The Silo series. First one was okay though the protagonist could be a bit of an idiot at times (I’m freezing, I should light these small tires on fire. That’ll keep me warm for 2 minutes while I choke on the smoke), but as a hard scifi, the series never answered enough critical questions (how do they get clean air?, is there really an oil deposit under Atlanta?). Also, the entire premise of how “wool” enters the story is so contrived, I failed to catch why it was necessary both in-universe and from a storytelling standpoint.
The second book was a prequel and the back stories of one of the characters was so fucking boring and predictable I just started skipping his chapters.
Interesting. I haven’t read Dust yet, but I thought the first two were fantastic reads. I also really like the TV adaptation so far. I agree it doesn’t fit well into the hard science fiction subgenre. I would categorize the books as soft sci-fi— focusing more on the social aspects of an isolated society with limited resources where technological advancement is restricted. I’m more of a soft-sciences nerd though, so I get it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
I’m not sure what you mean about the premise of “wool” in the story though? Are you wondering why it is important enough to be the book title? To my knowledge, the name of the first book is not solely derived from the wool pads used by the cleaners… this first book is actually a compilation of shorter novellas “woven” together (haha)(the author’s titles allude to this: Proper Gauge, Casting Off, etc). I particularly like the author’s juxtaposition between these textile-related terms/concepts and the alternate definitions that lend themselves to the dystopian setting of Mechanical and the Silo in general.
I’m not sure what you mean about the premise of “wool” in the story though?
<SPOILERS>
I just didn’t buy the impact of the cleaners. Like it’s supposed to be a mystery why they choose to go through with it, but we find out they go through with it because a VR helmet convinces them that what they saw through the cameras was a lie when really the VR helmet is a lie. So like…what’s the point? If you can make VR helmets, why not build a robot to clean the cameras? If you still need a scary death sentence, just kick people out of the silo and watch them die due to exposure as they clamor to get back inside. The result is the same: outside scary, don’t do anything that gets you forced to go outside.
Making a lie to cover up another lie seems like a very roundabout way to solve a lens cleaning issue.
As for the rest of the wool references, puns do not metaphors make.
The Silo series. First one was okay though the protagonist could be a bit of an idiot at times (I’m freezing, I should light these small tires on fire. That’ll keep me warm for 2 minutes while I choke on the smoke), but as a hard scifi, the series never answered enough critical questions (how do they get clean air?, is there really an oil deposit under Atlanta?). Also, the entire premise of how “wool” enters the story is so contrived, I failed to catch why it was necessary both in-universe and from a storytelling standpoint.
The second book was a prequel and the back stories of one of the characters was so fucking boring and predictable I just started skipping his chapters.
I read Wikipedia for the third book.
I never read the books, but I liked the series ‘Silo’ on Apple TV. Tim Robbins as the Mayor and Common as the Sheriff.
Interesting. I haven’t read Dust yet, but I thought the first two were fantastic reads. I also really like the TV adaptation so far. I agree it doesn’t fit well into the hard science fiction subgenre. I would categorize the books as soft sci-fi— focusing more on the social aspects of an isolated society with limited resources where technological advancement is restricted. I’m more of a soft-sciences nerd though, so I get it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
I’m not sure what you mean about the premise of “wool” in the story though? Are you wondering why it is important enough to be the book title? To my knowledge, the name of the first book is not solely derived from the wool pads used by the cleaners… this first book is actually a compilation of shorter novellas “woven” together (haha)(the author’s titles allude to this: Proper Gauge, Casting Off, etc). I particularly like the author’s juxtaposition between these textile-related terms/concepts and the alternate definitions that lend themselves to the dystopian setting of Mechanical and the Silo in general.
<SPOILERS>
I just didn’t buy the impact of the cleaners. Like it’s supposed to be a mystery why they choose to go through with it, but we find out they go through with it because a VR helmet convinces them that what they saw through the cameras was a lie when really the VR helmet is a lie. So like…what’s the point? If you can make VR helmets, why not build a robot to clean the cameras? If you still need a scary death sentence, just kick people out of the silo and watch them die due to exposure as they clamor to get back inside. The result is the same: outside scary, don’t do anything that gets you forced to go outside.
Making a lie to cover up another lie seems like a very roundabout way to solve a lens cleaning issue.
As for the rest of the wool references, puns do not metaphors make.