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The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

Arthur C Clarke Awards, 2015

ebook / ISBN-13: 9781405528252

Price: £9.99

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‘ONE OF THE FICTION HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DECADE’ Judy Finnigan, Richard and Judy Book Club

Featured in the Richard and Judy Book Club, the BBC Radio 2 Book Club and the Waterstones Book Club
Winner of the John W. Campbell Award
Shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award

SOME STORIES CANNOT BE TOLD IN JUST ONE LIFETIME

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.

This is the extraordinary journey of one unforgettable character – a story of friendship and betrayal, loyalty and redemption, love and loneliness and the inevitable march of time. Perfect for readers of How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

‘Utterly readable, utterly believable and compelling’ Judy Finnigan, Richard and Judy Book Club

‘Beautiful and gripping’ Guardian

‘An astonishing re-invention of the time-travel narrative. Bold, magical and masterful’ M. R. Carey, author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS

‘Terrific, smart and entertaining’ Patrick Ness

‘The writing is impeccable . . Plus Harry is a fascinating main character’ Heat

‘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, bestselling author of THE MAZE RUNNER


Also by Claire North

Novels:
Touch
The Sudden Appearance of Hope (winner of the World Fantasy Award)
The End of the Day (shortlisted for the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award)
84K (shortlisted for the Philip K. Dick Award)
The Gameshouse
The Pursuit of William Abbey
Notes from the Burning Age
Ithaca (a Sunday Times Historical Fiction Book of the Year)
House of Odysseus
The Last Song of Penelope

Novella:
Sweet Harmony

What's Inside

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Reviews

Gripping
SUN
The writing is impeccable . . Plus Harry is a fascinating main character . . . And if his next 15 lives are half as eventful, we look forward to the sequel
HEAT
A brave, genre-defying novel, which is mind-blowing in its originality and bold concept . . . Stunning!
Novelicious
An astonishing re-invention of the time-travel narrative. Bold, magical and masterful
M. R. Carey, author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS
Part unique and intriguing mystery, part philosophical look at life, memory and time travel this story kept me totally gripped from the opening words to the mind-blowing finale
BITE THE BOOK
Every bit as good as its title. (And, to avoid ambiguity, I love the title.)
WEEKEND HERALD
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is an extraordinary novel, as the publicity has promised
THE SPECULATIVE SCOTSMAN
A masterful literary thriller
io9
A brave, genre-defying novel, which is mind-blowing in its originality and bold concept . . . Stunning!
NOVELICIOUS
Grabs you from the first page; it crackles along at a rollicking pace . . . unputdownable
The Saturday Paper
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, bestselling author of THE MAZE RUNNER
Claire North's sophisticated writing and astute plotting have made this my book of the year
Peter F. Hamilton
North builds her clever conceit into an emotionally satisfying novel
NEW SCIENTIST
An astonishing re-invention of the time-travel narrative. Bold, magical and masterful
M. R. Carey, author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS
Utterly readable, utterly believable and compelling . . . one of the fiction highlights of the decade
Judy Finnigan, Richard and Judy Book Club
Terrific, smart and entertaining
Patrick Ness
Part unique and intriguing mystery, part philosophical look at life, memory and time travel this story kept me totally gripped from the opening words to the mind-blowing finale
Bite the Book
This wonderful novel, narrated by Harry, ranges back and forth in time as he recounts episodes from his various lives, but it's all held together by a compelling mystery involving nothing less than the end of the world itself . . . Beautifully written and structured . . . a remarkable book
BOOKLIST
A masterful literary thriller
i09
A truly extraordinary novel: an impeccable portrait of a friendship tortured by time in which masterful character and fantastic narrative come together to tremendous effect
TOR.COM
Utterly readable, utterly believable and compelling . . . one of the fiction highlights of the decade
Judy Finnigan, Richard and Judy book club
An extraordinary book . . . an impressive piece of work.
Upcoming4me
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
Jared Shurin
Grabs you from the first page; it crackles along at a rollicking pace . . . unputdownable
THE SATURDAY PAPER
Beautiful and gripping
Guardian
Claire North's sophisticated writing and astute plotting have made this my book of the year
Peter F. Hamilton
The writing is impeccable . . Plus Harry is a fascinating main character . . . And if his next 15 lives are half as eventful, we look forward to the sequel
Heat
Beautiful and gripping
GUARDIAN
This wonderful novel, narrated by Harry, ranges back and forth in time as he recounts episodes from his various lives, but it's all held together by a compelling mystery involving nothing less than the end of the world itself . . . Beautifully written and structured . . . a remarkable book
bOOKLIST
Terrific, smart and entertaining
Patrick Ness