The First

The Returned #0.5

by Jason Mott

In Jason Mott's haunting and unforgettable debut novel, The Returned, an impossible miracle is occurring all across the globe. Read how it all begins in this short story, The First.

It's been just over a year since Edmund Blithe died, and just over a month since his fiancée, Emily, stopped wearing her engagement ring. Emily has finally begun to move on… Until Edmund mysteriously and inexplicably returns, sending the world — and Emily — into a tailspin.

Edmund is only just the beginning. Around the world, people's loved ones are returning from beyond, seeking only to reenter the lives they left behind. As the world dives deep into uncertainty, Emily and Edmund are determined to find their way back to one another…even if it means risking everything.

The reappearances continue in The Sparrow, and look for The Returned from Harlequin MIRA, a moving tale of a family given a second chance at life and a world where nothing—not even death—is certain.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Ebooks

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2013

About the author

Jason Mott lives in southeastern North Carolina. He has a BFA in Fiction and an MFA in Poetry, both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His poetry and fiction has appeared in various journals such as Prick of the Spindle, The Thomas Wolfe Review, The Kakalak Anthology of Carolina Poets, Measure and Chautauqua. He was nominated for a 2009 Pushcart Prize award and Entertainment Weekly listed him as one of their 10 “New Hollywood: Next Wave” people to watch.

He is the author of two poetry collections: We Call This Thing Between Us Love and “…hide behind me…” The Returned is his first novel.

The Returned has been optioned by Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B, in association with Brillstein Entertainment and ABC. It will air in March, 2014 on the ABC network under the title “Resurrection.”

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a free story and sets things up for the full novel. I see no reason not to check it out now if you're at all curious about this author's debut. Keep in mind though that this doesn't paint the complete picture of the entire first novel, it's more similar to the vignettes that are scattered throughout the main book. So, if you didn't like this novella or think it's lacking something, that's because it is: the rest of the surrounding story.

This is a free short prequel on Amazon that tells how the first "Returned" was found. Normally this type of story would have me in instant tears, but for some reason it didn't. I don't know if it's because I've already read the full novel or not though. I can't remember if Edmund shows up in the full-length story, but I definitely know Tatiana does, and she's featured in the next novella after this one. I'm more interested in her story than Edmund's so I'll be reading that one soon.

The second prequel, The Sparrow is also free, and then the third and final prequel, The Choice is again, free.

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

A man comes back from the dead a year after his funeral. His fiancée decides to find where the government keeps him.
People are scared and confused (at least in the USA). Elsewhere in the world, the uneducated savages kill their own returned.
It's possible I wasn't in the mood so take this with a grain of salt. The idea is good enough.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read The Returned, so I have no idea what that book is like. I picked this (and two other) audiobooks up for free from Audible because I like having something quick and short to listen to while I clean or run errands etc.

So, coming into this story, I didn't know what to expect - horror, most likely - but I was surprised at how... mundane it was. I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way, though. I actually like when an author can show the mundane aspects of life and make me believe it, and feel it. I don't know if this story quite got to that level, but I appreciated what it was trying for. I actually came close to tearing up a couple times... but I think that it was me, more than the story, which contributed to that reaction. I have an overactive empathy gland, and I can stick myself into any situation and imagine how I'd feel going through it. I was really touched by the thought of Emily feeling like she needed to apologize for the past year. I can imagine how, in that situation, moving on would feel like a betrayal.

But the story didn't really convey that... It was kind of bare-bones "she felt this" and "he thought that", etc. The style was geared more toward telling than really SHOWING us the emotional turmoil this event has caused, and in a small way, I did think that it was a little emotionally manipulative. For a story this short, I'm not sure how it could NOT be and still focus on the romance.

But I did like it overall. I liked that it just... happened. Dead people return. Alrighty then. What now? Oh, bureaucracy. Of course. I do wish that that aspect was fleshed out a little more. They question Edmund, and keep him quarantined... but that's about it. I would like to see a little more of the ethics of how one handles a no-longer-dead person. Do they regain their rights? Their property? Is it OK to experiment on them?

