Person
Every book Hugh Howey recommended on podcasts
Hugh Howey is an American science fiction author best known for writing the bestselling Silo series, which includes the novel Wool. During his appearance on The Tim Ferriss Show, Howey recommended Amor Towles's novel The Lincoln Highway, praising it as spectacular, and expressed great enthusiasm for Towles's upcoming short story collection Table for Two. Much of the literary discussion centered around his own breakout work, Wool. Howey detailed the unconventional publishing journey of the novel, explaining how its serial release strategy helped it become the most-reviewed and highest-reviewed item on Amazon in the year it was released. He discussed how Wool achieved New York Times bestseller status and secured a feature film option with Ridley Scott and 20th Century Fox before he ever signed with a traditional publisher. Furthermore, Howey spoke about the strategic decision to reclaim the rights to the book and take it back to auction with publishers. In addition to discussing his own writing success, Howey recalled reading classic speculative fiction as a teenager, specifically mentioning Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game.
Books recommended by Hugh Howey
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Table for Two
Table for Two by Amor Towles is a collection of short stories and novellas encompassing both urban narratives set in New York and tales situated in Hollywood.
Recommended“there's a a short story collection coming out by him this year called a table for two oh can't wait to read it get it on day one”
Where to get it
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The Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles is a historical novel that follows a young man driving cross-country in 1954 America alongside several unexpected companions.
Recommended“recommended linoln highway to me linoln Highway which I thought was spectacular”
Where to get it
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Circe
Circe by Madeline Miller is a mythological fantasy novel that reimagines the story of the witch Circe from Homer's Odyssey, narrated from her own perspective.
Discussed“Cersei have you read that I haven't yet read it I have seen so many people reading it I've seen friends reading it took me forever to read that the pros in that book is so special and will make you a better writer”
Where to get it
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Ender's Game
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is a military science fiction novel about a gifted child sent to an advanced orbital battle school to prepare for an impending alien invasion.
Discussed“I think it was uh hitchhiker's guy to the Galaxy and Enders Game I read them back to back”
Where to get it
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is a comedic science fiction classic that follows the absurd interstellar adventures of an ordinary human named Arthur Dent.
Discussed“I think it was uh hitchhiker's guy to the Galaxy and Enders Game I read them back to back”
Where to get it
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The Iliad
The Iliad by Homer is an epic ancient Greek poem that recounts the wrath of Achilles and key dramatic events near the end of the Trojan War.
Discussed“and the fact that I can read The Iliad 2,000 year old story written in a different language in a different time and the human emotion of it resonates with me today”
Where to get it
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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is a bestselling novel that follows the complex, decades-long creative and personal partnership of two friends who design video games.
Discussed“just recently it's another one that someone recommended was tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow oh I haven't heard of it I tried to read that like five times and it was the hottest thing”
Where to get it
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Wool
Wool by Hugh Howey is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel set in a vast underground silo where humanity survives under strict rules.
Discussed“it worked so well that the year that wool came out it was the most reviewed and highest reviewed item on Amazon”
Where to get it
Books Hugh Howey wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #726: Hugh Howey, Author of Silo and Wool — A Masterclass on Writing, Unorthodox Self-Publishing, and Living in The AI Age | The Tim Ferriss Show | 2024-03-13 | 12 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“but we're doing a a deluxe edition of wool that'll be out later this year which I'm probably upsetting Somebody by talking about it”