Shift Deluxe Collector's Edition: The Inspiration for Silo Season Three

The first 2 paragraphs don't have spoilers, but the rest DO. Before that, I just want to announce that everyone should read this book. It's utterly fantastic. I'm not kidding when I say that this book was the best read of the year for me... Possibly one of the best books I've ever read. Here I was thinking Hugh was going to keep going with the type of story and feel that he wrote in Wool, but then we came out of left field with something so unexpected, lovely, intense, and heartbreaking. (Oh, and Hugh, because I know you like to read these reviews, I just wanted you to know that I read chapter 99 with my Black Cat laying on my chest, making it feel like I got hit by a train. So thanks for that! But in all seriousness, chapter 99 was one of the best few pages I've ever read, hands down. Sometimes the thing you never knew you needed is the thing you needed most.) Spoiler Alert This book was incredibly well-written. First of all, I love that he stuck with the "book in parts" structure. Wool was accidentally written that way, so Shift felt like it belonged, even though it wasn't written in separate parts like Wool was. The 3 silo stories he told within 1 book, with Donald as the backbone, were brilliant and made the book flow so fast. But the writing itself, down to each paragraph, was absolutely beautiful. Chapter 99 was one of the best-written few pages I've ever read. Not too far before that was a beautiful paragraph about saving birthday candles and what that symbolized. And there were countless other examples like this: short passages containing flashbacks or references that were so much more than just the reference, but a philosophical metaphor to leave you thinking. My wife kept asking over and over why I was randomly staring into space while reading, and I had to keep telling her that it was because Hugh kept making me think and reflect! I'm not sure how anyone could rate this book anything but a 5. The only negative feedback I've seen is in regard to the character development. But what these people have wrong is that the story isn't about the characters, it's about humanity, the silos, the legacy, and the future. Donald himself realized that typical extinction-level events wipe out the people, not the culture, and that the silos were doing the opposite. Donald's realizations in part 3 showed him that this project was so much bigger than him or Thurman or anyone else. None of this is about them, it's about humanity, what they have the power to do or not to do, and whether they have the strength to do it when it counts the most. So anyone who says that there isn't enough depth to the character clearly hasn't broken the surface of the story that Hugh is trying to tell. The fact that the story isn't undermined by character development for everyone is the very reason this book is so good. That being said, I'm going to play devil's advocate here and talk about how phenomenal the development of Mission and Jimmy was. We got Mission for all of part 2, and he was a somewhat standalone story that did inform the larger story. But his development, actions, and ending were beautiful and tragic. Jimmy, on the other hand, was the story I didn't know I needed. Honestly, I felt like I had enough of him after Wool. He was a mysterious character who satisfied me with enough of his backstory to assume we were done with him. He was only there to aid Jules' story, right? So when I was gifted an entire 3rd of the book to him, I was surprised but thrilled. We followed him for almost a lifetime, so much so that I felt like I WAS him. Hugh went above and beyond, even changing the way he wrote to be more ignorant, innocent, and immature, exactly how someone would be if they were forever a child. My favorite thing Hugh did was the way he brilliantly switched between "Jimmy" and "Solo." How Jimmy slowly became Solo, that realization sinking in over time, until he allowed the Solo persona to consume him. But then we got Jimmy back when he was no longer Solo: when he found his friend. And, as we all expected but hoped would never happen, Jimmy became Solo again, years later, when he lost Shadow. And, of course, we all know that once him and Jules got close enough, he became Jimmy again. Gosh, what a fantastic character. I'm sorry, I feel like I'm just rambling, but this book was just so damn good. Everyone should read it. I'm so pumped to start Dust tonight, but terrified of the story ending. But at least I have the Apple + show to look forward to!

