 2014
About the author
Hugh Howey
126 books55.7k followersI'm the author of WOOL, a top 5 science fiction book on Amazon. I also wrote the Molly Fyde saga, a tale of a teenager from the 25th century who is repeatedly told that girls can't do certain things -- and then does them anyway.
A theme in my books is the celebration of overcoming odds and of not allowing the cruelty of the universe to change who you are in the process. Most of them are classified as science fiction, since they often take place in the future, but if you love great stories and memorable characters, you'll dig what you find here. I promise.
A theme in my books is the celebration of overcoming odds and of not allowing the cruelty of the universe to change who you are in the process. Most of them are classified as science fiction, since they often take place in the future, but if you love great stories and memorable characters, you'll dig what you find here. I promise.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,242 reviews
February 7, 2014
Am I really only the second person to rate this 1 star?
Am I the asshole here?
So be it.
As a huge fan of Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1) and Hugh Howey, I was extremely disappointed with his latest effort. I found myself unable to get into the story, to connect with most of the characters, to visualize this sand-buried world. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't feel any of it.
Howey's writing is good -- as always. He is definitely skilled with the written word. But the plot left me trolling other reviews for answers, for some glimmer of hope that I wasn't the only one struggling through this book.
I think the biggest reason is the lack of a mythology. In Wool, Howey built an incredibly imaginative world that was easy to visualize, dropping hints as to the big question of "Why?" throughout the narrative. The world of Sand, however, just was.
Maybe he plans to answer some questions -- where did the sand come from? what do the people know about their history? -- in future books. But his inability to create a universe equally as riveting as the one in Wool was disheartening.
Am I the asshole here?
So be it.
As a huge fan of Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1) and Hugh Howey, I was extremely disappointed with his latest effort. I found myself unable to get into the story, to connect with most of the characters, to visualize this sand-buried world. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't feel any of it.
Howey's writing is good -- as always. He is definitely skilled with the written word. But the plot left me trolling other reviews for answers, for some glimmer of hope that I wasn't the only one struggling through this book.
I think the biggest reason is the lack of a mythology. In Wool, Howey built an incredibly imaginative world that was easy to visualize, dropping hints as to the big question of "Why?" throughout the narrative. The world of Sand, however, just was.
Maybe he plans to answer some questions -- where did the sand come from? what do the people know about their history? -- in future books. But his inability to create a universe equally as riveting as the one in Wool was disheartening.
January 6, 2023
in this post-apocalyptic tale, sand is like water; maverick sand divers use their amazing sand suits to uncover buried pre-apocalypse tools and materials. otherwise life is pretty miserable, and sandy. there's an actual glossary of sand terms!
happily the book is so much more than that admittedly original concept. all the different voices of a disparate family give this future society flavor and nuance. the characters themselves are warmly developed. the depressing atmosphere was nicely alleviated by characters who are always striving, always trying to move forward. there was one particularly impressive scene where a young woman channels all the pain and trauma and sadness and anger she's experienced in her life to give herself the strength needed to perform an impossible feat. that was an astonishing bit of writing, poetic and visceral and intense. moving. overall Sand is a well-written novel. no clichés in sight and many surprises throughout the narrative.
perhaps the biggest surprise for me was how I was so successfully manipulated into supporting something I'm morally against. now I'm a dyed-in-the-wool progressive, against war and state-sponsored violence et cetera. so I did not expect to eventually come to a place where I was cheering on the wholesale slaughter of thousands of people and the destruction of a city. when I realized I was feeling such things, the bottom sorta dropped out from under me.
but sometimes people are so crushed under the foot of their oppressors that they are driven to do things, and sometimes those things are savagely violent and vindictive. I wonder: did Howey realize that his novel functions as an argument in favor of terrorism and the utter annihilation of one's enemies? well, he certainly constructed a convincing argument.
happily the book is so much more than that admittedly original concept. all the different voices of a disparate family give this future society flavor and nuance. the characters themselves are warmly developed. the depressing atmosphere was nicely alleviated by characters who are always striving, always trying to move forward. there was one particularly impressive scene where a young woman channels all the pain and trauma and sadness and anger she's experienced in her life to give herself the strength needed to perform an impossible feat. that was an astonishing bit of writing, poetic and visceral and intense. moving. overall Sand is a well-written novel. no clichés in sight and many surprises throughout the narrative.
perhaps the biggest surprise for me was how I was so successfully manipulated into supporting something I'm morally against. now I'm a dyed-in-the-wool progressive, against war and state-sponsored violence et cetera. so I did not expect to eventually come to a place where I was cheering on the wholesale slaughter of thousands of people and the destruction of a city. when I realized I was feeling such things, the bottom sorta dropped out from under me.
but sometimes people are so crushed under the foot of their oppressors that they are driven to do things, and sometimes those things are savagely violent and vindictive. I wonder: did Howey realize that his novel functions as an argument in favor of terrorism and the utter annihilation of one's enemies? well, he certainly constructed a convincing argument.
May 3, 2020
Four and a half rusted and sand-blasted stars. Mr. Howey is a talent, I absolutely loved Wool and part of the challenge is the expectations it created. The setting for Wool and now Sand is brutal and post-apocalyptic. Something happened . . . we don’t know what, nuclear war, extreme climate change . . . something happened. And what’s left is sand, lots of grit, gravel, and sand. So much that there is an entire lexicon around it, which Howey reveals throughout the novel. But, somehow, people are surviving. Sand focuses on a family that persists. They are broken and shattered. They toil all day to keep the wells open. They scavenge the dunes for treasures from the past. And they sand dive . . . I’ll stop there, you’ll have to read the novel if you’re intrigued.
Howey’s prose is wonderful. His characters are believable and interesting. He tells a great story, but also skillfully weaves in theme on a regular basis. For instant, “Conner wondered if dredging up the past was even a good idea. It was like being a sand diver in many ways. There were all these rusty hurts buried deep. . . “.
I largely enjoyed the story, but it’s so gritty and dark, just like Wool. I would like to see Howey, with all his talents, take on a brighter, more hopeful story. Yes, conflict and struggle make rich literary ground, but so little hope leaves the ground a bit too dry, a bit too grimy in my view. Maybe I need to read Beacon 23, not sure if that explores a bright future or not. In addition, I did think the ending was a bit abrupt.
Anyways, still a wonderful book. I could taste the grit in my mouth, feel the matte in my hair, and see the sift in the air. I’m a fan, and will keep picking up Howie’s future works. Strongly recommended, maybe just not if you need some positivity or if you’re the type that’s really annoyed by the beach . . .
Howey’s prose is wonderful. His characters are believable and interesting. He tells a great story, but also skillfully weaves in theme on a regular basis. For instant, “Conner wondered if dredging up the past was even a good idea. It was like being a sand diver in many ways. There were all these rusty hurts buried deep. . . “.
I largely enjoyed the story, but it’s so gritty and dark, just like Wool. I would like to see Howey, with all his talents, take on a brighter, more hopeful story. Yes, conflict and struggle make rich literary ground, but so little hope leaves the ground a bit too dry, a bit too grimy in my view. Maybe I need to read Beacon 23, not sure if that explores a bright future or not. In addition, I did think the ending was a bit abrupt.
Anyways, still a wonderful book. I could taste the grit in my mouth, feel the matte in my hair, and see the sift in the air. I’m a fan, and will keep picking up Howie’s future works. Strongly recommended, maybe just not if you need some positivity or if you’re the type that’s really annoyed by the beach . . .
February 26, 2014
I wanted to like Sand more than I did. I was completely into the story and curious where Howey was taking his characters and readers. I started to wonder about the ending when I realized I was at 95% on my Kindle. To me it feels like he was getting close to his target word count and decided to just tie up the loose ends then and there. Hours after reading the last page, I still feel like there's supposed to be more. I get what he did, but it feels unfinished.
August 22, 2022
I just won the sequel to Sand. So, I thought, I probably better read the first one. I loved Hugh Howey's trilogy, Silo. I thoroughly enjoyed this book too. Some readers were disappointed, because this is targeted towards young adults. I was not, as It is as gritty and dismal in it's depiction of our dour future, as he any "adult" post-apocalyptic novel that I've read.
It is a grim forecast. Everyone in two tiny towns, in what was once the United States, lives a subsistence lifestyle. Their primary goal is just surviving and getting enough water and food and shelter from the constantly blowing, scattering, mind-shattering sand.The sand takes over their towns inch by inch, so that they are forced to build new shacks on top of their old ones.
The story is about one family and their struggle. They are not close. Each child has had to make their own way, because of their abandonment by their father who ran away twelve years ago and their mother who left to become the town prostitute. I told you it wasn't a pretty story. Somehow the children move forward and hope.
It is a grim forecast. Everyone in two tiny towns, in what was once the United States, lives a subsistence lifestyle. Their primary goal is just surviving and getting enough water and food and shelter from the constantly blowing, scattering, mind-shattering sand.The sand takes over their towns inch by inch, so that they are forced to build new shacks on top of their old ones.
The story is about one family and their struggle. They are not close. Each child has had to make their own way, because of their abandonment by their father who ran away twelve years ago and their mother who left to become the town prostitute. I told you it wasn't a pretty story. Somehow the children move forward and hope.
August 16, 2015
Sand has a very different feel to Wool. It's a much grittier (sorry!) affair in many ways reversing the dynamic. We now have an open environment and a totally disorganised and essentially lawless society where characters fend for themselves, one dusty day at a time. It has a much more adult feel dealing with sexual themes and gory comeuppances and is littered with more swear words than you may be used to from this author but this fits perfectly with the world Howey has once again expertly built and while it may not be as intricate and detailed a world as that of the Silos it certainly feels much more grounded in reality for some reason. Not too much is explained about the technology, giving it an almost steampunk feel, we just know it looks cool and it works but we don't really need to know how.
The beauty of Sand however is in the writing. There is a true emotion throughout as we see a disengaged family struggle to reunite only to risk being torn apart again by the forces working against them. The characters are subtly introduced and expertly enhanced at key points, not only building on their personalities and history but also keeping the plot flowing steadily. The vivid, contrasting imagery can shift from beauty to ugliness in an instant and back again seamlessly and there are some moments of - and I do not say this lightly- sheer brilliance in Howey's prose and for all it's rough and tumble, Sand has some well-placed and genuinely tender moments which at times can cleverly disarm the reader temporarily, leaving them totally unprepared for the next fiendish plot twist.
But fear not, this ain't no sandy Seventh Heaven. Sand is a highly-charged, action-filled, thrill-a-minute, ass-kicking, jawbreaking blockbuster and makes no apologies for it. The panic and claustrophobia of the dives is portrayed perfectly and the tension is retained every single time a character dives into the unforgiving sand even if just for a moment, knowing the slightest error of judgement means instant death. This savage world leaves no prisoners and Danger brashly loiters around every dune and street corner. It's a world where it's much easier to look away than help and sadly this is already starting to mirror today's society, but as our characters prove, the most exceptional of circumstances can yield the most unexpected response from some people.
If there was ever any doubt about Hugh Howey's longevity as a writer, Sand is proof that there can be none. Consistency is hard enough for a writer to achieve, constant and sustained improvement is another thing entirely.
Now I know it's only January, but I think I've already found my Book of 2014.
The beauty of Sand however is in the writing. There is a true emotion throughout as we see a disengaged family struggle to reunite only to risk being torn apart again by the forces working against them. The characters are subtly introduced and expertly enhanced at key points, not only building on their personalities and history but also keeping the plot flowing steadily. The vivid, contrasting imagery can shift from beauty to ugliness in an instant and back again seamlessly and there are some moments of - and I do not say this lightly- sheer brilliance in Howey's prose and for all it's rough and tumble, Sand has some well-placed and genuinely tender moments which at times can cleverly disarm the reader temporarily, leaving them totally unprepared for the next fiendish plot twist.
But fear not, this ain't no sandy Seventh Heaven. Sand is a highly-charged, action-filled, thrill-a-minute, ass-kicking, jawbreaking blockbuster and makes no apologies for it. The panic and claustrophobia of the dives is portrayed perfectly and the tension is retained every single time a character dives into the unforgiving sand even if just for a moment, knowing the slightest error of judgement means instant death. This savage world leaves no prisoners and Danger brashly loiters around every dune and street corner. It's a world where it's much easier to look away than help and sadly this is already starting to mirror today's society, but as our characters prove, the most exceptional of circumstances can yield the most unexpected response from some people.
If there was ever any doubt about Hugh Howey's longevity as a writer, Sand is proof that there can be none. Consistency is hard enough for a writer to achieve, constant and sustained improvement is another thing entirely.
Now I know it's only January, but I think I've already found my Book of 2014.
August 12, 2022
The good: I won a giveaway of “Across the Sand”, the sequel to this novel which will be released in October. The bad, well, is really not so bad: this first novel, “Sand”, did not exactly hold my interest. Certain elements are not believable, and the feel of the book leans towards YA, even if it wasn't meant to. I shouldn't compare it to the quality I found in Hugh Howey's “Silo Series”, but it's also hard not to. Not a full review here. I will probably say more after reading the sequel.
June 25, 2023
About three months ago, my Science Fiction Lit. class and I had the opportunity to interview Hugh Howey. During the interview, naturally, we started talking about his upcoming projects and publications, and he offered some really good advice about his then, as of yet, unpublished novel Sand: don’t read it. It was, according to him, too dark, too vulgar, and too different from Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1). So, don’t waste your time - don't bother, don’t read it.. he said. Naturally, his telling a class of high schoolers not to read his book made every person in the room move Sand to the top of his or her To Read list.
I’m sorry Mr. Howey. You give fantastic advice on your website, and you gave fantastic advice and insight during our interview. But I have failed you. I read Sand.
And I loved it.
It’s been said before in other reviews, but it bears repeating that this is not Wool. Wool was amazing because it had good characters and an amazing twist-filled mystery plot. Sand is amazing because it has a good plot and amazing downtrodden, sympathetic, gut wrenching characters. Sand is a book filled with hopelessness and a sense of never being able to rise above because life doesn’t actually offer that opportunity. Howey writes several times in his book that the world of Sand is one on which the gods have turned their collective backs. He was right; Sand is that kind of world.
Also, not to dump on Wool - it was well written - but Howey's writing in Sand is filled with page after page of beautifully scripted passages. The amount of growth between the writing of Wool and Sand is remarkable.
Equally remarkable is the dialogue. For some reason, many authors have a very difficult time writing dialogue that sounds like it’s being spoken by a human being and not a monologuing cartoon character. Even authors who can write otherwise fantastic stories, plots, action scenes and such, trip, stumble and fall either into the pit of "My Character Speaks with an Exposition Stick Up His Ass," or "My Character Speaks Like He’s Fourteen." The characters in Sand, on the the other hand, are all rather quiet, reserved individuals who never let their dialogue get in the way, so when a character does speak, his/her dialogue is filled with weight and value. I loved it.
It’s really hard to think of novels similar to Sand. Perhaps The Road for its extraordinarily bleak look at humanity, or perhaps The Running Man for it’s You Cannot Beat the World plot. Actually, a general comparison to Stephen King is rather appropriate: hopeless characters, gritty dialogue, a quiet plot punctuated with severe claustrophobia, moments of grotesque violence, and (my particular favorite) the Life as a Desert metaphor. These elements are all hallmarks that are found in great Stephen King novels. I guess now I’ll have to say they’re hallmarks found in a Hugh Howey novel.
I hope every novel he writes in the future is as good as this one. If they are, it will do nothing but continue to cement his place as one of the best science fiction writers we have.
I’m sorry Mr. Howey. You give fantastic advice on your website, and you gave fantastic advice and insight during our interview. But I have failed you. I read Sand.
And I loved it.
It’s been said before in other reviews, but it bears repeating that this is not Wool. Wool was amazing because it had good characters and an amazing twist-filled mystery plot. Sand is amazing because it has a good plot and amazing downtrodden, sympathetic, gut wrenching characters. Sand is a book filled with hopelessness and a sense of never being able to rise above because life doesn’t actually offer that opportunity. Howey writes several times in his book that the world of Sand is one on which the gods have turned their collective backs. He was right; Sand is that kind of world.
Also, not to dump on Wool - it was well written - but Howey's writing in Sand is filled with page after page of beautifully scripted passages. The amount of growth between the writing of Wool and Sand is remarkable.
