A review by kadomi
Sand by Hugh Howey

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was a very Mad Max-ish take on a dystopian world, following the fate of a family of five in what must once have been Colorado but is now covered in sand. It's 5 novellas that connect, forming a cohesive story. My favorite character was Vic, the daughter of the family, accomplished sand diver. Sand divers wear special suits and can dive beneath the sand, shaping it, to salvage items from pre-apocalypse. It is such a salvage trip that changes everything, when Vic's brother Palmer is hired to dive for the near mythological city 'Danvar', which I took to be Denver. He and his buddy find the place but their boss is trying to kill them because all he wanted was the means to have an atomic bomb to detonate in the main town of the story, Springston (I think that's Silver Springs). Story moves from there.

It's not the best dystopia I have ever read, and it's not as good as Hugh Howey's Silo series, but it was good reading, and now I have to find out if there's a sequel, because the ending is very open.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings