Shift
Ratings357
Average rating4
This review can also be found on my blog.
4.5 stars
Shift is book two of the Silo series, which I first devoured in 2014 and which (thankfully) stood up to the test of time, just as Wool did. The best thing about waiting so long to reread these is that I had almost entirely forgotten the specifics of the plot. I was on the edge of my seat all over again, waiting to find out what would happen. While not quite as compelling as the first book and, clocking in at almost 600 pages, just a tad too long for its own good, Shift still stands well as a sequel. We are introduced to some new characters while also getting to know some familiar faces a bit more thoroughly. Any more explanation than that may start heading into spoiler territory, but I will say I was kind of disappointed to see that only men received POV chapters in this one as far as I can recall. If you've started the Silo series, I highly recommend continuing. I can't wait to pick up Dust!
After loving the Silo series, I was curious to see how it would continue. Actually this book went back to the beginning on how the silo world came to be. It's darker, slower, and more focused on the “why” behind everything.
I really liked Donald's storyline. Watching him slowly realize what he's a part of was intense and kind of heartbreaking. But I couldn't really get into Mission's chapters—they just didn't grab me the same way and felt like they dragged a bit. Also nice to see what the life of little Jimmy/Solo was like, before we met him in Wool and the series.
Overall, not as gripping as Wool, but still a solid and interesting read if you're into dystopias and want the full picture of the Silo world. Curious to see how this ends with the last book.
In Shift, readers will follow Donald. A politician skilled in architecture, who takes on a peculiar but at the time unalarming job. After all, planning new structures isn’t completely out of the way for political figures. But as the project progresses and Donald realizes what he has helped build, the chain of events will already be set in motion. As the remaining population is given medication to forget, there are some whose memories can never be erased.
As a prequel to Wool, Shift will reveal the origin of the Silos and the reason behind their creation. This is explained through the eyes of selfish and biased characters. Both Donald and the reader will be horrified at the slow-dawning discovery of what happened to the world and the utter manipulation that takes place. Not to mention the devastation and true intentions behind the entire plan. Donald may very well lose all he knows and loves, just to satisfy the goals of humans seeking power. The emotional impact Shift will have on readers is much more in-depth than Wool.
But Shift doesn’t just tell the origin story of the silos, it also gives readers an exploration of Solo’s story. When readers encounter him in book one, he’s been alone for years. But what happened to his silo? As Donald struggles in his storyline, Solo deals with the loss of his loved ones and the only life he grew up knowing. Readers will be brought back to the very moment Solo’s silo began to break apart, and the ensuing chaos he found himself barely surviving. Solo’s storyline shows the downward mental spiral isolation can inflict on the human mind.
Readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic stories should give the Wool series a try. This series focuses on the people living in the aftermath of an apocalypse and its effect on entire societies. When the remaining population has their memories erased and is forced to restart with a created doctrine and history, it is only a matter of time before something goes awry.
Originally posted at www.behindthepages.org.
The execution of the storyline isn't done as well as Wool, but the choice to deviate from what would otherwise be the predictable next chapter absolutely is worth the payoff in the end. If you have the patience for the author's world building in this episode then the final book becomes all the more meaningful in its conclusion.
Misdirection on misdirection. Truly so so good. Love the sociopolitical commentary as well.
4.25 Stars,
Some of the best sci-fi I have read in awhile. Dystopian with a purpose. Good characters, decent science. As the middle book of a trilogy, it did not suffer from middle book syndrome, and was just as good as the first. Setup the final book of the trilogy well, and I am looking forward to how it ends.
I was a little worried about starting this book. I was mainly concerned about the prequel not being that interesting. Of course the author proved me wrong with unexpected additional layers adding to this story. There are some filler parts here and there and that's why I keep the rating at 4 stars, but overall I enjoyed this a lot and look forward to reading Dust.
Deutliche Steigerung zum Vorgänger. Schönes Prequel mit einigen interessanten Perspektiv Wechseln.
Die Pause zwischen 2 und 3 wird vermutlich kürzer sein, als bei 1 und 2.
Mehr: https://flore.nz/blog/2021-04-28-hugh-howey-shift-silo-2
I kind of fell off the reading train in the middle of this one so it took me a long time to finish. I really liked it, and I'm going to jump right into the third book.
My only thought coming out of Shift is that I would have been happy not learning what happened to the world. It's not a side of the story I was itching for after the first book, and it was an awkward shift (ha) in perspective. Still very good though, and I loved the story of Jimmy and Shadow.
I absolutely loved Wool, the first book in this series. That left me with somewhat heightened expectations for Shift - which were unfortunately not met. The story itself is mostly a prequel - following Donald, one of the initial creators of the silos. I enjoyed how the reader is as lost as he is - trying to find out answers constantly.
I absolutely loved Wool, the first book in this series. That left me with somewhat heightened expectations for Shift - which were unfortunately not met. The story itself is mostly a prequel - following Donald, one of the initial creators of the silos. I enjoyed how the reader is as lost as he is - trying to find out answers constantly.
