Hugh Howey knows how to write dystopian worlds! This is the 2nd series from this author that I’ve read & just like the Wool Series (reviewed here) I need more.
This series takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where much of the remaining population lives under constant threat of being consumed by the shifting sands. Homes and businesses are rebuilt on top of those of the past already submerged under the sand & people known as divers risk their lives to search & retrieve remnants of the swallowed past deep in the dunes.
Sand, the 1st book in the series introduces us to our main characters, Palmer, his sister Vic & two brothers Conner & Rob. We get a little bit of each of their POV’s throughout the book. Palmer & Vic are both divers, some of the best, just like their father was. Divers use special suits that allow them to control the sand around them to be able to move through it & air-tanks much like under water divers to breath while under. Palmer wants to prove himself as the best, until he stumbles across the find that catapults him into diving infamy & the danger he & his family, & the rest of their community are in becomes apparent. Shuffling between the siblings POV brings so much depth to the story, it really feels like you know this family & their individual & collective turmoil. We’re also introduced to their mother in this book, although much more briefly as the siblings don’t have the best relationship with her & she is pretty much relegated to what can best be described as her brothel.
Because I consumed both books back to back I won’t complain about how unfinished book one felt, we move on, lets continue…
Across the Sand, book 2 we’re back with Palmer, Conner & Rob. Vic is gone & the boys are at even further odds with each other. While on their yearly camp out in the dunes, a tradition started by their father long ago & continued by the kids in hopes of his return, Violet comes to them & tells them she is their half-sister, sent by their father from a society beyond the dunes. Palmer is being hunted by sand pirates because of his huge discovery, the lost city of Danver, & Conner & Rob are trying to keep their new sister safe, save Palmer & figure out where the truth of this desert world lies. All of this leads them to finding this land in the east their sister Violet spoke of, where anyone who makes it from the desert is imprisoned & put to work in the mines. The mines that create & release so much dust & grit into the air that huge sand clouds form & cover everything to the west. Their mission becomes one of not just hopeless survival but also of vengeance & liberation.
In book 2 we get a small snippet of the why. Why the people of ‘low pub’ are living in this perpetual sand cloud, why they don’t get rain & why the water wells they work so hard to keep uncovered are drying up. Being completely honest though not nearly enough is really answered in either book. This review feels vague because the books were vague while simultaneously being quite detailed. The details are in the world & character building parts of the book, it really feels like you know these people, know what it’s like to swim through sand, to live in this desert land. But how the land became a giant desert, I don’t really know. What’s being mined creating the sand clouds & storms, I don’t think I know. Did something happen to making the mining necessary, I don’t know. Was it the nanos?!? I don’t know! Book 2 felt just as unfinished as the 1st. I’m hoping there will be a third to really tie up the story.
While researching a bit more on the books for this review I did see some mention of a possible TV adaptation for this series as well however, unless I completely missed it somehow, I wasn’t able to find any concrete evidence that it has happened, or is happening.
Ultimately I rated both books 4 stars because while the story felt unfinished to me it was still very good!
Thank you for joining me for another review, I’d love to read your thoughts on my review & of course on this book series too.
- Have you read this series?
- Which was your favorite book? (Rated them equally)
- What was your least favorite part? (The series felt unfinished)
- How many stars do you rate these book?
Hasta la próxima – V
Chatting with V 
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