The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North begins by setting up a class of people who live their lives,
die and are reborn as themselves but with all their memories. So generally the first time they are reborn
they experience a bout of insanity as they try to cope with being a child who
rembers a complete life. Eventually as
their lives pile up they adjust and are able to capitalize on the fact that they
already know what will happen in the world to steer their own lives in many
different directions, avoid calamity, and ensure comfort. Harry August, as you’ve no doubt guessed, is
one of these individuals. Then as Harry
lies dying for the twelfth time he is visited by a little girl who gives him a
message from the future to take back to the time of his birth --- the world is
ending, sooner then it should. So Harry
is reborn and undertakes to find out why this is happening. Harry who was born in 1919 and generally dies
sometime in the 90’s takes us on many different tours of the 20th
century as he lives his lives and endeavors to find the cause of the changing
future & solve it.
The book is interesting and the premise is actually quite
believable as the author describes it (I’m not sure I did as well with my
synopsis). A good book for fans of the
speculative who like a bit of a mystery.
