Wool

Fascinating and definitely worth reading.

I would not like to review this book without talking a bit about the context in which it comes to exist, coming as it does at the forefront of a possible shift in what we consider to be the business of publishing, both for that reason alone and because it's important to understand how it's structured. If you are only interested in a review of the content contained in it, you will probably want to skip to the last paragraphs.

Within the last few years, self-publishing your work as a writer has become possible without the expense of a vanity press; in the much more recent past, the possibility has begun to emerge that it might shed its stigma as well. Wool is among the first titles entirely self-published in ebook form to achieve widespread recognition as a product of quality. Its author, Hugh Howey, has been fairly transparent about the process, which has provided an interesting opportunity to view what can be an opaque process. Howey commented earlier that his book has been on multiple ebook stores in the past, but it is currently exclusive to Amazon and the Kindle. He's not averse to tinkering and has said it may end up elsewhere again as he experiments to see what works out best for an author. He's also recently signed an agreement with a traditional publisher – Simon and Schuster, I think – and while I don't love the idea that a book can only gain legitimacy if a publisher deems it worthy, it's good for Howey and I'm glad for him.

First, let me dismiss a misgiving you may have: Wool does not suffer in the editing department as a function of its DIY roots. Howey has been clear from the outset that he considers good editing critical in a venture like this, and has not skimped. He says, and I agree, that poor writing, grammar, and spelling errors are a real threat to self-published ebooks.

Lastly, a note about the structure. This first volume, according to its standalone ebook listing, weighs in at about 56 pages and is titled “Holston.” It's a stretch to even call it a novella; it's closer to a short story, albeit one with several chapters. I'm reading in the omnibus format that collects all five of the Wool ebooks; that one comes out to about 550 pages. Technically, the series is called the Silo series, and there have been a few ebooks published after; these five together seem to be demarcated as “Wool.” I debated whether to review the omnibus as one volume or five and eventually decided to go with five. Although the first volume is shorter than most, the full length of Wool averages to about 110 pages per volume, a reasonable length for a novella, and since the first one is so short, some or all of the others are presumably above that average. I also wouldn't like to imagine that length is a necessary component of status as a “book”; some very well-regarded classics are quite short – Hemingway, Kafka, and so on. I also might decide to stop reading partway through if I don't feel the quality is consistent. I would certainly regard the Great Book of Amber as a collection of ten discrete books.

On to the content. I liked this quite a bit. It concerns Holston, a sheriff and a member of a future society living inside a silo. No one is permitted outside, which is an uninhabitable wasteland for unknown reasons stretching back generations, visible on monitors by way of cameras outside. Life inside the silo is carefully rationed, down to who is permitted to have children. Once in a while, someone will commit the gravest possible offense: they will express a desire to go outside. The punishment is swift: they get their wish.

This was a really effective story and I suggest it for anyone.