Wool (Wool Trilogy, 1) Paperback – 25 April 2013

After ploughing through some mind numbingly boring books of late I fell upon this. I would not normally have chosen this type of book but the reviews were excellent and I was despairing of all the 'thrillers' I had read of late. And what an incredible read it was - I am now on Book 3. The author not only has a wonderful imagination (too close to reality at times) but is so descriptive with his prose. Every chapter brings new twists and thought provoking situations. I would definately recommend to give this a read - the best thing in print right now.

0.4 - Mike Lancaster"My name is Kyle Straker and I don't exist anymore"And so begins the life of Kyle Straker recorded onto old audio tapes. Set in an unknown point in our future, the tapes reveal they contain the history of a past world. But as the novel progresses it is revealed that everything as we know it is a lie, but if what these tapes say are true, doesn't that mean that we are as well?This new generation sci fi is absolutely chilling, the whole concept and layout of the persona' s narrative is surprisingly well executed. The novel's plot is haunting and keeps the reader constantly on edge throughout each line and chapter. As it progresses there are so many questions that come to mind as this novel is entirely thought provoking and makes you question, wonder and hope. 0.4 (or Human.4 as it sometimes known) is complex and addictive, it is weird in the best possible way and quite simply brilliant. Lancaster's novel is wholly unique and was the book that made me fall in love with the science fiction genre all those years ago. Not only does it has the typical conventions of its genre, but it also subverts it and turns it entirely inside out. The novel is a transcript of the audio tapes and has annotations to the futuristic `audience' and intelligently comments on present day topics. This is not only entertaining for us as readers and even sometimes creates humour. The plot twists are surprising and are entirely unexpected providing a terrifying psychological horror as the characters become more frantic and as Lancaster develops the narrative. All of these ideas combine excellently and this is one of the main reasons why I love this novel.This sophisticated plot is also heightened by the characters who are realistic and three dimensional, allowing us to sympathise with these characters in their desperate plight for answers. Their fears, hopes and anxieties are both vividly and believably drawn by Mike Lancaster. The desperate voices are engaging and wholly believable, every character was a pleasure to meet and become involved with particularly the protagonist of Kyle Straker. His voice resonant and completely sets the tone and emotions of the novel.Overall this novel was complex and weirdly wonderful in the best possible way. The multiple layers completely balance each other and fit together brilliantly creating an eerie yet enthralling read.Rating: Four StarsFor the original and other book reviews, check out my website https://emsview.wordpress.com/

I watched the TV series first and I liked the concept but not so much the characters and how the plot evolved I bought this cos I read in the that series 1 on TV was only part of the book and I have not been disappointed.the characters are much stronger and more defined their motivations are much more believable.most of the dramatic scenes in the TV series have been added on.. don't know why the story is compelling enoughI would say the e book is way better that the TV series except for some parts of too much emotional turmoil.some spoilers....Jules is a stronger more able person than the TV series and more of a leader. none of the emotional baggage Hollywood seems desperate to add on to every character. she is not motivated by the loss of her lover at all she has moved on. jules also figures most of it out herself not needing all the prompts from dead holston etcBernard is more black and white still very unlikable and he does not want to be liked unlike in TV. he is also a small man not the massive one in the TVthe secret monitoring room does not exist unless its gonna be in the 3rd book. neither is the IT guard dog play a prominent role as in the TV which good in my opinion.

Hugh howey is an amazingly gifted storyteller. His Silo series is quite possibly the most stunning story I have ever read. I expect it to be translated into Danish one day, and when it does, it will be my gift of choice to every friend and relative of mine regardless of age, reading preferences and actual wishlists.I picked Wool, as something extra along with some books off my wishlist on Amazon. That in itself is something I rarely do - choose a book randomly, just because there might be something about it. I received it, noticed the size of it and left it on the shelf for more than a year, before randomly deciding to give it a try regardless of it being a rather lengthy read.I loved Wool instantly although at first I had no idea where it was heading. I also placed an immediate order for the rest of the series, to make sure I would be able to continue reading the rest of the story without having to wait while the next books was being shipped.I love the way the characters were introduced individually and how well-developed they are. I liked Juliette the best, she is a wonderful choice for a heroine, in parts because she is courageous, smart, tough and very likeable, but even more so, because she is an awesome character, who happens to be female.I love the world building, and while I wouldn't want to live in it, I found the world to be both original and very believable.I loved the pacing. This story is just so perfectly balanced and nothing in it seems left to chance. Where too much slow pacing would usually annoy me, Howey seems to use the slower pace as a means to graciously make room for the world to develop and for the characters to grow. In combination with a very gripping plot and a grim take on our not so distant future this makes for an amazing and very much unput-downable story, regardless of the story been slow-paced at times, or maybe even more so because of the brilliant change in pacing throughout the story.It has been 6 months, since I read this series, and even though I have read a lot of books since then, I can't quite forget about this one. I keep comparing other books to this series, expecting to like them as much. And I do sometimes find books that I like a lot, some very much so, just not for the same reasons. That is, of course, the great thing about reading, that there are in fact plenty of great books to choose from, and plenty of oppotunities to find new favorites. It's just that in a way I wish I were only just now entering the world of Wool for the first time, still unaware of what a precious book I had just opened. Because the series is that good!Obviously I recommend this book - as well as the rest of the series - to anyone, especially those who appreciate great storytelling!