Also, it seems to me that Edmund didn't just return - he reverted to his post-death self. He showed no signs of the bus accident that killed him... it was as though he had never died. I'm interested in the logistics of that.

These questions are actually enough to pique my interest in the book to see if they are answered, and if so, if they are treated consistently.

So, for a 33 minute audiobook, it was good. It did what it was supposed to do, which is to make me look twice at the novel, even though I probably stuck my hook in the wrong worm and am interested in logistics and data rather than the personal aspect. Go figure. ;)

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial reaction: Quick review to come. Probably the reason why I enjoyed this as much as I did was because I read the audio version. It is a short story and snippet of Mott's debut novel "The Returned", but I thought it was a very good lead-in story, and I was drawn to it by the cast of characters. Not quite as intimate as I would've liked, but decent for this brief read.

Full review:

Quick review for a quick read. "The First" is a short story introduction to Jason Mott's "The Returned." I thought that this was a very decent, self-contained story which would lead into some of the mysterious happenings of Mott's novel. This showcases a tale of lovers separated by death and a woman grieving her loved one before they had the chance to marry. At least up until the point he shows up a year later going to work as if nothing had happened. He's alive, and pretty much everyone freaks out at his reappearance (his coworkers especially).

I liked the way this traded between perspectives. The poor guy has no recollection on how he died, but he's desperate to get back to his beloved, as is she to him. Throw in a nail-biting scenario of reunion and then you get the collective measure of this tale. If there were one thing I didn't like as much about this story - it would be the fact that it didn't quite go as intimate with the character perspectives as I would've liked. Much of their emotions are told to you, though the situations are emotionally invested and interesting to see unfold. I found it a nice starter, and I'm looking forward to reading "The Returned" when I have the chance.

Excellent audio reading by Victor Bevine.

Overall score: 3.5/5 stars

[Cher 'N Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars - It was alright, an average book.

Very interesting premise but too dramatic for my personal tastes. It piqued my interest enough to want to read the first novel in the series.

It’s also possible that it was the audiobook narrator that was overly theatrical, so I would recommend reading the ebook or print version of the series instead.
-------------------------------------------
First Sentence: It was just over a year since Edmund died, and just over a month since Emily stopped wearing her engagement ring.

Favorite Quote: She never understood why people ran if they weren’t being chased.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would you listen to The First again? Why?
I wouldn't listen to this short story on its own again but if I was going to listen to 'The Returned' again, I would listen to the three prequel short stories (of which this is the first) again, too.

Who was your favorite character and why?
My favourite character was probably Edmund Blythe because he seemed like a really nice guy coping as well as could be expected in completely unprecedented circumstances.

What about Victor Bevine’s performance did you like?
I thought the narrator's voice really suited the story and I'd definitely listen to audiobooks narrated by Bevine in the future. The only reason I didn't give him 5 stars was because I felt he should have left a slightly longer gap between scene changes. The complete lack of a pause between scene changes was a little confusing at times.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
'This movie is based on a 30 minute short story so expect more unnecessary padding than the Hobbit movies!'

Any additional comments?
This doesn't work as a stand-alone short story in its own right, but it works really well as a teaser for the novel. I can't imagine anybody reading this story and not wanting to read the novel to find out what the bigger picture is.

Taken from my original review on Audible.co.uk

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having already finished reading the book "The Returned", I found out about this short story trilogy. So I went back and read this which is intended to be read as an introduction to the book. It also contains a preview of the novel. In the first chapter of "The Returned" Edmund Blithe is mentioned in one sentence as being the very first reported Returned. This is his story. It is a story of young love, the sadness of fresh grief and the feelings of starting to accept a loved one's death after a year long mourning period. A lovely, beautiful tale that makes one think what one would do if given the chance to spend an unknown amount of time with a dearly cherished loved one who has passed on. It makes me wish I could read the book for the first time again! Go ahead and whet your appetite!

[Alysia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It was a quick in and out story that gave you a good sense of the clear writing style of the writer and the direction the novel will be going in.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just the start to the series or the book. It is not horrible, it does get me wondering how people are being brought back from the dead. It did not fully grasp me, but I did find it interesting.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2015/0...

