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Wool #4

The Unraveling

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There is a legend in their past of an uprising, a war they have learned about, but have learned nothing from.

Nobody knows what went wrong. Nobody talks about what happened. Such are the silo taboos.

Now, nearly two hundred years later, the people of the Silo will get a chance to learn more about that distant uprising.

They'll get to start one of their own...

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 25, 2011

About the author

Hugh Howey

127 books55.8k followers
I'm the author of WOOL, a top 5 science fiction book on Amazon. I also wrote the Molly Fyde saga, a tale of a teenager from the 25th century who is repeatedly told that girls can't do certain things -- and then does them anyway.

A theme in my books is the celebration of overcoming odds and of not allowing the cruelty of the universe to change who you are in the process. Most of them are classified as science fiction, since they often take place in the future, but if you love great stories and memorable characters, you'll dig what you find here. I promise.

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5 stars
5,312 (49%)
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4,180 (38%)
3 stars
1,105 (10%)
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39 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 435 reviews
Profile Image for Pavlina.
70 reviews3 followers
January 25, 2012
This series is like crack. The first story was okay, yet intriguing and sucked me in. It just keeps getting better and better. I find myslef wondering how the silos were set up and how long the people have lived in them. This installement had me wishing the bad guy would get what he deserves, yet the good guys weren't really acting so good. I cant wait for the next installment.
Profile Image for Nataliya.
894 reviews14.7k followers
March 3, 2012
Wool stories are getting longer and remain pretty good. By part 4, sh*t is getting real and the story is getting grittier. The action picks up as we get to witness the uprising in the silo and see the comfortable but stifling order and safety unravel. We finally get to see what lies beyond the hills that used to make the boundary of the visible world for the silo inhabitants.

The characters remain well-written and easy to care about. I still love Juliette, she is a kickass heroine who remains believable, practical and likeable. We also get to know a few more people in the silo who are well-developed even in the short time they are on-page. The only character I have a problem with is Lukas; I just don't see why Juliette would be attracted to him. Hopefully he will get better in volume 5; I am sure more character development for him is coming.
Profile Image for Rodrigo.
1,354 reviews739 followers
April 7, 2023
Bueno esto va ganando en intensidad y emociones, se han desvelado, creo, bastantes secretos algunos ya se preveían. El mundo que conociamos se ha ampliado.
Nos espera un último volumen emocionante...
Valoración: 7.5/10
Sinopsis: En su pasado existe la leyenda de un levantamiento, una guerra de la que han oído hablar pero de la que no han aprendido nada.
Nadie sabe qué salió mal. Nadie habla de lo que pasó. Éstos son los tabúes del silo.
Ahora, casi doscientos años después, los habitantes del silo tendrán la oportunidad de aprender algo más acerca de esa lejana rebelión.
Porque ellos mismos van a iniciar una…

Profile Image for CB.
412 reviews20 followers
April 14, 2013
Wool #4 begins with a very long and drawn out flashback to when child Juliette went to see a play with her parents. This experience is apparently so riveting that child Juliette falls asleep several times (and consequently, so does the reader.)

The entire point of this very long flashback? Apparently just to inform the reader how Juliette got her name. That's it. If you expecting a parallel between stage directors controlling the actors and IT controlling the residents of the Silo - pshaw. No such luck. If you were even expecting Howey to continue his vague Romeo and Juliet homage (Holston and Allison, Jahns and Marnes): again, no luck. What did you think this was, a work with themes and subtext?!

But we do learn that Juliette actually IS named after Shakespeare's Juliet! Nailed it. Although in the dystopian future, somehow the spelling took on an additional "t" and "e," probably just so Howey could make the obvious inference obvious. But don't be mislead: she's really a thin cardboard approximation of Juliette from LOST, with a heaping dose of Mary Sue.

Meanwhile, the adult Juliette is wandering the nuclear wasteland, secure in her good quality hazmat suit instead of the crappy, meant to fail hazmat suits all the other cleaners receive from IT. And back at the ranch silo, Juliette's non-cleaning causes tongues to wag- especially among her friends in the Down Deep. Will they figure out the secret of the suit and IT's sinister plots?

Is Obvious Villain obvious?

Once more world building details are confused and confusing. In her new home, Juliette finds bodies she describes as "not rotted." And she finds soup - spoiled, but still vats of liquid. However, later it seems like her home had been deserted for years, in which case the bodies should, yes, be rotted and the soup long evaporated.

And once more, Howey confuses exposition with narrative action, and gives the reader pages, and pages, and pages of extraneous detail that tell instead of show. And his characterization fares even worse. Who is Juliette, other than a Wrench Wench handy with a tool? Who knows? We're told she had a lover. We're told she's estranged from her father. But does she think about them? Nope. In fact, does she have any character traits other handy with a tool and good with mechanical onjects? Not a one.

Her ersatz love interest Lukas is the same. In fact, since we never really get to see him be good at his job, the way we see Juliette use her mechanical skills, he's even worse off. When he swipes Juliette's personal things, it feels forced. He only knew her for, what, a few hours in total? His reaction is over the top, and quite frankly, a little unhinged. Nor does his acquiescence to Obvious Villain make a case for him as a rational, flesh and blood character.

Meanwhile, forces build in the Silo to what seems like an inevitable clash - because, look! It says there will be an inevitable clash in the handbook!

Ugh.






Profile Image for Camilla.
465 reviews87 followers
January 8, 2013
Part 4 in the Wool series.. What to say, what to say..

In this part, we finally get some of the answers to the many questions that have been building up. Enough answers, though? No. Definitely not.

I still haven’t found out why I like this series. Honestly, I don’t know why. Yes, it’s interesting, and I do want to know.. more, but I’m not hooked in any way. And like I’ve said before, I find the tempo of the book very slow, even when they are running, it’s slow! But ok, if I had to run up 139 level of stairs, I wouldn’t just be slow, I would be dead.. 5 levels up and I would be gone, but enough about me..

I find that I like the parts with Juliette the most, and because there are many other POV’s in this story, I can only give it 3 stars.
Profile Image for Daiva.
199 reviews1 follower
March 25, 2018
Somehow this seems to get better and better. If I start reading more sci-fi stories this year, I'll certainly blame it on Hugh Howey (not that it's a bad thing, quite the contrary) but oh...just only one part left of Wool. Not sure if I'm excited or scared. Probably both. Also, not sure if I should read it instantly or wait a bit...

...decisions... decisions...

Frankly... I doubt I can be that patient... so probably the decision is already made for me.
Profile Image for Caro the Helmet Lady.
807 reviews418 followers
July 3, 2016
This was very good, probably the best part after the first key one. Not like others were worse, no, but they were a tad too slow paced for my tastes, but that's it. I will be taking a little break from the Wool world at the moment, because I start to feel like I'm buried alive in the deep well... but I will definitely come back to it very soon.
Profile Image for Olethros.
2,699 reviews512 followers
September 3, 2016
-Revisión de temas conocidos pero con éxito, especialmente en lo formal.-

Género. Ciencia-Ficción.

Lo que nos cuenta. El Sheriff Holston, máximo responsable de la seguridad en el refugio subterráneo en el que viven un par de miles de personas que le respetan y le quieren, decide solicitar la salida al exterior, un acto que es a la vez delito, pena y ejecución, ya que está prohibido hacerlo y fuera del refugio no se puede vivir. Antes de su salida, vamos conociendo lo que pasó un tiempo antes con su esposa, que recorrió ese mismo camino previamente. Primer libro de la serie Espejismo, publicado en un principio por entregas a través de un conocido portal de libros electrónicos con un gran éxito para ser un trabajo autopublicado.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Profile Image for John.
38 reviews
January 27, 2012
I enjoyed #4 just as much as 1-3. Without providing any spoilers, I'll say that you learn a number of interesting things in this installment, but not too much, due to Howey's enjoyable way of parseling facts out while keeping wanting more. Each time the action moves from one scene of the action to another, disappointment at being left in suspense is quickly replacement with the enjoyment of the next scene. No doubt everyone who has read this book is eagerly awaiting the 5th volume, due to arrive in a few weeks.
Profile Image for Alicia.
2,071 reviews74 followers
March 24, 2022
Multiple narrators this time, and they don't all die!
Juliette is in her new suit with actual survival intended when she stumbles upon something she hadn't considered: another silo.
Back home, Walker's meddling has started something down in mechanics. A momentum that's slowly building as forbidden questions are asked.
There's a lot churning away in this book, and you can tell it's leading to something big.
Profile Image for Jane Stewart.
2,462 reviews928 followers
January 24, 2013
Good sci-fi ideas, but lacks character development. Not enough showing. It drags.

OPINION ON THE ENTIRE SERIES:
There are five titles in the series. They are not complete stories. They are sections of one long story. The author published as he wrote. I suggest you buy the Omnibus Edition instead of the individual titles, which will save you $1, as of the date of this review. The Omnibus includes all five titles.

At the end of some of the titles I was angry or frustrated at the cliffhanger endings. For example, not knowing if the main character is dead or alive. But the ending of title 5 is very good. It’s a happy ending for the group and one main character.

The overall plot concept is good. Neat ideas and events in a dystopian world. People live in an underground silo. The air outside causes immediate death.

