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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Probably my least favorite Howey book, felt the ending wasn't quite complete.
BIG letdown.
The premise is engaging at first: post-apocalypse, the world we know, completely buried under sand. How much sand? Well, the skyscapers of the lost city of "Dan-var" (the "mile-high city", kinda like how Thundarr the Barbarian says "Man-hat"-tan) are 500? meters below the dunes.
The economy completely revolves around scavenging "divers" who use personally-wielded technology akin to psychokinesis to vibrate the sand such that its can be swum through, along with an infrared/radar visor to see shapes/outlines, and scuba tanks to breathe. Flippers are apparently somewhat vestigial, with propulsion derived more from the aforementioned psychokinesis.
To lend credence to this setting, there are a dozen different slang terms for sand (all footnoted!), for each of the annoying places it can accumulate. Clearly a reference to the supposed eskimos' bazillion words for snow, which is generally considered to be a cliché (first sentence on wikipedia page).
On to the plot! It starts off with good tension, like Wool did. But as more details of the physics emerge, I found it more and more implausible (in particular, the vibrating sand being quiet/usable for stealth, and also being able to *solidify* sand).
Then in the middle portion of the book, multiple characters just happen to find exactly who they're looking for in the vast desert. Completely improbable. And the exact same "rescue"-type event plays out in parallel at the same time with two different sets of people. No symbolism or significance between them, it's just as if it was all he could think to do in the setting.
It only got worse from there. The villains' reasoning/motive made absolutely no sense whatsoever, and the protagonist role jumped from one member of the family to another, each of whom seemed to dwell on the same anecdotes, like cardboard cutouts. I simply couldn't connect with any of them.
That said, I'm not going to give up on Hugh yet. I actually *thanked* him on Twitter after I finished the Wool series, I thought it was *that* good. Following that up can't have been easy, and I'm sure there was some pressure involved.
The premise is engaging at first: post-apocalypse, the world we know, completely buried under sand. How much sand? Well, the skyscapers of the lost city of "Dan-var" (the "mile-high city", kinda like how Thundarr the Barbarian says "Man-hat"-tan) are 500? meters below the dunes.
The economy completely revolves around scavenging "divers" who use personally-wielded technology akin to psychokinesis to vibrate the sand such that its can be swum through, along with an infrared/radar visor to see shapes/outlines, and scuba tanks to breathe. Flippers are apparently somewhat vestigial, with propulsion derived more from the aforementioned psychokinesis.
To lend credence to this setting, there are a dozen different slang terms for sand (all footnoted!), for each of the annoying places it can accumulate. Clearly a reference to the supposed eskimos' bazillion words for snow, which is generally considered to be a cliché (first sentence on wikipedia page).
On to the plot! It starts off with good tension, like Wool did. But as more details of the physics emerge, I found it more and more implausible (in particular, the vibrating sand being quiet/usable for stealth, and also being able to *solidify* sand).
Then in the middle portion of the book, multiple characters just happen to find exactly who they're looking for in the vast desert. Completely improbable. And the exact same "rescue"-type event plays out in parallel at the same time with two different sets of people. No symbolism or significance between them, it's just as if it was all he could think to do in the setting.
It only got worse from there. The villains' reasoning/motive made absolutely no sense whatsoever, and the protagonist role jumped from one member of the family to another, each of whom seemed to dwell on the same anecdotes, like cardboard cutouts. I simply couldn't connect with any of them.
That said, I'm not going to give up on Hugh yet. I actually *thanked* him on Twitter after I finished the Wool series, I thought it was *that* good. Following that up can't have been easy, and I'm sure there was some pressure involved.
Hugh Howey has done it again! He has created another desolate dystopian world and sucked me right into it.
I have made no secret of the fact that I loved the Silo Trilogy, so it was with much trepidation that I started to read Sand. I was concerned that Mr. Howey might let me down. That Wool may have been a fluke, and my appreciation of the author may be tarnished. Not the case I am happy to report.
