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My Only One
One book.
That’s all you’re allowed to own in a future where the world is run by Bureaus and the United Conglomerate of States. There’s a Bureau to control everything from food rations, electricity, and what you read. It’s a restrictive life for a Citizen.
Morton works as an Agent for the Bureau of Lights and Flames and one day his daughter, Eliana, brings home a second book. Fearful, Morton decides to bring back the book to its rightful owner, setting in motion a chain of activity that tests Morton's loyalty to his daughter and the Bureau he works for.
That’s all you’re allowed to own in a future where the world is run by Bureaus and the United Conglomerate of States. There’s a Bureau to control everything from food rations, electricity, and what you read. It’s a restrictive life for a Citizen.
Morton works as an Agent for the Bureau of Lights and Flames and one day his daughter, Eliana, brings home a second book. Fearful, Morton decides to bring back the book to its rightful owner, setting in motion a chain of activity that tests Morton's loyalty to his daughter and the Bureau he works for.
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 12, 2013
1 person is currently reading
597 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 20, 2014
The idea behind My Only One is interesting. Citizens of a dystopian future are only allowed to own one book, and this is something the government takes seriously with random sweeps by agents. Owning more than one book or writing books seem to be some of the worst offenses for a citizen to make in this future reality.
However, I had one burning question by the end of the book – why?
It was never addressed why people couldn’t own several books, which is important because it would allow readers to connect to the characters that want to change the world.
Another major issue was the lack of editing and simple proofreading mistakes throughout the book. While I normally look past a proofreading mistake as long as it doesn’t dramatically change the concept or create too much confusion, the biggest problem was continuity in the story.
One early example is when Morton, the main character, tells his daughter he is going for a walk when he is really going to sneak to the secret library. His daughter, Eliana, wants to go on the walk with him but when Morton refuses she says: “We haven’t done anything together like this since...” Eliana lowered her head. “Since mom passed away.”
I don’t think I am giving anything away by saying this – the issue is that her mother died just two days after she was born, according to a couple of different passages. While Eliana’s age is not revealed, she’s presented as a teenager. So, according to that statement, they have never in at least 15 years gone on a walk. In addition, someone who didn’t know their mother wouldn’t likely make a statement like that.
This story reads like a rough first draft with too many mistakes and continuity errors to truly enjoy it. There are also places where the book could have been flushed out, especially when it came to the government’s reasoning to have such strict rules for literature.
One of the positives of the book was a pleasant recap of literature history as Morton goes through the different floors of the library featuring completes works of Shakespeare, mentioning books by Patterson, King, Reese, Shelley and others.
I wish Thompson would take another crack at My Only One because there is an interesting concept there, but this book is simply not ready.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
However, I had one burning question by the end of the book – why?
It was never addressed why people couldn’t own several books, which is important because it would allow readers to connect to the characters that want to change the world.
Another major issue was the lack of editing and simple proofreading mistakes throughout the book. While I normally look past a proofreading mistake as long as it doesn’t dramatically change the concept or create too much confusion, the biggest problem was continuity in the story.
One early example is when Morton, the main character, tells his daughter he is going for a walk when he is really going to sneak to the secret library. His daughter, Eliana, wants to go on the walk with him but when Morton refuses she says: “We haven’t done anything together like this since...” Eliana lowered her head. “Since mom passed away.”
I don’t think I am giving anything away by saying this – the issue is that her mother died just two days after she was born, according to a couple of different passages. While Eliana’s age is not revealed, she’s presented as a teenager. So, according to that statement, they have never in at least 15 years gone on a walk. In addition, someone who didn’t know their mother wouldn’t likely make a statement like that.
This story reads like a rough first draft with too many mistakes and continuity errors to truly enjoy it. There are also places where the book could have been flushed out, especially when it came to the government’s reasoning to have such strict rules for literature.
One of the positives of the book was a pleasant recap of literature history as Morton goes through the different floors of the library featuring completes works of Shakespeare, mentioning books by Patterson, King, Reese, Shelley and others.