It was interesting to learn the origin story of the Silo in book one, but otherwise mostly disappointing. The protagonist is not particularly relatable or likable, especially compared to the heroine introduced in book one.
Es dificil escribir sobre este libro sin desvelar nada.
El libro esta dividido en 3 “shifts”. Y cada uno tiene dos historias que se escriben en paralelo aunque quiza no ocurran en paralelo. Por ejemplo el primer shift consiste en dos historias una ocurriendo alrededor de ~ 2050 y otra alrededor de 2110.
Al principio esta bien pero despues de 300 paginas de cambiar de una historia a la otra y de vuelta a la misma, este sistema se hace un poco pesado.
Ademas no todas las historias son tan importante a la larga. Es un poco deprimente interesante en un personaje para que este desaparezca por siempre del libro.
Por eso le bajo la puntuacion a 3 estrellas. La mayoria del tiempo estaba pensando que le daria cuatro, no esta mal y hay un punto en concreto (el principio del tercer shift) que me parece una muy buena sorpresa. Ya lo vereis.
3.5 stars. I didn't enjoy it as much as Wool, but am going to continue to with Dust! Enjoyable series overall so far.
Some things are better left to wonder. When Hugh Howey initially began writing his Wool series, I doubt he had all the schematics laid out for the world he was creating. He had a fabulous idea for a story and he ran with it. When huge success followed, the obvious choice was to explore this world more. And so Howey began work on a series of books that would serve as prequels and sequels. Shift is the collection of three prequel books. In my opinion, the last thing Wool needed was a prequel.
The first book in Shift takes place centuries before the events in Wool and it serves to answer the questions that presented themselves in the original work. Fine and dandy, except I didn't want answers. I accepted this underground world for what it was. Did I wonder how they build these massive silos, crammed all these people into them, and wiped their memory of a past that wasn't too long gone? Sure, but it didn't keep me awake at night. I could accept the magic for what it was. But here are the answers and frankly, the answers leave me with more questions. How does a state senator have so much power? Realistically, how were these silos built in such a relatively short time span? ...
The second book fills in the gaps between the first book, and the time period of Wool. It answers a few questions, but largely I found it boring. It doesn't add anything to the story and reads mostly like Stephen King when he's writing at a frantic pace to push out a new book for the publisher. Donald was not interesting at all, Anna was the classic case of the beautiful love-torn villain, and Mission—well, I already forgot his story.
It sounds as though I hated this book. And I did... until I got to the third installment. The third part of Shift brings us to the moments directly before Wool and some of the moments during. Finally, we were back in the world that created the intrigue in the first place. The suspense was once again thrilling. The characters were not only likable, but believable. And the story began to make sense—in the way a science fiction story should make sense.
Shift isn't that wonderful of a book—it drags and it complicates—but it certainly ends well. Overall, it's not a bad book for the sci-fi thriller genre, it just took away too much of the mystery for me, and this mystery was one of the pleasures of this universe. Given the chance, I'd wipe my memory of the first two-thirds of Shift, but that won't happen until “The Thawman” (such a King-like name) is in charge, I guess.
I have to admit, I was really disappointed when I realized this book was a prequel and I wasn't going to get to see how Juliette's plan was working out at all. The first two books were pretty heavily tinged with this disappointment, but the third book turned the whole series back around for me.
Shift splits between several different timelines including the origin of the Silos and the stories of several members of the various uprisings that are hinted at in Wool. A lot of it felt unnecessary at first, but again the third book made it clear why the reader suddenly needed this knowledge of the people that began this project. It's very hard to discuss without spoilers, so prepare for a large chunk of spoilerific review below.
Donald is a character I liked at first, but had a hard time sticking around with. He keeps being vouched for by smart people in positions of power, but I never quite understand why they like him so much. His descent into madness is well-written, but not quite what I was looking for when I picked the book up. Still, once I realized that he is the other end of Juliette's phone call, that really the previous 400 pages existed to set me up to sympathize with the guy on the other end of the phone, I had to respect Howey's craftsmanship. He brought us into the Evil Empire and took the Evil right out. Definitely makes me look forward to Dust.Mission's chapter I enjoyed while reading it, but I can't say it stuck with me.This is probably due to the fact that Jimmy/Solo's chapter was so heart-wrenchingly good that the previous books faded from memory. I figured out that Jimmy would become Solo pretty quickly, and wow does Howey do a great job of guiding us through that transition. I will say that all books featuring animal death should have a warning sticker, though. I knew Shadow was doomed from the moment he showed up since he isn't in Wool, but I still found myself clutching my own cat who was quite annoyed at my failure to live up to my status as heated sofa human.
It isn't as strong as Wool, but the information here feels vital for Book 3 which promises a return to the original timeline. I will definitely be finishing the series up soon.
Another good instalment of the Wool trilogy, especially as it doesn't just take off where the last one finished. Instead it offers insight into what led to the first book.
Looking forward to number 3!