Shift is the sequel to Wool in the Silo series by Hugh Howey. Hugh is a very interesting writer. His chapters are short but impactful. He's very good at slowly peeling back the onion. He will very often slip in a detail that changes everything about what we've learned which makes for a fun read. I'm rating this book a 4 out 5. The only reason I'm not giving it a 5 out 5 is it is incredibly depressing. This is a very sad story about the end of the world and maybe it's the quarantine life we live in today but by the end of this book I just needed it to be over. I found the ending to leave you wanting a little bit more. We didn't quite get all the answers we wanted. Maybe those will get answered in the sequel Dust. Overall: very entertaining read. Plenty of twists and turns. Very sad. Would recommend to a friend. Could not put it down at times. Maybe this is a 3 as I don't think I'd recommend it for everyone. But it's a great book that anyone would enjoy. Rating System: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I loved the book so much I would reread it again and would recommend to a friend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Thoroughly enjoyed the book, could not put it down, would recommend to a friend, but do not need to read again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Probably a good book that I enjoyed but there was something about it that I did not love (ex: writing style, POV, etc.). I would only recommend to a friend if it was their “type” of book. ⭐️⭐️ - A book I have below average feelings for and it would not come with a recommendation from me but I would mention it in conversation if related to the book topic at issue. ⭐️ - I finished the book but I hated every second of it.

This review is cross-posted from Papyrus Independent Author Reviews First we uncovered the secret behind the Silo - the secret that explains the present. But what will we find if we dig further? What will be revealed when we go back to the start of it all? "Shift" is the second book in the Silo trilogy and the prequel to "Wool", a best-selling novel that I reviewed very favourably in 2012. Where "Wool" landed us in a post-apocalyptic present and slowly revealed a devastating reality, "Shift" takes us back to the pre-apocalyptic past and replays the start of an horrific dynasty. The novel is divided into three parts - or "shifts", spanning hundreds of years. Our key shift worker is Troy and we follow him as he acclimatises to life in the Silo and his gradual understanding of who he is and how he is. The apocalypse has passed. Interspersed with our introduction to Troy is the revelation of how the apocalypse came to be. Having read "Wool", this was a back-story I was very interested in. Threats, paranoia and politics feature as expected, but also some new technology is introduced. It's this piece of technology that starts to give shape to the entire trilogy, and it's at this point I realised the author needed to step backwards in order to move forwards. But our review of pre-apocalyptic history doesn't reveal all of the secrets to be found in this novel. There are "plans within plans" that gradually surface over the course of the three shifts. Some cast a new light on events and phenomena encountered in the previous book, while others help to set up the premise for the final book of the trilogy. Not satisfied in merely fleshing out a background to the idea of the Silo, the author also relates the stories that lead up to and even run parallel to the story of "Wool". To me, this was the most satisfying element of the novel. It gave the original story more life and more excitement when played out from a fresh perspective. While reading the third shift, I was experiencing that familiar excitement and awe that gripped me during the first novel. I wasn't completely impressed with the choices the author made in constructing this post-apocalyptic world. The technology introduced was interesting, but how it was used didn't always gel with me. Additionally, the setting of the stage for the final book was almost too obvious. I'm sure there will be some exciting revelations to come, but I can already see the path quite clearly which perhaps robs the next novel of a few early reveals. Reservations aside, the risk the author took to relate interlocking stories with the first novel showed some courage. It was quite possible for the attempt to have actually lessened the value of the story told in "Wool". However, in my mind, the effort enhances rather than detracts, weaving gracefully and seamlessly between the lines of the first story. Troy is definitely the main character and luckily, a very worthwhile one. I really enjoyed the experience of seeing the Silo through his eyes and walking the corridors in his shoes. I'm always impressed when an author chooses to give the protagonist a few shades of grey, and Troy presented an interesting study. Vulnerability blends with determination; pragmatism with idealism. And not all acts and choices seem humane. The supporting cast are not really fleshed out in their own right as we see them primarily through the eyes of Troy. However, one of the aspects of the novel that I enjoyed is the idea that the "baddies" are not actually evil. I felt the previous novel hinted at this and "Shift" takes this a step further. The actors all demonstrate both selfishness and a brand of altruism along with a willingness to do what is required for what they believe to be right. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I've been so impressed with the world that the author has created. I find that instead of pointing my finger in blame, I end up wondering how I would cope with that kind of knowledge, that responsibility. At the end of the novel, I don't necessarily feel that Troy's decisions are righteous, just that they will change the path originally set. The writing is fluid and capable, which in my second experience with this author was fully expected; I would have been disappointed if it proved otherwise. While I wouldn't call the effort poetry in prose, it achieves exactly what it needs to achieve without flourish, but also without fault. Even acknowledging the few qualms I have with plot choices, I am sold, sold, sold on the world Hugh Howey has created. It is terrifying, riddled with moral ambiguity and mirrors current reality more than its exaggerated vision initially suggests. I'll be there for the third novel and I already have the rest of his catalogue in my sights.