Premise:

The First is the first (pardon the redundancy) of several prequels to Mott's novel The Returned .
It tells us about the first returned, Edmund, who had died 1 year prior, before he and his fiancée Emily got a chance to get married. It is a short account of how the two of them, as well as the rest of the world, react to such an impossibility.

Review:

For the most part, I enjoyed listening to The First. The narrator was pretty good; he set a very fast pace throughout the entire narrative, keeping me on edge, but I did find some bits overly dramatic and the voices a tad odd, particularly Emily's mum.
However, this is only my second experience with an audible story, so maybe I just need time to adapt.

I found the story believable for the most part. If a loved one returned from the dead, how would you react? And it's when asking this question that I find I did not much enjoy Emily's mum. She seemed to just accept such a bizarre thing. She had a hey, he's back, aren't you happy? sort of attitude. That did not seem realistic to me at all.

The other thing I did not find believable was that the guard would open up to Edmund just like that. I mean, one can sympathize with someone who is locked up without having done anything, but I did not listen to anything that made me accept that the guy would basically throw away his job like that. I just don't understand why he crossed that line, or why he would even begin to tell him about his daughter in the first place; telling Edmund not to worry about the car, about them being tracked, also seemed overly simplistic to me.

Alas, the focus of this short story is not whether Emily and Edmund will be together and live happily ever after; it's about that initial shock and the first reactions. When Edmund returned, he went to work as if nothing had happened. You can imagine his co-workers were baffled.
Then we hear about Emily's reaction and her mum's and obviously the government also gets involved. I particularly appreciated hearing about how Emily and Edmund's relationship started getting serious, it brought a more personal feeling to the story which made all the difference.

It is an enjoyable listen and you can find this 33 minute long story for free on Audible here.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super short story (a couple dozen pages, at most) that served as one of two prequels to Mott’s THE RETURNED, a book I haven’t read yet but have added it to my Want this because these little teaser stories certainly did their jobs in hooking me in.

THE FIRST is just a glimpse into the world that Mott created, one where the dead are coming back to life, and this particular story is centered around Edmund, the first guy to rise from the dead. Except he doesn’t know that he’s been dead for a year. He showed up to work a year later as if nothing had happened, as if his life hadn’t stopped. It’s one hell of an interesting premise and the characters Mott set up are engaging and interesting and even in the small amount of time I was reading them I couldn’t get enough.

There’s so much emotion on the page, with Emily as she’s trying to comprehend what’s going on with her dead-not-dead fiancé, with Edmund as the harsh truth is revealed to him, and small looks into the rest of the world as they react to people coming back from the dead. It’s not a crawling out of the grave situation. No zombies that I can see. Yet. These people are just poof. Back. Whole, undamaged, not even realizing they’d been dead. Let the chaos ensue.

It reminds me of the concept of The Leftovers, just in reverse, I guess.

Now I want to go attack Mott’s book. Thanks.

5

[Literary Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Cross-posted on BookLikes and Wordpress.

Realistic portrayals of the bureaucratic response to an unexplainable event and the emotional turmoil experienced if you were to find out a dead loved one was in fact alive, drew me in as the scene was set for the rest of the series.

However, upon finishing, I was left feeling a mild mixture of indifference and curiosity, reminding me of the way short stories in anthologies are written; leaving what comes next, or reasons for what takes place, up to the imaginations of readers. Although the last sentence is ominous, indicating a not-so-happy ending.

As I own the other currently published installments in this series, I'll definitely be continuing, especially as there's a TV series based on it in the works.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

Some time ago I read The Returned which features an interesting story on how people respond when their deceased family and friends return from the dead. Not as zombies, but they just are there again. Especially that idea I found intriguing.

The First is the first of three prequel short stories that belong with that novel, featuring the story of one of the returned each. In The First the story of the very first of the Returned is told, which I thought was a nice addition to the other book. The story is rather short and I think it would have been a bit better had it been a bit longer, but I think it will make a nice introduction.

[rameau · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn't suck me in like I expected it to.