Equally remarkable is the dialogue. For some reason, many authors have a very difficult time writing dialogue that sounds like it’s being spoken by a human being and not a monologuing cartoon character. Even authors who can write otherwise fantastic stories, plots, action scenes and such, trip, stumble and fall either into the pit of "My Character Speaks with an Exposition Stick Up His Ass," or "My Character Speaks Like He’s Fourteen." The characters in Sand, on the the other hand, are all rather quiet, reserved individuals who never let their dialogue get in the way, so when a character does speak, his/her dialogue is filled with weight and value. I loved it.
It’s really hard to think of novels similar to Sand. Perhaps The Road for its extraordinarily bleak look at humanity, or perhaps The Running Man for it’s You Cannot Beat the World plot. Actually, a general comparison to Stephen King is rather appropriate: hopeless characters, gritty dialogue, a quiet plot punctuated with severe claustrophobia, moments of grotesque violence, and (my particular favorite) the Life as a Desert metaphor. These elements are all hallmarks that are found in great Stephen King novels. I guess now I’ll have to say they’re hallmarks found in a Hugh Howey novel.
I hope every novel he writes in the future is as good as this one. If they are, it will do nothing but continue to cement his place as one of the best science fiction writers we have.
April 24, 2014
Another excellent book from Hugh Howey who has now joined my list of favourite authors. Like Wool this is a kind of post apocalyptic thriller with some great original ideas. The descriptions of sand diving were brilliant and kept the reader permanently on edge wondering if each individual would survive. The characters were drawn well and as for the ending - loved it! This book could be stand alone or the first of a series. Either way it was exceptionally good.
February 11, 2014
So, this Hugh guy is pretty alright. I've made it no real secret that I adore the Silo Series - I felt it was one of the most creative, haunting and visceral stories I've ever read - a series that stays with you, like, inside you, deep inside. In your feeling (I only have one). With Sand, Howey has created ANOTHER world in the same ilk - haunting, emotional, gloomy. And, like the Silo books, Sand will stick with me for a while.
Sand follows a down-on-their-luck family of sand divers in a future Colorado - a Colorado you quickly find is nothing like what you would expect from the state. Everything is covered in hundreds of feet of sand - the book is aptly named, as essentially everything surrounds the stuff. However, there is so much more, beyond even the sand as a metaphor. Palmer, Victoria, Rob and Conner formerly lived what would pass for the high life in this dystopian-esque world, as their father was the leader of a ruling group called The Lords. However, their father ran off, left the children and Rose, their mother, with next to nothing to their name but a whore house. This fractured their family, especially as Rose's debt piled up and she transitioned from running her whore house to working in it as well, which shamed the children.
The children are all, or aspire to be, sand divers - people who wear special, electrified suits that allow them to maneuver through deep sand, moving it around their bodies or, if skilled enough, moving large areas of sand to their will. The sand diving and sand suits in themselves are an incredibly creative concept, and Hugh does a masterful job of introducing them slowly, letting you get accustomed to the idea a bit, then gradually introducing more and more these suits can do. Beyond the suits themselves, sand diving is very dependent on the diver themselves - their ability to move sand, to keep their cool while being crushed under mountains of pressure, to risk their lives. The children are all oddly skilled in this art, taking after their father who was known for it.
Palmer and his friend Hap are hired by a questionable group of brigands to make a very risky and questionable dive to find the lost city of Danvar, buried under years of sand, hundreds of meters below the surface. Upon finding it, Palmer is betrayed, but gets the better end of the exchange as Hap is murdered by the brigands upon his resurfacing. Palmer, through some luck, is able to resurface a time later. When he wanders into the camp of the brigands, he overhears a sinister plot on their part to kill all of the residents of the sandy slums on the dunes.
As the story moves past that, following each of the children in their own thoughts and channels, following their mother Rose for a time, the oppression of the people in the sandy Colorado strip is revealed more and more, and in a very Wool-esque unknowing oppression based manner. Without giving much more of the story away, needless to say they discover that things aren't what they seem. Vague, obviously, but this is a story I think almost anyone should read.
On the writing side, I will say this is a more grown up book for Hugh, both in terms of content and prose. The language is much stronger than in the Silo series, and a lot of the subject matter is as well. However, this is all held up by Hugh's growth as a writer - prose was never his weakness, but he's gotten even better. He has a flowing way with words - he's not flowery, he's not overly wordy, he's not a thesaurus referencer; he just writes in a way that sucks you in, keeps the pages turning, gives you a visceral image of what he's talking about, without ever bogging things down with unnecessary items. He's a joy to read.
I had high hopes for Sand, but was not sure what to expect. By the end, I was blasting through pages and texting friends how much I loved the novel. It truly is one of my favorites already, and I have very few things to say about it that are not positive.
Sand follows a down-on-their-luck family of sand divers in a future Colorado - a Colorado you quickly find is nothing like what you would expect from the state. Everything is covered in hundreds of feet of sand - the book is aptly named, as essentially everything surrounds the stuff. However, there is so much more, beyond even the sand as a metaphor. Palmer, Victoria, Rob and Conner formerly lived what would pass for the high life in this dystopian-esque world, as their father was the leader of a ruling group called The Lords. However, their father ran off, left the children and Rose, their mother, with next to nothing to their name but a whore house. This fractured their family, especially as Rose's debt piled up and she transitioned from running her whore house to working in it as well, which shamed the children.
The children are all, or aspire to be, sand divers - people who wear special, electrified suits that allow them to maneuver through deep sand, moving it around their bodies or, if skilled enough, moving large areas of sand to their will. The sand diving and sand suits in themselves are an incredibly creative concept, and Hugh does a masterful job of introducing them slowly, letting you get accustomed to the idea a bit, then gradually introducing more and more these suits can do. Beyond the suits themselves, sand diving is very dependent on the diver themselves - their ability to move sand, to keep their cool while being crushed under mountains of pressure, to risk their lives. The children are all oddly skilled in this art, taking after their father who was known for it.
Palmer and his friend Hap are hired by a questionable group of brigands to make a very risky and questionable dive to find the lost city of Danvar, buried under years of sand, hundreds of meters below the surface. Upon finding it, Palmer is betrayed, but gets the better end of the exchange as Hap is murdered by the brigands upon his resurfacing. Palmer, through some luck, is able to resurface a time later. When he wanders into the camp of the brigands, he overhears a sinister plot on their part to kill all of the residents of the sandy slums on the dunes.
As the story moves past that, following each of the children in their own thoughts and channels, following their mother Rose for a time, the oppression of the people in the sandy Colorado strip is revealed more and more, and in a very Wool-esque unknowing oppression based manner. Without giving much more of the story away, needless to say they discover that things aren't what they seem. Vague, obviously, but this is a story I think almost anyone should read.
On the writing side, I will say this is a more grown up book for Hugh, both in terms of content and prose. The language is much stronger than in the Silo series, and a lot of the subject matter is as well. However, this is all held up by Hugh's growth as a writer - prose was never his weakness, but he's gotten even better. He has a flowing way with words - he's not flowery, he's not overly wordy, he's not a thesaurus referencer; he just writes in a way that sucks you in, keeps the pages turning, gives you a visceral image of what he's talking about, without ever bogging things down with unnecessary items. He's a joy to read.
I had high hopes for Sand, but was not sure what to expect. By the end, I was blasting through pages and texting friends how much I loved the novel. It truly is one of my favorites already, and I have very few things to say about it that are not positive.
October 29, 2022
4 Stars for Sand: The Sand Chronicles, Book 1 (ebook) by Hugh Howey.
This was a great start to another post apocalyptic world. The author has found a whole new level of claustrophobia in this story. I thought the silos in Wool were confining but the sand in this world will squeeze the breath out of you.
This was a great start to another post apocalyptic world. The author has found a whole new level of claustrophobia in this story. I thought the silos in Wool were confining but the sand in this world will squeeze the breath out of you.
August 1, 2016
Executive Summary: While not as good as Wool I'd put it about on par with Shift and Dust.
Audio book: Karen Chilton is a fine but mostly unexceptional reader. However I listened at 1.3x speed, which I don't normally do, so that may played into it slightly.
She's clear and easy to understand, but didn't really add or detract from the story itself.
Full Review
In his first book book since finishing his Silo trilogy, Mr. Howey does a good job creating another interesting post-apocalyptic world. However, I'd like to see him write a different type of story next as post-apocalyptic stories really aren't my thing.
In this one the world is buried under sand and water is scarce. The daring and (maybe a bit crazy or stupid) use specialized equipment to dive deep under the sand and recover anything deemed valuable to be traded for money and supplies and just to get by.
The story is once again split up into multiple parts. The early books seems to each focus on a single POV, while the later ones jump around between them. All of our POV characters are from the same family. The children ranging in age from 10 to late 20's I believe.
The oldest, Vic (short for Victoria not Victor) is probably my favorite though all of her younger brothers are interesting in their own right.
It's a dangerous world full of thieves, murders and revolutionaries. Like his Silo books, the central story is a bit of a mystery. What happened? Why is the world buried under Sand? And on a smaller scale, what happened to the father of kids who walked off into the desert one night 10 years ago and never returned?
This was a short and enjoyable read. As it's post apocalyptic it's more on the dark side so I'm reluctant to call it "light", but it can certainly be called an easy read. There isn't a ton of depth here, but it moves along at a quick pace. I'd say if you enjoyed his previous books you'll likely enjoy this one as well.
3.5 Stars.
Audio book: Karen Chilton is a fine but mostly unexceptional reader. However I listened at 1.3x speed, which I don't normally do, so that may played into it slightly.
She's clear and easy to understand, but didn't really add or detract from the story itself.
Full Review
In his first book book since finishing his Silo trilogy, Mr. Howey does a good job creating another interesting post-apocalyptic world. However, I'd like to see him write a different type of story next as post-apocalyptic stories really aren't my thing.
In this one the world is buried under sand and water is scarce. The daring and (maybe a bit crazy or stupid) use specialized equipment to dive deep under the sand and recover anything deemed valuable to be traded for money and supplies and just to get by.
The story is once again split up into multiple parts. The early books seems to each focus on a single POV, while the later ones jump around between them. All of our POV characters are from the same family. The children ranging in age from 10 to late 20's I believe.
The oldest, Vic (short for Victoria not Victor) is probably my favorite though all of her younger brothers are interesting in their own right.
It's a dangerous world full of thieves, murders and revolutionaries. Like his Silo books, the central story is a bit of a mystery. What happened? Why is the world buried under Sand? And on a smaller scale, what happened to the father of kids who walked off into the desert one night 10 years ago and never returned?
This was a short and enjoyable read. As it's post apocalyptic it's more on the dark side so I'm reluctant to call it "light", but it can certainly be called an easy read. There isn't a ton of depth here, but it moves along at a quick pace. I'd say if you enjoyed his previous books you'll likely enjoy this one as well.
3.5 Stars.
July 24, 2016
A firm 2.5 if I was permitted.
The last status update probably says it best. Started out great, finished OK, but staggered around a bit drunkenly in the middle. Also a few awkward, overly graphic scenes that felt out of place. I don't want to say "uncomfortable," since I wasn't offended at all, but they just seemed over-the-top compared to the overall tone of the rest of the book. In particular; the scenes depicting Dystopian Mom-prostitutes's after-sex, rustic contraceptive routines?... just plain awkward. The ending seemed a tad rushed compared to the pace of the earlier parts, too.
As always, a very interesting and engaging premise... just not executed nearly as well as Wool, in my opinion.
The last status update probably says it best. Started out great, finished OK, but staggered around a bit drunkenly in the middle. Also a few awkward, overly graphic scenes that felt out of place. I don't want to say "uncomfortable," since I wasn't offended at all, but they just seemed over-the-top compared to the overall tone of the rest of the book. In particular; the scenes depicting Dystopian Mom-prostitutes's after-sex, rustic contraceptive routines?... just plain awkward. The ending seemed a tad rushed compared to the pace of the earlier parts, too.
As always, a very interesting and engaging premise... just not executed nearly as well as Wool, in my opinion.
April 27, 2024
Made it 60% and just can't keep going, I'm just so bored! Can't tell you how many times I've rewound because I lose focus. Time wise I'm pretty close to finishing lol
July 1, 2014
There’s a trend among some Indie authors to take their story and serialize it like a TV show. While I respect their right to do this, personally, I’m not a fan. I see the marketing reasons for this, and as a writer who wants to make money from my writing, it makes a lot of sense. But as a reader, I’m not enthused. Sure, I’ve read some serializations and enjoyed them greatly, but, given the choice, I would rather acquire a book, knowing that “The End” means exactly that.
Part of my aversion is I don’t like having my reading mapped out for me in chunks. I’ve been known to get caught up in a story and read through the night until it’s finished. I want the option of doing that. My reading, my pace.
So, when “Sand” Part 1 popped up in front of me, I hesitated. I knew of Howey, of course, from his phenomenal Indie success ,“Wool”. I’d heard it was well plotted, brilliantly executed, superbly written, and absolutely unputdownable. Sounded terrific. But as I didn’t want to read it piecemeal, and the omnibus edition was quite $$$$, I put it on my To Read list and forgot about it. But “Sand” came up on special. It sounded intriguing. And it was a stand-alone novel, available in 5 parts or as an omnibus edition. So, not wanting to read it in serialized parts, I bought the omnibus.
And it is brilliant. A highly imaginative plot, set in the near future, in a lawless, dystopian world, where sand dunes cover Colorado and the population lives a perilous existence on the ever-shifting sands. Skilled divers are able to dive the sands, as we dive the Great Barrier Reef, diving for treasure and always searching for the mythical lost city of Danvar. I love everything about it: I love the characters, the story, the threads of the tale, the adventure, the description. I love picking my Colorado out of the mishmash of mangled names.
It’s superb. It’s utterly engrossing all the way to the end. But it isn’t the end. Or is it? Sure, it says the end. There’s no TBC. There’s no mention of Sand II anyway. Howey’s website calls it a standalone novel. But it’s not. No thread is tied, not a single one. No character arc is completed, not a single one. It’s like the mid point of a long novel. I swear it IS the mid point of a novel.
So, Mr Howey, I feel cheated.
If this is the completed, standalone novel your website says it is, then it’s a crock, and I give it 2 stars for the utter lack of any conclusion.
If it is in fact, Part 1 of 2 (or heaven help us, of 3), then I give it 5 stars. I’m pretty sure there will eventually be more; I think you’re too good a writer to leave a novel like this.
So my problem is that “Sand” is not what it says on the tin. So while I love your Part 1 of 2, Mr Howey, I would not have bought this if I’d known it was unfinished. I’d have waited until there was a real THE END.
Part of my aversion is I don’t like having my reading mapped out for me in chunks. I’ve been known to get caught up in a story and read through the night until it’s finished. I want the option of doing that. My reading, my pace.
So, when “Sand” Part 1 popped up in front of me, I hesitated. I knew of Howey, of course, from his phenomenal Indie success ,“Wool”. I’d heard it was well plotted, brilliantly executed, superbly written, and absolutely unputdownable. Sounded terrific. But as I didn’t want to read it piecemeal, and the omnibus edition was quite $$$$, I put it on my To Read list and forgot about it. But “Sand” came up on special. It sounded intriguing. And it was a stand-alone novel, available in 5 parts or as an omnibus edition. So, not wanting to read it in serialized parts, I bought the omnibus.
And it is brilliant. A highly imaginative plot, set in the near future, in a lawless, dystopian world, where sand dunes cover Colorado and the population lives a perilous existence on the ever-shifting sands. Skilled divers are able to dive the sands, as we dive the Great Barrier Reef, diving for treasure and always searching for the mythical lost city of Danvar. I love everything about it: I love the characters, the story, the threads of the tale, the adventure, the description. I love picking my Colorado out of the mishmash of mangled names.
It’s superb. It’s utterly engrossing all the way to the end. But it isn’t the end. Or is it? Sure, it says the end. There’s no TBC. There’s no mention of Sand II anyway. Howey’s website calls it a standalone novel. But it’s not. No thread is tied, not a single one. No character arc is completed, not a single one. It’s like the mid point of a long novel. I swear it IS the mid point of a novel.
So, Mr Howey, I feel cheated.
If this is the completed, standalone novel your website says it is, then it’s a crock, and I give it 2 stars for the utter lack of any conclusion.
If it is in fact, Part 1 of 2 (or heaven help us, of 3), then I give it 5 stars. I’m pretty sure there will eventually be more; I think you’re too good a writer to leave a novel like this.
So my problem is that “Sand” is not what it says on the tin. So while I love your Part 1 of 2, Mr Howey, I would not have bought this if I’d known it was unfinished. I’d have waited until there was a real THE END.
August 22, 2014
**actual rating 3.5**
...... .there wouldn't BE world hunger if you people would live where the FOOD IS! YOU LIVE IN A DESERT!! UNDERSTAND THAT? YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT!! NOTHING GROWS HERE! NOTHING'S GONNA GROW HERE! Come here, you see this? This is sand. You know what it's gonna be 100 years from now? IT'S GONNA BE SAND!! YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT! We have deserts in America, we just don't live in them, assholes!" - Sam Kinison
Unfortunately moving out of the desert isn't an option for the denizens of Low Pub....or is it? Much like Silo, the Sand stories are a bleak, dystopian nightmare set sometime in the future only this time the world is one big desert. There was some really cool ideas in this book such as "sandscrapers" which are tall buildings buried under the sand and the vibrating dive suits that allow the wearer to submerge through the sand much like a scuba diver. Hugh Howey is a really great world-builder. I also liked the way the story was told through the viewpoints of the various members of one family.
I was not thrilled with the ending however and that's the reason for the 3.5 rating instead of a 4. I thought the ending was somewhat abrupt and left a lot of questions unanswered. Maybe Howie is leaving room for Sand 2?
...... .there wouldn't BE world hunger if you people would live where the FOOD IS! YOU LIVE IN A DESERT!! UNDERSTAND THAT? YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT!! NOTHING GROWS HERE! NOTHING'S GONNA GROW HERE! Come here, you see this? This is sand. You know what it's gonna be 100 years from now? IT'S GONNA BE SAND!! YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT! We have deserts in America, we just don't live in them, assholes!" - Sam Kinison
Unfortunately moving out of the desert isn't an option for the denizens of Low Pub....or is it? Much like Silo, the Sand stories are a bleak, dystopian nightmare set sometime in the future only this time the world is one big desert. There was some really cool ideas in this book such as "sandscrapers" which are tall buildings buried under the sand and the vibrating dive suits that allow the wearer to submerge through the sand much like a scuba diver. Hugh Howey is a really great world-builder. I also liked the way the story was told through the viewpoints of the various members of one family.
I was not thrilled with the ending however and that's the reason for the 3.5 rating instead of a 4. I thought the ending was somewhat abrupt and left a lot of questions unanswered. Maybe Howie is leaving room for Sand 2?
April 25, 2014
I am going to review this hard, because I can feel the sand in my shorts. Four stars because its Hugh and its good, and despite my grit filled thoughts, it was a fine read.
First off I am going to stand by what I said at the 50% mark; Sand was written as a vehicle to put the reader into as many scenes of claustrophobic asphyxiation as possible. If you can come up for air long enough to realize you are being played, it's only mildly distracting.
I think there were too many characters, too many points of view that were fairly interchangeable and some of them were surprisingly flat for Hugh who has written zombies with more depth than Rose or Rob.
I found myself geographically lost for much of the story. Despite all the location and direction cues given--and there are many--they jumbled up on me and I could not keep straight where the sand was blowing from, where the booms were coming from, or where Shantytown, Low-Pub, Springston, and Danvar where in relation to one another. This just kicked me out of the story almost every time he referenced a location I could not keep straight.
It seemed like Conner and Rob had not seen Vic in years, turns out she's only minutes away by sand boat, or so it seemed to me.
Where was all the food coming from? If water is such an sought after resource, why are suitcases of dirty undies worth so much money? Seems to me that divers would make a lot more cashola doing what Vic did at one point--diving for water. But really, where is all the food coming from? Not much can live without naturally occurring water sources and soil--I'll give you that deserts are full of life, but it's not much for the dense communities described in Sand to survive on. AND, if there is soil in the mountains, and mountains are AWAY from the booms of bombs, why are people sitting on top of a mile high pile of sand?
I know, nag nag nag, Tom, you're being too picky! Hey, I gave it four stars---its a damn good read, but that doesn't mean I can't see where the sand is oozing through the cracks in the scenery. Hugh can deliver more. My suggestion to him is to slow down and take his time fleshing out the details of his next story. He writes very fast, and I feel that this time haste made waste.
First off I am going to stand by what I said at the 50% mark; Sand was written as a vehicle to put the reader into as many scenes of claustrophobic asphyxiation as possible. If you can come up for air long enough to realize you are being played, it's only mildly distracting.
I think there were too many characters, too many points of view that were fairly interchangeable and some of them were surprisingly flat for Hugh who has written zombies with more depth than Rose or Rob.
I found myself geographically lost for much of the story. Despite all the location and direction cues given--and there are many--they jumbled up on me and I could not keep straight where the sand was blowing from, where the booms were coming from, or where Shantytown, Low-Pub, Springston, and Danvar where in relation to one another. This just kicked me out of the story almost every time he referenced a location I could not keep straight.
It seemed like Conner and Rob had not seen Vic in years, turns out she's only minutes away by sand boat, or so it seemed to me.
Where was all the food coming from? If water is such an sought after resource, why are suitcases of dirty undies worth so much money? Seems to me that divers would make a lot more cashola doing what Vic did at one point--diving for water. But really, where is all the food coming from? Not much can live without naturally occurring water sources and soil--I'll give you that deserts are full of life, but it's not much for the dense communities described in Sand to survive on. AND, if there is soil in the mountains, and mountains are AWAY from the booms of bombs, why are people sitting on top of a mile high pile of sand?
I know, nag nag nag, Tom, you're being too picky! Hey, I gave it four stars---its a damn good read, but that doesn't mean I can't see where the sand is oozing through the cracks in the scenery. Hugh can deliver more. My suggestion to him is to slow down and take his time fleshing out the details of his next story. He writes very fast, and I feel that this time haste made waste.
July 18, 2024
2.5 stars. Unfortunately, the Silo series this is not. Although I loved Wool, Shift, and Dust, Hugh Howey turned in a mediocre novel here. The idea was great—a sand-covered, post-apocalyptic world where young divers wear vibrating suits to go down hundreds of feet to search for valuable things in the buried “sandscapers” of the lost civilization.
“The only thing a diver feared more than running out of air was running out of charge and feeling the sand stiffen around their body.”
Everything starts off fine. Two friends do a dangerous sand dive for a band of brigands to get “coin,” putting them in peril. The outcome of that dive should have made this a page-turner. But too much time was then spent on family dynamics and brothels. Consequently, the momentum stalled and the action in the story was insufficient to fire it back up again.
“The only thing a diver feared more than running out of air was running out of charge and feeling the sand stiffen around their body.”
Everything starts off fine. Two friends do a dangerous sand dive for a band of brigands to get “coin,” putting them in peril. The outcome of that dive should have made this a page-turner. But too much time was then spent on family dynamics and brothels. Consequently, the momentum stalled and the action in the story was insufficient to fire it back up again.
September 8, 2015
Ugh. I could not finish this.
This book made me so sad, because I absolutely loved the Silo trilogy. Sand, however, was a chore to sit through - however much of it I did. The starting concept - the world is buried in sand and there's these sand divers who, you know, dive in the sand, is real neat - but this both isn't explored enough, and can't save the rest of it.
Incredibly awkward, unlikable characters and dialogue, unbelievable dialogue moreover, and just... I don't even know, I'm just so disappointed with it. It leaned fairly heavily on huge chunks of clunky, expository prose or dialogue, whereas the Silo novels, information was given to you fairly gracefully. Like, the little footnotes explaining what all the different bloody words for sand mean? "Sand that has collected on one's glasses" "Sand that has collected in one's shoe" "Wet sand", like really? We know what "mush" means, and even if it means something specific, the readers are probably intelligent enough to figure out that when referring to sand, mush means wet (MUSHY) sand. Oh, the mother owns/works in a brothel? Better have reams of sappy bullshit about how hard her life is. Better have the daughter flashing back to when she was nearly raped. Please. If I gave a shit about any of these characters, maybe that would have been emotionally effective in any way.
So no, I do not recommend Sand. If the book couldn't grab my attention in a way that didn't annoy and exhasperate me by page 270 then I doubt the last 100 pages would change my mind.
This book made me so sad, because I absolutely loved the Silo trilogy. Sand, however, was a chore to sit through - however much of it I did. The starting concept - the world is buried in sand and there's these sand divers who, you know, dive in the sand, is real neat - but this both isn't explored enough, and can't save the rest of it.
