What do you think?
Rate this book
One Hour
A way of life for the extreme party-goer and all you madmen who tend to be god.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 13, 2002
About the author
Todd Sullivan
33 books39 followersTodd Sullivan attended his first serious writing class in 1995 at Stanford University. Between 1997 and 2002, he participated in the National Book Foundation's 10 day summer writing retreats. In 2006, he graduated with a Bachelors in English with Concentrations in Creative Writing from Georgia State University. He moved to New York that same year, and received a Masters of Fine Arts from Queens College in Flushing, New York in 2009. Todd moved to Jeju, South Korea, where he taught English in the public school system for five years. He currently lives in Seoul, and is studying the Korean language at Yonsei University. He is also working on a speculative fiction/urban horror novel that takes place in Korea.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 22, 2009
A collection of short stories, poems and a novella.
I find it hard to give an opinion of a genre that I have never before read, so I’ll go with the impressions I get while reading Sullivan’s collection of stories and poems.
To Descend:
I find it to be a well-written short story that certainly manages to capture my attention by the time paragraph two starts. There is a rather eerie atmosphere in the tale. It shows a blatant view of the partying theme, and delivers a figurative slap in the face that gives a rather disturbing nightmarish feel once the plot comes to its conclusion. It’s gritty, intense and to me, showing the reader a grim effect of living on a constant high.
Blessed are the Children (an excerpt of “Addicts”)
This is another short story in a similar genre. Different, yes, but staying on the same theme with a slight twist to it. The controlled-user vs. the full-blown addict combined in such a way that it was certainly captures the very present and dangerous lure of mindless oblivion. While reading, I can feel the protagonist’s inner struggle against his demanding habit; the urge he experiences for that next line, pill and whatnot while trying to create a future for himself. It shows excellent penmanship on Sullivan’s part. The inner battle being fought–and lost–as old friends draw the controlled-user from the firm boundaries he has set out of necessity.
The Door,
Certainly is an interesting concept. Unlike the previous two this story seems to be about self-discovery, more than anything. The question of what we are here for, asked, while wrapped into a story that reads rather like a biography. What are you? A drone in the masses, or an individual?
It has been done before but Sullivan does give it a nice bit of spice…albeit a pungent one.
Basically this story shows two different characters; one submits, adjusts and gives up his dreams…or so it seems…while the other fights tooth and nail and does literally everything in an attempt to push at the boundaries of reality and mortality. A basic opposites attract, perhaps…or something more? It is left open to debate.
The Magician,
I think that this one is my favorite of the collection. The story seems to be about dreamers: The Observer and the Doer with just a hint of magic, which makes it a fascinating concept. Is this world we live in real, or not? Are my dreams really dreams, or are my waking hours in fact the illusions? It is a concept I’ve wondered about and in “The Magician” Sullivan does portray that very question in a poignant way. Will you take that “leap of faith”? Are you prepared to bear the consequences?
In one word: Fascinating.
Redemption,
A man fighting against a troubled past that haunts him, on the most part. A complex character giving up on life when he sees no other option in order to battle a habit that can, and will, kill without remorse or regret. The story appears to be mostly about the struggle between good and evil…or at least that is what sticks with me most by the time I finish reading it.
One Hour,
An interesting concept: The internal search for perfection and the price one has to pay to achieve it. The story speaks of the drive for being the best, and reaching that pinnacle of success, either personally or career-wise, no matter what the cost.
I find it to be a little disturbing, but the imagery and dialogue are done in a descriptive and cohesive fashion.
What follows is a collection of wandering thoughts–or stories if you will–poems and fragments that give an interesting insight into the author’s mind, more than anything, I believe.
I thought the short story titled “Night” was very eloquently put, imaginative too, making an event that seems ordinary, something to think about instead.
Though poetry is not my usual cup-of-tea, the words are chosen well, creating an excellent flow for those who enjoy such writings.
Of the collection of poems I think that the “Equator” spoke to me most, however. It created a certain imagery that I liked, and it will linger in my mind, I’m sure.
The Great Escape Artist,
This is the last story in this rather complex, and sometimes even dark, book. I thought this one to be captivating, however, so I must say that it is a marvelous ending of Sullivan’s collection.
