Wool vs Silo (Book vs Show)

[Meredith Quill]

Your Book Talk Topic!

[Whimsy]

Just finished Wool and then stumbled on the fact that this series was made. I had no idea!  Interested in seeing this story on my screen. 

[Whimsy]

Couple of things I noticed were different between book and series during episode 1 is 

• I remember the Sheriff knowing a lot more about what Allison found. Additionally, I thought she did a lot more digging on her own, not just essentially one data-dump and she went off the rails. 
• I don’t recall the tunnel being mentioned so early or in relation to the information Allison found, but I could be wrong. 
• I remember a lot of talk about jumpsuits and certain colors for each job. Even the sheriff uniform was described as a jumpsuit. I was expecting a lot more separation of classes and jobs based on a sea of jumpsuits.
• I didn’t notice any apprentices.
• George’s murder was really accelerated. In the book, Allison was dead 3 years before Sheriff Holston was cleaned and he had met Julia the previous year for the investigation of George’s murder.

Any one else read the books and see other differences?

[Quickbeam]

For me, the primary difference is that the book gave me a constant sense of claustrophobia while the show is a far more open set. I like the adaptation for this episode and I think the feel overall hews close to the book.

ETA: I’ve read the trilogy and am a huge fan of the work and author. 

Edited May 6, 2023 by Quickbeam
Addition

[Rickster]

I haven’t read the book, but oddly one thing that struck me in the first episode was “boy, they must have quite a clothing manufacturing industry in that silo for people to be wearing such a variety of clothing”. Jumpsuits would have made a lot more sense.

[Affogato]

I was searching my Kindle and I apparently own the Wool graphic novel omnibus. Total surprise to me. It must have been free or very cheap. I will have to read it someday. However, a casual page through, and the appearance/design seems to be a lot like the show.  Grimy, but roomy.

I also went to the book and Holston is thinking about the staircase as being something that was meant for dozens to use regularly and not hundreds. A different staircase entirely.

1 minute ago, Affogato said:

I was searching my Kindle and I apparently own the Wool graphic novel omnibus. Total surprise to me. It must have been free or very cheap. I will have to read it someday. However, a casual page through, and the appearance/design seems to be a lot like the show.  Grimy, but roomy.

I also went to the book and Holston is thinking about the staircase as being something that was meant for dozens to use regularly and not hundreds. A different staircase entirely. And he talks about how when he was a child it had seemed huge, but now it seems small and claustrophobic.

No, I talk to myself all the time, really....

Edited May 8, 2023 by Affogato
I'm an idiot?

[Whimsy]

8 hours ago, Affogato said:

I was searching my Kindle and I apparently own the Wool graphic novel omnibus. Total surprise to me. It must have been free or very cheap. I will have to read it someday. However, a casual page through, and the appearance/design seems to be a lot like the show.  Grimy, but roomy.

I also went to the book and Holston is thinking about the staircase as being something that was meant for dozens to use regularly and not hundreds. A different staircase entirely.

No, I talk to myself all the time, really....

This is how I pictured it when reading, too, but to be fair, I was picturing it more like the staircase at my work which just has the normal concrete stairs and wrought iron bannister, so I’m sure that’s a totally wrong mental picture. It’s just all I had to draw from I guess. 

[CarpeFelis]

On 5/5/2023 at 2:13 PM, Whimsy said:

Any one else read the books and see other differences?

I just finished reading the trilogy. I don’t recall Allison having as prominent a role in it as she does in the show. Tim Robbins is nothing like book Bernard who’s supposed to be short, pot-bellied and (if I recall correctly) sort of snaggle toothed. Also wondering where Lukas is. No character by that name listed in IMDB.

Edited May 19, 2023 by CarpeFelis

[Whimsy]

7 hours ago, CarpeFelis said:

I just finished reading the trilogy. I don’t recall Allison having as prominent a role in it as she does in the show. Tim Robbins is nothing like book Bernard who’s supposed to be short, pot-bellied and (if I recall correctly) sort of snaggle toothed. Also wondering where Lukas is. No character by that name listed in IMDB.

I think Lukas hasn't been introduced yet.  Just finished the 2nd book and waiting for the third on Libby.  I'm wondering, if the show is renewed, if it will follow the structure of jumping around in time as the 2nd book.  And with essentially all new characters except Solo/Jimmy.

[katysax]

I can see the book in the first two episodes.  5 episodes in and I’m thinking the show is moving away from the books in a big way. I’m finding it confusing, boring and pointless. 

[Zaffy]

On 5/27/2023 at 2:30 AM, katysax said:

I can see the book in the first two episodes.  5 episodes in and I’m thinking the show is moving away from the books in a big way. I’m finding it confusing, boring and pointless. 

May I ask, if the Judicial exists in the books and plays that big of a role?

[katysax]

I don’t remember judicial in the books. If it was there it was not important. 

[arjumand]

On 6/13/2023 at 5:53 PM, katysax said:

I don’t remember judicial in the books. If it was there it was not important. 

