Wool for Window Cleaning

 

I honestly cannot remember the last time I read Science Fiction. Probably when I was a kid and dreamed of worlds beyond our own. (Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov etc.) So, I was reading eBook reviews in the Kindle bookstore and this  one caught my eye because of the massive number of reviews it received, the average of which was 4.5 stars.

 

This volume, "Omnibus" is a compilation of the first five installments of the "Wool" series of novels. I believe one more is written and a few more are on their way. Good!

 

The premise is intriguing. There is an underground city, built vertically, like a silo. It goes down about 148 levels into the bowels of the earth, and it is self sustaining, and apparently has been there for a long time. How it got there is a mystery. The top floor is ground level and what is seen out of the 'windows' is a desolate and toxic scene, the surface of the earth that is uninhabitable. The whole place is sealed and the outside is only visible via sensors that are rigged to wide screen TVs in the cafeteria on the top floor. The sensors get smudged with dirt and toxins and need to be cleaned every so often. This is done by criminals who are sentenced to death. They are given a suit that withstands the earth's toxins just long enough for them to wipe the sensors clean with wool cloths. Most who are sent out for a "cleaning" say they will refuse to do the bidding of those who sentenced them to death, and yet, every single one of the "cleaners", once they get outside, do the job enthusiastically, and then turn to the hills and walk away to certain death. And that is the mystery and that is the story that slowly develops into a most intriguing and suspenseful novel. 

 

But I have given enough away. I will say the author knows his craft. He develops his characters slowly and carefully. The plot moves ahead inexorably, and then suddenly takes a giant leap forward. The pieces do come together, but there are still many unanswered questions.  The book is most difficult to put down. The story plays on age old themes of hope, freedom, fear of the unknown, and courage. As the mystery of the silo unfolds you will totally understand how the author could write sequels forever and then write a dozen prequels. This is good stuff! I just hope it is not our future.

 

4 1/2 stars