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Silo #3
Dust
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Science Fiction (2013)In a time when secrets and lies were the foundations of life, someone has discovered the truth. And they are going to tell.
Jules knows what her predecessors created. She knows they are the reason life has to be lived in this way.
And she won't stand for it.
But Jules no longer has supporters. And there is far more to fear than the toxic world beyond her walls.
A poison is growing from within Silo 18.
One that cannot be stopped.
Unless Silo 1 step in.
Jules knows what her predecessors created. She knows they are the reason life has to be lived in this way.
And she won't stand for it.
But Jules no longer has supporters. And there is far more to fear than the toxic world beyond her walls.
A poison is growing from within Silo 18.
One that cannot be stopped.
Unless Silo 1 step in.
Audiobook
First published August 17, 2013
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 6,229 reviews
August 23, 2013
Giving the finale to the Silo series a three star rating was not easy, as I've rated the previous books much higher. The Wool Omnibus was one of my favorite books of all time. I've recommended it to numerous friends and have a signed copy of it on my bookshelf. This one, however, left me a bit disappointed. This review is mostly spoiler-free, and spoilers will be tagged/hidden.
Let me start with the positives. Howey once again does a great job of immersing you in the underground world of the silo and its inhabitants, making their struggles seem so real and periodically making me feel claustrophobic. It's as tremendously well-written as the previous books when it comes to storytelling. The story continues seamlessly from where SHIFT and WOOL left off and contains many tense moments that glue your eyes to the page. Throughout the whole novel I felt an overwhelming sense of dread,
One thing that's bothered me not just about this novel but the series as a whole is the lack of character diversity. The dialogue is well written and realistic, but the words that a character says could just as well be said by any other character. This is even more true in DUST. I never at once felt that any of the characters had any specific qualities or traits attached to them. Even Solo, the most unique character due to his circumstances, acted just like everyone else. I was impressed that Wool had a strong female protagonist, but in Dust another female protagonist is brought in that acts no different than Juliette. Scenes with Shirly felt just like scenes with Courtneee. Lukas, Raph, and Erik all felt like the same person to me. It also seemed redundant to have so many children named in the story when only one of them was fleshed out.
As far as conclusions go, it was okay. I'll keep it vague to avoid spoilers, but there was never really a climax. The most exciting parts of the book were around halfway through, with the last 20% jotting along at a steady pace. Maybe I hyped this book up too much for myself, but I expected it to go out with a bang, and while there kind of was one, it just made me think, "Oh...that wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped it would be."
The book also felt too long. The first third was very slow and a lot of it seemed unnecessary.
Maybe I'm being a little harsh, because it wasn't by all means a bad book. It deserves to be read, and as a whole, the Silo saga is one of the best book series' I've read, and certainly some of the best dystopian fiction out there. I'm excited to read more of Hugh Howey's work.
SPOILERS: Things I'd like cleared up:
Let me start with the positives. Howey once again does a great job of immersing you in the underground world of the silo and its inhabitants, making their struggles seem so real and periodically making me feel claustrophobic. It's as tremendously well-written as the previous books when it comes to storytelling. The story continues seamlessly from where SHIFT and WOOL left off and contains many tense moments that glue your eyes to the page. Throughout the whole novel I felt an overwhelming sense of dread,
One thing that's bothered me not just about this novel but the series as a whole is the lack of character diversity. The dialogue is well written and realistic, but the words that a character says could just as well be said by any other character. This is even more true in DUST. I never at once felt that any of the characters had any specific qualities or traits attached to them. Even Solo, the most unique character due to his circumstances, acted just like everyone else. I was impressed that Wool had a strong female protagonist, but in Dust another female protagonist is brought in that acts no different than Juliette. Scenes with Shirly felt just like scenes with Courtneee. Lukas, Raph, and Erik all felt like the same person to me. It also seemed redundant to have so many children named in the story when only one of them was fleshed out.
As far as conclusions go, it was okay. I'll keep it vague to avoid spoilers, but there was never really a climax. The most exciting parts of the book were around halfway through, with the last 20% jotting along at a steady pace. Maybe I hyped this book up too much for myself, but I expected it to go out with a bang, and while there kind of was one, it just made me think, "Oh...that wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped it would be."
The book also felt too long. The first third was very slow and a lot of it seemed unnecessary.
Maybe I'm being a little harsh, because it wasn't by all means a bad book. It deserves to be read, and as a whole, the Silo saga is one of the best book series' I've read, and certainly some of the best dystopian fiction out there. I'm excited to read more of Hugh Howey's work.
SPOILERS: Things I'd like cleared up:
April 7, 2014
What a satisfying conclusion to the Silo series. The first volume, Wool, introduced the world of the Silo and the strict authoritarian society that lived inside. Anyone questioning this reality was ousted into the deadly wastelands. We also me the wonderful character Juliette, a superior engineer who is recruited into being police chief of the silo. What she finds from a position of authority get's her ousted, where she discovers more about the Silo and it's purpose.
Book two, Shift, travels back in time, to our time, and explains the story of how all the silos came about. The main character in this story, Donald, is not a character that I found easy to sympathise with. He was powerless and naive, too ready to allow others to make decisions and take charge. But he does improve over the course of the book. However, his rise in status is not his doing at all, and yet again he is thrust into power.
Dust picks up both stories, Donald in Silo 1, Juliette in Silo 18 and Jimmy and Elise from Silo 17. While I didn't enjoy Shift as much as Wool, Dust is back up to the standard of Wool, probably because of the return of the characters I loved from Wool. But there was also the more beautiful passages that were present in Wool, but missing from Shift.
It's so satisfying that this series ended so well. I do believe that Hugh has a definite talent and he deserves to join the ranks of great SF writers and this work deserves to stand out as a fine example of post-apocalyptic fiction along with The Day of the Triffids and Earth Abides. I guess part of the message that I would like to convey is that despite being the apparent flavour of the day in SF, and coming from a self-published background, these books are hands down fine SF and deserve to be widely read. Don't be skeptical like me. In this instance you can let down your crap filters.
I guess Hugh may have had some message here about power and oppression, maybe freedom. But I just enjoyed the story. Simple me does not go in for themes and metaphor discussions. But I certainly empathised with most characters and it has made me think about my own freedom.
Book two, Shift, travels back in time, to our time, and explains the story of how all the silos came about. The main character in this story, Donald, is not a character that I found easy to sympathise with. He was powerless and naive, too ready to allow others to make decisions and take charge. But he does improve over the course of the book. However, his rise in status is not his doing at all, and yet again he is thrust into power.
Dust picks up both stories, Donald in Silo 1, Juliette in Silo 18 and Jimmy and Elise from Silo 17. While I didn't enjoy Shift as much as Wool, Dust is back up to the standard of Wool, probably because of the return of the characters I loved from Wool. But there was also the more beautiful passages that were present in Wool, but missing from Shift.
It's so satisfying that this series ended so well. I do believe that Hugh has a definite talent and he deserves to join the ranks of great SF writers and this work deserves to stand out as a fine example of post-apocalyptic fiction along with The Day of the Triffids and Earth Abides. I guess part of the message that I would like to convey is that despite being the apparent flavour of the day in SF, and coming from a self-published background, these books are hands down fine SF and deserve to be widely read. Don't be skeptical like me. In this instance you can let down your crap filters.
I guess Hugh may have had some message here about power and oppression, maybe freedom. But I just enjoyed the story. Simple me does not go in for themes and metaphor discussions. But I certainly empathised with most characters and it has made me think about my own freedom.
July 29, 2016
My biggest issue with this volume was the crass emotional manipulation going on in the story. It's one thing to create a situation and then dole out pieces of information to slowly reveal what happened, but in Dust, Howey tosses out any subtlety and just starts messing with you. See, near the three-quarters point of the novel, Silo 18, the heart and soul of this trilogy, is terminated. Thurman executes an order that pops the door to the outside and sends in a bunch of killing nanobots to take care of the residents inside, and there's a gut-wrenching* scene where Juliette is talking to Lukas on the radio and they're having to say their goodbyes and I-love-yous as Lukas witnesses the white fog filling the silo. Later, we see someone from Silo 1 theorize that one of the rogue workers there might have sabotaged the white fog (a/k/a killer nanobots) pipes so that they sent the helpful nanobots instead. So there's that hint that maybe they're not dead, maybe we'll hear from them again, and maybe when Juliette and her people walk out of the silos, they'll see Lukas and his people join them.
That never happens. In fact, there are a lot of things that Howey hints at that are never resolved. Silo 40 is a great mystery, and there are a lot of folks who think that the inhabitants of that silo are still alive, living their own lives apart from the control of Silo 1. Nothing ever comes of it. We know that the air outside the silos is poisoned, and we start to get that the poison comes from within the silos, and whenever someone is sent out to clean, they also take more killer nanobots with them. That's not taken anywhere interesting, either. I guess the destruction of Silo 1 is an indication that this will stop happening? I guess? And then there's the scene at the end of the book, where Juliette and the rest of her survivors make it out of the poisoned air and get back out into the real world. They look back and see this domed region where the silos are, the air polluted and grimy, somehow existing separate from the rest of the world and not affecting it in the least. How does that work? And for that matter, what actually happened way back when Thurmond and the rest of the politicians put this plan into place? Was there really a nuclear destruction of the entire world, or was it localized just to where the silos were? If it really was a massive destruction, then why is the area outside the silos green and fertile? If it were the latter, then why does Howey make the world out to be so empty? What actually happened there?
There were also a couple of scenes in the book which didn't make any sense, and seemed to be taken from another series. At one point, Elise gets separated from the rest of her group, and wanders into a scene out of a fantasy novel, where a bunch of vendors are set up in an open market, selling random crap or food, and I kept thinking, Isn't this supposed to be indoors? And aren't the ceilings supposed to be pretty low on each level? How is it that these folks aren't getting choked out from all the smoke? Up until that point, all of the settings had felt small, cramped, and claustrophobic (which, I should note, was exactly as it should have felt), and suddenly we're somewhere else that felt airy and open. Had the scene been useful in any way, I would have been a little more accepting, but it served no purpose to the plot, save to put Elise in touch with someone who could serve a purpose for her later. The market didn't make any sense in relation to the rest of the series, and it makes me wonder why Howey chose something Medieval to create that encounter.
