Hugh Howey is one of those indie author success stories: an author who started out as a self-publisher, whose work was so quickly and completely embraced by readers that it quickly started to climb into the bestseller lists and soon attracted the attention of mainstream publishing. Howey’s WOOL series of dystopian, futuristic novels blend elements of fantasy, Orwell’s 1984, Jules Verne’s The Time Machine, and even Logan’s Run. Right now, you can find out for yourself if the series is for you at no risk, because the opening short story in the series is currently free!
“This story is terrific. I was completely immersed, watching Howey slowly paint a picture of a society gone wrong through the eyes and discovery of some truly compelling characters.”
– BoingBoing
“Howey is among a growing list of authors who are making successful careers of publishing without the assistance of agents and traditional publishing houses. The traditional argument has been that if a book couldn’t find a publisher it probably wasn’t worth reading. However, just as iTunes changed how consumers found music and the way in which bands made their bread, ebook readers, and in particular the Kindle, are changing the ways in which authors find their readers and make a living. All of this means the old assumptions about indie books no longer hold true, and readers need to be prepared to adjust their expectations accordingly. The Wool Omnibus is a great book and deserves recognition as a full fledged contribution to the science fiction genre.”
– Wired.com’s GeekDad
Those who are ready to dive right in can pick up the WOOL Omnibus (4.5/5 stars across over 5,800 reviews), which is currently priced at just $5.99 and contains books 1-5 in the series.
WOOL – Part One (4.5/5 stars, currently FREE)
Thousands of them have lived underground. They’ve lived there so long, there are only legends about people living anywhere else. Such a life requires rules. Strict rules. There are things that must not be discussed. Like going outside. Never mention you might like going outside. Or you’ll get what you wish for.
Wool 2 – Proper Gauge (5/5 stars, currently priced at 99 cents)
A cleaning has been performed, and now the silo is without a sheriff. With only one good candidate available, Mayor Jahns and Deputy Marnes set off for the down deep to recruit her in person. Along the way, they discover much about each other, troubling news about this candidate, and stumble upon fractured alliances that could spell the doom of a silo they’ve worked long years to protect.
Wool 3 – Casting Off (5/5 stars, currently priced at 99 cents)
The silo has appointed a new sheriff. Her name is Juliette, and she comes not from the shadows of deputies, but from the depths of the down deep. But what does being a mechanic have to do with upholding the law? And how will she be able to concentrate on the silo’s future when she is surrounded by the ghosts of its past?
Before she can even settle in, the whirring gears of the silo begin to grind anew. Things aren’t right. And the people whose help she needs the most are gone. If Juliette isn’t careful, she’ll soon be among them.
Wool 4 – The Unraveling (5/5 stars, currently $1.99)
There is a legend in their past of an uprising, a war they have learned about, but have learned nothing from. Nobody knows what went wrong. Nobody talks about what happened. Such are the silo taboos.
Now, nearly two hundred years later, the people of the Silo will get a chance to learn more about that distant uprising. They’ll get to start one of their own…
Wool 5 – The Stranded (5/5 stars, currently priced at $2.99)
In July of 2011, a short story named WOOL was quietly released into the vast wilds of the Kindle Store. I never marketed this novelette; I failed to mention it on my website. What happened next was remarkable: People started reading it, and reviewing it, and talking about it.
There was never any intention to create a series. It wasn’t until the demand for “more” became so great that I launched into the next four books, each one growing longer and longer, until I was wrapping up the story line with this novel, a full 60,000 word WOOL 5.
I would like to humbly thank everyone who has come along on this journey with me; it has been the most rewarding experience of my young writing career. Your emails, your reviews, your comments on my website, every ounce of your enthusiasm . . . it has combined to grant me enough satisfaction and confidence to last the rest of my writing days.
For those of you who suffered the wait, I hope you’ll find it was worth it. This is WOOL 5. Brace yourselves. And enjoy.
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The series, which was eventually named The Silo Saga, continues in Shift Omnibus Edition – Shift 1-3 (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $5.99). From Amazon:
This is the sequel to the New York Times bestselling WOOL series. It combines the three Shift books (First Shift, Second Shift, and Third Shift) into a single e-book in order to save the reader a few bucks. The saga concludes with DUST, which will be available in late 2013 (currently available for pre-order at $5.99).
Reading Order:
1. WOOL
2. SHIFT
3. DUST
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In 2007, the Center for Automation in Nanobiotech (CAN) outlined the hardware and software platform that would one day allow robots smaller than human cells to make medical diagnoses, conduct repairs, and even self-propagate.
In the same year, the CBS network re-aired a program about the effects of propranolol on sufferers of extreme trauma. A simple pill, it had been discovered, could wipe out the memory of any traumatic event.
At almost the same moment in humanity’s broad history, mankind had discovered the means for bringing about its utter downfall. And the ability to forget it ever happened.