Incredibly awkward, unlikable characters and dialogue, unbelievable dialogue moreover, and just... I don't even know, I'm just so disappointed with it. It leaned fairly heavily on huge chunks of clunky, expository prose or dialogue, whereas the Silo novels, information was given to you fairly gracefully. Like, the little footnotes explaining what all the different bloody words for sand mean? "Sand that has collected on one's glasses" "Sand that has collected in one's shoe" "Wet sand", like really? We know what "mush" means, and even if it means something specific, the readers are probably intelligent enough to figure out that when referring to sand, mush means wet (MUSHY) sand. Oh, the mother owns/works in a brothel? Better have reams of sappy bullshit about how hard her life is. Better have the daughter flashing back to when she was nearly raped. Please. If I gave a shit about any of these characters, maybe that would have been emotionally effective in any way.
So no, I do not recommend Sand. If the book couldn't grab my attention in a way that didn't annoy and exhasperate me by page 270 then I doubt the last 100 pages would change my mind.
January 17, 2014
I enjoyed SAND quite a bit, but wasn't quite as blown away as I was with WOOL. I never felt as invested in the characters, partly because Howey jumped around quite a bit. He stayed within the same family, but there never seemed to be enough time spent in one POV. I was also a bit surprised at the direction he took in the later sections. I was really interested in this whole diving for lost treasure thing, and he really built that up, but then kind of threw the concept under the bus later. I won't go into more detail lest I spoil it for readers. Overall the ending was a bit flat for me as well, being an Omnibus edition, BUT, I realize this is an OMNIBUS of short stories, not novels. I'm excited to see what happens next, because he has built a very interesting world. I suspect that after he writes his next series (or two) and I look at it as a whole, I will be much more excited about it than I am now.
October 19, 2017
Have you ever thought of what will define the world hundreds of years from now? What it might look or sound like? What life would be like? Personally, I have never given it much thought, until I read "Sand".
"Sand", written by Hugh Howey, answers all of these questions in his science fiction thriller. Told through the perspective of a family that lives on the dune filled Earth, we are able to experience the daily turmoil that occupies their lives. The world is war torn and crippled. It lacks the efficiency that we have today, even though this book is set in the future. You can either have a job diving under the sand, which takes incredible physical and mental strength, or, you can be a “sissyfoot”, which requires you to fill up sand and dump it over a dune multiple times in order to receive food or water. The people living in this time period are stuck in this routine every day. Bombs and destruction become the norm in their society, and the sound of beating drums across the dunes acts as a constant reminder of another life. The only reason some people don’t leave their towns is because, those who followed the sound of the drums never return. By the end of the book, the theme becomes evident. There is more to our lives than constantly living in fear of the inevitable and, life is easier to bear together than it is alone.
One idea that I found extremely intriguing is Hugh Howey’s idea of the future. Normally, when asked about the future, it is easy to picture flying cars and bright neon colors however, Hugh Howey took the future to the next level. His vision of the future in "Sand" is designed to be grotesque and barren. It evokes the essence of loneliness. Having never read one of Hugh Howey’s books before, I wanted to compare the writing from his "Silo" series (Wool, Shift, and Dust) to that of "Sand". I found a quote from the first book in the "Silo" series, "Wool". It reads, “We are born, we are shadows, we cast shadows of own, and then we are gone. All anyone can hope for is to be remembered two shadows deep.” I found a quote from "Sand" that says, “When the desert wraps its great arms around your chest and decides you won’t breathe anymore, that’s when you feel how small you are, just a grain of sand crushed among infinite grains of sand.” By comparing both of these quotes, it is evident that Hugh Howey uses symbols to convey a deeper meaning. This is something that I liked about his book. At times it was very beautifully written, and would make me stop and think about what messages he is trying to communicate to his readers.
"Sand", is a creative book in and of itself. I could of never imagined a life such as this if it weren’t for the imaginative writing on the pages of this book. Although sometimes gory and tragic, "Sand" will transport you to another time, somewhere in the future.
"Sand", written by Hugh Howey, answers all of these questions in his science fiction thriller. Told through the perspective of a family that lives on the dune filled Earth, we are able to experience the daily turmoil that occupies their lives. The world is war torn and crippled. It lacks the efficiency that we have today, even though this book is set in the future. You can either have a job diving under the sand, which takes incredible physical and mental strength, or, you can be a “sissyfoot”, which requires you to fill up sand and dump it over a dune multiple times in order to receive food or water. The people living in this time period are stuck in this routine every day. Bombs and destruction become the norm in their society, and the sound of beating drums across the dunes acts as a constant reminder of another life. The only reason some people don’t leave their towns is because, those who followed the sound of the drums never return. By the end of the book, the theme becomes evident. There is more to our lives than constantly living in fear of the inevitable and, life is easier to bear together than it is alone.
One idea that I found extremely intriguing is Hugh Howey’s idea of the future. Normally, when asked about the future, it is easy to picture flying cars and bright neon colors however, Hugh Howey took the future to the next level. His vision of the future in "Sand" is designed to be grotesque and barren. It evokes the essence of loneliness. Having never read one of Hugh Howey’s books before, I wanted to compare the writing from his "Silo" series (Wool, Shift, and Dust) to that of "Sand". I found a quote from the first book in the "Silo" series, "Wool". It reads, “We are born, we are shadows, we cast shadows of own, and then we are gone. All anyone can hope for is to be remembered two shadows deep.” I found a quote from "Sand" that says, “When the desert wraps its great arms around your chest and decides you won’t breathe anymore, that’s when you feel how small you are, just a grain of sand crushed among infinite grains of sand.” By comparing both of these quotes, it is evident that Hugh Howey uses symbols to convey a deeper meaning. This is something that I liked about his book. At times it was very beautifully written, and would make me stop and think about what messages he is trying to communicate to his readers.
"Sand", is a creative book in and of itself. I could of never imagined a life such as this if it weren’t for the imaginative writing on the pages of this book. Although sometimes gory and tragic, "Sand" will transport you to another time, somewhere in the future.
January 19, 2020
distopinis trileris
Su Hugh Howey, kaip ir dauguma, susipažinau per Šachtos trilogiją, kuri nors ir prasidėjo griausmingai, su gaiviu socialiniu komentaru, išsikvėpė kaip trilogija, pati pasimetusi, ką norėjo papasakoti. Šį kartą ėmiausi ‘Smėlio’, kuris bent kol kas yra stand-alone ir man pasirodė labiau išbaigtas, koncentruotas, nors galbūt ne toks paveikus kaip ‘Šachta’.
Ką Hugh Howey tikrai moka, tai kurti distopinius pasaulius, su savais dėsniais ir pasaulio suvokimu - imti ir įmesti skaitytoją tiesiai į kažkokį keistą pasaulį, kuris atsirado nežinia kaip, yra nežinia kur, bet yra keista sistema, vyksta keisti dalykai, ir tu turi pabandyti išsinarplioti kas ir kaip. Tai šį kartą tas pasaulis sukurtas puikiai - smėlio pasaulis, kuriame yra smėlio narai, traukiantys iš po jo visokiausius lobius ir ieškantys užverstų naujų pasaulių, mokiniai kibirais nešantys smėlį nuo vandens siurblių, yra smėlio laivai ir jų prieplaukos, yra kažkokia Niekieno žemė, iš kurios niekas negrįžta, yra nuolat vykstančios statybos ant kitų namų, kai ankstesnieji jau baigia palįsti po smėliu. Tas smėlio pasaulis logiškas, viskas labai paprastai išplaukia iš to vieno paprasto gaivalo - smėlio ir ką jis gali. Už tuos pasaulius autoriui ploju atsistojus.
Istorija pasakojama iš kelių vienos išsibarsčiusios šeimos narių perspektyvos, o pirma knygos dalis primena ‘Šachtos’ pirmą istorija, kuri rodosi supažindina su veikėjų vien tam, kad jis kažką užsuktų, bet daugiau niekada jo nepamatytume. Bet ne, šį knyga nors ir pasakojama iš karto keliomis, rodos, visai nesusijusiomis linijomis, yra labai nuosekli. Ji šiaip yra geras trileris, nes veiksmo visokio ir neaiškumų nors vežimu vežk, linijos skirstosi ir jungiasi, noras sužinoti yra didžiulis. Ta distopinio trilerio knygos pusė labai stipri, nes yra integrali ir kartu įtraukianti. Tačiau socialinis komentaras nepasirodė labai stiprus, tas smėlio pasaulis mažai man ką sukrečiančio ar bent įdomaus pasakoja apie žmogų ir pasaulį. Neradau jokio perspėjimo, jokio moralo, be ir taip akivaizdaus šeimos, ištikimybės ir žmogiškumo aukštinimo. Tai, žinoma, visai nėra blogai, tiesiog iš autoriaus to komentaro kaip ir tikėjausi, tai dėl to pasigedau.