I had some serious issues with the character of Donald. He's supposed to be one of the protagonists, and someone to sympathize with, but then he goes and revives people from their cryostasis just to kill them. One of them even tries to talk to him, to explain herself and what happened, but he refuses to listen and kills her. Later, as he realizes what he's done, he doesn't fall into some crippling guilt; he just realizes that he had loved her, feels regret, and then keeps moving forward with his plan. It didn't make any sense, either as a part of his character, or a part of the story.
For that matter, there are several scenes in the novel where I felt like I should have been more emotional about what was happening. There was the scene where Juliette and Lukas are saying their goodbyes, a kid who falls to his death during a riot, the goodbyes between Charlotte and her brother, and Charlotte and Darcy, but none of them felt gut-wrenching. I felt pretty detached from it all, because Howey had never built up the relationships well enough for me to get more than a general sad feeling about what was happening. Shoot, the kid who fell didn't get any real development at all, and I think we were supposed to feel sad about it because he was a kid. I've seen it work well in other books -- The Book Thief and Moloka'i especially -- but here it's just sort of a "Dang, that's sad, but now I'm going to move on to the next scene" sort of thing.
Howey also shows too much. Near the end of the book, as Juliette is trying to convince the residents of Silo 17 (née Silo 18) to go outside, she talks about all the deductions she's made to lead her to where they should go. Part of it involves the amount of fuel that is in the diggers that are buried between the lowest levels of the silos, and the rate at which the diggers use that fuel. It's useful information, but the reader is getting it a second time, since we've already been through a scene or two where Juliette considers using the diggers to get them out of the silo. It wasn't necessary to show us all of that. A couple of scenes where Juliette has a realization, says, "I need to see the digger," her calling a town hall meeting, and then revealing that piece of information would have been enough. Instead, we see this repetition. And it happens a lot throughout the series. It's like Howey doesn't have the faith in his readers to allow for these kinds of revelations to happen behind the scenes until they're necessary for the narrative.
The whole thing is just sloppy. I'm not against the self-publishing method, but if you're going to go that route, at least have the sense to employ an editor who can hone your story down into something that makes more sense. Otherwise, the whole thing comes across as amateurish.
That never happens. In fact, there are a lot of things that Howey hints at that are never resolved. Silo 40 is a great mystery, and there are a lot of folks who think that the inhabitants of that silo are still alive, living their own lives apart from the control of Silo 1. Nothing ever comes of it. We know that the air outside the silos is poisoned, and we start to get that the poison comes from within the silos, and whenever someone is sent out to clean, they also take more killer nanobots with them. That's not taken anywhere interesting, either. I guess the destruction of Silo 1 is an indication that this will stop happening? I guess? And then there's the scene at the end of the book, where Juliette and the rest of her survivors make it out of the poisoned air and get back out into the real world. They look back and see this domed region where the silos are, the air polluted and grimy, somehow existing separate from the rest of the world and not affecting it in the least. How does that work? And for that matter, what actually happened way back when Thurmond and the rest of the politicians put this plan into place? Was there really a nuclear destruction of the entire world, or was it localized just to where the silos were? If it really was a massive destruction, then why is the area outside the silos green and fertile? If it were the latter, then why does Howey make the world out to be so empty? What actually happened there?
There were also a couple of scenes in the book which didn't make any sense, and seemed to be taken from another series. At one point, Elise gets separated from the rest of her group, and wanders into a scene out of a fantasy novel, where a bunch of vendors are set up in an open market, selling random crap or food, and I kept thinking, Isn't this supposed to be indoors? And aren't the ceilings supposed to be pretty low on each level? How is it that these folks aren't getting choked out from all the smoke? Up until that point, all of the settings had felt small, cramped, and claustrophobic (which, I should note, was exactly as it should have felt), and suddenly we're somewhere else that felt airy and open. Had the scene been useful in any way, I would have been a little more accepting, but it served no purpose to the plot, save to put Elise in touch with someone who could serve a purpose for her later. The market didn't make any sense in relation to the rest of the series, and it makes me wonder why Howey chose something Medieval to create that encounter.
I had some serious issues with the character of Donald. He's supposed to be one of the protagonists, and someone to sympathize with, but then he goes and revives people from their cryostasis just to kill them. One of them even tries to talk to him, to explain herself and what happened, but he refuses to listen and kills her. Later, as he realizes what he's done, he doesn't fall into some crippling guilt; he just realizes that he had loved her, feels regret, and then keeps moving forward with his plan. It didn't make any sense, either as a part of his character, or a part of the story.
For that matter, there are several scenes in the novel where I felt like I should have been more emotional about what was happening. There was the scene where Juliette and Lukas are saying their goodbyes, a kid who falls to his death during a riot, the goodbyes between Charlotte and her brother, and Charlotte and Darcy, but none of them felt gut-wrenching. I felt pretty detached from it all, because Howey had never built up the relationships well enough for me to get more than a general sad feeling about what was happening. Shoot, the kid who fell didn't get any real development at all, and I think we were supposed to feel sad about it because he was a kid. I've seen it work well in other books -- The Book Thief and Moloka'i especially -- but here it's just sort of a "Dang, that's sad, but now I'm going to move on to the next scene" sort of thing.
Howey also shows too much. Near the end of the book, as Juliette is trying to convince the residents of Silo 17 (née Silo 18) to go outside, she talks about all the deductions she's made to lead her to where they should go. Part of it involves the amount of fuel that is in the diggers that are buried between the lowest levels of the silos, and the rate at which the diggers use that fuel. It's useful information, but the reader is getting it a second time, since we've already been through a scene or two where Juliette considers using the diggers to get them out of the silo. It wasn't necessary to show us all of that. A couple of scenes where Juliette has a realization, says, "I need to see the digger," her calling a town hall meeting, and then revealing that piece of information would have been enough. Instead, we see this repetition. And it happens a lot throughout the series. It's like Howey doesn't have the faith in his readers to allow for these kinds of revelations to happen behind the scenes until they're necessary for the narrative.
The whole thing is just sloppy. I'm not against the self-publishing method, but if you're going to go that route, at least have the sense to employ an editor who can hone your story down into something that makes more sense. Otherwise, the whole thing comes across as amateurish.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2014
I loved the book and the entire series, but ... please write Book/Serial #4, Hugh.
[SPOILER ALERT] [SPOILER ALERT] [SPOILER ALERT] [SPOILER ALERT]
[SCROLL DOWN - but SPOILER ALERT!]
The ending leaves me emotionally satisfied but intellectually dissatisfied.
In this final book, we see the end of, basically, 3 Silos (1, 17 and 18). 18 is terminated, leaving at best 125-200 survivors who make their way to the disabled Silo 17? And most, but not all, of these "walk out" to the blue skies and green grass outside the kill zone of the Silo Project. Yay! I mean, yay? So - of let's say 8,000 originally in both Silos, only 200 survive?
Meanwhile, Silo 1 is destroyed by a bunker buster in its reactor room, with but a single survivor who joins the others. Out of another 4,000 (many women and children in cold storage, who were doomed anyway due to the Pact), 1 survives.
Meanwhile, is there NO danger of a massive radioactive leak? Where did the nano-gas originate - if it was Silo 1, was it successfully contained (at least for now)? Um, didn't Silo 1 supply power to a LOT of other Silos (without their knowledge in some cases). Did every IT level in every Silo just go dark? There was no discussion of "going back" for any of the other Silo residents.
A big part of the evil Pact was that only one Silo would survive, 4,000 out of say 200,000. So that plan had to be stopped (and as many Silos freed as possible). And yet, the story ends WITH only 200 known survivors and the rest in ... dark Silos? With a possibly radioactive Silo at their center?
Finally - the "Plan" had, I believe, 200 years to go, if I remember rightly (to "really" cleanse the world). Why? And are our survivors in danger by being outside 200 years early? If the nano-gas is doing some sort of "work" in the real world - why was it only at work in a bubble around the Silo project? This confused me.
Emotionally - great book. A great world.
[SPOILER ALERT] [SPOILER ALERT] [SPOILER ALERT] [SPOILER ALERT]
[SCROLL DOWN - but SPOILER ALERT!]
The ending leaves me emotionally satisfied but intellectually dissatisfied.
In this final book, we see the end of, basically, 3 Silos (1, 17 and 18). 18 is terminated, leaving at best 125-200 survivors who make their way to the disabled Silo 17? And most, but not all, of these "walk out" to the blue skies and green grass outside the kill zone of the Silo Project. Yay! I mean, yay? So - of let's say 8,000 originally in both Silos, only 200 survive?
Meanwhile, Silo 1 is destroyed by a bunker buster in its reactor room, with but a single survivor who joins the others. Out of another 4,000 (many women and children in cold storage, who were doomed anyway due to the Pact), 1 survives.
Meanwhile, is there NO danger of a massive radioactive leak? Where did the nano-gas originate - if it was Silo 1, was it successfully contained (at least for now)? Um, didn't Silo 1 supply power to a LOT of other Silos (without their knowledge in some cases). Did every IT level in every Silo just go dark? There was no discussion of "going back" for any of the other Silo residents.
A big part of the evil Pact was that only one Silo would survive, 4,000 out of say 200,000. So that plan had to be stopped (and as many Silos freed as possible). And yet, the story ends WITH only 200 known survivors and the rest in ... dark Silos? With a possibly radioactive Silo at their center?
Finally - the "Plan" had, I believe, 200 years to go, if I remember rightly (to "really" cleanse the world). Why? And are our survivors in danger by being outside 200 years early? If the nano-gas is doing some sort of "work" in the real world - why was it only at work in a bubble around the Silo project? This confused me.