O produto chegou bem embalado e em boas condições, porém chegou uma edição diferente. Acho que seria prudente terem mais atenção para garantir que as imagens representem exatamente o produto que será enviada ao cliente. Ainda mais porque esse é um livro de uma série e quem compra livro pode ser bem criterioso quanto a ter os livros de uma série combinando.

This thing is bulky and tougher read then wool but justified due to the insane historical plot buildup required to explain much of the things we read about in wool. While Wool was definitely the most engaging book of the Trilogy, SHIFT fascinated me the most. Also I feel compelled to pick up this book time and again but never felt the same for others.

Where do I begin? After being totally floored by the brilliance of Wool and I am not just saying that, I geared myself up to read Shift. Now I am always a little nervous reading the second installment in a series, what if this book is not as good as the last? Not to fear reader! There is no difference in the quality of this book but I will say please read Wool first as this is a prequel but at the end it does bring us in line with the end of Wool. This novel gives us a deeper insight about why the inhabitants of the silo are deep underground in the first place and it flits between the 21st and 22nd centuries to do this. At the end of the last book it was discovered that there is more just the one silo, you discover that there are a lot more (but hah! you will have to read to find out exactly how many) and this book concentrates on Silo 1 which is the main silo. Also you will note that Silo 1 is a lot different than Silo 18, I mean it has a lift (sorry elevator!) amongst other things! In the 21st century we meet Donald Keene who is a member of Congress along with Senator Thurman, The Senator needs help with a project he is working on, a highly confidential project and he wants Donald to work on it, the project is for disposing of spent nuclear fuel in Georgia. But it becomes clear that the Senator's project is more that meets the eye. Of course it turns out the construction is not for nuclear fuel and during a convention at the finished construction site nuclear bombs explode all around and the attendees have no other option than to enter the silos. In the 22nd century a man called Troy awakes from being frozen, foggy about his past he is about to work a six month shift in Silo 1. He gets fleeting memories of his past life but he is told to take a blue pill to help him forget. On his shift it becomes apparent the there is trouble in the other silos and Silo 12 goes dark during this book. Troy wants to remember more about his past and stops taking them which leads to him remembering more about the events of the convention in Georgia, he is eventually refrozen but when Silo 18 starts to have trouble he is re-awoken to assist. The rest of the book is a pure treat, I do not want to give to much away but we learn more about Silo 1 and what happened to Silo 17, there is so much more I could tell you about this book but it is such a delicious read I want you to enjoy it!!

Hacía mucho tiempo que no me metía tan dentro de un libro. He leído el primero de la saga y este. Durante 3 días he estado enganchado, no podía esperar a saber más sobre cómo avanzaban los personajes y el misterio detrás. Casi me cuesta una discusión con mi novia y el trabajo, pero ha merecido la pena. En concreto, Shift es una precuela de Wool, pero muy necesario para entender el origen de todo y preparar el terreno par el desenlace en Dust.

Excellently written. My favourite book in the trilogy.