The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August Paperback – October 21, 2014

Wow. Just wow. I absolutely loved this book. I read a lot of science fiction, and I've only come across one other book with a premise similar to this one: there are people in our world who live their lives entirely and die, but then are born again in exactly the same time and place to live their life again. And so on and so on, ad infinitum (except for a few special circumstances). But unlike the other book I've read with a similar plot, this author did an amazing job completely exploring the nuances and ramifications of someone who lives this kind of life, and the plot is just riveting to boot. I was even more amazed to learn that this was the author's first major effort. Just stellar.The author tackles some Really Big Questions in this novel: What is the point/meaning of human existence? If you know with absolute certainty of a tragedy that's going to occur, is it better (or even ok) to interfere with the "natural course" of events? What is the natural course of events? If you do choose to change things, what ramifications does this have down the line? How interconnected are events in our world? What is the morality of preemptive action? Is it ok to kill someone you know with utter certainty will commit murder, but hasn't yet? Just to name a few.This book could have quickly gotten bogged down in some of these big issues and not been nearly as enjoyable, except for the fact that the titular Harry August is a complete delight: insightful, hilarious, witty, wry, and self deprecating, and learning how these people tend to evolve through their multiple lives through this lens is a really great trip. As the story progresses and Harry lives more lives, we meet more and more people like Harry, and it's really interesting to see how they all deal with their unique existence in different ways. Again, the author does a wonderful job really exploring the limits of this rather simple premise, really pushing the reader to think.The plot is fascinating and riveting, and moves along with a good pace, never getting bogged down anywhere. We learn the crux of it pretty quickly: a message has been passed down through generations of these unique individuals to Harry that the end of the world is accelerating backwards through time, occurring earlier and earlier as lives are lived. Some more Really Big Questions buried there: Is technological progress inevitable or can it be halted? If it's inevitable, is the rate of progress important? Can this rate be influenced, either slowed or sped up? Which is better? Is there a right answer?I would probably have a little more to say, except that as soon as I finished this one I immediately picked up and devoured the author's second (unrelated in story) novel, "Touch", and am writing this after finishing that one. This book will definitely be on the re-read shelf, which is probably the best review I could possible give for myself.

Personally, I lost sympathy for the main character when he killed a dog–for no good reason other than to make a point. Shame on you, Ms. North. Yes, I know Harry is not a paragon of virtue (I believe he kills 80 people during the course of the book). But you need to keep your readers invested in him. For some of us, random dog murder--that’s a deal breaker.Having said that–there’s a lot to like about this book, but also many flaws.Pros1. The novel is well-written and fast moving.2. It has a great premise and the author sends it in a unique direction. The originality of the idea is reason enough to read it.3. The plot held my interest. Even though the story lacked internal consistency, the author is skillful in covering up some of the flaws for much of the novel. And if you don’t think about it too much, it’s plausible.4. Compared to other sci fi books I’ve read recently, this one is stellar.Cons (Spoilers ahead!)1. Certain episodes didn’t move the plot along or add anything to our knowledge of Harry’s character, e.g. Harry’s lengthy discussion with his father (we already knew how unfeeling Dad was) and the scene where Harry is kidnapped by Argentinian bandits.2. The behavior of the characters wasn’t always clearly motivated.3. The number of skills, languages, and professions that Harry excels at seems excessive–yes, even given his age and experience. The fact that he and Vincent are portrayed as all-powerful isn’t believable.4. What IS the “quantum mirror”? I still don’t know what the point was, even in generalities–it’s just supposed to let someone see with “the eye of God,” whatever that means.5. You would think that if the message that “the world is ending” is being passed backward in time from the future, there would be some clue as to what, exactly, that end entailed. Has technology run amuck? Did mankind suffer a nuclear disaster?6. Why, if the Kalachakara have a genetic anomaly that causes their condition, isn’t Harry at least a little curious about this? He’s curious about everything else.7. The whole issue of unintended consequences and causality isn’t explored sufficiently. In all the discussion of the quantum mirror, no one seems to have any understanding that QM implies that the future is not determined–and therefore, it’s unknowable.

I purchased this in hard copy, and loved it! Claire North has written such an intricate story jumping between the lives of her characters, but it was still so easy to follow! The idea of characters living, then dying, and then re-living their lives again is such an interesting concept. I haven't found a book with a similar storyline, so following the life of Harry August kept me hooked. The story builds with each chapter, each life, and each character that Harry interacts with. There are several "aha" moments throughout the book as Harry pieces together the events that are causing the world to end faster that kept me hooked throughout the book. I have now purchased the Kindle version and audiobook version so I can read it wherever I am.I also really enjoyed the historical events mentioned in this text, as Harry lives throughout the 20th century where so many important historical events took place. What might be even more intriguing is the possibility of what could happen to the world if various technologies were available to the general population earlier. Would definitely recommend to anyone!

The best revenge is not to forget someone, but to think about them again and again. This strange love-hate-revenge story told in a span of many lives is an enthralling piece. The non-linear, backwards, forward and leaping structure helps the reader to decode the story bit by bit. The tale at beart goes to the essence of what it means to be human and to leave a legacy. It made me wonder about my own legacy and the futile and eternal impact that all of our actions have.As a child, I remember wanting to be immortal and never die. Tales of immortality always seem to make immortals seem to be cursed by it. Here, however, I found that at the end, humans keep reacting with the same animalistic instincts that we have: no matter if we live 50 or 5000 years. I enjoy a good story that makes me think about it days and weeks after I finish reading it. If you're into those kinds of stories, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is for you

What a book! Right from the opening line of “The second cataclysm began in my eleventh life, in 1996” until the very satisfying final chapter (or as satisfying as a time-loop story can get), “The First Fifteen Lives” is a page-turning ride filled with imagination, great story-telling and wonderful writing.The book’s essence is a “Groundhog Day” type of story — only that an entire life is lived repeatedly in a loop rather than just a day. Harry August belongs to a class of men and women known as kalachakra (it’s literal meaning is a wheel of time and is a term in Buddhism that refers to time cycles) or ouroborans (from the serpent swallowing its own tail, an Egyptian-Greek symbol of life-death-rebirth) who, after living their lives, are born again in the exact same way at the exact same time and place but with complete memories of each of their past lives. Additionally, Harry is a mnemonic, a type of kalachakra, who retains all his memories perfectly. During his eleventh life, he discovers that something is changing the course of human history and possibly leading to its destruction and it’s up to him to prevent it.A usual problem with such a genre of books is the inevitable repeatability, and that leads to such books dragging somewhat especially in the middle parts. North (a pseudonym for Catherine Webb), however, structures “The First Fifteen Lives” cleverly in a non-sequential fashion that makes each chapter feel fresh. And towards the latter part of the book, which is more traditionally structured, the story transforms into a cat-and-mouse type of thriller that prevents the reader from keeping the book down. This book could easily have been caught up in the science behind the events and while there is some perfunctory discussion on it, it does not distract and the book is as much about history, philosophy and ethics as it is about science.Books involving time travel or time loops invariably need to adopt the concept of a “multiverse” to explain away the anomalies of the story and even that adoption does not offer a full explanation. “The First Fifteen Lives” is no different and the reader is bound to have lingering doubts about the plot once the book is read. But that’s only to be expected — my approach while reading such books is to take a few things for granted and just simply enjoy the ride.Pros: Imaginative plot, page-turner, superbly written, satisfying endCons: Unanswered questions in the end, as to be expected from this genre

El libro estaba sin usar, solo presenta una muy pequeña mancha circular en la portada, y otra un poco más grande en varias hojas solo perceptible en el libro cuando está cerrado. Es el tercer libro que adquiero en World of books y desde luego repetiré.

libro nuovo, in inglese, comprato per un regalo.copertina morbida e rilegatura economica, facile da strappare in momenti di rabbia quando scopri che lui ti ha tradita... abbastanza soddisfacente lì x lì.Cmq la storia è meravigliosa, estremamente coinvolgente, difficile da credere che sia stata scritta da una donna (visto come viene sviluppata l'introspezione maschile del protagonista) così giovane tra l altro. da leggere!