It describes a bleak and rather depressing world of a “different” youth, struggling to find the reason for his existence, when for all appearances there seems to be none. Misunderstood and a dreamer, he must wage his internal and outer battles and fight with all his might, since to this youth the world is a miserable and lonely place where he does not fit into in any shape or form.
All that sustains him is his incredible power of imagination that can take him practically anywhere, and requires close attention of the reader, immersing into this tale.
I think that many people experience battles (such as the youth experiences) during the course of their lives in this day and age, so this tale will certainly speak to those able to identify with the main character.
There is infinite sadness in this story, and it shows me (the reader) what the youth has to face; it makes me FEEL his sadness, and his desolation when he can find no one who understands him and therefore often flees within the vast spaces of his mind.
This character trait was certainly well described by the author, and made me travel with the youth on his inner journeys in a graphic fashion.
Like I said, I found it captivating and even beautiful…be it in a sad way.
Conclusion:
One Hour is an interesting read with a variety of aspects that will “speak” to the eclectic reader most, I believe: Real life with a hint of the incredible at times, and a bit of magic thrown into the mix.
I find it hard to give an opinion of a genre that I have never before read, so I’ll go with the impressions I get while reading Sullivan’s collection of stories and poems.
To Descend:
I find it to be a well-written short story that certainly manages to capture my attention by the time paragraph two starts. There is a rather eerie atmosphere in the tale. It shows a blatant view of the partying theme, and delivers a figurative slap in the face that gives a rather disturbing nightmarish feel once the plot comes to its conclusion. It’s gritty, intense and to me, showing the reader a grim effect of living on a constant high.
Blessed are the Children (an excerpt of “Addicts”)
This is another short story in a similar genre. Different, yes, but staying on the same theme with a slight twist to it. The controlled-user vs. the full-blown addict combined in such a way that it was certainly captures the very present and dangerous lure of mindless oblivion. While reading, I can feel the protagonist’s inner struggle against his demanding habit; the urge he experiences for that next line, pill and whatnot while trying to create a future for himself. It shows excellent penmanship on Sullivan’s part. The inner battle being fought–and lost–as old friends draw the controlled-user from the firm boundaries he has set out of necessity.
The Door,
Certainly is an interesting concept. Unlike the previous two this story seems to be about self-discovery, more than anything. The question of what we are here for, asked, while wrapped into a story that reads rather like a biography. What are you? A drone in the masses, or an individual?
It has been done before but Sullivan does give it a nice bit of spice…albeit a pungent one.
Basically this story shows two different characters; one submits, adjusts and gives up his dreams…or so it seems…while the other fights tooth and nail and does literally everything in an attempt to push at the boundaries of reality and mortality. A basic opposites attract, perhaps…or something more? It is left open to debate.
The Magician,
I think that this one is my favorite of the collection. The story seems to be about dreamers: The Observer and the Doer with just a hint of magic, which makes it a fascinating concept. Is this world we live in real, or not? Are my dreams really dreams, or are my waking hours in fact the illusions? It is a concept I’ve wondered about and in “The Magician” Sullivan does portray that very question in a poignant way. Will you take that “leap of faith”? Are you prepared to bear the consequences?
In one word: Fascinating.
Redemption,
A man fighting against a troubled past that haunts him, on the most part. A complex character giving up on life when he sees no other option in order to battle a habit that can, and will, kill without remorse or regret. The story appears to be mostly about the struggle between good and evil…or at least that is what sticks with me most by the time I finish reading it.
One Hour,
An interesting concept: The internal search for perfection and the price one has to pay to achieve it. The story speaks of the drive for being the best, and reaching that pinnacle of success, either personally or career-wise, no matter what the cost.
I find it to be a little disturbing, but the imagery and dialogue are done in a descriptive and cohesive fashion.
What follows is a collection of wandering thoughts–or stories if you will–poems and fragments that give an interesting insight into the author’s mind, more than anything, I believe.
I thought the short story titled “Night” was very eloquently put, imaginative too, making an event that seems ordinary, something to think about instead.
Though poetry is not my usual cup-of-tea, the words are chosen well, creating an excellent flow for those who enjoy such writings.
Of the collection of poems I think that the “Equator” spoke to me most, however. It created a certain imagery that I liked, and it will linger in my mind, I’m sure.
