Wool Omnibus Edition by Hugh Howey

I recently finished reading the Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 – 5) by Hugh Howey, and really enjoyed it.

Actually, I first read the original Wool novella, which was (and still is as of this writing) free as a Kindle eBook. I had seen it recommended a couple of times, so when I saw it free I grabbed it and dove right in.

This story was so absorbing I killed more than an hour in the doctor’s office without even noticing. When the doctor came in it took me a moment to remember where I was and why I was there. I found it very well written, and hard to put down.

But the ending left many unanswered questions (much the way short stories often do), and had me wanting more. If he hadn’t already written them, I would have been among the many who were clamoring for more. So I immediately bought the Omnibus version and dove into that as well.

One slightly jarring aspect of the Omnibus is that it switches protagonists between Wool one and two, and again between two and three. It’s understandable, given that these were written as separate novellas based on the same world. Just don’t make the mistake of viewing it as a single novel. However, they do progress chronologically, with significant overlap in main characters.

Wool three to five are more cohesive, keeping the same protagonist throughout, and reading more like one novel. Wool five ends with a satisfying conclusion, though leaving plenty of room for more sequels.

If you are a fan of science fiction, particularly those set in a dystopian future, I highly recommend the Omnibus. Howey certainly deserves the success he’s had with it so far, and the awards it’s received or been nominated for.

If you’re not sure, check out book one. Offering this free is a smart sales tactic, as I’m sure he gets a good conversion rate to paid sales on the rest of the series.

Next up I’m planning to read Wool 6, which is a prequel, showing how they got into their bleak existence in the first place.

Related articles

• Book Review: Wool Omnibus (twdittmer.wordpress.com)
• ‘Wool’ reaches top of Kindle book chart (examiner.com)
• Hugh Howey – Wool (sffbookreview.wordpress.com)
• WOOL, by Hugh Howey (aardvarkian.com)