Audible Book Review: The Very First D**ned Thing: An Author-Read Audio Exclusive by Jodi Taylor

This was a quick fun listen that introduces the sometimes zany series.
The Very First D**ned Thing: An Author-Read Audio Exclusive
Written by: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Jodi Taylor

Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
Series: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 0.5
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:10-19-15
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Fantasy, Time Travel
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Audible is delighted to bring you an exclusive, author-read production of The Very First Damned Thing. Hear it here first, months ahead of the EBook publication.
Jodi Taylor reads the long-awaited prequel in her Chronicles of St Mary’s series, as Dr Bairstow struggles to set up St Mary’s as we know it in a world still scarred by the ravages of civil war.
Ever wondered how it all began? It’s two years since the final victory at the Battersea Barricades. The fighting might be finished, but for Dr Bairstow, just now setting up St Mary's, the struggle is only beginning.
How will he assemble his team? From where will his funding come? How can he overcome the massed ranks of the Society for the Protection of Historical Buildings? How do stolen furniture, a practical demonstration at the Stirrup Charge at Waterloo, students’ alcohol-ridden urine, a widowed urban guerrilla, a young man wearing exciting knitwear and four naked security guards all combine to become the St Mary’s of the future?
©2015 Jodi Taylor (P)2015 Audible Ltd.

Review:
This is the prequel to the Chronicles of St Mary’s series. It is a quick introduction to the primary characters and how the time traveling troupe of St Mary’s began. Dr. Bairstow, the founder and head of the Institute of Historical Research, first has to convince his benefactors to provide the funding… such as it is. Perhaps giving them a demonstration in time travel observation is the best method to win them over? Next Dr. Bairstow has to recruit his staff, from security to cook to crazy scientists.

Once he is awarded the old campus of St Mary’s to house the organization, he has to manage to work around the Society for the Protection of Historical Buildings so that he can remodel the buildings for labs and travel base with all the necessary security and precautions. Since funds are scarce, the staff find an interesting source for furniture to help make the place a home.

I enjoyed the humor especially as Bairstow found just the right team and brought them together one by one. If you have read (or listened) to any of the series, you will get to find out how the Institute came to exist and how the staff came to join St Mary’s. If you have not yet experienced the fun of meeting the characters then this is a quick, enjoyable way to do it. I also enjoyed the bit of history that comes along with the story.

I recommend this as a quick, fun way to get a feel for the series. It is lovely that this is a free audiobook.

Audio Notes: I enjoyed the audio presentation by the author, Jodi Taylor. Her voice suited the tale and it was interesting to get her personal inflection on the characters as they were rounded together. Although I imagine the reading would be good too, I was glad to get to listen to this short beginning.

This was a free audiobook from my own library. It qualifies for my Audiobook Challenge and TBR Triple Dog Dare.