None of the characters actually get to feel or process the emotions a return of a lost loved one will imaginably bring up. I'm not blaming the third person limited voice--that bit I actually liked--rather than the writing itself. It's the telling rather than showing and a terrible distance to the characters who are going through this upheaval.

It's a lukewarm first glimpse into the world of The Returned, but luckily the preview of the actual novel is better. Still, I wish the author had taken the time to name the black FBI agent.

[Jordan Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very different kind of story. I have to say that I really liked the premise a LOT! Basically people begin returning from the dead. They don't realize that they've been dead, so they freak a lot of living people out. They don't remember their deaths, only everything leading up to them. Like I said, interesting. :) It has a melancholy mood to it, so if you're feeling down this might not be the best book to pick up.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story

It's hard to categorize this story. It's a romance, with a kind-of ghost so does that make it a paranormal romance? However, the ghost isn't really a ghost.

Whatever it is, it was wonderful. I'm planning on reading the other 2 prequels I have and start the rest (beginning?) of the series.

[The Book Junkie Reads . . . · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall 3 out of 5 stars
Performance 2 out of 5 stars
Story 4 out of 5 stars

This was a great introduction to the series (The Returned). This was a demonstration on what was happening around the world from different standpoints.

[gio · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Capisco che sia solo una novella, ma un po' di world building non sarebbe male.

[Tia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrater was distracting.

[Lou Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

At time of writing, got for free in google books.

Not sure if I will like this one but apparently it's short and it's been a while since I read a mystery.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A number of years ago, my husband and I watched a series on TV called The Returned and enjoyed it quite a bit. In fact, we were sad when it was cancelled. Much to my surprise, at such a late date, I realized that it was based on a book (I should have known). In addition I had the first 3 prequels on my Kindle...which also leads me to believe that I knew there was a book and just forgot). "The First" is the first prequel. Short and to the point, it describes the original "return" to the reader and immediately raises the original questions: where have the returned been, how can they be alive again, and WTH? I'll be reading the remaining 2 in the next few days because the audio of The Returned is waiting for me at the library!!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romanzo breve che ha per protagonisti Emily e Edmond, due giovani promessi sposi della Carolina del Nord, la cui vita viene sconvolta dalla morte del ragazzo, investito da un autobus, proprio il giorno dopo la proposta di matrimonio.
Dopo un anno, però, Edmond si reca nel suo studio di commercialista, va alla sua scrivania come nulla fosse successo ovviamente inconsapevole di essere morto agli occhi degli altri appena dodici mesi prima.
Si tratta di un primo caso di redivivo?

Breve racconto con elementi di paranormal, prequel della serie The Returned.
Mi ha invogliato a saperne di più, seppur non si tratti del mio genere preferito.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The First had me captured from the get go. Elements of mystery and the indecisiveness of whether a character was a hero or villain was great. Despite the short novella those twenty pages go very quickly and I wish it never ended. The reason for the three stars was because there was no explanation as to Edmunds disappearance and the end. How did she end up there? Was Edmunds escape successful or is it one of those "it was all a dream."? Even if it wasn't all a dream it would have been nice to see Emily and Edmund reunited after so long apart.

[Miles Taylor-Charlemagne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but good story. I know this is part of a series and a prequel to it all, but it's nice to learn more about he characters and story by reading these prequel stories. However, I do feel I need to read more to learn more about the characters and stories as whole, but this is a good start and I look forward to reading more.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very short (26 pages) prequel of sorts to Mott's book The Returned, a sci-fi novel about what happens when a group of dead people suddenly reappear as if nothing's happened. This book-let focuses on Edmund and Emily and Edmund's return from the dead. I haven't read The Returned yet, but this little story was kind of a snooze. Hoping for better from The Returned.

[Fefi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primo prequel,molto breve, di The Returned: mi ha abbastanza incuriosito.

[Amanda Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick short story - intriguing, and I felt for the characters. I might pick up The Returned in the future to see how this premise plays out.

[Any Length · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a novella. Short story more like to prepare us for "the Returned".

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, quick and easy to read novella.

[Nix C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mini story

A very short prequel. It did its job I will be reading the Returned now. It had just enough to draw you in and make you want to know more.