Emotionally - great book. A great world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2021
Dust (Silo #3), Hugh Howey
Dust is the third and final act in the Silo stories. It brings together the lives of Donald, Juliette and the other people in Silo 18, and the survivors from Silo 17. It is a decent ending to a trilogy.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و یکم ماه ژانویه سال 2017 میلادی
عنوان: سری سیلو کتاب سوم: غبار؛ نویسنده: هیو هاوی؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م
سری سه گانه ی «سیلو»، داستانهایی هيجانانگيز هستند، که با زبانی ساده و روان، برای نوجوانان نگاشته شده اند؛ در داستانهای اين سری در آینده ای ویران و سمی، جامعه ای درون سیلویی زیرزمینی و بزرگ با صدها طبقه، مردان و زنان در جامعه ای پر از قوانین زندگی و بر این باور هستند كه قوانین برای حفاظت از آنها وضع شده اند؛ کلانتر «هولستون» که با تمام قدرت، سالها از قانونهای «سیلو» پشتیبانی کرده، در اقدامی نامنتظره بزرگترین تابو را میشکند: او درخواست میکند تا از «سیلو» خارج شود؛ و ...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 28/12/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Dust is the third and final act in the Silo stories. It brings together the lives of Donald, Juliette and the other people in Silo 18, and the survivors from Silo 17. It is a decent ending to a trilogy.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و یکم ماه ژانویه سال 2017 میلادی
عنوان: سری سیلو کتاب سوم: غبار؛ نویسنده: هیو هاوی؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م
سری سه گانه ی «سیلو»، داستانهایی هيجانانگيز هستند، که با زبانی ساده و روان، برای نوجوانان نگاشته شده اند؛ در داستانهای اين سری در آینده ای ویران و سمی، جامعه ای درون سیلویی زیرزمینی و بزرگ با صدها طبقه، مردان و زنان در جامعه ای پر از قوانین زندگی و بر این باور هستند كه قوانین برای حفاظت از آنها وضع شده اند؛ کلانتر «هولستون» که با تمام قدرت، سالها از قانونهای «سیلو» پشتیبانی کرده، در اقدامی نامنتظره بزرگترین تابو را میشکند: او درخواست میکند تا از «سیلو» خارج شود؛ و ...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 28/12/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
July 14, 2022
2022 re-read:
Funny. This time around I thought this was the weakest book in the trilogy. But maybe that's just my recent reading slump (about to be cured with King's 11/22/63). Overall this is still a good story though.
Buddy read with Sarah, Diane, Lynne and Linda.
********
2018 review (I must have been drunk during all of these):
So here’s the third book of Hugh Howey’s Silo series.
This book especially, but the whole trilogy really, were something of a frustrating reading experience for me.
Just to be clear, I liked all three books a lot. But Hugh Howey simply couldn’t get it over the line. I always had the feeling there’s 5 star potential here. But it never quite materialized.
The first book started out great. And I can unquestionably recommend Wool, the short story that was the beginning of this whole series. Howey later expanded this into a full novel that only occasionally hit the heights of this first story. Don’t get me wrong. It was a very good book. But especially the second of the five parts I didn’t enjoy so much. And overall I just wanted to see a bit more of this world, which never happened in Wool Omnibus.
Then came Shift. And finally we learned a bit more about the world this story is set in. This book in general was not as well received as 'Wool’. But I liked it equally as much. I thought it was quite interesting how this barren world of the silos impacted the different characters. Some reviewers complain that the main character was too whiny and they couldn’t relate to him. I understand that sentiment. But for me personally there has not always to be a hero. And you have to consider that some bad shit happened to this guy. But I agree that Howey took it a bit too far sometimes. There’s not much action in this book, rather a lot of internal monologue. Therefore I felt the book was maybe fifty or even a hundred pages too long. You can only stand so much of broken down characters.
So still no 5 star rating.
The question for me was. Does he finally reach the promised land, the five star awesomeness, with ‘Dust’.
And it didn’t look very good in the beginning. The first 100 pages felt like just more of the same. And I had a feeling that I’ve maybe seen enough of this series already.
Here’s what happened then (or so they say):
This book took off big time. Howey upped the ante more and more. Beloved characters fighting for their lives, for the truth, for salvation. I was glued to the pages. It was just so damn compelling.
I was so full of tension that I was basically ready to burst. Tearing the house down in the process. Tearing the whole neighborhood down actually. Turning it into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
There was a crowd of people converging at my front door. Worried looks all around. Some of the women were weeping, babies were crying, the men sweating. Children turned to their parents. Uncomprehending looks on their faces. Begging them to please walk away. Not really understanding why. But having this feeling. We have to leave this place. Now, please! Somebody is calling the police. Telling them something bad is gonna happen here very soon.
I’m completely on edge now. Not long and I’m going to explode. I can hear sirens in the distance. People are screaming. They beg me to stop. Tell me not to go any further. But I can’t. There’s no turning back now. I’ve come too far. The stakes are too high. I’m ready to end this once and for all.
(Okay, one or two things I may have imagined. Possibly.)
Anyway, suddenly I realized, I’m running out of pages. This can’t be. There are still so many questions. Not enough time left to answer them all. And what will become of these characters now? How is this all gonna end?
Well, it- ends. Not suddenly. Gradually. But unfortunately it is a very unambitious ending. There’s not the expected bang. All the tension just goes away.
There's an audible sigh of relief from my neighbors. Police and firemen are retreating. The children start playing games in the street. Life just goes on, as if nothing ever happened.
I shrug and put the book back on its shelf. Say to myself, “okay, what am I reading next?”
So frustrating. Especially since it felt there was everything in place to end this in remarkable fashion. I don’t know if Howey ran out of ideas in the end. Or if he just decided to play it safe.
After reading around 1,500 pages in this series I simply expected something more.
It was just never happening.
I don’t want to discourage anybody who wants to start reading this series. Overall it was very enjoyable. And who knows. You may even like the ending. Unfortunately I did not.
I read some Silo short stories afterwards that start near the beginning of the main series and go some years beyond the ending of ‘Dust’. They still leave a lot unanswered. But I enjoyed them very much. And I leave this series more satisfied now than I felt two days ago, when I finished reading this book.
4 stars. I thought it was the most entertaining book in the series. If only...
Funny. This time around I thought this was the weakest book in the trilogy. But maybe that's just my recent reading slump (about to be cured with King's 11/22/63). Overall this is still a good story though.
Buddy read with Sarah, Diane, Lynne and Linda.
********
2018 review (I must have been drunk during all of these):
So here’s the third book of Hugh Howey’s Silo series.
This book especially, but the whole trilogy really, were something of a frustrating reading experience for me.
Just to be clear, I liked all three books a lot. But Hugh Howey simply couldn’t get it over the line. I always had the feeling there’s 5 star potential here. But it never quite materialized.
The first book started out great. And I can unquestionably recommend Wool, the short story that was the beginning of this whole series. Howey later expanded this into a full novel that only occasionally hit the heights of this first story. Don’t get me wrong. It was a very good book. But especially the second of the five parts I didn’t enjoy so much. And overall I just wanted to see a bit more of this world, which never happened in Wool Omnibus.
Then came Shift. And finally we learned a bit more about the world this story is set in. This book in general was not as well received as 'Wool’. But I liked it equally as much. I thought it was quite interesting how this barren world of the silos impacted the different characters. Some reviewers complain that the main character was too whiny and they couldn’t relate to him. I understand that sentiment. But for me personally there has not always to be a hero. And you have to consider that some bad shit happened to this guy. But I agree that Howey took it a bit too far sometimes. There’s not much action in this book, rather a lot of internal monologue. Therefore I felt the book was maybe fifty or even a hundred pages too long. You can only stand so much of broken down characters.
So still no 5 star rating.
The question for me was. Does he finally reach the promised land, the five star awesomeness, with ‘Dust’.
And it didn’t look very good in the beginning. The first 100 pages felt like just more of the same. And I had a feeling that I’ve maybe seen enough of this series already.
Here’s what happened then (or so they say):
This book took off big time. Howey upped the ante more and more. Beloved characters fighting for their lives, for the truth, for salvation. I was glued to the pages. It was just so damn compelling.
I was so full of tension that I was basically ready to burst. Tearing the house down in the process. Tearing the whole neighborhood down actually. Turning it into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
There was a crowd of people converging at my front door. Worried looks all around. Some of the women were weeping, babies were crying, the men sweating. Children turned to their parents. Uncomprehending looks on their faces. Begging them to please walk away. Not really understanding why. But having this feeling. We have to leave this place. Now, please! Somebody is calling the police. Telling them something bad is gonna happen here very soon.
I’m completely on edge now. Not long and I’m going to explode. I can hear sirens in the distance. People are screaming. They beg me to stop. Tell me not to go any further. But I can’t. There’s no turning back now. I’ve come too far. The stakes are too high. I’m ready to end this once and for all.
(Okay, one or two things I may have imagined. Possibly.)
Anyway, suddenly I realized, I’m running out of pages. This can’t be. There are still so many questions. Not enough time left to answer them all. And what will become of these characters now? How is this all gonna end?
Well, it- ends. Not suddenly. Gradually. But unfortunately it is a very unambitious ending. There’s not the expected bang. All the tension just goes away.
There's an audible sigh of relief from my neighbors. Police and firemen are retreating. The children start playing games in the street. Life just goes on, as if nothing ever happened.
I shrug and put the book back on its shelf. Say to myself, “okay, what am I reading next?”
So frustrating. Especially since it felt there was everything in place to end this in remarkable fashion. I don’t know if Howey ran out of ideas in the end. Or if he just decided to play it safe.
After reading around 1,500 pages in this series I simply expected something more.
It was just never happening.
I don’t want to discourage anybody who wants to start reading this series. Overall it was very enjoyable. And who knows. You may even like the ending. Unfortunately I did not.
I read some Silo short stories afterwards that start near the beginning of the main series and go some years beyond the ending of ‘Dust’. They still leave a lot unanswered. But I enjoyed them very much. And I leave this series more satisfied now than I felt two days ago, when I finished reading this book.
4 stars. I thought it was the most entertaining book in the series. If only...
August 28, 2013
Just finished this the other night ...
Really liked most of the Silo Series, it felt a lot like LOST to me at times, something else I really dug. The overalls, the revelations within revelations, the unfolding mystery of it all -- even the flashbacks to the origin of the Silos.
SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW:
But also like LOST, there was no great finale. I figured we would get some new puzzle piece that would snick neatly into place and turn the entire series into a mosaic much larger than they sum of its parts. Instead, it turns out we much knew everything already.
Pretty much, people finally leave the Silo's. That's the plot of DUST. We have no idea what happens to the other Silo's once Silo 1 goes down. We don't know what is up with the rest of the world. I half expected them to run into survivors who had escaped the nanopocalypse in some clever way ... but no. Just woods. Meh.
No surprises, just a predictable ending with lots of 'action'. The Silo Series as ended by Michael Bay.
I guess I'm just disappointed because the series had such promise and started off so strong and kept it going all the way until this book. It was not horrible -- it just didn't deliver the knockout punch the rest of the series promised. We got LOST-ed, once again.
Really liked most of the Silo Series, it felt a lot like LOST to me at times, something else I really dug. The overalls, the revelations within revelations, the unfolding mystery of it all -- even the flashbacks to the origin of the Silos.
SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW:
But also like LOST, there was no great finale. I figured we would get some new puzzle piece that would snick neatly into place and turn the entire series into a mosaic much larger than they sum of its parts. Instead, it turns out we much knew everything already.
Pretty much, people finally leave the Silo's. That's the plot of DUST. We have no idea what happens to the other Silo's once Silo 1 goes down. We don't know what is up with the rest of the world. I half expected them to run into survivors who had escaped the nanopocalypse in some clever way ... but no. Just woods. Meh.
No surprises, just a predictable ending with lots of 'action'. The Silo Series as ended by Michael Bay.
I guess I'm just disappointed because the series had such promise and started off so strong and kept it going all the way until this book. It was not horrible -- it just didn't deliver the knockout punch the rest of the series promised. We got LOST-ed, once again.
December 10, 2015
This book was hugely disappointing. There's a satisfying end to the series (at least, somewhat satisfying), but 80% of this could have been removed and the effect would have been the same.
I have so many problems with this book. Huge spoiler cut ahead!
I have so many problems with this book. Huge spoiler cut ahead!
January 24, 2016
Going in to Dust, I was hoping that it would continue at the same very high level of great story telling as the first two installments of the Wool trilogy and I have to say that it did. It was a very different book than I thought it would be and went in a direction that I never would have guessed, and for those reasons it really kept me riveted. I expected a dark mood to the book but it was even darker and depressing than I anticipated - there were very few happy moments, and the characters we grow to know and love were stressed, pressured, questioned, and in danger from all sides right from the beginning it seemed. There were twists and turns, and moments in which I was downright shocked. The plot moved along quickly, a little bit more so that in Shift. The stories of Silos 1,17, and 18 were tied together and all the mysteries therein were explained. After all the personal tragedy and sacrifice which we agonized over for 450 pages, I thought the ending was satisfying, and done just right. I can't recommend the Wool trilogy highly enough.
June 20, 2023
Oh yes! What a satisfying end to the enjoyably unique and imaginative Silo series. Would I prefer it to continue? Of course, but it's always best to leave them wanting more.
Eduardo Ballerini's 2023 narration is nearly perfection. So much better than the past narrator on Audible, back in 2013.
My only complaint, and I do mean "only", is that the Audible.com version uses a reader who pronounces the word "palm" so oddly I found myself giggling every time the word was used. It's not a word in too common usage in our current culture, most people preferring "hand" or "grasp", but it became laughably obvious it is one of Howey's favorites, popping up frequently.
Eduardo Ballerini's 2023 narration is nearly perfection. So much better than the past narrator on Audible, back in 2013.
April 17, 2018
A pretty good ending to the no-win situations in book 1 and 2.
April 21, 2014
It pains me to write this, truthfully because I loved Wool so much. It's still one of the best post-apocalyptic books I've ever read. If you actually want the best part of the trip don't go any further down the rabbit hole by reading Shift or Dust. I mean this. It will ruin Wool for you.
If you are the kind of person that saw the Star Wars prequels and thought thanks George Lucas for ruining my childhood - do not read Shift or Dust. Especially Dust. Let Wool be the end for you. Trust me, I do not say this lightly because I really like Hugh Howey. He's a terrific writer but he's got some weaknesses with character, plotting, continuity, plausibility and world building. Many of these issues would be cleared up with a good editor, which is the unfortunate bane of the self-published. I did not find the same level of errata in Wool that I did in Shift and more pointedly Dust.
Be warned MANY SPOILERS - Dust ends not with a bang but a whimper.
The following are issues left hanging unpleasantly from Wool - Shift - Dust:
- what happens to all the people left in the silos?
- what about the people in Silo 1? Are they dead?
- what about the silos that had gone dark? Do they still exist or are they dead too?
- what about other people left in the world? Could there be people somewhere?
- why the length of time (500 years) to pick one silo above all the others and have them reseed the world? Couldn't they have done that initially and not wasted all that time (and all the canned goods?)
- if the story is really about eugenics then why isn't it called this? Why isn't it ever discussed? When Donald is having all those question and answer revelations why not call it what it is? Why be so cryptic?
- why did Victor kill himself?
- why did Donald murder Anna? This never rings true and seems so out of character for him! She was not the enemy really plus we find out later that he truly loved her. Hunh? WTF? It makes no sense that killed her since she had the answers to everything. And he was no murderer. The damn guy cries all the time during Shift he's not exactly the killer type.
- uh, hello what's up with the whole Charlotte thing? Who the hell calls about Charlotte? I never even understand why her character was part of things in the first place (introduced in Shift) and she ends up as the only (sort of) survivor from Silo 1? What the Sam Hill? She's not even an important character. That's like making that Darcy dude (who shows up in Dust as a plot device like many characters who come in and then disappear inexplicably) have the entire series end up being about him.
- too many characters ultimately and not enough exploration into the characters that counted.
- the entire Jimmy/Solo plot line with the children could have been cut. Absolutely ridiculous as it blossomed from the original in Wool. What a waste of time.
- how many pages wasted on Elise and her Puppy? And why write like a seven year old when coming from her perspective? Jewel for Jules? Bizarre for bazaar? I mean give me a break. An editor would have 86-ed that mercifully.
- all the mechanical BS about the digging and the digger - good grief, ok Hugh you did some research but who cares? Not at all important to the plot in any way and ludicrous.
- the religious subplot - what the bejesus was that? Did they circumcise that poor woman with a knife in a sicko ritual or something? I don't get it and how did that guy marry a seven year old? And since when were there total utter freaking loons in these silos?
- all the talk of eating puppies and dogs was revolting. These people in the silos could have easily been vegetarians, duh. So this was totally gross and unnecessary.
- confusion regarding the children from the first book, were these brothers and sister procreating? Ewwww.
- way too many plot holes; first it was the fake view screens in the cleaning suits but really it was the argon gas poisoning everyone as they went out, so was it the atmosphere or the argon gas?
- were the nanos still out there repairing or tearing up people (Juliette's scars disappearing - her father noticing all of this eugenics stuff but then dropping it with a shrug like meh - who knows, who cares?).
- people living in silos for centuries with technology are going to just frolic like hippies at a commune in the open air with a seven year old telling them what to do and teaching them how to fish? Seriously?
- tens of thousands of survivors in these silos and only 100 of them make it out? Come on, man, then what was the point of the entire series?
Hugh Howey had one good book in him regarding the Silo Saga and that was Wool. The rest of it (Shift and Dust) were him writing the requisite trilogy (like every freaking book has to be a trilogy now) to market and sell to Ridley Scott.
It's a shame that hubris ruined the majestic post-apocalyptic genius that was Wool.
If you are the kind of person that saw the Star Wars prequels and thought thanks George Lucas for ruining my childhood - do not read Shift or Dust. Especially Dust. Let Wool be the end for you. Trust me, I do not say this lightly because I really like Hugh Howey. He's a terrific writer but he's got some weaknesses with character, plotting, continuity, plausibility and world building. Many of these issues would be cleared up with a good editor, which is the unfortunate bane of the self-published. I did not find the same level of errata in Wool that I did in Shift and more pointedly Dust.
Be warned MANY SPOILERS - Dust ends not with a bang but a whimper.
The following are issues left hanging unpleasantly from Wool - Shift - Dust:
- what happens to all the people left in the silos?
- what about the people in Silo 1? Are they dead?
- what about the silos that had gone dark? Do they still exist or are they dead too?
- what about other people left in the world? Could there be people somewhere?
- why the length of time (500 years) to pick one silo above all the others and have them reseed the world? Couldn't they have done that initially and not wasted all that time (and all the canned goods?)
- if the story is really about eugenics then why isn't it called this? Why isn't it ever discussed? When Donald is having all those question and answer revelations why not call it what it is? Why be so cryptic?
- why did Victor kill himself?
- why did Donald murder Anna? This never rings true and seems so out of character for him! She was not the enemy really plus we find out later that he truly loved her. Hunh? WTF? It makes no sense that killed her since she had the answers to everything. And he was no murderer. The damn guy cries all the time during Shift he's not exactly the killer type.
- uh, hello what's up with the whole Charlotte thing? Who the hell calls about Charlotte? I never even understand why her character was part of things in the first place (introduced in Shift) and she ends up as the only (sort of) survivor from Silo 1? What the Sam Hill? She's not even an important character. That's like making that Darcy dude (who shows up in Dust as a plot device like many characters who come in and then disappear inexplicably) have the entire series end up being about him.
- too many characters ultimately and not enough exploration into the characters that counted.
- the entire Jimmy/Solo plot line with the children could have been cut. Absolutely ridiculous as it blossomed from the original in Wool. What a waste of time.
- how many pages wasted on Elise and her Puppy? And why write like a seven year old when coming from her perspective? Jewel for Jules? Bizarre for bazaar? I mean give me a break. An editor would have 86-ed that mercifully.
- all the mechanical BS about the digging and the digger - good grief, ok Hugh you did some research but who cares? Not at all important to the plot in any way and ludicrous.
- the religious subplot - what the bejesus was that? Did they circumcise that poor woman with a knife in a sicko ritual or something? I don't get it and how did that guy marry a seven year old? And since when were there total utter freaking loons in these silos?
- all the talk of eating puppies and dogs was revolting. These people in the silos could have easily been vegetarians, duh. So this was totally gross and unnecessary.
- confusion regarding the children from the first book, were these brothers and sister procreating? Ewwww.
- way too many plot holes; first it was the fake view screens in the cleaning suits but really it was the argon gas poisoning everyone as they went out, so was it the atmosphere or the argon gas?
- were the nanos still out there repairing or tearing up people (Juliette's scars disappearing - her father noticing all of this eugenics stuff but then dropping it with a shrug like meh - who knows, who cares?).
- people living in silos for centuries with technology are going to just frolic like hippies at a commune in the open air with a seven year old telling them what to do and teaching them how to fish? Seriously?
- tens of thousands of survivors in these silos and only 100 of them make it out? Come on, man, then what was the point of the entire series?
Hugh Howey had one good book in him regarding the Silo Saga and that was Wool. The rest of it (Shift and Dust) were him writing the requisite trilogy (like every freaking book has to be a trilogy now) to market and sell to Ridley Scott.
