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A review by catpingu
The Shift Omnibus by Hugh Howey
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I thought Wool was dark, no, Silo is darker. Because we really hate to see how the world ended and the actual dregs of humanity for survival.
In 2049, newly elected Congrassman Donald Keene is taken under the wing of his mentor and close family friend Senator Thurman, to undertake a clandestine top-secret high-priority project. This project has him collaborating closely with the Senators' daughter and Donald's ex-girlfriend Anna; to the unhappiness of his dear wife Helen. Helen doesn't understand the enormity of the task, and Donald slowly loses his grip on his sanity as his plans move swiftly towards completion and an unknown future.
Meanwhile, in year 2110, Troy wakes up from his cryogenic pod for his first Shift. A last-minute replacement to take over Operation Fifty, Troy feels woefully underprepared for the enormity of his task; he had only been trained to head one Silo, not all of them. As Troy starts his six-month shift, he notices little signs of the past and inconsistencies in the current truth that weren't covered in his orientation. There are signs that some of the doctors are keeping secrets from him and the rest of the silos, and Troy knows he's missing something very, very important.
What an utter sadfest! Humanity, oh the humanity, you politicians are such buttholesbut also I can't believe that those conspiracy theorists were actually onto something, that foreign countries were already researching nanotech to kill everyone and the US was gonna blow everyone up as "protection." Major spoiler spoiled, good note for future reference when I reread this later. That crazy people are crazy but also crazy is rooted in truth, politicians are buttholes, and it's usually not a good idea to be friends with your exes.
While a majority of the book is following the long narrative of Troy and Donaldwho are the same person, except we can treat Troy as a persona and Donald as the real man evolving throughout the book , this prequel also prequels the before times and the long-awaited Jimmy/Solo's overview of loneliness in Silo 17. It's a holistic view of how the silos came to be formed, why Bernard and other heads of IT are such jerks and paranoid old dudes, and Donald's slow spiral into anger and maybe righteousness? A righteous fury that will have to be judged in the next book, because we've finally got the then and now sorted out and there's probably going to be a great rebellion amongst the silos or some big reunion aboveground or something.
Once you get through Wool, Shift beats out Wool in terms of scale and awesomeness.
RIP Shadow the Cat.
In 2049, newly elected Congrassman Donald Keene is taken under the wing of his mentor and close family friend Senator Thurman, to undertake a clandestine top-secret high-priority project. This project has him collaborating closely with the Senators' daughter and Donald's ex-girlfriend Anna; to the unhappiness of his dear wife Helen. Helen doesn't understand the enormity of the task, and Donald slowly loses his grip on his sanity as his plans move swiftly towards completion and an unknown future.
Meanwhile, in year 2110, Troy wakes up from his cryogenic pod for his first Shift. A last-minute replacement to take over Operation Fifty, Troy feels woefully underprepared for the enormity of his task; he had only been trained to head one Silo, not all of them. As Troy starts his six-month shift, he notices little signs of the past and inconsistencies in the current truth that weren't covered in his orientation. There are signs that some of the doctors are keeping secrets from him and the rest of the silos, and Troy knows he's missing something very, very important.
What an utter sadfest! Humanity, oh the humanity, you politicians are such buttholes
While a majority of the book is following the long narrative of Troy and Donald
Once you get through Wool, Shift beats out Wool in terms of scale and awesomeness.
RIP Shadow the Cat.