Picking up right where Shift left off, this volume has the remaining citizens of the Silo facing down those who have been in control. The final book, Dust, wraps the saga up beautifully, and has one of the most satisfying endings I have ever encountered in a novel.

However, it contributes much to the story and contains the same tension build up and power struggles that drew me in to the first book. The switching between different times does get a little tedious during the book, making this my least favorite of the trilogy. Betrayal, conspiracy, intrigue, and survival are the name of the game in this volume.

The origin of the Silo is explained through the point of view of one of the early designers, intertwined with a heart-wrenching survival story and leading up to the immediate aftermath of the climax of the first book. Now it moves between the past (somewhere slightly ahead but within sight of our present day) and to various points in the future when the events of the first book are set in motion and as they occur, with the distance between these times quickly shrinking. In the second book, Shift, the story continues. Juliette is not one to just accept things the way they are, and she begins to follow in the Sheriff’s footsteps, unraveling the mysteries of the Silo and the outside world bit by bit, risking all and realizing all is not what it seems. As the Sheriff faces the consequences of his own curiosity and grief, his Undersheriff is tasked to speak with a courageous but troublesome female protagonist by the name of Juliette. Through the story one gradually learns that any talk of the outside world is quickly and brutally punished by giving the speaker the knowledge they desire – sending them outside. The reader is drawn in from the very beginning as they meet Holston, Sheriff of an underground Silo where the last of humanity is confined due to a worldwide disaster that occurred in the distant past. The series starts off with Wool, and it is full of mystery and marvelous world-building.

It is a tale of survival, struggle, power, questioning authority, and hope. The trilogy, consisting of Wool, Dust, and Shift, made for entertaining and gripping reading during the last year. After hearing a podcast interview with author Hugh Howey, I immediately ordered the first book of the Silo Series. Staff Thoughts:ĭuring the pandemic, I was hungry for new books to read and was looking for something that fit the mood – post-apocalyptic, tense, and with a touch of mystery. An ongoing storyline of the series is the focus on the mystery behind the Silo and the secrets it holds. The series initially follows the character of Holston, the sheriff of the Silo, with subsequent volumes focusing on the characters of Juliette, Jahns, and Marnes. Humanity clings to survival in the Silo, a subterranean city extending one hundred forty-four stories beneath the surface.

Dust hugh howey