What book is Silo based on?
Wool, book 1 of Silo, by Hugh Howey (seasons 1 and 2 adapt Wool; season 4 will be the last).
Wool began as five connected stories, so the book moves through several characters before Juliette takes over.
- 1This is the book behind Silo (Apple TV+) · seasons 1 and 2 adapt Wool; season 4 will be the last
Wool
2011 · Silo (Apple TV+), seasons 1 and 2Thousands of people live underground in a silo, and asking to go outside is a death sentence.
Buy on Amazon(paid link) - 2
Shift
2013 · Silo (Apple TV+), season 3 (2026)Prequel: how the silos were built, and why.
Buy on Amazon(paid link) - 3
Dust
2013 · Expected in season 4, the lastThe end of the story: Juliette against the people who built the silos.
Buy on Amazon(paid link)
The Silo trilogy
Wool, Shift and Dust.
What the books give you
Only in the books
Wool began as a series of short stories, and the book follows several characters before Juliette takes over.
What the screen changes
The series stretches the first book across two seasons and gives more time to life inside the silo.
Show differences (spoilers)
In the series, Juliette goes outside at the end of season 1; in the book this happens about halfway through Wool.
Editions
- 1
Wool, paperback
The book behind the series.
See on Amazon(paid link) - 2
The Silo trilogy, paperback set
All three books.
See on Amazon(paid link) - 3
Wool audiobook
For long commutes.
See on Amazon(paid link)
More by Hugh Howey
- 1
Sand
2014 · a desert world where divers search under the dunes
Buy on Amazon(paid link) - 2
Beacon 23
2015 · a lighthouse keeper in space, an MGM+ series
Buy on Amazon(paid link) - 3
Half Way Home
2010 · colonists woken too early on a new planet
Buy on Amazon(paid link)
If you liked it
- 1
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel · 2014 · an HBO Max series
Buy on Amazon(paid link) - 2
The Road
Cormac McCarthy · 2006 · a 2009 movie
Buy on Amazon(paid link) - 3
Recursion
Blake Crouch · 2019
Buy on Amazon(paid link)
Quick answers
Which book is each movie and series based on?
| Movie or series | Book |
|---|---|
| Silo (Apple TV+) | Wool (2011) · seasons 1 and 2 adapt Wool; season 4 will be the last |
| Silo season 3 (2026, series) | Shift (2013) · a loose adaptation of Shift, with flashbacks to how the silos began |
In what order should I read Silo?
Read Wool, then Shift and Dust, the three books of the Silo series by Hugh Howey (2011–2013). The Apple TV+ series Silo follows them in this order.
What book is the Silo series based on?
Silo is based on Hugh Howey's Silo trilogy. Seasons 1 and 2 cover Wool, season 3 (2026) draws on Shift, and season 4, the last, is expected to adapt Dust.
How many Silo books are there?
Three: Wool, Shift and Dust. Shift is a prequel about how the silos were built.