Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 - 5)

By: Hugh Howey

Narrated by: Minnie Goode

Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.

©Lifetime +70 years Hugh Howey (P)2012 Hugh Howey

Good post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel!

Having now completed not only Wool but Shift and Dust, all related and all written by Hugh Howey, I conclude that the author certainly has story telling talent. I plan to write brief summaries of all three. Like most contemporary sci-fi Wool is dystopian meaning that following the apocalyptic event people live a dehumanizing and fearful existence as the strive to rebuild. I listen to many dystopian series; most are better than Wool. In this case they live deep underground in what the author calls a silo. The narration is, to put it as kindly as possible, horrid. If you would like this book I suggest not purchasing the audio version.

Author Hugh Howey makes all of his books available at very low price for the ebooks and for audio versions when purchased with the ebooks. As a reader/listener I appreciate what he and other well and lesser known authors have done by moving to self publishing, It is usually a good deal for them also. Such well known authors who have adopted the model after using traditional publishers include Barry Eisler, Joe Konrath, and Brett Battles.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Annoyingly good...

This book is the worst narrated audiobook I have ever listened to. The narrator used very bizarre voices for many of the characters , I almost could not listen to her.
The premise of the story is good and its nice that sixteen year olds are not the main characters in this dystopian story...for once. I am curious to see what happens next but I fear that the story is heading in a hopeless direction. I hope I am proven wrong in that assumption. I am very glad the next installment is read by someone else!

33 of 36 people found this review helpful

One of my favorites

I almost didn't download this book because of the extensive negative reviews on the narrator, but luckily I didn’t let those reviews deter me and I am so thankful for that. This book is hard to walk away from, if I could I would have listened to it straight through to the end. The narrator, for me at least, was very good. Some of her male voices were a little strained, but I find that common with female narrators. With any amount of imagination you should be able to listen to this book and get submerged into its horrible and remarkable storyline. I would 100% recommend this to someone.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

Good Story, Should have READ it

Story and premise is imaginative and definitely held my interest. Consider purchasing a paper or ebook. However, I found myself wincing at the over acted narration. The narrator feels the need to use a different voice for every character however the narrator can't do other voices, so they come off like bad impressions. A lone southern accent in an massive underground bunker hundreds of years in the future? A weasel like voice for the villain? It's too much. The pacing and enunciation are off. Bizarre giggles sporadically and then she breaks into baby talk into Part 4. It's not just distracting, it’s awful. I will be avoiding Minnie Goode in the future.

89 of 104 people found this review helpful

"0" Star Performance

Would you try another book from Hugh Howey and/or Minnie Goode?

Never, ever, EVER from Minnie Goodie. I've listened to hundreds of books and never written a review- but I had to about this narrator in hopes that she doesn't read another book out loud. She was so distracting when she talked in her "voices" that is was hard to focus on the very good story. Did no one listen to her before or after she narrated this book? She sounds like someone trying to read a book to a 5yr old-and failing at that. I really enjoyed the story.. and would defiantly listen to another book from Hugh Howey as long as Minnie is not involved.

Would you be willing to try another one of Minnie Goode’s performances?

Never

97 of 117 people found this review helpful

Clownish Narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Please re-record this book, the narration is bad. Why would the older people in the book talk like crazy gold prospectors?

43 of 53 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable story, unfortunate narration

If you’re nostalgic for Cold War-era science fiction, Wool feels like a throwback to some of the themes common to that time, but with 2011 sensibilities. The story takes places generations after some forgotten apocalypse has made the Earth’s surface uninhabitable. The only population of human beings left dwells in an immense underground bunker/biosphere complex known as "The Silo". The first episode in the omnibus sets up the world with the story of a man sentenced to death for making a certain forbidden statement and banished to the surface. As his last act of public penance, he is expected to clean the lenses of the cameras that look out over the wasted landscape. Why, he wonders, have all the previously condemned voluntarily complied with this request? Of course, there are things he hasn’t been told...

The remaining “episodes” work more as a single novel, developing other character POVs and revealing the workings, history, and politics of the Silo in more depth. The writing is a little amateurish, but I enjoyed the story, which could easily work as a short TV series. Howey sets up some interesting mysteries and relatable (if not very sophisticated) characters. The setting reminded me a little of the TV show Battlestar Galactica, with much of the action taking place in tight, spaceship-like confines, and with an adversarial character that's arrogant and devious, but not without his own concern for the greater good. If certain aspects of the Silo require a little suspension of disbelief, most of it is well thought-out.

Unfortunately, the last chapters of the story feel rushed and lapse into predictability, but, other than that misstep, it’s a successful example of self-publishing’s potential to give voice to fresh ideas (or, in this case, an old idea done freshly).

On the audiobook production, I wonder if Minnie Goode was auditioned in a hurry, because her narration is simply a bad fit. She overdoes makes some of the character voices and inserts sighs and chuckles in an irritating way. And, dear audiobook narrators, for the love of God, stop trying to do “adorable” children’s voices -- it’s like an icepick in my ears. Still, the worst offenses are infrequent enough that they didn’t ruin my overall experience. I wouldn’t necessarily let negative reviews of the narration discourage you from a listen, though some readers will undoubtedly prefer a written copy.

(Another thanks to Luke at the Sci-Fi Book Review Podcast for the recommendation)

40 of 50 people found this review helpful

Terrible, No Good, ROTTEN Narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I have been "reading" audiobooks for years and this is my first review. I felt the need to save someone from Minnie Goode's appalling narration. I have never returned a book to Audible but this one is definitely being returned.

The story is great but any poorly written sentences or undeveloped characters are completely exacerbated by Goode's narration. I got half-way through and could have definitely overlooked her ridiculous voices when the novella required voicing only a handful of characters, but as more and more people come into the story, her voices get more and more ridiculous. This will be the first audiobook I can't push through; I've already bought the ebook and will finish it the old-fashioned way.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 - 5)?

The first novella is the best.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Her need to create a different voice for each character was ridiculous. I could not finish the book in audio format because of this.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Absolutely.

Any additional comments?

No more Minnie Goode audiobooks!!!

27 of 34 people found this review helpful

I'm sorry, Minnie, this isn't the book for you.

I'm giving the story 5 stars even though I couldn't get past the first 20 minutes of the book.

I've listened to hundreds of audiobooks. Occasionally I'll come across a narrator that I don't think I'll like, but he/she grows on me after awhile and I realize why they were chosen to read that particular book. This is NOT the case with this book. The narration is completely over-done and erratic. Reminds me of a soap opera. I imagine it's a lot like I would sound if I tried to narrate a book. Why a female? Please contact Edoardo Ballerini or Holter Graham as soon as possible. They're worth whatever they charge.

48 of 62 people found this review helpful

Is this a "YA" book?

This is my first Hugh Howey novel - and it is an interesting idea. Not an original idea, but an interesting idea. There is no way to briefly describe the plot without spoilers. But then again, if you've read any dystopian sci-fi, the plot "twists" will not seem, well, twisty.

But I can see a germ of an interesting premise here. Unfortunately it's buried under a dreadful narration. The central character is in her mid-thirties, and the voice is that of a 12 year old. In places she actually giggles. I don't believe this is meant to be a "Young Adult" novel - but its definitely read that way.

I just can't recommend this version. Maybe I'll try another in the series in print format.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

not for me<br />

I didn't enjoy this book. There were too many holes in it. It was not believable. I think it is better suited to a teenage audience.

Entertaining

Fast-paced & interesting with lots of human-interest stories. The protagonist is not a teenager, which makes a nice change. If there were more in the series I'd be eagerly awaiting them.