But, I was not entertained. I wanted to read fast to get through it. The author doesn’t do characters well. He names a bunch of people, has things happen to them, but I don’t get to know them. At one point a guy does a complete turn around in the story, but I never see it. I don’t see what led to it, why he changed, how he changed, or what he did after. Another guy is killed at the end. I assume I know who the guy was but the author didn’t say. And the author didn’t show conversations and actions leading to that killing. The author needs some John Grisham influence. I get to know John’s characters. I’m pulled in emotionally. That is missing here.

Too many parts of the book are told and not shown. Like reading a newspaper it can be interesting, but you are not living it. For example, there are two battle/fight scenes. In one, we hear there is gunfire and two are dead - but no details prior to or during. Where are the emotions of a guy during battle? Of seeing, fearing, reacting? In the second battle, some guys are on the run, and I hear attackers are after them. But no details at all.

THIS SERIES:
Wool (Wool #1)
Proper Gauge (Wool #2)
Casting Off (Wool #3)
The Unraveling (Wool #4)
The Stranded (Wool #5)

SUBSEQUENT TITLES:
Wool #6, 7, and 8 are a prequel trilogy telling what happened a hundred (or more) years earlier to create the silo and toxic environment. I started to read it, but I lost interest.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Swearing language: strong but rarely used. Sexual content: none. Setting: in the future, Georgia, U.S. Copyright: 2011 and 2012. Genre: dystopian sci fi.
Profile Image for Wade McGinnis.
238 reviews13 followers
January 10, 2012
My ramblings on Wool 4:

More Juliette! More Juliette! Yep, she's my favorite character by far. But seriously... I enjoyed the book. Not as much as Wool 3, because I'm just enthralled with Juliette and this book meant I was away from her at times. I enjoyed the progression of her story and her interactions with / meeting of Solo and I can't wait to learn more as Juliette does! If that's the author's plan of course. But I think people (me) really like her confrontation of Bernard. I had a hard time adjusting to the new(er) characters (Knox and Lukas) and getting invested in their part of the story - but I don't know why, because it wasn't hard for me to adjust to Juliette and Jahns before that. And I really like Lukas, so I don't know what my deal was. I can't wait for the final installment and then to re-read them all again!
Profile Image for David Turko.
Author 1 book14 followers
January 16, 2024
If I have to quote Ron Burgundy, "Boy that escalated quickly...I mean, that really got out of hand fast."

That being said, this series is fantastic! The progression of this story goes from 0 to 60 and it doesn't let go. Even crazier is that Howey somehow adds on the world building while there is so many action pieces popping up in the story. I have no idea how he's going to conclude this story arc but I'm really looking forward to it.


Profile Image for David Sven.
288 reviews475 followers
January 26, 2013
This book deals a lot with the consequences of the revelations in book three. What happens to Juliette? What will Supply and Mechanical do next? How is Bernard going to try and cover things up this time?

Howey also uses a Romeo and Juliet analogy with quotes from the play at the beginning of the chapters. Our two lovers who never were are obviously Lukas and Juliette - two people from the opposing factions of IT and Mechanical - One appears to die at the end of the last book etc etc.

And we continue with our knitting analogy which this time seems pretty self explanatory for us non knitting people. Things are starting to come apart. But “unravelling” in knitting has a purpose. Sometimes, if you discover a flaw or mistake in an earlier stitch, you have to “unravel” or pull the stitches since apart to “fix” the problem. So this time round Bernard and IT need to “fix” the problem created by Jules in book one. The last thing they want is for the whole Silo to unravel around them. But maybe it is IT that’s the bad stitch. Maybe there needs to be an “unravelling” to “fix” IT and the Silo.

I have to say I was not as enamored with this book as with the previous three. I still enjoyed it, but it feels like we got the punch line already and now we are just dealing with how it all works out. I hope I’m wrong. I hope Howey has left something up his sleeve. But I’m more interested in the mystery and being taken by surprise as I totally was in book one and book three. Once the veil has come off, I’m like "Move along, nothing more to see here."

So with a fair chunk of the Omnibus left (38% according to the kindle) I really hope Howey has another sucker punch left in him.

This sounds like I hate it – but I don’t. I still really enjoyed the book. The story is still pretty good. Looking forward to the final book of the Omnibus.

4 stars
Profile Image for Chris.
101 reviews11 followers
March 28, 2012
While I liked each of the Wool stories more as I went, this, the fourth one, seemed to drop off for me. I read each of the first three in a day or two, but this one sat on my "currently reading" shelf and hovered on my Kindle for about a week, which is unusual for me.

I think it all has to do with the characters. I liked each protagonist more as the overall Wool story has progressed, but could not connect to Knox and the uprising felt forced. It's like they went from zero to mass producing guns overnight. The Juliette/Lukas stuff was really good and I was very close to just skipping over the Knox portions of the story.

The other reason I felt like the score dipped on this one in relation to the previous stories was the ending. The other stories at least had closure with a hook for a sequel. This one felt more like the end of a television episode where I needed to tune in next week for the season finale. Not a huge deal for me since I bought the Omnibus, but if I was buying these one at a time I would be bitter at only a partial story.