It's a shame that hubris ruined the majestic post-apocalyptic genius that was Wool.
July 15, 2021
"The idea of saving anything was folly, a life especially. No life had ever been truly saved, not in the history of mankind. They were merely prolonged. Everything comes to an end."
Readers of Hugh Howey's Silo series are by now prepared for a certain degree of bleakness, but there are moments of downright agonizing despair in Dust, its final installment. Moments that made me cry out to my lodger "Who does Hugh think he is, George R. R. Effing Martin?" to which my lodger replied "No, because then you would have had to wait seven years and then you'd only have gotten half the story."
True, true.
I've taken quite a series of emotional beatings at the authorial hands of Mr. Howey as I've read these books. I've come to care deeply about their characters, especially the engineer-turned-leader Juliet and the kid who came of age to become a silo's sysop, Lukas, only to go through the wringer with them as they've weathered bout after bout horrific social and psychological turbulence. I've come, too, to pretty much despise architect-turned-politician-turned-overlord-turned-half-assed-saboteur Donald, and to loathe his manipulator and master, Thurman. It's fun every once in a while to have clearly defined heroes and villains to cheer and to hiss at.
Which would hint that there's a certain lack of complexity at work in the Silo books, if that was all that could be said about them. But that would be a mistake, because these works are actually all about complexity, about dynamic, chaotic messiness versus imposed order, about the overthrow of a particularly odious form of generational tyranny, about individuals setting to out-think a system minutely designed to prevent them from thinking at all, except about meeting basic survival needs and keeping running the intricate machine that lets them meet those needs in an environment for which they are evolutionarily ill-suited.
The world of the Silo series has been gradually revealed as one of layers and layers of horror and sadness, albeit one in which families and friendships and the quotidian pleasures of daily life still, in some fashion, prevail. As the Wool and Shift stories have unfolded, the nature of Silo life is revealed as even more sad and horrible than it had at first seemed: the Silos are not merely survival machines, but part of a rather twisted and terrible effort to warp all of humanity to conform to one man's imperial will, a captive breeding program of sorts, to produce perfectly obedient and docile subjects. It's generational tyranny writ large, with the added horror of the original generation still being around to inflict it from afar, enabled by super sci-fi technological advantages denied to the ordinary Silo dwellers. The generation -- the man -- that killed the world still holds the power of life and death over the people he "saved."
But even the most tightly controlled breeding program has its sports, its throwbacks, its tall poppies. Dust is a celebration of those tall poppies; even as some of them get mowed down, the rest stubbornly refuse to conform to the imperial will, to remain ignorant and powerless and acquiescent to the expectations of their masters. Juliet, Lukas and their friends, with a little help from a belatedly aware and rebellious Donald, are determined to think their way out of and around the limitations imposed on them, to turn, if necessary, their elaborate machine for survival into a machine for revenge. Or for liberation.
The tension between the will to revenge and the will to freedom is a major theme of Dust, as Juliet struggles between rage at what she has learned about the nature of her world and hope that she and hers can transcend that world. She has been given strong reasons to yield to either impulse*, and the reader is kept speculating about what she will choose for most of the novel. This tension coupled with that of Howey's vast talent for cliffhangers that are never tacked on but always naturally evolve from situations make Dust a page-turner even for the die-hard Silo fan who is devastated that it's the last of the series and doesn't want it to be over yet.
Meanwhile, Donald's story and character also develop satisfyingly. Belatedly taking on an agency that it's pretty much criminal for him to have rejected for centuries of alternating Shift work and cryosleep,** Donald finally becomes a hero of sorts, though still in a bit of a half-assed way. I will confess to rather enjoying the punishment his new agency earned him, a little. But what really saved his story was the introduction of his sister Charlotte, whom he awakens against all the rules of the master Silo, in which the crew's female family members are kept in cryosleep indefinitely so they don't cause any fights or problems. Charlotte, formerly an Air Force drone pilot, is everything that Donald is not, and its largely through her, and the need to keep her a secret, that Donald finally gets some steel in his spine, enough to become as important to Juliet's storyline as he is to his own.
Going into Dust, I was really wondering how Howey was finally going to knit Donald's and Juliet's stories into any kind of satisfying whole, especially since he was going to have to do this within the larger framework of wrapping up the series. I'm happy to say he pulled it off splendidly, by letting his characters be who they are, think for themselves, and experience fully the consequences of their decisions (or indecision). Dust is a satisfying conclusion to a powerful and deeply moving series. One wishes Ronald D. Moore had somehow come across Mr. Howey a few years ago. Cough. Disappearing Starbuck. Cough. Howey could have finished BSG right.
He finished the Silo series right. And for that, he deserves all the applause and accolades we may give him.
*And let's just say that it's probably a good thing that she is kept ignorant of one key aspect of life in the master Silo from which Donald (and his illicitly revived sister Charlotte) surreptitiously help her, that of the situation in which members of her gender find themselves -- or would find themselves, if they were ever allowed to awaken -- for the greater good. Had Juliet ever learned of the Senators No Girls Allowed at the Top Because Breeding and Sexual Tension rule, there would have been no stopping her on the quest for revenge.
**Especially criminal since his one-time-girlfriend, the Senator's daughter Anna -- the only woman besides Charlotte to have ever been conscious in the master Silo -- pretty much had to die to finally provoke this agency.
Readers of Hugh Howey's Silo series are by now prepared for a certain degree of bleakness, but there are moments of downright agonizing despair in Dust, its final installment. Moments that made me cry out to my lodger "Who does Hugh think he is, George R. R. Effing Martin?" to which my lodger replied "No, because then you would have had to wait seven years and then you'd only have gotten half the story."
True, true.
I've taken quite a series of emotional beatings at the authorial hands of Mr. Howey as I've read these books. I've come to care deeply about their characters, especially the engineer-turned-leader Juliet and the kid who came of age to become a silo's sysop, Lukas, only to go through the wringer with them as they've weathered bout after bout horrific social and psychological turbulence. I've come, too, to pretty much despise architect-turned-politician-turned-overlord-turned-half-assed-saboteur Donald, and to loathe his manipulator and master, Thurman. It's fun every once in a while to have clearly defined heroes and villains to cheer and to hiss at.
Which would hint that there's a certain lack of complexity at work in the Silo books, if that was all that could be said about them. But that would be a mistake, because these works are actually all about complexity, about dynamic, chaotic messiness versus imposed order, about the overthrow of a particularly odious form of generational tyranny, about individuals setting to out-think a system minutely designed to prevent them from thinking at all, except about meeting basic survival needs and keeping running the intricate machine that lets them meet those needs in an environment for which they are evolutionarily ill-suited.
The world of the Silo series has been gradually revealed as one of layers and layers of horror and sadness, albeit one in which families and friendships and the quotidian pleasures of daily life still, in some fashion, prevail. As the Wool and Shift stories have unfolded, the nature of Silo life is revealed as even more sad and horrible than it had at first seemed: the Silos are not merely survival machines, but part of a rather twisted and terrible effort to warp all of humanity to conform to one man's imperial will, a captive breeding program of sorts, to produce perfectly obedient and docile subjects. It's generational tyranny writ large, with the added horror of the original generation still being around to inflict it from afar, enabled by super sci-fi technological advantages denied to the ordinary Silo dwellers. The generation -- the man -- that killed the world still holds the power of life and death over the people he "saved."
But even the most tightly controlled breeding program has its sports, its throwbacks, its tall poppies. Dust is a celebration of those tall poppies; even as some of them get mowed down, the rest stubbornly refuse to conform to the imperial will, to remain ignorant and powerless and acquiescent to the expectations of their masters. Juliet, Lukas and their friends, with a little help from a belatedly aware and rebellious Donald, are determined to think their way out of and around the limitations imposed on them, to turn, if necessary, their elaborate machine for survival into a machine for revenge. Or for liberation.
The tension between the will to revenge and the will to freedom is a major theme of Dust, as Juliet struggles between rage at what she has learned about the nature of her world and hope that she and hers can transcend that world. She has been given strong reasons to yield to either impulse*, and the reader is kept speculating about what she will choose for most of the novel. This tension coupled with that of Howey's vast talent for cliffhangers that are never tacked on but always naturally evolve from situations make Dust a page-turner even for the die-hard Silo fan who is devastated that it's the last of the series and doesn't want it to be over yet.
Meanwhile, Donald's story and character also develop satisfyingly. Belatedly taking on an agency that it's pretty much criminal for him to have rejected for centuries of alternating Shift work and cryosleep,** Donald finally becomes a hero of sorts, though still in a bit of a half-assed way. I will confess to rather enjoying the punishment his new agency earned him, a little. But what really saved his story was the introduction of his sister Charlotte, whom he awakens against all the rules of the master Silo, in which the crew's female family members are kept in cryosleep indefinitely so they don't cause any fights or problems. Charlotte, formerly an Air Force drone pilot, is everything that Donald is not, and its largely through her, and the need to keep her a secret, that Donald finally gets some steel in his spine, enough to become as important to Juliet's storyline as he is to his own.
Going into Dust, I was really wondering how Howey was finally going to knit Donald's and Juliet's stories into any kind of satisfying whole, especially since he was going to have to do this within the larger framework of wrapping up the series. I'm happy to say he pulled it off splendidly, by letting his characters be who they are, think for themselves, and experience fully the consequences of their decisions (or indecision). Dust is a satisfying conclusion to a powerful and deeply moving series. One wishes Ronald D. Moore had somehow come across Mr. Howey a few years ago. Cough. Disappearing Starbuck. Cough. Howey could have finished BSG right.
He finished the Silo series right. And for that, he deserves all the applause and accolades we may give him.
*And let's just say that it's probably a good thing that she is kept ignorant of one key aspect of life in the master Silo from which Donald (and his illicitly revived sister Charlotte) surreptitiously help her, that of the situation in which members of her gender find themselves -- or would find themselves, if they were ever allowed to awaken -- for the greater good. Had Juliet ever learned of the Senators No Girls Allowed at the Top Because Breeding and Sexual Tension rule, there would have been no stopping her on the quest for revenge.
**Especially criminal since his one-time-girlfriend, the Senator's daughter Anna -- the only woman besides Charlotte to have ever been conscious in the master Silo -- pretty much had to die to finally provoke this agency.
