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Shift

Shift

DystopianPost-Apocalyptic
Pages
576
Published
2013
Language
English

Synopsis

In a world on the brink of collapse, a select few prepare for a future hidden from the rest of humanity. They are building a new world underground, a path from which there is no return. The history of the silo is about to be written, and a new future is about to begin.

Prose complexity
7/10

Published in parts

1 book
Book cover of First Shift Legacy
#1.00
First Shift Legacy

Vibe

DarkTenseThought-ProvokingAtmospheric
SurvivalQuestDual TimelineMultiple POVs

Genres

Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction

About the author

H
Hugh Howey

Hugh Howey (born June 23, 1975) is an American science fiction writer best known for the Silo series — Wool, Shift and Dust — which he began self-publishing through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing platform in 2011. Wool became a New York Times bestseller and was adapted as the Apple TV+ series Silo; his novel Beacon 23 was adapted for MGM+. He has also written the Sand series and the short story collection Machine Learning, and has edited and contributed to anthology series including The Apoca...

Characters

Donald KeeneProtagonist

A congressman turned architect of the underground silo project, whose growing complicity and doubt drive the book's present-day timeline.

Senator ThurmanAntagonist

The senator who recruits Donald to design the silos and oversees the project that leads to humanity's collapse.

Anna ThurmanSupporting

Senator Thurman's daughter and Donald's former girlfriend, who draws him back into the silo project decades later.

Mission JonesSupporting

A teenage porter in Silo 18 caught up in the Great Uprising, generations after Donald's story begins.

SoloSupporting

The lone survivor of Silo 17's collapse, living in isolation for decades before Juliette finds him.

All characters in Shift

Frequently asked questions

  • Is Shift a standalone story or part of a series?

    Shift is the second book in the Silo series, following Wool. While it expands on the world and backstory, it is best read after the first book to fully appreciate the narrative.

  • Does Shift have a different narrative structure than Wool?

    Unlike the first book's more linear progression, Shift employs a non-linear narrative, jumping between different time periods and perspectives to reveal the origins of the silo society.

  • Is there a TV adaptation of the Silo series?

    The Silo series, which includes Shift, has been adapted into a television series. The adaptation covers events from the books, offering a visual interpretation of the underground world.

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