• The First

  • A Prequel to 'The Returned'
  • By: Jason Mott
  • Narrated by: Victor Bevine
  • Length: 33 mins
  • 3.6 out of 5 stars (693 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The First  By  cover art

The First

By: Jason Mott
Narrated by: Victor Bevine
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $6.95

Buy for $6.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

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 fiancee, 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.

©2013 Jason Mott (P)2013 Audible Inc.

What listeners say about The First

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    177
  • 4 Stars
    230
  • 3 Stars
    165
  • 2 Stars
    61
  • 1 Stars
    60
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    190
  • 4 Stars
    210
  • 3 Stars
    130
  • 2 Stars
    27
  • 1 Stars
    41
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    176
  • 4 Stars
    185
  • 3 Stars
    154
  • 2 Stars
    43
  • 1 Stars
    45

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Melodramtic

Melodramatic, swarmy, silly, not well written. Half way decent concept, just needs a good writer to do justice to it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Under the Spell

Whatever sort of magic Jason Mott weaves, he has completely captivated me in the 34 short minutes of this prequel. As one who is easily disappointed by this genre, I am actually looking forward to August 27 and the release of The Returned.

The prequel promises much while not giving away anything - a difficult trick to pull off! During this brief introduction to Edmund and his "situation," which is apparently not limited just to him, the narrator immediately brings to life the author's portrayal of the characters' personalities.

Both writer and performer have left me spellbound and anxious for the story to continue. Well done

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

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

I see dead people!

Suddenly her fiancé who died over a year ago shows up for work. Seemingly healthy, with no memory of his death or how he got there, the mystery is not just how but why? And it's happening all over the world!

It's free and I'm thankful, but I'm just not curious about how or why.

It seems well written and certainly well read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The jury is still out

This short story preview shows that there is an interesting premise and potentially good book coming in The Returned. But I detected some weaknesses in the writing and narrating of The First that has me hesitating to order the next installment, and both have to do with Emily's mother. The bad southern accent in near-falsetto is distracting to listen to, and her POV telling her distraught daughter not to be so excited about about her beloved Edmund returning to life (don't worry, he'll call you when he can) is joltingly out of sync with the fear and awe the should accompany the cosmically mysterious event. Although the summary of The Returned suggests a completely different cast of characters (so perhaps I'd never hear Emily's mom again), I still wonder about the author's ability to develop characters whose actions appear consistent with the strange circumstances.

Short stories and novels are very different writing forms, and perhaps author Mott is better at the second than the first. But I think I will await some reviews of The Returned before deciding if it is a stronger effort than the short preview.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

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

Free Book - Short Story - Great Concept!!

STORY - This is the first of three prequels to a book called "The Returned," which just came out last month. Each prequel is apparently the story of a different person's unexpected return from the dead, a phenomenon which is starting to occur all over the world (but this book is the first occurrence). What a great marketing concept -- release a few prequels of different occurrences to get people salivating, then hit the market with the story that ties them all together and explains everything. Brilliant!

I don't know if I'm going to buy "The Returned," as the reviews are not too great, but this prequel was very enjoyable. I actually got chills...a young woman finds that her dead fiance is alive again. OMG!

PERFORMANCE - Good enough, nothing special.

OVERALL - It's free, it's short, it's good. What are you waiting for? (It makes a nice little break when you're listening to a long book).

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very Interesting.

The story is interesting, but I hope it dosen't end up like the 4400 did. It is hard not to see the tparallel in some instances, although they didn't appear out of a lake. Still the return of dead people is interesting. to see how the story will progress.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a Tease

Where does The First rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This audiobook was a great teaser intro to make a reader interested in reading the rest of he series. A free short story from the series, rather than just a chapter is a much better way to get somebody interested in buying into a new series.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The First?

This story, being a short story preview vs an advance chapter, gives you a little background and leaves you wanting more without just cutting you off at the end of the chapter.

What about Victor Bevine’s performance did you like?

Good.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait for The Returned.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

Hard to Rate

This is really hard to rate, because it is so short. It did get my attention and I enjoyed the premise. I was not quite ready for it it end, because I wanted to know more about how people were being brought back to life and why. This is just too short to know if I would listen again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

fascinating

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Terrible

I will definitely not be reading the sequel. This book is not the least bit interesting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!