Visą antrą knygos pusę, kai viskas pradėjo jungtis ir aiškėti, bet nepakankamai greitai, kad viską išaiškintų prieš pasibaigiant puslapiams, neapleido jausmas, kad tai visgi yra įžanga į seriją, bet pabaiga lygtai ir padėjo kažkokį tašką, ne galutinį tašką, bet tokį, kad galėtum pasitenkinti pabaiga su daug klaustukų, bet kartu ir parodo, kad knygos veiksmas KAŽKUR atvedė. Man norėtųsi tęsinio, nes tas pasaulis dar spėju turi ką įdomaus parodyti, bet aišku, gal kaip ir ‘Šachtos’ atveju, geriau viena gera, nei trys pusėtinos. O ‘Smėlis’ savaime yra geras ir išbaigtas distopinis trileris.
Su Hugh Howey, kaip ir dauguma, susipažinau per Šachtos trilogiją, kuri nors ir prasidėjo griausmingai, su gaiviu socialiniu komentaru, išsikvėpė kaip trilogija, pati pasimetusi, ką norėjo papasakoti. Šį kartą ėmiausi ‘Smėlio’, kuris bent kol kas yra stand-alone ir man pasirodė labiau išbaigtas, koncentruotas, nors galbūt ne toks paveikus kaip ‘Šachta’.
Ką Hugh Howey tikrai moka, tai kurti distopinius pasaulius, su savais dėsniais ir pasaulio suvokimu - imti ir įmesti skaitytoją tiesiai į kažkokį keistą pasaulį, kuris atsirado nežinia kaip, yra nežinia kur, bet yra keista sistema, vyksta keisti dalykai, ir tu turi pabandyti išsinarplioti kas ir kaip. Tai šį kartą tas pasaulis sukurtas puikiai - smėlio pasaulis, kuriame yra smėlio narai, traukiantys iš po jo visokiausius lobius ir ieškantys užverstų naujų pasaulių, mokiniai kibirais nešantys smėlį nuo vandens siurblių, yra smėlio laivai ir jų prieplaukos, yra kažkokia Niekieno žemė, iš kurios niekas negrįžta, yra nuolat vykstančios statybos ant kitų namų, kai ankstesnieji jau baigia palįsti po smėliu. Tas smėlio pasaulis logiškas, viskas labai paprastai išplaukia iš to vieno paprasto gaivalo - smėlio ir ką jis gali. Už tuos pasaulius autoriui ploju atsistojus.
Istorija pasakojama iš kelių vienos išsibarsčiusios šeimos narių perspektyvos, o pirma knygos dalis primena ‘Šachtos’ pirmą istorija, kuri rodosi supažindina su veikėjų vien tam, kad jis kažką užsuktų, bet daugiau niekada jo nepamatytume. Bet ne, šį knyga nors ir pasakojama iš karto keliomis, rodos, visai nesusijusiomis linijomis, yra labai nuosekli. Ji šiaip yra geras trileris, nes veiksmo visokio ir neaiškumų nors vežimu vežk, linijos skirstosi ir jungiasi, noras sužinoti yra didžiulis. Ta distopinio trilerio knygos pusė labai stipri, nes yra integrali ir kartu įtraukianti. Tačiau socialinis komentaras nepasirodė labai stiprus, tas smėlio pasaulis mažai man ką sukrečiančio ar bent įdomaus pasakoja apie žmogų ir pasaulį. Neradau jokio perspėjimo, jokio moralo, be ir taip akivaizdaus šeimos, ištikimybės ir žmogiškumo aukštinimo. Tai, žinoma, visai nėra blogai, tiesiog iš autoriaus to komentaro kaip ir tikėjausi, tai dėl to pasigedau.
Visą antrą knygos pusę, kai viskas pradėjo jungtis ir aiškėti, bet nepakankamai greitai, kad viską išaiškintų prieš pasibaigiant puslapiams, neapleido jausmas, kad tai visgi yra įžanga į seriją, bet pabaiga lygtai ir padėjo kažkokį tašką, ne galutinį tašką, bet tokį, kad galėtum pasitenkinti pabaiga su daug klaustukų, bet kartu ir parodo, kad knygos veiksmas KAŽKUR atvedė. Man norėtųsi tęsinio, nes tas pasaulis dar spėju turi ką įdomaus parodyti, bet aišku, gal kaip ir ‘Šachtos’ atveju, geriau viena gera, nei trys pusėtinos. O ‘Smėlis’ savaime yra geras ir išbaigtas distopinis trileris.
December 13, 2014
Hugh Howey has heart.
His talent is a given at this point--not to mention his imagination and work ethic, judging by the rate at which he puts out quality work--but it is his heart that truly elevates his writing and, I think, defines his style.
He doesn't simply tell the story. He bleeds it. There are passages in Sand where--pardon the unintentional pun--the sentence structure erodes. Descriptions become fragmented, chaotic. Clipped and fragmented thoughts flow into paragraphs with hardly a period in them. The result is something that's messy and beautiful, unpredictable and yet never jarring. Howey handcuffs the reader to each moment. We breathe with the characters. And suffocate with them.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Sand follows an estranged family across--and sometimes, quite literally, deep into--a land that is very much the antithesis of the claustrophobic, totalitarian world of Wool. Pirate-esque figures sail vessels across expansive dunes that hide buried cities. Worn villagers chew on grit and dig endlessly to keep their homes from turning into graves. And divers--well, you'll see.
I went into the story knowing next to nothing about it, and that experience is something I wouldn't want to take away from anyone. So, I won't say anything more, except this: Sand is the kind of book that stays with you, the kind of book that leaves you completely satisfied, and yet starving for more.
I can't recommend it, or Howey, highly enough.
His talent is a given at this point--not to mention his imagination and work ethic, judging by the rate at which he puts out quality work--but it is his heart that truly elevates his writing and, I think, defines his style.
He doesn't simply tell the story. He bleeds it. There are passages in Sand where--pardon the unintentional pun--the sentence structure erodes. Descriptions become fragmented, chaotic. Clipped and fragmented thoughts flow into paragraphs with hardly a period in them. The result is something that's messy and beautiful, unpredictable and yet never jarring. Howey handcuffs the reader to each moment. We breathe with the characters. And suffocate with them.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Sand follows an estranged family across--and sometimes, quite literally, deep into--a land that is very much the antithesis of the claustrophobic, totalitarian world of Wool. Pirate-esque figures sail vessels across expansive dunes that hide buried cities. Worn villagers chew on grit and dig endlessly to keep their homes from turning into graves. And divers--well, you'll see.
I went into the story knowing next to nothing about it, and that experience is something I wouldn't want to take away from anyone. So, I won't say anything more, except this: Sand is the kind of book that stays with you, the kind of book that leaves you completely satisfied, and yet starving for more.
I can't recommend it, or Howey, highly enough.
January 15, 2014
Ok. It's pretty much blasphemy to say this, but I truly felt that Sand was even better than Wool. Every time I think Hugh Howey has hit his stride, he puts something out that elevates his writing even more. His character development is masterful, as always. His world-building is top notch, and he has written another Sci-Fi classic. I'm just blown away at how he makes me care so damn much about the people in his head. This was a more mature offering from Howey, but it wasn't gratuitous. The more (and by more I mean not much and not terribly graphic) adult language and themes added a depth to the story that wasn't really present in a lot of his previous work. Sand was far more gritty and real-feeling. Bravo, sir!
September 11, 2022
I made a mistake I shouldn’t repeat. Silo Trilogy by Hugh Howey impressed me so much that I compared Sand to it when I started reading it. Which was a big no-no. Once I freed myself from the fantastic Wool-Shift-Dust series’ influence, I enjoyed Sand to the fullest. I realize I wasn’t fair because Sand is an excellent book, and it deserved its chance. And I’m glad I gave it that chance because it absorbed me like the living sand that swallows everything. Hugh Howey delighted me again! This was another amazing reading experience.
