Dust Review

Title: Dust
Author: Hugh Howey
Date Purchased: 11/27/2017
Price Paid: $2.11
Date Finished: 6/20/2021
Rating: 3.5/5

I have always disliked dystopian stories, but it wasn’t until recently that I really started to dig into the “why” behind my stance. It obviously varies from story to story, but it typically boils down to this: the real world can be a giant bag of shit, where hope can be hard to find. I don’t need that in a hobby that I use as relaxation and an escape.

Dystopian stories, and again I realize that I’m painting with a broad brush here, have a tendency to tell a story where the author will go to great lengths to describe the futility of existence. Any good things that happen in the story or to the characters are tempered by a healthy dose of “none of this matters”. That tires me out.

The story that Hugh Howey started in the first two books of the Silo series painted a pretty vivid, if bleak, landscape. Perhaps the difference was that there seemed to be some sort of mystery, perhaps it wasn’t the normal dystopian shitshow. For whatever reason, I found myself engaged with this series. Did it stick the landing?

Kinda.

Aren’t I the worst?

Look, I enjoyed the ending of this series for the most part. Howey answers the questions that have been asked across the previous two books and brings his characters to a reasonable end. And, get this…it’s a happy ending! We see some characters complete a good transformative journey, there’s lots of growth, and plot threads are neatly tied up.

My problem circles back to something I brought up when reviewing Shift – I just didn’t care about the characters from Silo 17. From a writing standpoint, I completely understand why they are there: they give Jules a reason to drill into an adjoining silo, they show the insular nature of each silo, and they serve as a tool that humanizes and transforms Jules.

That didn’t make me care about them. I don’t know if they weren’t well developed, if I was way more involved in the other characters, or if it was something else…but I couldn’t make myself care about their stories. Hell, one of them dies “offscreen” at one point and I literally found myself going “who was that??”.

Looking at the folks from Silo 1, we see some interesting storylines playing out here. Donald redeems himself and enacts revenge on the creators of this world, his sister finds her freedom, and we get a peek into the mentality of those that are comfortable with just doing the job they are paid to do. Certainly some things to unpack with that sentiment.

I struggled with the rating for this book a little – I did like the overall story, which raised it up a bit, but the overall quality declined from the first book.

Final Thoughts: The trilogy is a quick read, but declines after the first book. Dust ends on a note I’m happy with, so that felt fulfilling.