Shift

Hugh Howey

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

The much anticipated prequel to bestseller Wool.

In a future less than fifty years away, the world is still as we know it. Time continues to tick by. The truth is that it is ticking away. A powerful few know what lies ahead. They are preparing for it. They are trying to protect us. They are setting us on a path from which we can never return. A path that will lead to destruction; a path that will take us below ground.

The history of the silo is about to be written.

Our future is about to begin.

What would you do
If you were forced to survive,
when everyone you cared about was dead.

And the only place you could live
was deep below ground,
built for the end of the world.

This is the start of the Silo.
This is the first Shift.

About the Author:
Hugh Howey spent eight years living on boats and working as a yacht captain for the rich and famous. It wasn't until the love of his life carried him away from these vagabond ways that he began to pursue literary adventures, rather than literal ones.

Hugh wrote and self-published his first adult novel, Wool, which won rave reviews and praise from readers. Shift is its prequel.

Hugh lives in Jupiter, Florida, with his wife Amber and their dog Bella.

Review by Nigel (310713) Rating (8/10)

Review by Nigel
Rating 8/10
Shift, a prequel to Wool in the Silo timeline, tells the story of how the Silos were constructed and the people behind them. I actually found this worked well. Wool introduced us to life in the Silo 18 in an entertaining story such that at the end you naturally had questions such as why and how. It fills in all the gaps nicely and brings everything up-to-date ready for the third book in the trilogy, Dust.

Congressman Donald Keene is newly elected, young and hopelessly optimistic. Senator Thurman is an old hand and has some very grand ideas of which only a select few know the true purpose. When Donald starts working for the Senator on a project that will bring prosperity to the area he jumps in with gusto. After a time Donald starts to have suspicions but these are brushed aside and, perhaps a little naively, Donald continues with his tasks blinkered to the larger picture. When the Silos are finished there is a grand opening and… you will have to read the book to find out, although, as you know what happens in Wool the ultimate ending to Shift is no surprise, the enjoyment really is in the journey.

For the record I wouldn’t advise reading Shift first if you think the prequel will help when reading Wool, read as intended as it makes for a much more satisfying experience. All in all a very good book although not quite as good as Wool in my opinion as you ‘know’ what is happening so some of the tension is naturally lost. That said I for one can’t wait for Dust and the finale...
Nigel (31st July 2013)