April 22, 2023
DUST is the third and final book in the Silo trilogy and I loved it!
In this volume we reunite with all the people we've previously met in the first and second books. (Those that are still alive, that is.) And together with them we go on a ride to end this nonsense for good. Will these people ever figure out what the silos were for? Will they ever gain their freedom? You'll have to read these to find out!
Once again, Edoardo Ballerini does a bang-up job of narrating in these new Audible releases.
This was a satisfying wrap up to the series and while it was a bit predictable, I was content with how everything finally turned out in the end.
I highly recommend this series on audio!
*Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for the e-ARC of this audio in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
In this volume we reunite with all the people we've previously met in the first and second books. (Those that are still alive, that is.) And together with them we go on a ride to end this nonsense for good. Will these people ever figure out what the silos were for? Will they ever gain their freedom? You'll have to read these to find out!
Once again, Edoardo Ballerini does a bang-up job of narrating in these new Audible releases.
This was a satisfying wrap up to the series and while it was a bit predictable, I was content with how everything finally turned out in the end.
I highly recommend this series on audio!
*Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for the e-ARC of this audio in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
April 10, 2014
Hugh Howey's bio includes this sentence:
"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."
The cruelty of the universe was clear in Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1), where humanity was several (hundred) years into living in a silo, the only people left alive on earth as far as they knew. Isolated, yet somehow sustainable if only the riots and coups could be held at bay. The silo enforced systematic cruelty as well, with the Cleanings removing people who had violated the social code, and the engineers with access to more than they were sharing. That's about all I can say without a spoiler.
Then came Shift, the backstory to Wool. I didn't review it very highly because I decided that giving me specifics didn't end up satisfying me as a reader, in fact part of the horror that made Wool so successful was not being sure where anything had come from or how long it had been there, and if there was any hope. We don't really get hope from Shift, but it fills in the gaps up to the beginning of Wool. I admit that I went back and upped the star by one after seeing how it all ended up.
In Dust, Howey twines the stories of Wool and Shift together in a satisfying way. The facts we never knew while reading Wool become integral to what happens after. I can't say anything at all about the story without spoiling the other two books, but I was surprised by who became the two main characters.
I also include Howey's biographical quote for a inexplicable reason (just read it), but I do think this hidden optimism has an impact on where he takes the story.
I listened to the audiobook, and read other books in between. I took breaks between the major sections. Tim Gerard Reynolds is a good narrator for these books, but I can't speed him up to 2x like I can with most readers. Even 1.5x felt too fast at times. That isn't a complaint, just an observation; the book took longer to listen to than others have!
"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."
The cruelty of the universe was clear in Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1), where humanity was several (hundred) years into living in a silo, the only people left alive on earth as far as they knew. Isolated, yet somehow sustainable if only the riots and coups could be held at bay. The silo enforced systematic cruelty as well, with the Cleanings removing people who had violated the social code, and the engineers with access to more than they were sharing. That's about all I can say without a spoiler.
Then came Shift, the backstory to Wool. I didn't review it very highly because I decided that giving me specifics didn't end up satisfying me as a reader, in fact part of the horror that made Wool so successful was not being sure where anything had come from or how long it had been there, and if there was any hope. We don't really get hope from Shift, but it fills in the gaps up to the beginning of Wool. I admit that I went back and upped the star by one after seeing how it all ended up.
In Dust, Howey twines the stories of Wool and Shift together in a satisfying way. The facts we never knew while reading Wool become integral to what happens after. I can't say anything at all about the story without spoiling the other two books, but I was surprised by who became the two main characters.
I also include Howey's biographical quote for a inexplicable reason (just read it), but I do think this hidden optimism has an impact on where he takes the story.
I listened to the audiobook, and read other books in between. I took breaks between the major sections. Tim Gerard Reynolds is a good narrator for these books, but I can't speed him up to 2x like I can with most readers. Even 1.5x felt too fast at times. That isn't a complaint, just an observation; the book took longer to listen to than others have!
July 26, 2024
A truly rousing conclusion to the trilogy, with the action and drama ratcheted way up. The pervasive, claustrophobic atmosphere of desperation is unparalleled, engendering an unbelievable sense of frustration as the silo citizens fight each other and the constraints of an all encompassing evil system. All while the truth and salvation remain so near at hand, and yet feel like they could not be any farther away.
All in all, I quite enjoyed this series. It doesn't really break any new ground as far the science or technology, yet it's an interesting twist on the post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre with solid writing and characterizations and plenty of drama. Howey manages to balance the pessimism with just enough shoots of optimism to make it all so bittersweet.
All in all, I quite enjoyed this series. It doesn't really break any new ground as far the science or technology, yet it's an interesting twist on the post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre with solid writing and characterizations and plenty of drama. Howey manages to balance the pessimism with just enough shoots of optimism to make it all so bittersweet.
Read
October 19, 2017Ve bir serinin daha sonuna geldik. Silo'yla başlayan, Vardiya ile devam eden çetrefilli macera bu ciltle birlikte bir nihayete eriyor. Toz'da sadece Juliette ve Solo'ya yeniden kavuşmakla kalmıyor, Silo Bir'de tehlikeli ve gizli kapaklı bir mücadele veren "Troy" ile kız kardeşinin akıbetini de öğreniyoruz. Hugh Howey cevaplanmadık soru, açıklanmamış bir gizem bırakmamış gerçekten de. Akıllarda kalan tüm soru işaretlerini giderdiği gibi serüvenin sonunu da güzel bir şekilde bağlamayı başarmış. Peki ne kadar tatmin edici? İşte orası tamamen size ve beklentilerinize kalmış.
Şahsen çok başarılı bulduğum yerleri de oldu, keşke olmasaymış dediğim yerleri de. Daha fazla açıklanmadığı için eksiklik hissettiğim ve düzgün bir sonuca vardığı için tatmin edici bulduğum kısımları da oldu. Juliette her zamanki gibi inatçılığıyla güçlü bir kadın karakter olarak gönülleri fethediyor. Troy bu kitapta daha aklı başında hareket ediyor. Darcy adlı yeni karakter hiç beklemediğiniz yerden vuruyor. Ve arada oldukça trajik şeyler de oluyor tabii... Ne de olsa bu bir Hugh Howey kitabı.
Silo'yla tanışmam 2013'te Kayıp Rıhtım'ın "Biz Bunu İstiyoruz" projesi kapsamında örnek bir bölümünü çevirmemle başlamıştı. Yayınevlerine bu kitabı dilimize çevirmeleri için hunharca baskı yapmaya hazırlanıyorduk. Ne ilginçtir ki tam da o sıralarda MonokL'un eserin yayın haklarını aldığını öğrendik. Proje yayınlanmadı diye üzülürken kendimi bir anda önce editör, sonra da çevirmen koltuğunda buldum. Üçüncü kitap Toz'da yine editör oldum. Elimden geldiğince akıcı ve temiz bir çeviri sunmaya çalıştım sizlere Rasim'le birlikte. Umarım bu son adımdan sizler de keyif alır ve tıpkı benim gibi "İyi ki okumuşum," dersiniz.
Şahsen çok başarılı bulduğum yerleri de oldu, keşke olmasaymış dediğim yerleri de. Daha fazla açıklanmadığı için eksiklik hissettiğim ve düzgün bir sonuca vardığı için tatmin edici bulduğum kısımları da oldu. Juliette her zamanki gibi inatçılığıyla güçlü bir kadın karakter olarak gönülleri fethediyor. Troy bu kitapta daha aklı başında hareket ediyor. Darcy adlı yeni karakter hiç beklemediğiniz yerden vuruyor. Ve arada oldukça trajik şeyler de oluyor tabii... Ne de olsa bu bir Hugh Howey kitabı.
Silo'yla tanışmam 2013'te Kayıp Rıhtım'ın "Biz Bunu İstiyoruz" projesi kapsamında örnek bir bölümünü çevirmemle başlamıştı. Yayınevlerine bu kitabı dilimize çevirmeleri için hunharca baskı yapmaya hazırlanıyorduk. Ne ilginçtir ki tam da o sıralarda MonokL'un eserin yayın haklarını aldığını öğrendik. Proje yayınlanmadı diye üzülürken kendimi bir anda önce editör, sonra da çevirmen koltuğunda buldum. Üçüncü kitap Toz'da yine editör oldum. Elimden geldiğince akıcı ve temiz bir çeviri sunmaya çalıştım sizlere Rasim'le birlikte. Umarım bu son adımdan sizler de keyif alır ve tıpkı benim gibi "İyi ki okumuşum," dersiniz.
February 4, 2017
It’s a decent ending to a trilogy, but I really can’t say I’m fully satisfied with a finale. There are a lot of issues, which could’ve been addressed, and a lot of questions left still unanswered. All in all, I’ve enjoyed this book, but not as much as I've expected before starting it. There are problems with pacing, and the first ¼, maybe even 1/3 of the book is outright boring and too casual to withhold a yawn.
It’s not a case as sometimes happens with sequels, that the series’ quality is always going lower with each new book, but neither second, nor third managed to reach the quality of “Wool Omnibus”. I guess that it was the suspense and delving into the unknown that really propelled the first book, and both sequels being deprived of that suspense and unknown really hurt the series as a whole.
I feel a kind of a soft spot for “…and they lived long and happy” endings, but what I really value is the sense of closure and a recollection of key moments and decisions and the impact they made for a story, and this book failed to provide it. It sort of answered some questions, but immediately raised others, and, well, I’m not sure if I like it in this particular case.
Oh, and I really don’t like Deus ex Machina kind of endings, and, well, we have one here. I’m not making even small spoilers here, so, it suffices to say, that it’s Darcy that I dubbed with this dubious honor of being the Deus ex Machina. Yes, I know, this statement is really susceptible to criticism, but if anyone’s willing, I’ll be more than glad to discuss it and to defend my point of view.
I’ve rated “Shift” with 3*, and it was a really just rating fort me. This book slightly, slightly better so it would be most fair to rate it 3,5*but I really can’t round it up to 4.
P.s. after finishing the whole trilogy, I still do maintain my earlier thoughts that it’s actually not really necessary to read “Shift”. It’s good for world building and personal development – mostly only Donald’s, though – but you won’t miss much storywise if you will choose to skip it.
