Wool

Wool Study Guide

Originally a short story, "Wool" takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity lives in an underground silo. After receiving positive feedback on his work, author Hugh Howey expanded the story into a novel-length text, which he self-published on Amazon in 2011. Wool (the novelization) is the first installment in the Silo series, followed by the sequels Dust and Shift. This guide covers the original short story, which became the first section of the full-length novel.

Disillusioned by the traditional publishing process, Howey self-published Wool as an e-book available on Amazon. Later, after the book became a financial success, the publishing company Simon & Schuster acquired publication rights and sold physical copies in America and Canada. The novel was named a #1 Bestseller on Amazon and won the Kindle Book Review’s Best Indie Book of 2012. 20th Century Fox acquired film rights for the series, with Ridley Scott optioning as a potential director.