What is Silo series based on? Everything we know so far

The Silo series on Apple TV+ is based on Hugh Howey's trilogy of novels titled Wool, Shift, and Dust, which he started publishing in 2011. Graham Yost created the series, while Morten Tyldum is credited as the director.

While they took some creative liberties and other original concepts to improve the storyline for TV audiences, the series also stayed true to most of the elements in Howey's book. Most of season 1’s elements were based on the first book in the series, Wool.

Apple TV+ introduced the series for sci-fi fans back in May 2023. The first season included 10 episodes, and the show's ongoing season 2 debuted on November 15, 2024, bringing another set of 10 episodes. The plot follows engineer, Juliette's story as she uncovers the secret of a dystopian future, and why residents die mysteriously the moment they leave the Silo.

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Apple TV+'s Silo series is based on Hugh Howey's post-apocalyptic trilogy of novels

The American sci-fi dystopian drama series Silo that Graham Yost created for television is an adaptation of the trilogy Wool, Shift, and Dust. American author, Hugh Howey, started the series in 2011 with the self-published short story, Wool, before extending the dystopian world of the Silos in the second and third books, published in 2013.

That said, Silo season 1 on Apple TV+ ended halfway through the plotline of the first book in Howey's trilogy, Wool. Season 2 of the Apple TV+ series continued to cover the remaining arcs of Wool, plus some plot changes and additions. In his author site, Howey wrote this about Wool:

"This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden."

His description of the first book that inspired the series further reads:

"But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside."

Like the book, the 10-episode first season introduced the story of Holston, the sheriff whose wife died after leaving the Silo. The series followed his journey in looking for answers about his wife's mysterious death before shifting the storyline to center on Juliette, an engineer looking to solve the mysteries of their dystopian world.

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What to know about the difference between the Silo series and the books

While the show's creator and Apple stayed true in bringing Hugh Howey's dystopian world into television, they also added several world-building elements to make the story better fit the TV format. Most of these changes and additions were character-based instead of huge alterations to the dystopian world where the story takes place.

For one, "The Syndrome," aka the mystery illness introduced in the series, is a unique lore that was never hinted at in the books. It brings a believable aspect to the series, given that the citizens are living underground with no sunlight to speak of, it would likely have health implications.

The rebellion that happened a century ago before the main story took place in this series is not unique, per se. The same rebellion was in the books, but it wasn't an integral part of the storyline. In the series, however, the rebellion is a major plot point in the current events, especially in Juliette Nichols' story arc.

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Silo is an ongoing series, which is now on its second season, with new episodes coming out every Friday, only on Apple TV+.