Yeah, I've read all three books, and I was pretty surprised by the way the show made Judicial into the main antagonist - now I think I know why, because of what happens at the end of episode 6. Judicial was a red herring so that non-book readers aren't spoilt for the real villain before the show reveals them.

[Zaffy]

in the TV show, Judicial is the enforcer of the true "villain". Who has this role in the book?
 

Spoiler

Who helps Bernard keep the "order"?

Also, is there this sophisticated surveillance system in the books?

Edited June 19, 2023 by Zaffy

[RedditRefugee]

Judicial is essentially IT in the books. At least in the first half of the first book.

[RedditRefugee]

Having nearly finished book one, I can now confirm that Judicial is just another part of IT in the book.

[wembley]

Without spoiling me for anything beyond what s1 of the tv series depicts: I was surprised when trying to google a summary of the original short story that the tv series finale's big reveal (well, the first big reveal, the double-fakeout with the display) happens very early on? Is that true? 

[jacehan]

 

20 hours ago, wembley said:

Without spoiling me for anything beyond what s1 of the tv series depicts: I was surprised when trying to google a summary of the original short story that the tv series finale's big reveal (well, the first big reveal, the double-fakeout with the display) happens very early on? Is that true? 

Yes, it’s revealed at the end of part 1 (of 5) in the first book - it tells us what Holston sees when he takes off his helmet. Probably because it was published serially, so at that point it was just the ending of a short story.

—-

I’m wondering at how it seems like they’ll be changing Lucas’s role in a major way, and how they’ll do the rest of the story with that.

—-

In the books, isn’t there a Security department? Seems like Judicial is just that with a dollop of red herring on top

[Whimsy]

On 7/5/2023 at 11:29 PM, jacehan said:

 

Yes, it’s revealed at the end of part 1 (of 5) in the first book - it tells us what Holston sees when he takes off his helmet. Probably because it was published serially, so at that point it was just the ending of a short story.

—-

I’m wondering at how it seems like they’ll be changing Lucas’s role in a major way, and how they’ll do the rest of the story with that.

—-

In the books, isn’t there a Security department? Seems like Judicial is just that with a dollop of red herring on top

In the book it’s IT who is really in charge of everything. 
 

I just finished the third book and… I don’t know.  This series is so slow and boring to me. I don’t like all of the flashbacks with George.  They added so many other storylines that it’s just too different to me. Despite adding more characters and storylines, it’s still a drag for me. At this rate, we’ll need five seasons just to get through book 1.  

[jacehan]

Not sure what in your post is a response to mine?

[Whimsy]

On 7/5/2023 at 11:29 PM, jacehan said:

In the books, isn’t there a Security department? Seems like Judicial is just that with a dollop of red herring on top

This. 

[jacehan]

Okay, I know IT is in charge in the book, so I’m not sure how that’s relevant. As far as we know, they still are in the show. The question was if there was a Security department that worked as the muscle for IT, which is pretty much what Judicial is doing on the show.

[Paloma]

I first read the book (all the sections together in one book titled Wool) more than a decade ago and didn't remember much besides the general concept. So after watching the show I decided to reread the book. I may be in the minority, but so far the show has been much more interesting, both in the world-building and the mysteries. Holston and Allison were an important focus of the show but  barely there in the book. The book Bernard is much less nuanced and scary than the way Tim Robbins plays him in the show, and of course the physical description of Bernard in the book is extremely different. Another difference is that Walker is male in the book, which to me lessens the impact of the female Walker's maternal relationship with Jules. 

One of the more surprising differences to me is the element of religion, which seemed to be explicitly not part of the world in the show--if anything, the Pact seems to serve as the Bible and a replacement for religious ritual. I don't remember any mention of priests or G-d in the first season, but there have already been several of these religious references in the first part of the book. The apparent decision to omit these traditional religious references in the show is somewhat surprising because religion is a good way to pacify people and keep them in line ("religion is the opiate of the masses"), so it would make sense that people would be allowed to keep some version of the religion(s) practiced before the silo or before the uprising. But it also makes sense that an authoritarian government would want to eliminate people's belief in a power greater than the government. So I'm fine with the show version of that aspect.

 

 

[diebartdie]

On 8/12/2024 at 3:09 PM, Paloma said:

<snip>

One of the more surprising differences to me is the element of religion, which seemed to be explicitly not part of the world in the show--if anything, the Pact seems to serve as the Bible and a replacement for religious ritual. I don't remember any mention of priests or G-d in the first season, but there have already been several of these religious references in the first part of the book. The apparent decision to omit these traditional religious references in the show is somewhat surprising because religion is a good way to pacify people and keep them in line ("religion is the opiate of the masses"), so it would make sense that people would be allowed to keep some version of the religion(s) practiced before the silo or before the uprising. But it also makes sense that an authoritarian government would want to eliminate people's belief in a power greater than the government. So I'm fine with the show version of that aspect.

 

 

In today's world, religions of all stripes have gained terrifying power over people's lives. I can see how show runners will probably now be cutting storylines that show how awful religion is, how murderous, how ignorant, how craven, how cruel, how it props up authoritarians world wide including USA now and they will cower in fear.

We should be so lucky to end up in silo's.