Sand tells the story of four siblings who live in the post-apocalyptic state of Colorado. An endless desert has buried the ancient world, and their people barely survive in the harsh wasteland. They work hard for every drop of water, and live under constant threat of terror attacks in their lawless society. The siblings (Victoria, Palmer, Conner and Rob) are all somehow involved with the dangerous job of sand-diving (I thought of it as deep sea diving, only through sand) where they scavenge items from the old world for resale. One day Palmer is approached by a band of outlaws who claim they have discovered the mythical city of Danvar buried deep beneath the dunes. Palmer, along with the rest of his family, is about to stumble on a truth that will change their perception of their entire world.
This is a fast-paced, highly engaging, very readable novel. The prose is not poetic or flowery, and Howey moves the action along swiftly and with purpose. His description of the sand and sand diving were particularly successful. Just as the Inuits purportedly have various different terms for snow, so do these people have numerous terms for sand – showing just how important it is in their lives.
The sand diving scenes were surprisingly realistic. I felt my own lungs gulping for air as the characters had to make their way through the sand without being buried alive – I took deep breathes after each dive. His explanation of the dive suits and the diving process were really good too. Though in reality it would be impossible (I think), Howey makes it plausible.
Some negative comments have been made about the world-building part of this novel. There is no completely satisfactory explanation as to how the world became this way (though it is attempted towards the end), however, I have a feeling there may be another book in the works, and our questions will be answered. Hugh Howey will not let us down!
I have made no secret of the fact that I loved the Silo Trilogy, so it was with much trepidation that I started to read Sand. I was concerned that Mr. Howey might let me down. That Wool may have been a fluke, and my appreciation of the author may be tarnished. Not the case I am happy to report.
Sand tells the story of four siblings who live in the post-apocalyptic state of Colorado. An endless desert has buried the ancient world, and their people barely survive in the harsh wasteland. They work hard for every drop of water, and live under constant threat of terror attacks in their lawless society. The siblings (Victoria, Palmer, Conner and Rob) are all somehow involved with the dangerous job of sand-diving (I thought of it as deep sea diving, only through sand) where they scavenge items from the old world for resale. One day Palmer is approached by a band of outlaws who claim they have discovered the mythical city of Danvar buried deep beneath the dunes. Palmer, along with the rest of his family, is about to stumble on a truth that will change their perception of their entire world.
This is a fast-paced, highly engaging, very readable novel. The prose is not poetic or flowery, and Howey moves the action along swiftly and with purpose. His description of the sand and sand diving were particularly successful. Just as the Inuits purportedly have various different terms for snow, so do these people have numerous terms for sand – showing just how important it is in their lives.
The sand diving scenes were surprisingly realistic. I felt my own lungs gulping for air as the characters had to make their way through the sand without being buried alive – I took deep breathes after each dive. His explanation of the dive suits and the diving process were really good too. Though in reality it would be impossible (I think), Howey makes it plausible.
Some negative comments have been made about the world-building part of this novel. There is no completely satisfactory explanation as to how the world became this way (though it is attempted towards the end), however, I have a feeling there may be another book in the works, and our questions will be answered. Hugh Howey will not let us down!
3.5 stars
Definitely an interesting concept, diving under the sand and sailing on top it, but I felt he left some important plot points hanging. Like what happened to the Father, where did Violet come from, and what was the terrorist's objective? Not as strong as his previous work, nor as complex.
Definitely an interesting concept, diving under the sand and sailing on top it, but I felt he left some important plot points hanging. Like what happened to the Father, where did Violet come from, and what was the terrorist's objective? Not as strong as his previous work, nor as complex.
I had to force myself to finish this, and then found the ending rushed. The rest of the book felt rambling and often disconnected. The different viewpoints didn't help that feeling. This either needed to be longer or shorter.
Whoa. I enjoyed this more than I expected. I enjoyed Wool but I didn't know what to expect of Sand. Having lived island life, both in Okinawa and the Bahamas, and in the deserts of New Mexico and west Texas, I actually got into the Howey's concept of "diving" being sand instead of water. The narrative took me right into it and I was easily able to invision this life.
