WOOL, the Omnibus (1-5) by Hugh Howey

[Categories: BOOKS, BOOK REVIEWS, SCIENCE FICTION.]

I have not read any reviews of this book as I prefer not to have my reading tainted my preconceived notions other than that a book may be good, bad, or indifferent. I could not be a professional reviewer as I can’t finish reading a book that isn’t somewhere in the ‘good’ category.

I will attempt to not reveal anything that will spoil the plot or enjoyment. I did hear about this book somewhere, that it was a very successful eBook, possibly self-published, and science fiction, a broad genre I enjoyed immensely in my youth. I believe the book was originally published as 5 separate works. I read the consolidated ‘omnibus’ version which actually makes one reasonably sized, easily digestible book. I’ll try to confirm these details before I finish this review.

The Goodreads.com description, seemingly written by the author, explains the context of the book without giving away much of the story. One needs to know something of what it is about:

“This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.”

My reaction after reading? DING, DING, DING! WE HAVE A WINNER!! This was the proverbial page-turner, page-burner. How many times has someone said “I couldn’t put it down”. Ditto. I did manage to spend several days reading it rather than pulling an all-night, caffeinated marathon. I was thoroughly engrossed, captivated, and absorbed.

I thought the plot and story was skillfully woven, the twists, turns, and suspense masterful to the very end. I did find physical descriptions wanting, but it’s a story of people not of things.

I will be reading more of his work. If he was frugally self-published in the beginning I hope he still makes a ton of money. For pure entertainment, escape, and some thoughtful introspection I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

Now I’ll see if I can find more about the book and author.

Here is a good interview from wired.com: http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/04/geeks-guide-hugh-howey/

He is self-published, he is making a lot of money. Amazon says the hardcover version is 528 pages though it didn’t seem that long. Google (or Bing) is your friend if you seek more information.

I bought my eBook version through Apple’s iTunes for $5.99 and easily read it on my iPad2 or iPhone5 through the iBook app. Unfortunately it is not readable on my Apple MacBook Pro laptop, which seems like a glaring omission on Apple’s part.

Totally unrelated to the book, in anticipation of posting text, pix, and videos during an upcoming trip to Europe, here is a practice video of my dog: