In Wool, Shift, and Dust, Hugh Howey showed us his mastery of a future in which humanity has caused it's own downfall. He told complicated stories of a far future that we can deflect as being truly fiction. In the shell collector, Howey tells a less dramatic yet much more disturbing tale of a not so distant future. This future is more disturbing, not because of it's magnitude, but because it is such a believable extrapolation of todays world.The shell collector tells the story of a NY Times reporter, trying to dig up some dirt on an oil magnate called Ness. The setting is a world in which shells have become a most valuable commodity, not for their beauty, but for their rarity, for the animals which create these shells as their homes have become extinct.This story combines the all too familiar stories of: big oil, political lobbying, fear of the 'un-natural', and public opinion gone wrong. Though these stories are familiar, they are brought together to tell a new story of caution in more ways that you might expect.I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At times it was heartbreaking, beautiful, and nostalgic, not always at the same time, but always with an intensity that made me feel as well as think. This is a beautiful story set in the not-too-distant future. The world is familiar, but with enough alien touches to create a believable dystopia.I've read a lot of dystopian fiction and the most unusual aspect of the narrative world in this book is the setting. A reporter is profiling a very wealthy shell collector (and oil tycoon), so they are constantly surrounded by wealth in a world where natural resources are nearly depleted. The nonchalance with which the shell collector treats rare and expensive objects is shocking, but also understandable. The descriptions of the wealth and luxury which surrounds Ness completely drew me into the story.I finished reading in the early hours of the morning (4AM), went to sleep and dreamt about the story. When I woke up, I immediately wanted to continue reading, to return to this luscious world and was disappointed to find that I had completed the story already.Highly recommended to all readers. This book contains some mildly steamy romance.
What do You think about The Shell Collector (2014)?
I'd never read Hugh Howey before. This book was a pleasant read. I enjoyed it.
—rkortes