May 13, 2024
Labai gritty knyga – pridera temai (postapokaliptinis smėlis grikši tarp dantų) ir kalba graži, nors vietom buvo kiek juokinga ta "veiksmo filmų herojų" šnekėsena:) Klausiau audio ir buvo faina, nenervino, nors kartais pamesdavau mintį, kodėl tas ar anas svarbu – gal skaitant būtų kitaip, kita vertus, nežinau, ar turėčiau kantrybės 300+ puslapių "gritalo".
Šiaip patiko, rekomenduočiau, jei norisi kažko į young adult pusę, bet be seilėjimosi ir be "chosen one" motyvo.
Šiaip patiko, rekomenduočiau, jei norisi kažko į young adult pusę, bet be seilėjimosi ir be "chosen one" motyvo.
April 14, 2014
Two and a half gritty, sand-filled stars.
A world covered in sand. Cities buried hundreds of metres below, in silent sandy graves. Fortunately for the people of this land there are plenty of things to salvage from its sandy depths. Sand divers risk their lives to "dive" down to these cities, making a living from the loot they find there. Unfortunately, that is about the only positive of living in such a desolate world. The land is harsh and unforgiving. The community battles daily against the ever-advancing wave of sand which threatens to bury their small towns. The story focuses on one family who have been struggling to survive ever since their father took to no mans land years earlier, never to be seen again.
This book had great potential with interesting and unique ideas. The technology used for diving under the sand was well thought out and was highly interesting. Unfortunately, the rest of the novel did not live up to my expectations.
Having heard a lot of good things about this author, I was expecting to be blown away by his story-telling. Sadly, I felt a little let down. The first disappointment came after spending a fair bit of money on an ebook which I quickly realised was less than three hundred pages, despite it being five books in one. The second was that I didn't feel any connection to the characters and it was a bit of an effort to trek through the story. There were parts that caught my interest. The society is rather brutal and unforgiving at times, like the sand, and the author doesn't have any qualms abut killing anyone off. But inbetween these fast-paced sections the story plods along with barely any substance.
Some people are offended by the frequent f-bombs that are dropped but that didn't bother me. What did bother me was the lack of world-building and motives behind the villains. After reading it I'm still not sure what they were hoping to achieve. The ending dropped off suddenly which left me feeling a little lost. I'm not sure if there's supposed to be a sequel or not but it was so open-ended that it didn't feel quite finished to me.
This book has earned two and a half stars for its creative ideas, detail on the dives and the gritty reality of a society living under such pressures. I enjoyed it but at times it was a frustrating read, promising something great but then not delivering. If I do decide to read anything else by Hugh Howey, I will do so with trepidation.
A world covered in sand. Cities buried hundreds of metres below, in silent sandy graves. Fortunately for the people of this land there are plenty of things to salvage from its sandy depths. Sand divers risk their lives to "dive" down to these cities, making a living from the loot they find there. Unfortunately, that is about the only positive of living in such a desolate world. The land is harsh and unforgiving. The community battles daily against the ever-advancing wave of sand which threatens to bury their small towns. The story focuses on one family who have been struggling to survive ever since their father took to no mans land years earlier, never to be seen again.
This book had great potential with interesting and unique ideas. The technology used for diving under the sand was well thought out and was highly interesting. Unfortunately, the rest of the novel did not live up to my expectations.
Having heard a lot of good things about this author, I was expecting to be blown away by his story-telling. Sadly, I felt a little let down. The first disappointment came after spending a fair bit of money on an ebook which I quickly realised was less than three hundred pages, despite it being five books in one. The second was that I didn't feel any connection to the characters and it was a bit of an effort to trek through the story. There were parts that caught my interest. The society is rather brutal and unforgiving at times, like the sand, and the author doesn't have any qualms abut killing anyone off. But inbetween these fast-paced sections the story plods along with barely any substance.
Some people are offended by the frequent f-bombs that are dropped but that didn't bother me. What did bother me was the lack of world-building and motives behind the villains. After reading it I'm still not sure what they were hoping to achieve. The ending dropped off suddenly which left me feeling a little lost. I'm not sure if there's supposed to be a sequel or not but it was so open-ended that it didn't feel quite finished to me.
This book has earned two and a half stars for its creative ideas, detail on the dives and the gritty reality of a society living under such pressures. I enjoyed it but at times it was a frustrating read, promising something great but then not delivering. If I do decide to read anything else by Hugh Howey, I will do so with trepidation.
October 29, 2017
Update - I just read on Twitter that HH is working on a sequel. Finally!!
Original review:
I find myself torn on the rating I want to give this book. The problem I have is that I don't know if this is the first in a series of omnibuses like in the Wool/Silo series. If it's done, totally finished, then I would give it a three. If it's just the beginning, then it is a five. I just have so many questions at this point. Entirely too many for a complete story.
As for the story itself, it was written by Hugh Howey so you just know you won't be able to put the book down. He's introduced the science of being able to dive in sand via an electric suit. Perhaps this is based on current science. Seems plausible. There are a few things that I don't understand...like where they get their food. Since they live in dunes, I don't know how they could produce anything or care for livestock. Also, I don't know how cities could be buried under hundreds and hundreds of feet of sand. Where did this incredible amount of sand come from? If it hadn't have been made certain that this story was on Earth, I would have thought it was Arakis (sorry Dune lovers, no worm in this story). See, too many questions.
I have read a few of his other stories and I know he likes to leave those endings that don't really end the story. The ones where you imagine it for yourself. I have my fingers crossed that this isn't one of them.
Original review:
I find myself torn on the rating I want to give this book. The problem I have is that I don't know if this is the first in a series of omnibuses like in the Wool/Silo series. If it's done, totally finished, then I would give it a three. If it's just the beginning, then it is a five. I just have so many questions at this point. Entirely too many for a complete story.
As for the story itself, it was written by Hugh Howey so you just know you won't be able to put the book down. He's introduced the science of being able to dive in sand via an electric suit. Perhaps this is based on current science. Seems plausible. There are a few things that I don't understand...like where they get their food. Since they live in dunes, I don't know how they could produce anything or care for livestock. Also, I don't know how cities could be buried under hundreds and hundreds of feet of sand. Where did this incredible amount of sand come from? If it hadn't have been made certain that this story was on Earth, I would have thought it was Arakis (sorry Dune lovers, no worm in this story). See, too many questions.
I have read a few of his other stories and I know he likes to leave those endings that don't really end the story. The ones where you imagine it for yourself. I have my fingers crossed that this isn't one of them.
February 11, 2015
I really wanted to like Sand more than I actually did, as I loved SO MUCH the "Silo" Series by this author (it simply was a masterpiece).
With Sand, it initially looked to me like Howey managed to create another similarly haunting, gloomy and gripping world: after devouring the first 50 pages, I was totally into it, I was completely into the story and curious where Howey was going to take his characters.
The storyline is well developed, the characters are nuanced and credible in their contradictions and complexity, and the harshness of life in this unforgiving environment is beautifully pictured.
However, there are probably too many characters, the environment is not as credible and beautifully detailed like in the Silo Series, and the finale is not satisfactory - the book feels like there's supposed to be more, it feels unfinished and there are just too many unanswered questions and underdeveloped themes.
A nice book, make no mistake, but I must regretfully say that it does not seem, to me, to have reached the heights of the Silo series. Maybe I had too high expectations from the start, and I might have given this book at least a full 4 stars, had not been for this initial bias of mine.
3.5 stars.
With Sand, it initially looked to me like Howey managed to create another similarly haunting, gloomy and gripping world: after devouring the first 50 pages, I was totally into it, I was completely into the story and curious where Howey was going to take his characters.
The storyline is well developed, the characters are nuanced and credible in their contradictions and complexity, and the harshness of life in this unforgiving environment is beautifully pictured.
However, there are probably too many characters, the environment is not as credible and beautifully detailed like in the Silo Series, and the finale is not satisfactory - the book feels like there's supposed to be more, it feels unfinished and there are just too many unanswered questions and underdeveloped themes.
A nice book, make no mistake, but I must regretfully say that it does not seem, to me, to have reached the heights of the Silo series. Maybe I had too high expectations from the start, and I might have given this book at least a full 4 stars, had not been for this initial bias of mine.
3.5 stars.
April 4, 2016
Picked it up at a car boot sale for £1!
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