Review: Release
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 17, 2013
"A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones. Nothing comes from nothing.”― Salman Rushdie, Haroun And The Sea Of StoriesOriginally, the creator, the father of Wool, is Hugh Howey. He gave birth to that story. It is his rightful baby. Yet other people adopted it. In literature, it is the only way for a baby to grow.First of all: readers. They discovered Wool, loved it, made it their own, craved siblings, and became a little mad in the process.Then, other writers, who rose up to the challenge and expanded the owner's universe. They created their own babies, like proud fathers in their turn.They shadowed the master, learned the trade the way people do down in the silo. Shadowing being like tutoring, like raising a child.The Runner came out in January. WJ Davies's baby will be completed by August. About nine months, like a pregnancy. Each book out is a release, part of a growing process.In The Diver, the word "baby" is used 14 times. "Pregnant" 6 times. "Birth" 7 times. Conception is clearly at the core of the narrative. As is often the case, it is paralleled by "Death", omnipresent too (19 times)."One goes out, one comes in" is a common saying. It takes a deeper meaning in the Wooliverse. You can't bring a new life inside before someone dies.Silo dwellers are trapped, like unborn babies inside a womb. Children of the Earth. Cursed: Life inside is unbearable, Life above is impossible.Revolution is waiting to be released. It is slowly brewing, fed by people's unrest, it is growing and changing shape. Like an unruly child, it too can get out of hand.It is palpable that the Silo is about to explode and finally give birth to its babies. Symbolically, water broke (a long time ago), pushing from under, pushing outwards. Conundrum: the Outside world is too dangerous. It is impossible to cut the umbilical cord: the air will be unbreathable, walking and moving freely will prove too hard, lethal.Down inside the silo some won't have babies because they're gay and they have to hide their love, considered by too many to be an unnatural child in itself. Some want babies but can't because they haven't won the lottery that allows them to do so. Some have babies illegally. The whole process of Life is denied, though it is an ordinary cycle that gives it its  meaning.Adults are condemned to live like babies, are forced to follow and obey the rules of a system they don't understand and fear. Respecting orders is a constant in the silo, from people to social groups to the whole place: baby silos are indeed taking their orders from parent silos (1 and 36), though only the Initiated know the drill, during which they look like powerless children addressing almighty gods.What's really frightening is that, were you to remove the "silo" thing from this review, you'd believe the previous paragraphs were about Life as we know it already.Congratulations, Mr Davies. Like a cared-for, cherished child should, your Diver has made YOU grow in the process as well. And it will have everyone marvel over it.