Recommended Reading: WOOL by Hugh Howey

Once in a while, I’ll recommend some books that I’ve enjoyed. No spoilers here, but I will set up the premise.

Also, I am ALWAYS looking for new books to read. Please feel free to recommend books in the comments. Amazon links are helpful but not necessary!

Caveat: I read widely, across many genres, so I’ve specified what genre each book is. If you don’t read in that genre, that’s cool. Check out the next book.

Science Fiction: WOOL by Hugh Howey. 

Reviewed in many other places. As good as they say. This is a book that I tell people they must, must read.

My book club passed a rule that we would read no more books by men with female main characters, because we read four in a row that sucked giant, radioactive donkey balls. (No, I won’t say, but they were all literary and prize-winners.) 

Hugh Howey is one of the very, very few men who can write a convincing female character, and he does it incredibly well, several times in this series of interconnected stories. His female leads are complex, feminine and yet not girlie, and deeply human. He doesn’t go for the nubile stereotypes. Some of his leads are mature women.

The twists and turns in the plot will spin your head, in a good way. The premise is that a nanotechnology apocalypse has forced mankind to retreat to an enormous bunker, called a Silo, like they are the stored seeds of humanity. The symbolism in these books is perfect in that it flavors and enhances the prose but does not overwhelm the reader by stomping around, screaming, I AM A SYMBOL! The prose is subtle, evocative, and carefully done.

As with many excellent series, the first one is free for your ereader.

Another book that I can’t say enough about, and Ridley Scott is directing the movie. You should read this.