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One by One
For Peter, the end of civilization begins quietly with the disappearance of his mother. At the police station he learns that thousands of others have gone mysteriously missing overnight, and that tens of millions more are vanishing daily across the globe. Without explanation humanity finds itself facing its final year on the planet, and it is only then that Peter falls in love. Her name is Sophia, and though both are haunted by loss they find in each other a passion that is as real as it is worth fighting for. As the government buckles and then collapses, as the darkest registers of human nature are sounded and a brutal demagogue rises to lead a reign of terror, they strive to find meaning and purpose in a world that is bereft of all certainties but that they too are fated to disappear.
212 pages, Paperback
Published March 22, 2012
17 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Phil Tucker
47 books1,303 followersThanks for visiting my page! I'm Phil Tucker, a Brazilian/Brit who currently resides in Asheville, NC, where I resist the siren call of the forests and mountains to sit inside and hammer away on my laptop.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 15, 2017
This book was an #SPFBO one and I must admit it was quite different from what I had expected it to be. I would class this as a dystopia, kind of in the same style as 1984 by Orwell, as it's focused on a world where humanity faces the disappearance of many of its number. There are vast amounts of people who just seem to vanish into thin air, our main character's mother is one of the earlier ones to go...
We follow Peter and later Sophia, they are two of the population who haven't yet vanished, but as the numbers of disappearances increase they feel as though they can't meet anyone who hasn't been affected by a loss. Each person they lose is a devastating blow to humanity, and every person lost is random and terrifying because there is no trace at all where they have gone. Naturally, the world is riddled with panic and riots and cult leaders start to take over.
What I liked most about this story was that it was well written and it had a solid concept. Instead of focusing on the 'why' or 'how' we focus on the characters and their troubles with adapting and conforming to the new world. We get a system called the New Republic which is introduced, but many of the people in the general population are unhappy and disheartened by the strict views that the Republic have.
Ultimately the world starts to be smaller and smaller as people vanish, and those left behind have to struggle with survival not only through grief and a break down of humanity, but also from their fellow humans who are just as lost and broken as they. There's an awful lot of dialogue and pondering in this book which revolves around how it would feel and the situation that is unfolding helplessly around everyone.
In the end, the reason it only got a 3.5*s from me is because I really did want to have more of a resolution Although I do believe the story is intentionally left vague in areas concerning the sci fi elements, I just wanted to have a little more insight, maybe some clues, about where every one had gone. It's even a little horror-ish to think of humans being picked off one by one... A good book, but one I felt needed more of a resolution in the end for me personally.
We follow Peter and later Sophia, they are two of the population who haven't yet vanished, but as the numbers of disappearances increase they feel as though they can't meet anyone who hasn't been affected by a loss. Each person they lose is a devastating blow to humanity, and every person lost is random and terrifying because there is no trace at all where they have gone. Naturally, the world is riddled with panic and riots and cult leaders start to take over.
What I liked most about this story was that it was well written and it had a solid concept. Instead of focusing on the 'why' or 'how' we focus on the characters and their troubles with adapting and conforming to the new world. We get a system called the New Republic which is introduced, but many of the people in the general population are unhappy and disheartened by the strict views that the Republic have.
Ultimately the world starts to be smaller and smaller as people vanish, and those left behind have to struggle with survival not only through grief and a break down of humanity, but also from their fellow humans who are just as lost and broken as they. There's an awful lot of dialogue and pondering in this book which revolves around how it would feel and the situation that is unfolding helplessly around everyone.
In the end, the reason it only got a 3.5*s from me is because I really did want to have more of a resolution Although I do believe the story is intentionally left vague in areas concerning the sci fi elements, I just wanted to have a little more insight, maybe some clues, about where every one had gone. It's even a little horror-ish to think of humans being picked off one by one... A good book, but one I felt needed more of a resolution in the end for me personally.
August 21, 2012
Interesting twist on the collapse of civilization, which is a theme I generally find entertaining. Unfortunately, while there were some interesting twists in this storyline, there seemed no resolution at the end. I personally found the ending both unpleasant and grim.
If I want grim reality, I watch the evening news. I read for entertainment and I definitely was not entertained by this book. Very much not my personal choice in reading entertainment and I must confess to doing a lot of skimming in the last 2/3 thirds of the book.
If I want grim reality, I watch the evening news. I read for entertainment and I definitely was not entertained by this book. Very much not my personal choice in reading entertainment and I must confess to doing a lot of skimming in the last 2/3 thirds of the book.
May 29, 2012
The book had a lot of promise. The plot was intriguing was didn't really pay off. The story was set in the U.S., yet sounded British. There were very long passages where either a character rambled or there were descriptive paragraphs that ran on.
If the pacing were snappier and the story had a resolution I might be able to recommend it.
If the pacing were snappier and the story had a resolution I might be able to recommend it.
January 31, 2013
Grade: B
L/C Ratio: 60% Literary / 40% Commercial
Thematic Breakdown:
35% - Social dynamics
30% - Philosophy
20% - Apocalypse
10% - Romance
5% - Religion
Addictiveness: Medium
Movie Potential: 1 Thumb Up
Re-readability: Low
By their nature, stories about the end of the world must carry a grim tone to some degree. In One By One, Phil Tucker presents an especially bleak apocalyptic vision. The human population is slowly vanishing, and hoping for a happy ending is a foolish exercise.
