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Into the Silo
AppleTV+ has the best sci-fi series you’re probably not watching right now, Silo.
Silo is based on a trilogy of novels by Hugh Howey. The novels are Wool (2011), Shift (2013), and Dust (2013). The story takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth. The first novel begins as the story of people living in a gigantic underground silo, one sustaining a population of about 10,000 people. This huge silo consists of 144 levels, with each level having 1–3 floors and extending over a mile deep underground. Each level has a function essential to the life of the silo, ranging from power production, food production, various utilities, waste reclamation, IT, and so forth. There is an occupational caste system in place, with those living and working in the lower levels considered to be sociologically beneath those who are living and working in the higher levels. In the structure of society, there are upper levels, mid-levels, and deep levels. Everyone has been taught from birth that the outside world is toxic and uninhabitable, and anyone who goes outdoors, whether voluntarily or as punishment, will die within minutes.
The TV series debuted on AppleTV+ in May 2023 and, as of this writing, is now midway into its second season. The series has a stunning set design that brings the world of the novels to life. At the same time, the set seems massive yet claustrophobic. Are the residents trapped in the silo, or have…