That being said, Howey's writing has definitely progressed as the stories have gone on (I think my only nit-picky thing is that he used the word "stole" as a very for Juliette's action twice in two pages - which only stood out because I thought it was a weird usage... then he did it again). And the world in which Wool takes place is well imagined and I like the way that we're gradually learning more about it.

If I could, I'd give 3.5 stars on this one. It's really in comparison to the previous three and a single un-relatable character that hurt this one for me. I'm assuming I'll get more Juliette/Lukas in the next one so there's the possibility of a rebound on the horizon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ian.
125 reviews554 followers
October 9, 2012
I hesitate to keep rating these "books" one by one. I really should just rate and review the whole five-part omnibus edition when I'm done. But the thing is, I have set my goal at 55 books this year, and last year I only just barely made my 50-book goal, so I need to pad my stats. Is that wrong?
Profile Image for Peter Cawdron.
Author 68 books945 followers
January 17, 2012
Just finished Wool 4, and Howey's growth in the maturity of his writing from book to book is evident... the scene is set for a grand conclusion but without the predictable tropes ruling the day
Profile Image for Jason.
1,179 reviews273 followers
March 23, 2013
5 Stars

The Unraveling continues the story at a break neck speed adding layers of political poison along the way. Juliette is the real star and her story the fuel to Silo 18.

Howey does a great job at adding in the voice of other characters without distracting from this very tight plot line. I loved the unfolding and unveiling of the lies and evil spread from up top.



"“One of my people was taken, and it was the oldest of us, the wisest of us, who intervened on her behalf. It was the weakest and most scared of us who braved their neck. And whoever of you he turned to for help, and who gave it, I owe you my life.” Knox blinked away the blur and continued. “You gave her more than a chance to walk over that hill, to die in peace and out of sight. You gave me the courage to open my eyes. To see this veil of lies we live behind—”"

The story line is a bit straight forward in this next to last installment, but it worked. I devoured the pages wanting to see where it was headed. It has an incredible last line in this book that could be a slight spoiler. It had me shouting out loud!!!

================================================
slight spoiler
================================================

"“I’m coming for you. I’m coming home, and I’m coming to clean.”"

Great read!!!
Profile Image for Rick.
373 reviews14 followers
August 24, 2014
I thought this was a nice continuation of the series. I still feel that this was really one novel that was just broken into chunks to be released as a serial. I know some folks were not interested in moving past the first book (or maybe the second) due to the cliffhanger endings but might have had a different opinion if they treated all the volumes as a single work. This one definitely ended with a cliffhanger.

I liked how the story alternated between the two settings but did feel like the folks in Mechanical and Supply jumped on the bandwagon a bit fast for something so serious. I am being deliberately vague to avoid spoilers in my review. When I saw where Lukas worked at the beginning of the book I was taken completely by surprise. I rapidly grew tired of the quotes at the beginning of each chapter until I realized their source which then at least helped them make more sense; I still thought they didn't really add anything and the book would have been just as well off without them.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book to see what happens, there's no way I could leave after the ending of this one.
Profile Image for Steven van Doorn.
258 reviews3 followers
May 31, 2012
This review has spoilers for Wool 1, 2 & 3, but not for book 4.

-Steven
Profile Image for Monique.
178 reviews2 followers
January 7, 2012
Another amazing story in this series, and more amazing twists. What makes this especially good is that the line between good and evil becomes blurred. I hope there are many more stories to come in this series.
Profile Image for Sarah.
2,000 reviews
April 8, 2012
Juliette makes it to Silo 17 and a revolution starts in Silo 18. Marginally more interesting through some clarification of the dystopia, but the pacing and the reasoning of the revolution made the characters seem absurd.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Noneya.
19 reviews1 follower
January 1, 2012
This kept me on my toes the whole time! Every time I think that it can't possiby get any more thought-provoking, it does!

Profile Image for Chelle.
186 reviews42 followers
January 12, 2012
With the unraveling, you would think it meant things were coming apart, but it's really just starting to come together.

LOVE. THIS. SERIES.

Can't hardly wait for Wool 5. But, you know, I will.
Profile Image for Jeremy Jones.
5 reviews2 followers
January 21, 2012
Can't wait to read Wool 5, Hugh Howey writes with purpose around a well developed plot that keeps you guessing. A great read.
Profile Image for Učitaj se! | Martina Štivičić.
741 reviews124 followers
August 28, 2015
U ovom dijelu radnja se zahuktava, tenzije bujaju i otkrivamo puno toga o svijetu izvan Silosa, ali nekako sam pod dojmom da bi sve skupa moglo ići i malo brže... 4 down, 1 to go.
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