Dust is the final book Hugh Howey‘s Silo trilogy. The series was one of those rare progressions that got better as it went along. Here are some favorite parts.

Tearing a world down was a simple affair; the gravity of human nature tugged willingly. It was the building up afterward that proved complex. It was what to replace injustice with that very few gave thought to. Always with the tearing down…

This could quite well be the theme of the book, and is a tragic truth that has played out many times in human history.

Jimmy couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t Elise squeezing him this time – it was the idea of visitors. Of people not to be afraid of. Someone he could run to rather than from.

I loved the character arc of Jimmy, especially how he wrestled through his difficulties with community. The way that he developed and changed often surprised me.

“I’ll tell you what does last forever.” He turned his head to make sure she could hear, and Juliette braced for something corny like “love” or something unfunny like “your casseroles.” “What lasts forever?” she obliged, sure to regret it but sensing that he was waiting for her to ask. “Our decisions,” he said.

This was a profound thought that stuck with me for quite a while. I’m one of those personality types that likes to think back to how I got to a certain place – meaning, a certain state of being or frame of mind. And this was another macro theme of the book that got heavier with every page: how will our decisions today affect the generations that follow us?