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  • The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

  • By: Claire North
  • Narrated by: Peter Kenny
  • Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (523 ratings)

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The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

By: Claire North
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©2014 Claire North (P)2014 Hachette Audio UK

Critic Reviews

"An astonishing re-invention of the time-travel narrative. Bold, magical and masterful" (M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts)"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, Pornokitsch Blog)
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, the book should be a big hit . . . Fans of SF and fantasy authors China Mieville, Christopher Priest, and Adam Roberts might note a stylistic similarity, especially in the novel's elegant prose. Whoever Claire North turns out to be, he or she has written a remarkable book" (Booklist)
"Gripping" ( Sun)
"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)
"A brave, genre-defying novel, which is mind-blowing in its originality and bold concept . . . Stunning!" ( NOVELICIOUS)
"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)
" The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is an extraordinary novel, as the publicity has promised" ( The Speculative Scotsman)

What listeners say about The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
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Hit by train of awesomeness

I came into this book with little hopes or expectations. And 1 hours into it i was simply in love. The main character is somewhat "blank" as the author puts it (Thru a dialogue with another character) But everything else about this book is simply superb.
The concept is great. Truly great twist on the whole time travel business.
The plot is Okay. Very engaging.
The EXECUTION is like no other. Claire North takes this story and twists it in such a lovely way that the reader cant help but love it.
Also, the wordsmithing is beautiful. Sometimes i would hit the rewind 30 seconds bottom just to go thru certain phrases again, so well crafted they were!

All in all. Just get this book. Its great and now on my list of favorites!

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting story

Interesting concept, well written and narrated. Starts a little slowly but once the point of the book becomes clear and the protagonist established, couldn't put it down.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating and full of action

This book is built on a fascinating concept, that of the Kalachakra, a group of people that re-live the same life over and over again but with the all the memories of their previous lives.

The story is really well paced, with interesting characters, and a narrator that brings the story and characters to life.

Thoroughly enjoyable!

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2 people found this helpful

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Amazing story and exceptional narration

So far my favourite listen on Audible. Interesting story and concept, and superb narrator. Would love it to have been twice the length.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story and beautifully read

I was totally drawn to the story, so unusual and intriguing. Can't stop listening. The reader was great also, the gentle voice drew you in.

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loved it!

Original, gripping, beautiful! I loved the story, I loved the suspense. I loved the reading. 5 stars!

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Brilliant

I was absolutely mesmorised by this book. The story is intriguing and me desperately wanting to know the ending.

I appreciate the complex question of what happens if we could change time. Brilliantly thought out storyline.

The many accents and characters were well performed. It was a joy to listen to.

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  • Overall
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Exceptional in every way

This is the best sci-fi novel I've read since Ancillary Justice (and the best historical time travel espionage novel I've read EVER). Each of Harry's fifteen lives is rich fascinating detail, brought to life by a terrific narrator, whose dying gasps are especially convincing (and he has lots of chances to use them in this book).

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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well written and thought provoking

I didn't enjoy the narrator to begin with, but as the story progressed and he found his rhythm, I started to enjoy his performance. Quite a gripping story with some very interesting themes.

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Great concept

Really good concept and topic. Kept me interested the whole way through. Would like to see if this is a series.

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