Review: I needed more
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2013
This short story is one of three prequels to the upcoming novelThe Returned. I got this as a free download from the Kindle bookstore. This review is based on the short story only and not the excerpt.The basic premise of the book, this story, and the upcoming television series is that people are mysteriously returning from the dead as if nothing has happened. However, life has gone on for their family and friends, and no one knows what to make of the returned.In this story, the first known of "The Returned," Edmund, shows up at work a year after his death from being hit by a bus. His fiancé, Emily, sees him on television after she though that she had dealt with the loss. She decides to try to make her way to him, and runs into an accident of her own.This story is a reunion of two loves, but I did not feel any connection to the characters. I understand that this is a short story/teaser, but there was not enough here for me. There was very little backstory for the characters, and I just could not feel the love and urgency as a result. I also found the reactions to the return of Edmund to be a little too easy. Emily's mother, for example, took it all in stride, while Emily did at least struggle a little with Edmund's return.I have to say that this story did not make me any more interested in the full novel at all. However, after reading this story, I first watched the preview for the series and then readThe Sparrow (The Returned). After doing those two things, I am much more interested in reading the novel. I recommend possibly skipping this story and readingThe Sparrow (The Returned)instead, or perhaps reading it first, at least.