The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I felt it left me feeling a little wanting and that there were a few loose ends. I wanted closure with Brock, more about where Voilet came from, did Vic truly sacrifice it all. Also I felt it wasn't necessary to constantly imply that the people from No Man's Land were cannibals as it just didn't add anything to the story.
I was hoping with this being an Omnibus it would be a complete story but I guess that isn't to be. However, it won't stop me from picking up the next installment.
The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I felt it left me feeling a little wanting and that there were a few loose ends. I wanted closure with Brock, more about where Voilet came from, did Vic truly sacrifice it all. Also I felt it wasn't necessary to constantly imply that the people from No Man's Land were cannibals as it just didn't add anything to the story.
I was hoping with this being an Omnibus it would be a complete story but I guess that isn't to be. However, it won't stop me from picking up the next installment.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A pretty good book, interesting premise and characters, that unfortunately just didn't deliver the way I hoped it would. A 4 star read up until the point I realized it was already over, when I thought it should have another 100 pages.
I have not read anything else by Howey, so I will not, unlike other readers, compare my experience reading the Sand omnibus with reading Wool or Shift or Dust. If Wool is better than Sand, like many people have said, I will check it out.
Sand Omnibus is a page turner, a quick, exciting read, that has plenty of slow, contemplative moments. There is a bit of everything: pirating (scavenging), family drama, young love, terrorists, rich people vs. poor people, and of course, the mystery of why everything is buried in sand and the wind never stops and it never rains and there is a distant, regular thumping that is eternal. Beyond the bonds that tie families together, which Howey hints is more history than blood or love, the book is based on apathy. Myths are crushed and others are confirmed, and we even get a clear picture of how our now might connect with their now, maybe.
Howey manages more showing than telling than is standard in the genre, so I was grateful for that. One complaint was that all the siblings, especially the boys, seemed very similar in character, despite having grown up under very different circumstances. Everyone was basically good, not only in the core, but really, all the way to the surface, which seemed kind of unrealistic. The three bothers seemed like the same person at different stages of life than three different men/boys. Come to think of it, the women (mom and Vic) were also very similar, in how they see the world, in how they survive, how they act, but this wasn't that problematic (perhaps also because we do not know that much about Rose for it to become problematic).
Recommended to beach fans and desert hikers, and sci-fi fans, of course.
Sand Omnibus is a page turner, a quick, exciting read, that has plenty of slow, contemplative moments. There is a bit of everything: pirating (scavenging), family drama, young love, terrorists, rich people vs. poor people, and of course, the mystery of why everything is buried in sand and the wind never stops and it never rains and there is a distant, regular thumping that is eternal. Beyond the bonds that tie families together, which Howey hints is more history than blood or love, the book is based on apathy. Myths are crushed and others are confirmed, and we even get a clear picture of how our now might connect with their now, maybe.
Howey manages more showing than telling than is standard in the genre, so I was grateful for that. One complaint was that all the siblings, especially the boys, seemed very similar in character, despite having grown up under very different circumstances. Everyone was basically good, not only in the core, but really, all the way to the surface, which seemed kind of unrealistic. The three bothers seemed like the same person at different stages of life than three different men/boys. Come to think of it, the women (mom and Vic) were also very similar, in how they see the world, in how they survive, how they act, but this wasn't that problematic (perhaps also because we do not know that much about Rose for it to become problematic).
Recommended to beach fans and desert hikers, and sci-fi fans, of course.
I wavered between 3 and 4 stars. For Character depth, interaction and familial relationships, this book gets 4 stars at least. That part of it (which I assume is the main point) was stellar. The world building started out GREAT and I was intrigued, but as I read the end and realized that a LOT of questions are completely unanswered, or only vaguely answered...is the reason for the 3 stars. With a little more care and attention to the world these people inhabit, this could have been a 5 star book easily! Good stuff though. Will read more from Howey.