The Great Escape Artist,
This is the last story in this rather complex, and sometimes even dark, book. I thought this one to be captivating, however, so I must say that it is a marvelous ending of Sullivan’s collection.
It describes a bleak and rather depressing world of a “different” youth, struggling to find the reason for his existence, when for all appearances there seems to be none. Misunderstood and a dreamer, he must wage his internal and outer battles and fight with all his might, since to this youth the world is a miserable and lonely place where he does not fit into in any shape or form.
All that sustains him is his incredible power of imagination that can take him practically anywhere, and requires close attention of the reader, immersing into this tale.
I think that many people experience battles (such as the youth experiences) during the course of their lives in this day and age, so this tale will certainly speak to those able to identify with the main character.
There is infinite sadness in this story, and it shows me (the reader) what the youth has to face; it makes me FEEL his sadness, and his desolation when he can find no one who understands him and therefore often flees within the vast spaces of his mind.
This character trait was certainly well described by the author, and made me travel with the youth on his inner journeys in a graphic fashion.
Like I said, I found it captivating and even beautiful…be it in a sad way.
Conclusion:
One Hour is an interesting read with a variety of aspects that will “speak” to the eclectic reader most, I believe: Real life with a hint of the incredible at times, and a bit of magic thrown into the mix.
April 10, 2009
One Hour by Todd Sullivan begins in a seedy urban world of drug abuse, teen angst, and violence. Some of the stories slip into the paranormal as one teen displays vampiristic tendencies and another succeeds in vanishing altogether. Though there are frequent allusions to magic, the stories contain much more of magical realism, evoking in the reader a sense of murky wonder at which events have truly occurred and which are lost in dreams and tortured perceptions.
The sinister tone changes as the book approaches its central narrative. "One Hour" is a tale of beauty in unexpected places, and that's exactly how it feels as the author lovingly describes each whiff of curry and crackle of duck at the surreal restaurant only open for an hour each night. It's run by an individualistic Bohemian with marvelous insights on a happiness that reaches out from the pages themselves to embrace the reader. From there, the collection continues through sensuous poems of inspiration and creation startlingly unlike the earlier stories in their smooth beauty, and yet continuing the characters' search to escape corporate conformity. How can we refuse society's expectations to write beautiful prose for poor wealth and weak security, they ask and answer as one. The final novella is "The Great Escape Artist," moving tale of a specially-challenged boy's growth from determined suicide to aspiring artist.
This collection devotes itself to inspiration and personal struggle, showing teens fighting overwhelming odds to create beautiful prose and master the angst in their personal lives. These are stories about writing, but also meta-narratives about the stories in the collection: Themes in the fiction and poems mirror each other, while character names in the poetry prepare readers for those same characters to resurface later. This is like a collection by Barth or O'Brian, whose stories all interlock and support each other, leading the reader on a post-modern journey from fragmentation to wholeness.
The sinister tone changes as the book approaches its central narrative. "One Hour" is a tale of beauty in unexpected places, and that's exactly how it feels as the author lovingly describes each whiff of curry and crackle of duck at the surreal restaurant only open for an hour each night. It's run by an individualistic Bohemian with marvelous insights on a happiness that reaches out from the pages themselves to embrace the reader. From there, the collection continues through sensuous poems of inspiration and creation startlingly unlike the earlier stories in their smooth beauty, and yet continuing the characters' search to escape corporate conformity. How can we refuse society's expectations to write beautiful prose for poor wealth and weak security, they ask and answer as one. The final novella is "The Great Escape Artist," moving tale of a specially-challenged boy's growth from determined suicide to aspiring artist.
This collection devotes itself to inspiration and personal struggle, showing teens fighting overwhelming odds to create beautiful prose and master the angst in their personal lives. These are stories about writing, but also meta-narratives about the stories in the collection: Themes in the fiction and poems mirror each other, while character names in the poetry prepare readers for those same characters to resurface later. This is like a collection by Barth or O'Brian, whose stories all interlock and support each other, leading the reader on a post-modern journey from fragmentation to wholeness.
May 2, 2010
I can understand when recovery is a major part of your life and you are happy to find it but an entire book filled with stories about murdering for drugs, drug demons etc etc just was terrible.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews