The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
On sale
8th April 2014
Price: £9.99
Arthur C Clarke Awards, 2015
‘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
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
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Reviews
Grabs you from the first page; it crackles along at a rollicking pace . . . unputdownable
An astonishing re-invention of the time-travel narrative. Bold, magical and masterful
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
A masterful literary thriller
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
Terrific, smart and entertaining
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
Terrific, smart and entertaining
A masterful literary thriller
A brave, genre-defying novel, which is mind-blowing in its originality and bold concept . . . Stunning!
North builds her clever conceit into an emotionally satisfying novel
Grabs you from the first page; it crackles along at a rollicking pace . . . unputdownable
Claire North's sophisticated writing and astute plotting have made this my book of the year
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
Gripping
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
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
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is an extraordinary novel, as the publicity has promised
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
Every bit as good as its title. (And, to avoid ambiguity, I love the title.)
An extraordinary book . . . an impressive piece of work.
Beautiful and gripping
Utterly readable, utterly believable and compelling . . . one of the fiction highlights of the decade
A brave, genre-defying novel, which is mind-blowing in its originality and bold concept . . . Stunning!
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
Claire North's sophisticated writing and astute plotting have made this my book of the year
Beautiful and gripping
Utterly readable, utterly believable and compelling . . . one of the fiction highlights of the decade
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
An astonishing re-invention of the time-travel narrative. Bold, magical and masterful