First Things Last

Stories of Humor, Horror and Noir

By: Daniel J. Thompson

Narrated by: Daniel J. Thompson

A sentient cloud whose arrogance leads to its own demise. A rich uncle who discovers a possible solution to climate change, but is not who he appears to be. A phantom killer who uses other people (and their cars) to commit murder. Balloons that predict the future. Paranormal investigators at the beach. Wolfmen who hunt bears for sport. A Cinderella story at a retirement home. Celebrities forced to make movies for eternity in a simulated world. A girlfriend who believes we reside in the mind of God.

Part noir, part humor and part horror (often all three). First Things Last is a book you might have to listen to twice to find your way out of.

We look for the same things in books as we do in life. We want to laugh, to be enthralled, a little shocked, surprised, maybe even afraid. Why? Because of the possibilities, but most importantly, because of the things we don't yet know. As anyone who has tried to escape reality knows (and I have), we can only get so far through fantasy; this is the distinction between fantasy and magical realism. It is the presentation of these possible worlds as possible that is surprising; things that could happen but don't, things that can't happen, but do.

Although mundane, our experience is grounded in the world. It is through the familiar that we discover the strange, as Henri Michaux writes, ‘Nothing but the banal can support the strange.' The strange supports the banal as the banal supports the strange. They do not overcome each other, but blend into the various and often contradictory forms that we encounter every day.

©2023 Daniel J. Thompson (P)2024 Daniel J. Thompson