Book recommendation September 2026: Wool by Hugh Howey
This page turner of a post-apocalyptic thriller is set in an underground silo packed with great characters, a fascinating society based on strict rules (and secrets) necessitated by their enclosed world, and showcases the power of hope in the most bleak circumstances. It’s easily my favourite ‘trapped in a bunker’ story, but is perhaps not one for the claustrophobic!
What it’s about: In a ruined and hostile landscape, in a future few have been unlucky enough to survive, a community exists in a giant underground silo. To live, you must follow the rules. But some don’t. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple and deadly. They are allowed outside “to clean” the camera showing the apocalyptic world beyond the silo’s doors. Jules is one of these people. She may well be the last.
Why I love it: This is book one of a trilogy, and each of the novels is as good as the one before. It’s a well-written, well-executed, well-created SF thriller set in a really bleak, dystopian setting. However, don’t let the miserable surroundings dissuade you from giving it a go because there’s this sense of the unbeatable human spirit / capacity for hope coursing through each of the protagonists that carries the story along. The featured characters are memorable, the dynamics within the silo are fascinating and well thought through, and the plot is complex and winding and it keeps you guessing until the end. It’s such an enjoyable series, and the Apple TV adaptation is fantastic too.
Beyond the book: I bought Wool not long after it came out as part of a package deal of three books for £20 (the others being American Psycho and We Need to Talk About Kevin). I then subsequently obtained an ebook of the second novel, Shift, and a paperback of the final novel, Dust. However, they sat on a bookshelf in my old bedroom in my parents’ house for years. In a bid to clear out my old room, I did a Spring clean and decided to donate the books I would not bring to my house. As I did not have the complete physical set, I decided to donate the two physical books, which I immediately regretted. So when the TV series was released on Apple a few months later (which we love), my regret bubbled up so strongly that the following weekend I spent a day going through all of Swansea’s charity bookshops (I could not remember where I’d donated them) in search of those two books. Alas, I could not find them, and had to console myself by picking up ebook versions of Wool and Dust, which my wife has now started reading. This incident taught me a lesson: never get rid of any books, ever, under any circumstances! 😆
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