It’s not a case as sometimes happens with sequels, that the series’ quality is always going lower with each new book, but neither second, nor third managed to reach the quality of “Wool Omnibus”. I guess that it was the suspense and delving into the unknown that really propelled the first book, and both sequels being deprived of that suspense and unknown really hurt the series as a whole.
I feel a kind of a soft spot for “…and they lived long and happy” endings, but what I really value is the sense of closure and a recollection of key moments and decisions and the impact they made for a story, and this book failed to provide it. It sort of answered some questions, but immediately raised others, and, well, I’m not sure if I like it in this particular case.
Oh, and I really don’t like Deus ex Machina kind of endings, and, well, we have one here. I’m not making even small spoilers here, so, it suffices to say, that it’s Darcy that I dubbed with this dubious honor of being the Deus ex Machina. Yes, I know, this statement is really susceptible to criticism, but if anyone’s willing, I’ll be more than glad to discuss it and to defend my point of view.
I’ve rated “Shift” with 3*, and it was a really just rating fort me. This book slightly, slightly better so it would be most fair to rate it 3,5*but I really can’t round it up to 4.
P.s. after finishing the whole trilogy, I still do maintain my earlier thoughts that it’s actually not really necessary to read “Shift”. It’s good for world building and personal development – mostly only Donald’s, though – but you won’t miss much storywise if you will choose to skip it.
August 11, 2013
WARNING: This review contains spoilers of Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1), Shift Omnibus Edition (Silo, #2), and Dust. If you haven’t read these books yet, stop fooling around on Goodreads and get to it!
I feel lucky to have finished DUST before it’s been officially released. I’m not a book critic or anyone of note, but I lucked out and got my copy of DUST on August 8. I pre-ordered my signed copy (the Ugly Edition) direct from Hugh Howey’s web site a few weeks ago. Shortly after, he did a surprise “pre-signing” on August 4 and pre-sent them out the next day. As soon as I pre-received my copy, I set aside the book I was currently reading and started on DUST.
I don’t want to give a lot away, but if you enjoyed the previous installments, you will enjoy DUST. Since WOOL, Hugh Howey has built a world that his characters hate, and he has done nothing but cause them befuddlement and misery in the first two omnibuses (omnibi?). In DUST, there’s hope that they can figure out what’s really going on and do something about it. The pace is relentless, and Howey portions out information in pieces that make you want to keep reading. Characters like Juliette and Solo reveal new strengths and weaknesses, new characters emerge to stir up trouble, and new details emerge about the master plan to save/doom what’s left of humanity.
It’s amazing that this started as a self-published short story a few years ago, and grew into something spanning three volumes, nine if you count all the WOOLs and SHIFTs separately. Overall I thought it was a fitting conclusion to the series, and if you’ve read WOOL and SHIFT then this is a must-read. For those who haven’t read the books and are curious as to what the fuss is all about, I’d recommend getting WOOL on your next trip to the bookstore.
November 21, 2013
Also on Booklikes (in the same length and format): http://headspinningfromvagueness.book...
I love twists in my fiction. But sometimes a twist isn't the most important thing to have in a story. When the twist is all that a story revolves around, that it doesn't survive without the twist, that twist becomes nothing more than a pivoting gimmick. The reason I point this out right now is because I want to indicate that while the ending to this Wool trilogy is predictable, it is still entertaining and meaningful.
It might be that I'm fresh off catching some fire with the second Hunger Games movie (which was incredibly good) but this conclusion reminded me of a more mature Hunger Games. Not in any of the plot details or the characters, but more the tempo and tone - things which I loved while reading the Hunger Games books.
While I found this book more about filling in the gaps and wrapping everything up, to someone else there may be a few revelations. The real quality of the book therefore, came not from what happened with the plot, but more about the deeper meanings. In this book there is the opportunity for individuals to be free from the constraints of their social rules and laws, but many just want to remain with what they know, not what makes them free. Which leads one to consider the long known idea that it is not physical chains or cages that truly bind but the cages of the mind and heart!
I may appear to be a little cryptic on this novel, but I doubt I can say anything without truly spoiling the reading experience. Take it from me, if you were a fan of the other two books you won't be so utterly disappointed in this novel, but you may not enjoy it so much as the previous works. You may find yourself thinking that it was a rather obvious ending. But sometimes it's not about how obvious the ending is as much as how it was told...
June 19, 2024
4.25 ⭐️
I had no idea how I wanted/needed this series to end, and it managed to totally satisfy me!
Back to the timeline from Wool, there are three locations at play, and what feels like a constant threat as the clock winds down. I love how Juliet juggles personal ethics with protecting the larger whole. Meanwhile, Donald is doing his best to figure out how Silo 1 will fulfill the pact, and facing his own moral crisis of whether he believes in the plan or not. There is one new character that really compels Donald's story forward and makes it that much more emotional and intense.
The plot delivers on twists and turns and keeps you hooked to the very end. The concepts in this story are brutal, terrifying, and extreme. At times, I found myself thinking, "There's no way! No one would ever do this to this level." But overall, even if the scenarios and hypotheticals are extreme, the moral quandaries are compelling, and the characters are believable. I was rooting for them so hard, not because they were perfect or particularly wise. I just related to their desire for truth and freedom. Their need to understand, and choose for themselves. The compulsion to know the future is open and unpredictable and not controlled by agenda, computations, or strategy.
I was so pleased with the conclusion and found the message hopeful and meaningful. Will highly recommend to dystopian and sci-fi readers alike!
I had no idea how I wanted/needed this series to end, and it managed to totally satisfy me!
Back to the timeline from Wool, there are three locations at play, and what feels like a constant threat as the clock winds down. I love how Juliet juggles personal ethics with protecting the larger whole. Meanwhile, Donald is doing his best to figure out how Silo 1 will fulfill the pact, and facing his own moral crisis of whether he believes in the plan or not. There is one new character that really compels Donald's story forward and makes it that much more emotional and intense.
The plot delivers on twists and turns and keeps you hooked to the very end. The concepts in this story are brutal, terrifying, and extreme. At times, I found myself thinking, "There's no way! No one would ever do this to this level." But overall, even if the scenarios and hypotheticals are extreme, the moral quandaries are compelling, and the characters are believable. I was rooting for them so hard, not because they were perfect or particularly wise. I just related to their desire for truth and freedom. Their need to understand, and choose for themselves. The compulsion to know the future is open and unpredictable and not controlled by agenda, computations, or strategy.
I was so pleased with the conclusion and found the message hopeful and meaningful. Will highly recommend to dystopian and sci-fi readers alike!
July 10, 2014
The conclusion of a great series brings great sadness for the fans. Hugh Howey’s “Wool” saga only came into existence just over two years ago. So it’s been quite a whirlwind ride for fans and the author until now the release of Dust brings us the finale.
Howey leapt from self-published author to New York Times bestselling novelist in record time. On the way, he changed the way authors and the publishing world did business by refusing to relinquish his e-book rights for seven figure publishing deals. He finally signed a historic deal with Simon & Schuster who received only paper-book distribution while Howey kept his lucrative e-book rights.
With the publication of “Dust,” our visit to the Silo has ended. If you haven’t read “Wool” and “Shift” (the second book), then stop reading this review, and immediately purchase these two. You won’t regret it, and you will join the millions of fans who can’t get enough of this world.
It’s impossible to review “Dust” and not reveal spoilers for the original two, so I will give only a general outline of the world. “Wool” fans this is a brilliant continuation directly from “Shift” and finds the lead characters still embroiled in the politics of the Silo.
The silo, which consists of nearly two-hundred below-ground, concrete levels, is filled with thousands of survivors from an event occurring over 60 years before. The unremembered event left the outside world uninhabitable with toxic air. Inhabitants who breach the strict Silo laws are sent outside to clean the one screen which gives the occupants a view of the desolate world; their last act before death by the poisonous fumes.
The silo is segmented into class structures from I.T. on top, through to the middle levels, to the lower class “down deep.” From the “down deep” a hero, Jules, arises. She begins to question their world at a perilous risk to her and, also, the silo.
“Dust” is an exciting adventure ride introducing new characters and new challenges for those we have come to love. Some will live, and you will be surprised by those who die. It is a satisfying conclusion to one of the greatest science-fiction worlds created in modern literature.
Reviews of Hugh's other books and an interview with him at http://susanmaywordadventures.blogspo... http://anadventureinreading.blogspot....
Howey leapt from self-published author to New York Times bestselling novelist in record time. On the way, he changed the way authors and the publishing world did business by refusing to relinquish his e-book rights for seven figure publishing deals. He finally signed a historic deal with Simon & Schuster who received only paper-book distribution while Howey kept his lucrative e-book rights.
With the publication of “Dust,” our visit to the Silo has ended. If you haven’t read “Wool” and “Shift” (the second book), then stop reading this review, and immediately purchase these two. You won’t regret it, and you will join the millions of fans who can’t get enough of this world.
It’s impossible to review “Dust” and not reveal spoilers for the original two, so I will give only a general outline of the world. “Wool” fans this is a brilliant continuation directly from “Shift” and finds the lead characters still embroiled in the politics of the Silo.
The silo, which consists of nearly two-hundred below-ground, concrete levels, is filled with thousands of survivors from an event occurring over 60 years before. The unremembered event left the outside world uninhabitable with toxic air. Inhabitants who breach the strict Silo laws are sent outside to clean the one screen which gives the occupants a view of the desolate world; their last act before death by the poisonous fumes.
The silo is segmented into class structures from I.T. on top, through to the middle levels, to the lower class “down deep.” From the “down deep” a hero, Jules, arises. She begins to question their world at a perilous risk to her and, also, the silo.
“Dust” is an exciting adventure ride introducing new characters and new challenges for those we have come to love. Some will live, and you will be surprised by those who die. It is a satisfying conclusion to one of the greatest science-fiction worlds created in modern literature.
Reviews of Hugh's other books and an interview with him at http://susanmaywordadventures.blogspo... http://anadventureinreading.blogspot....
August 7, 2017
I loved 'Wool.'
With 'Shift,' some cracks started appearing in the silo of my enthusiasm, but I carried on happily.
With 'Dust' - well, I felt that Howey was coasting on his momentum; using up the supplies that the previous stories had squirreled away in the storeroom.
It's not terrible... but neither does it feel necessary. Moreover, I felt really disappointed with a major part of the resolution of the story. One of the things I really, really liked about Wool was that **MAJOR SPOILER** As I said, disappointing.
In addition, a GREAT number of the details and plot points in Dust feel retrofitted; even more so than in Shift. It wasn't all planned out in advance; Howey clearly never intended to go so far with this world. He wrote himself into a situation, and then kept coming up with more character intentions and technical details; trying to fit them into the already-published canon. Some bits work better than other bits... but it's obvious. And some of the critical details that the plot hinges on really make very little sense.
It's still quick-moving and entertaining... it just starts to crumble a bit if you stop too long to question the whys and wherefores. It would've been wiser to just not explain many of these things, and leave them as eternal mysteries, rather than come up with kludges.
I can't help wishing, having finished it, that Howey had let this story stop at the end of 'Wool' - alone, it would've stood as a classic.
With 'Shift,' some cracks started appearing in the silo of my enthusiasm, but I carried on happily.
With 'Dust' - well, I felt that Howey was coasting on his momentum; using up the supplies that the previous stories had squirreled away in the storeroom.
It's not terrible... but neither does it feel necessary. Moreover, I felt really disappointed with a major part of the resolution of the story. One of the things I really, really liked about Wool was that **MAJOR SPOILER** As I said, disappointing.
In addition, a GREAT number of the details and plot points in Dust feel retrofitted; even more so than in Shift. It wasn't all planned out in advance; Howey clearly never intended to go so far with this world. He wrote himself into a situation, and then kept coming up with more character intentions and technical details; trying to fit them into the already-published canon. Some bits work better than other bits... but it's obvious. And some of the critical details that the plot hinges on really make very little sense.
It's still quick-moving and entertaining... it just starts to crumble a bit if you stop too long to question the whys and wherefores. It would've been wiser to just not explain many of these things, and leave them as eternal mysteries, rather than come up with kludges.
I can't help wishing, having finished it, that Howey had let this story stop at the end of 'Wool' - alone, it would've stood as a classic.
November 22, 2017
This was an absolute disappointment. I was going to give it two stars but after the long infuriating trek through this mess of a conclusion I just can’t bring myself to give it more than one.
I feel badly being negative but this is just deserving of it. Shift had such promise of what was to come. It built up my expectations to a conclusion of hope and these characters who were finally developed after a weak origin in Wool would finally come into their own.
Instead I was given characters who were absolute idiots and could never understand what is in their own best interest. The whole premise of this story was that a group of people hit the reset button on humanity because we had gotten out of control and lapsed into nothing but destruction. Putting survivors underground to rebuild for hundreds of years so that perhaps we could become better.
What we have is not only a complete failure of this plan a sacrifice but we have survivors who should not have been the ones to succeed because they represent the worst of us. The “heroes” constantly make things worse for the people they try to help because of their own egos, selfishness and drive for revenge.
Wool set the world, Shift clarified it and gave us hope, and Dust did what the title promises...took this series with such potential and turned it into a disappointing dust from which nothing will ever grow.
In fiction we are given the opportunity to create worlds and universes that are better than our own. Reading is an escape into places we wish to one day be able to visit, rescue, or even destroy. But here we are given our own world that has no hope. The best of us die, the worst of us live, and we are doomed to live in this cycle of disappointment and misery for all eternity.
I feel badly being negative but this is just deserving of it. Shift had such promise of what was to come. It built up my expectations to a conclusion of hope and these characters who were finally developed after a weak origin in Wool would finally come into their own.
Instead I was given characters who were absolute idiots and could never understand what is in their own best interest. The whole premise of this story was that a group of people hit the reset button on humanity because we had gotten out of control and lapsed into nothing but destruction. Putting survivors underground to rebuild for hundreds of years so that perhaps we could become better.
What we have is not only a complete failure of this plan a sacrifice but we have survivors who should not have been the ones to succeed because they represent the worst of us. The “heroes” constantly make things worse for the people they try to help because of their own egos, selfishness and drive for revenge.
Wool set the world, Shift clarified it and gave us hope, and Dust did what the title promises...took this series with such potential and turned it into a disappointing dust from which nothing will ever grow.
In fiction we are given the opportunity to create worlds and universes that are better than our own. Reading is an escape into places we wish to one day be able to visit, rescue, or even destroy. But here we are given our own world that has no hope. The best of us die, the worst of us live, and we are doomed to live in this cycle of disappointment and misery for all eternity.
November 9, 2013
This series of books has a great ending, as good as celluloid can offer. I was drawn in completely and surprised at some of the changes, but more importantly, I was fully satisfied with what was offered and promised throughout the arc. I can't understate the importance of this. Any great buildup should have a great wrap-up, and this book fits the bill.
I honestly would like to read a much longer follow-up, even without the need for a clever story or great tension. The fact that Mr. Howey was able to make me want to stay and see what happens to those who survive, or even see what happens to the other silos, is a testament to the great world-building. I'm just not tired of the whole experience. I'm not willing to move on to a different book.
They're good novels. I didn't like the Shift novels as much, but as a method to world-build, we really couldn't do without them. Dust, on the other hand, pulls everything together in a damn fine way. Promise? Delivered.
I honestly would like to read a much longer follow-up, even without the need for a clever story or great tension. The fact that Mr. Howey was able to make me want to stay and see what happens to those who survive, or even see what happens to the other silos, is a testament to the great world-building. I'm just not tired of the whole experience. I'm not willing to move on to a different book.
They're good novels. I didn't like the Shift novels as much, but as a method to world-build, we really couldn't do without them. Dust, on the other hand, pulls everything together in a damn fine way. Promise? Delivered.
August 20, 2013
This book,the entire Wool series, is an absolute masterpiece. If you've never heard of it, look up Wool Omnibus. If the description speaks to you at all, don't hesitate. If you've already read it and Shift, you will never have been more satisfied by the conclusion of any story or trilogy as you hungrily read your way to the final chapter Hugh Howey expertly serves up in Dust.
December 1, 2023
All endings are just new beginnings. I wish there could be a 4th book, I'd love to know what happens to Juliet in the long term.
February 1, 2024
Wow! I've done it. I have finished my binge rereading of this Hugh Howey series. As good as I remembered and possibly picked up some bits I had forgotten. Wonderful!
November 20, 2019
The final volume of the Silo Trilogy picks up where the first one, Wool, left off. Having read Wool months before Dust, I have to admit that some of the characters and situations were a bit dusty in my mind, but still the narrative does stick together. Having learned of the nanobots in Shift and the apocalyptic plans of Thurman and his two ill-fated pals, it was interesting to see how Howey threaded the end of his story. I feel that the character development was always a little week in this trilogy - what supports the books is really the plot and action more than the characters in my humble opinion.
As for the entire trilogy, it has been compared favorably to Hunger Games. Having read that one last year, I'd say this one is for older kids than Hunger Games was (more sex and language here), but that the character development of Katniss was probably more interesting than that of Charlotte or Juliette or Solo or Donald in Dust. I guess that is somewhat to be expected since the Solo series takes place over a much longer period of time. The future that Howey projects is even more dire and hopeless than that of HG. At the risk of a spoiler, I just don't find it logical that only two live and one dead silo out of fifty would be the subject here. I would have expected more of the silos to be in communication and certainly also to overcome the various safeguards keeping them from "outside". There were other things I found improbable where my suspension of disbelief was pushed a little too far (like how did they populate the silos with 1000s of people without anyone figuring out the bigger picture? How could Thurman have built 50 silos rather than just one?).
So, if you are not a stickler for realism and want pure escapism and are not too fussy about character development, you may enjoy this series. I found it fun and thought-provoking but inferior to other dystopian classics such as, say, The Handmaid's Tale or Brave New World.
As for the entire trilogy, it has been compared favorably to Hunger Games. Having read that one last year, I'd say this one is for older kids than Hunger Games was (more sex and language here), but that the character development of Katniss was probably more interesting than that of Charlotte or Juliette or Solo or Donald in Dust. I guess that is somewhat to be expected since the Solo series takes place over a much longer period of time. The future that Howey projects is even more dire and hopeless than that of HG. At the risk of a spoiler, I just don't find it logical that only two live and one dead silo out of fifty would be the subject here. I would have expected more of the silos to be in communication and certainly also to overcome the various safeguards keeping them from "outside". There were other things I found improbable where my suspension of disbelief was pushed a little too far (like how did they populate the silos with 1000s of people without anyone figuring out the bigger picture? How could Thurman have built 50 silos rather than just one?).
So, if you are not a stickler for realism and want pure escapism and are not too fussy about character development, you may enjoy this series. I found it fun and thought-provoking but inferior to other dystopian classics such as, say, The Handmaid's Tale or Brave New World.
November 7, 2013
This series happens to be both a post-apocalypse and a dystopia, though it turns out it's more of one than the other. Dust is a fitting wrap-up of the story, and it's obvious the ideas contained in the series are phenomenal; if you do some searching on Amazon Kindle, you'll see that some acclaimed fan fiction has chimed in, because the world suggested by Howey has so much more to explore, even though the tale expressed in this trilogy is certainly the core tale of the world. What kept this last installment from attaining full 5-star status is the rather 2-dimensional characters. The plot and ideas are what make this a fun read, but some richer, compelling character-building would have made it better.
I noticed that Ridley Scott has optioned this for the cinema, and I'm ambivalent; the horror works because you have to imagine much of the surroundings as he you weave your way through the mysteries. Not sure how it'll hold up as a movie, though I wouldn't withhold my congratulations from the author. Who wouldn't enjoy having something they've written be noticed by Mr. Scott?
Overall, the writing style and reading level has a broad appeal and no doubt its popularity will increase and continue, but those looking for some language richness may come away a tad disappointed. Nevertheless, this was a high-paced and very fun read, and a great shaking up of familiar sci-fi concepts into something fresh and freaky and compulsively readable.
I noticed that Ridley Scott has optioned this for the cinema, and I'm ambivalent; the horror works because you have to imagine much of the surroundings as he you weave your way through the mysteries. Not sure how it'll hold up as a movie, though I wouldn't withhold my congratulations from the author. Who wouldn't enjoy having something they've written be noticed by Mr. Scott?
Overall, the writing style and reading level has a broad appeal and no doubt its popularity will increase and continue, but those looking for some language richness may come away a tad disappointed. Nevertheless, this was a high-paced and very fun read, and a great shaking up of familiar sci-fi concepts into something fresh and freaky and compulsively readable.
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