Tucker is less interested in the cause of the apocalypse and more in the reaction from the remaining shrunken society, which makes for a compelling study of governmental philosophy and martial law. One By One shows that when the physical world stops making sense, people's actions often follow suit.
Although the transitions in the characters' dialogue from lofty rhetoric to casual speech can be jarring, Tucker is careful to keep the novel focused on the human perspective. The story's setting remains a mystery to the reader throughout, and perhaps that's best, because apocalyptic disasters have no concern for geographic or cultural boundaries.
Noteworthy Quote:
"I don’t know, maybe we repopulate the earth like Adam and Eve.”
“I always wondered about the inbreeding angle there.”
“You can’t inbreed when God’s given you the thumbs up, that’s like tribal immunity from genetic malfunction.”
L/C Ratio: 60% Literary / 40% Commercial
Thematic Breakdown:
35% - Social dynamics
30% - Philosophy
20% - Apocalypse
10% - Romance
5% - Religion
Addictiveness: Medium
Movie Potential: 1 Thumb Up
Re-readability: Low
By their nature, stories about the end of the world must carry a grim tone to some degree. In One By One, Phil Tucker presents an especially bleak apocalyptic vision. The human population is slowly vanishing, and hoping for a happy ending is a foolish exercise.
Tucker is less interested in the cause of the apocalypse and more in the reaction from the remaining shrunken society, which makes for a compelling study of governmental philosophy and martial law. One By One shows that when the physical world stops making sense, people's actions often follow suit.
Although the transitions in the characters' dialogue from lofty rhetoric to casual speech can be jarring, Tucker is careful to keep the novel focused on the human perspective. The story's setting remains a mystery to the reader throughout, and perhaps that's best, because apocalyptic disasters have no concern for geographic or cultural boundaries.
Noteworthy Quote:
"I don’t know, maybe we repopulate the earth like Adam and Eve.”
“I always wondered about the inbreeding angle there.”
“You can’t inbreed when God’s given you the thumbs up, that’s like tribal immunity from genetic malfunction.”
October 28, 2018
This book had a fascinating premise - that the earth's inhabitants vanished, in large numbers, without explanation, until hardly any were left at all. When the population disappears, including lawmakers like the President, what happens to the government? Without basic services, do humans reveal their best or worst natures? Alas, I found the narrative itself disappointing. The writing might have been deliberately stiff, as if emulating a fairy tale, but it felt clunky, especially the dialogue. I wanted the author to do so much more with the set-up and was ultimately disappointed.
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...aka darzy...
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May 23, 2012
One by one is a bleak outlook on how humanity would handle a crisis of global proportions. The book starts out with the disappearance of Peter's mother, and quickly unfolds to the vanishing of billions of people across the world. One by one, everyone will disappear when no one is looking. A man only known as The Orator tries to hold civilization together in the only way he knows how- by force. I would have given this book five stars, but I don't really enjoy feeling depressed after reading a book. Worth a read, even if you weren't able to catch a copy for free from amazon.
September 14, 2012
Interesting story - I guess you'd call it apocalyptic without the bang. In that sense, it reminded me of The Age of Miracles; the main difference being that focuses on younger characters.
At times I felt like I was reading a secular version of a rapture story, and at others a retelling of the events leading up to Nazi Germany. But mainly it brought up lots of questions about how a society is held together and what we hold on to when nothing is certain anymore, not even our own existence.
At times I felt like I was reading a secular version of a rapture story, and at others a retelling of the events leading up to Nazi Germany. But mainly it brought up lots of questions about how a society is held together and what we hold on to when nothing is certain anymore, not even our own existence.
November 26, 2023
This is not the kind of book that I usually read. However, I did enjoy it. The author's vocabulary was amazing. I LOVE reading books on the Kindle because you can look up words so easily! I hope for different endings in future books though!
sampled-not-buying
January 4, 2014The description for this book says to be sure to sample the book before buying it, because it is written in a different style from most novels. I guess "written in a different style" means "doesn't use commas."
July 7, 2015
I feel like the author didn't really have an answer to the questions he spent the whole book posing. The ending felt cheap and half hearted. Books don't have to end happily or neatly tied up but I just wasn't buying what this book was trying to sell.
September 11, 2015
Depressing
The good things about this book were how it takes all kinds to make a world, and we depend on others more than we think. But how depressing to see how we behave when something goes wrong, and how sad when society collapses.
The good things about this book were how it takes all kinds to make a world, and we depend on others more than we think. But how depressing to see how we behave when something goes wrong, and how sad when society collapses.
July 9, 2012
A quick, easy and interesting read. Both political and apocalyptic. Not to be read if you don't like stories with unanswered questions.
July 8, 2012
The ending kinda sucked. There is no 'happily ever after' in this book. I guess I was routing for a more pleasant conclusion, but I was disappointed.
July 19, 2012
Loved this one..
July 21, 2012
A very philosophical look at the end of the world.
September 5, 2012
Very bleak outlook. Interesting plot premise but the only thing I took away from the book was that everything is futile. Nothing anyone does changes things. And the ending was a huge letdown.
July 11, 2015
Pretty classic apocalypse / dystopia novel. I enjoyed it, but I felt it could have had a deeper point r purpose. The ending was ambiguous and disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews