The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

By: Claire North

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

Wildly original, funny and moving, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is an extraordinary story of a life lived again and again from World Fantasy Award-winning author Claire North.

Harry August is on his deathbed. Again.

No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes.

Until now.

As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside. "I nearly missed you, Doctor August," she says. "I need to send a message."

This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.

Critic reviews

"An astonishing re-invention of the time travel narrative. Bold, magical and masterful."—Mike Carey

"I don't say this lightly but The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is one of the top ten books I've ever read."—James Dashner, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Maze Runner

"A thoughtful and considered time-travel novel, shocking twists and, most important of all, a beautiful character. Harry August will break your heart fifteen times."—James Shurin

"A subtle study of friendship, love and the complexity of existence."—Eric Brown, Guardian

"Wonderful novel... held together by a compelling mystery involving nothing less than the end of the world itself. Beautifully written and structured...a remarkable book."—Booklist (Starred Review)

"Fantastic."—io9

"A tremendously entertaining ride... You're sure to enjoy the trip."—Toronto Sunday Star

Can I give it 3.5 Stars?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I am a sucker for both time travel and replayed life stories. Not the Scottish romance in time variety, but this Groundhog Day concept fascinates me. I try to read them all. I enjoyed this book on this level, and appreciated the wrinkle of the premise... that we all relive our lives again and again, but that through an evolutionary or other cause, most now forget those past experiences, while a few remember them... and thus become the guardians of the planet in a way. They have a chance, through the repeats, to correct wrongs. Of course, villains also emerge who would use the repeat opportunities for their own personal gain or to amass power.

I liked the premise, and for the most part the execution, but I found the book a little tedious and repetitive in places. That, coupled with the lack of variation in voices, actually forced me to go back and repeat several chapters of the book to be sure I was following the story. Some questions went unanswered, some lines were less than satisfactory, but it was a nice addition to the body of this genre, overall.

Come for the time travel and stay for Harry

Any additional comments?

I admittedly am a time travel geek, so I was thrilled to discover this book. I was surprised at how much I cared about Harry. And I love that the authro didn't take it down the love story path completely. It would have been less of a book. The narrator was great and impressively nailed several accents. His accents for Victor were creepy and spot on. I also loved the concept of the Cronus club. In so many of the time travel books, the protagonist is so lonely in their journey. The club brought a nice twist to it.

Unbelievably good

This book is an amazing work of fiction- the characters are utterly real, and the premise is engrossing. I'm a picky reader, and this book met every criteria I have for a book that I would recommend to everyone. The actual writing of it sucks you in and makes you want more and more. I found myself coming up with excuses to continue reading.

12 or 13 lives would have sufficed

I get it. Not exactly time travel, not particle physics. not brain science, either...... After 50 or so chapters, I just wanted the story to be over. Perhaps some sharper editing would have brought this very well written book into better focus, or maybe a warning to folks over 60 not to get started in the first place.
At least this protagonist acknowledges that parents exist - something that's become declasse in modern culture.

Amazing!

After reading/listening to hundreds of books, this might be my favorite. It’s incredibly cerebral, and I constantly found myself having to rewind because I’d get lost in my own thoughts about the book. It raised so many questions, mostly about myself though. But don’t worry— the book has a satisfying ending.

I think anyone who enjoys topics like time, reincarnation, speculative science, science fiction, or reflections on the nature of the life cycle would enjoy this book.