I wish Thompson would take another crack at My Only One because there is an interesting concept there, but this book is simply not ready.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
February 1, 2021
The book in question: My Only One by Gregory M Thompson. In this story, there has been a great Transition. All Citizens are only allowed to own one book. We are introduced to a character who is a government worker for the bureau of lights and flames who’s daughter has come into possession of something she shouldn’t have access to: a Second Book. What follows is a dive into the world of illicit books and rebellion.
I am a big fan of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. This book is very much reminiscent of both 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, which is why I picked it up in the first place. I found it at a local Barnes & Noble in the fantasy section, he’s a local author and he’d autographed the copy I picked up. It was a quick read, I finished it in about an hour. I was hoping finishing any book would help me out of the slump and inability to get into a book I’ve been experiencing. It reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984 and of course Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. I love supporting local and small indie authors and very much enjoyed this story.
I am a big fan of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. This book is very much reminiscent of both 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, which is why I picked it up in the first place. I found it at a local Barnes & Noble in the fantasy section, he’s a local author and he’d autographed the copy I picked up. It was a quick read, I finished it in about an hour. I was hoping finishing any book would help me out of the slump and inability to get into a book I’ve been experiencing. It reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984 and of course Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. I love supporting local and small indie authors and very much enjoyed this story.
November 16, 2019
I picked this up at Indy Comic Con. I met the author at his booth & he spoke so enthusiastically that I bought it. It's well written for the most part. I do wish there had been more character development. And the father-daughter relationship was a tad shallow. More than anything I felt rushed through the story. So much happens so fast & I wanted to know more.
There's so much potential here.
There's so much potential here.
October 20, 2021
I found this book to be very interesting and thought provoking in an apocalyptical way. It kept me engaged and thinking. I thought the book was short in length and I would have liked to have kept going.
October 25, 2025
interesting dystopia novela with Illusions to 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451 so if you like those kind of novels you will probably like this novela. Was a little short and don't feel like we got some of the development of characters that we should have gotten but an interesting read.
August 24, 2013
This is a short, read-in-one-sitting book. It seemed almost like it could have been a very rough, very early draft to “Fahrenheit 451”, in that the story, altho not nearly as complex, was vaguely along the same lines...and it could really have used a proofreader’s once-over before it was printed!
Not telling anything you won’t read in the first few pages, its about a future time when for some unexplained reason, you can only own one book. There are rules. If you want to change your one book, you have to apply for permission. You must have your first book for at least 5 years before you can change. If you’ve changed before, you have to wait 10 years, and you can only change books 5 times in your lifetime. Also, only one person in a one-mile area can have the same book. House searches are made at random to find extra books, and there are severe penalties if you are caught with any.
So a man’s daughter comes home with another book, which freaks him out, and the story goes from there. While the man’s daughter’s one book is named, unless I missed it, I don’t think you ever hear what the man’s chosen book is. The best part of the book, to me, was the description of the secret library, and the reaction of people when they first see it. Other than that, the story is pretty simple. It sounds like a good premise, and might have made a really good, longer, more involved book, but it didn’t quite get there for me.
Not telling anything you won’t read in the first few pages, its about a future time when for some unexplained reason, you can only own one book. There are rules. If you want to change your one book, you have to apply for permission. You must have your first book for at least 5 years before you can change. If you’ve changed before, you have to wait 10 years, and you can only change books 5 times in your lifetime. Also, only one person in a one-mile area can have the same book. House searches are made at random to find extra books, and there are severe penalties if you are caught with any.
So a man’s daughter comes home with another book, which freaks him out, and the story goes from there. While the man’s daughter’s one book is named, unless I missed it, I don’t think you ever hear what the man’s chosen book is. The best part of the book, to me, was the description of the secret library, and the reaction of people when they first see it. Other than that, the story is pretty simple. It sounds like a good premise, and might have made a really good, longer, more involved book, but it didn’t quite get there for me.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews