Silo's Riskiest Story Makes Me Worried About Apple TV+ Continuing The Sci-Fi Series After Season 2

Realizing that Silo will have a hard time adapting the original Hugh Howey trilogy's riskiest storyline, I am concerned about how the Apple TV+ show will continue after season 2. In season 1, Silo stays loyal to most story and character beats from the original Hugh Howey books. However, like most adaptations, the Apple TV+ sci-fi show does not shy away from taking creative liberties to make the source material's story more gripping and suitable for the episodic story format.

While it accurately portrays how Juliette rises in the ranks at Silo-18 after Holston's death and takes it upon herself to unfold her world's secrets, it also introduces several new concepts, like the Flamekeepers and the Syndrome. While adapting the second half of Hugh Howey's first Silo book, Wool, Silo season 2 will likely take a similar approach. However, beyond that, it is hard not to be worried about how the show will continue adapting the original Hugh Howey Silo books.

Hugh Howey Took A Massive Risk With The Second Silo Book's Storytelling

The Second Book Unfolds Like Spinoff Prequel

The first Silo book in the Hugh Howey trilogy, Wool, follows a continuous story that walks through Juliette's time in Silo 18 in its first half before unfolding her journey outside the central silo in its latter arcs. However, in the second book, Shift, the story of the trilogy suddenly harkens back in time, highlighting the silos' origins and the reason why the outside world became uninhabitable. It takes a massive risk by presenting itself as a spinoff that features a whole new set of characters, following a well-rounded standalone narrative.

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The World Of Silo Explained

The 2023 Apple TV+ series is based on a trilogy of books that collectively outline all the background information explaining how the silo came to be.

Although the trilogy eventually connects all the dots in the third installment, Dust, and highlights how Shift's story connects to Wool's, as a reader, I was initially clueless about what Shift was building up to. With almost none of the characters from the first Silo book reprising their roles in Shift's story, the second book forced me to take a massive leap of faith as I navigated its unfamiliar narrative. Since I had already grown attached to Juliette and her Silo 18 narrative from Wool, I could help but wonder whether the shift in storytelling would ultimately leave me feeling disconnected.

Adapting Shift Will Be Apple TV+'s Silo's Biggest Challenge

The Show Cannot Take The Same Risks As The Books

Although Hugh Howey's ambitious storytelling eventually makes sense towards the end of Shift's story, the trilogy demands immense patience from the reader by unfolding a completely novel prequel narrative in the second book. The Apple TV+ show cannot tread the same path as the books because Hugh Howey's approach is too risky for the television format. Despite being clueless about where its story was going, I continued reading Shift after Wool because I was more invested in Hugh Howey's storytelling and writing style.

Even though I was initially a little jarred by the fact that Shift seemed to have nothing to do with Wool, I was fine with the second book presenting a new story set in the world of Silo. However, when it comes to the show, I loved watching season 1 because of its incredible casting choices and the strong performances that brought the books' characters to life. Like me, I am sure most viewers would want the show to have a continuous narrative in all seasons that features Rebecca Ferguson's Juliette as the main character.

Owing to this, if the show tries to accurately adapt the original books' storytelling structure, it could risk alienating audiences when it starts adapting Shift's story. Given how Silo season 1 barely adapted Wool's first half, it seems likely season 2 will only unfold the second half of the first book. Season 3 will then move on to the events of the second book, but it will have to take a massive risk by suddenly shifting gears to focus on a new cast of characters and a different narrative perspective.

Silo's Future Seasons Will Likely Avoid Following The Books' Storytelling Structure

The Second Book's Story Will Likely Be Presented In A Different Way

Custom Image by Yailin Chacon.

During an interview (via Bronk Swinson's Creative Principals podcast), Silo's creator, Graham Yost, confirmed that they cannot do what Hugh Howey did with the second book's story. He said that, unlike the second book, the show cannot go on without having Rebecca Ferguson's Juliette on the screen for the majority of the narrative because she is the face of the series. Graham Yost's statement suggests that even though Apple TV+'s Silo will likely continue honoring the source material, it will present the second book's events in a different way.

While only time will tell how the show will tackle the events of the silos' origins, it seems likely that it will present Shift's events through flashbacks. Just like Prime Video's Fallout goes back and forth in time to simultaneously unfold the aftermath and the origins of the nuclear decimation, Silo will probably do the same by focusing on two different timelines in its upcoming seasons.

Based on Hugh Howey's Wool novel series, Silo is a sci-fi drama series created for Apple TV and follows an engineer named Juliette, who lives in a dystopian future. With the surface poisoned and the world all but ruined, the residents live in a silo deep underground. When the community sheriff breaks protocol and leads to the death of several residents, Juliette begins to discover the dark truth of the silo.

Release Date May 5, 2023

Seasons 1

Streaming Service(s) Apple TV+

Directors Morten Tyldum , David Semel

Showrunner Graham Yost