The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
By Claire North
What if you had a chance for a do-over? That’s the simple premise behind The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. Harry is one of a group of people known as “ouroborans” or “kalachakra” whose lives reset upon death (regular folk, who have but one life to live, are known as “linears”). The twist is that all of the re-birthers’ previous lives are remembered and carried forward, which leads to some interesting results.
As a member of the ouroborans’ Cronus Club, Harry is drawn into a series of adventures in relayed universes, capped by one where he has to derail a rogue kalachakra from accelerating the end of the world. The plot is insanely complicated, but Claire North is up to the challenge of turning it into a tremendously entertaining ride. Just try not to think about the paradoxes too much and you’re sure to enjoy the trip.
Alex on SF 