As I placed this book on the counter to pay for it, you'd think the cashier was going to come running to hug me on the other side. Instead, the shift in her semblance only resulted in a very enthusiastic 'Is this for yourself?', to which I answered 'Yes, I heard it's good.', followed by a little fangirling on her part. 
 I had first heard of it on The Guardian's 'Best Science-Fiction Books of 2013', which mentions Dust, the last instalment of the trilogy, and also refers to the comparison that has been drawn between Wool and The Hunger Games. I am not often easily confounded with such money-seeking comparisons, but I was intrigued by the title and decided to look it up. 
 The premise sounded interesting, the ratings on Goodreads impressive, the reviews generally extremely positive. I figured, why not? 
 And I am so very glad I got it. Because the cashier was right. If I were a cashier and someone arrived to the counter with this book, I would probably jump around and lose my job due to hysteria. I have even bought two more copies as gifts to two of my friends. 
 Picture living in an underground metropolis built in levels, with just a tiny strip of sky and the real world visible in greyish tones on the very top, an outside you may dream of, but can never speak of. So is the Silo. 
 My fear before reading Wool was that the plot wouldn't live up to the world building. A society encapsulated in a building as if it is the whole world? Interesting. But then what? 
 Hell of a great what. This book reads so easily I am almost tempted to suggest it should be shelved as young adult fiction. Howey is addicted to cliffhangers, to the point you just want to rip the book apart to punish him for his evilness towards you. There is always something going on, and some of the plot does indeed resemble The Hunger Games. There's unjust sacrifice, secrets controlled by a great Other, an uprising. But Wool has other great assets of its own. It questions freedom, the legitimacy of violence in imposing human values, these very values themselves, the right to know the truth. 
 As a feminist, I also have to highlight the fact that in this world women are not defined by their relationships to men, but by their resourcefulness, being often displayed in positions of power. Relationships occur and have significance, but as bond between both genders, playing equal significance to both. Love is a drive, but not the sole drive of the action in Wool. The feelings between Juliette, the heroine, and Lukas are often criticized because they seem to bloom from nothing. But aren't crushes usually like that? One cannot help but to imagine that it would be natural under such circumstances for a crush to amplify. Juliette herself is very conscious of this as she wonders if her feelings for Lukas are a result of genuine love or mere opportunity/casualty. And her love for Lukas does not drive her nearly as much as her sense of what's right. 
 Juliette is a wonderful character. She is admirable for her wits, her courage, her inventiveness and competence. In the whole, there isn't a single female character that we can dismiss as lacking will or personality, or falling into the 'pretty brainless girl' stereotype. For me, this is a major quality in Wool. Every character is constructed very solidly, so that we can understand their motives and flaws. Even when you can't love them, you can understand them. 
 Finally, I don't think I can make it any clearer than my rating. This book is definitely worthy of your time, and I am desperate - you hear me? I don't know what to do with my life anymore - to get my hands on Shift and Dust. Read it, read it, read it! Find me a job in a bookshop and I'll probably start giving away all of Hugh Howey's books at my salary's expense...