“The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” by Claire North – Immortal Quandaries
Bill Murray gave us a small glimpse of the possibilities in “Groundhog Day”, and now Claire North (a pen name used by Catherine Webb) takes it to the next level in The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, spreading the power over a lifetime.
The premise in this story is quite an unusual one: Harry August is a man either blessed or cursed, but either way always forced to reincarnate as himself and begin the same life all over again... but still being able to retain the knowledge from previous lives which comes back to him by the age of seven.
Though at first the news drove him to madness and suicide, life after life he starts to get the hang of it, and discovers he is one of a few “Ourobouros” in the world, people with his specific condition.
What's more, many of them are part of the Cronos Club dedicated to helping their young members who are freshly reborn to gain their memories back as soon as possible. On his deathbed once again, Harry receives a surprising visit: a little girl warns him about the fast-approaching end of the world.
Though at first the reader may get the impression that the story is about saving the world, most of the novel is actually focused on how August uses his powers throughout his lives, as well as how the other Ourobouros choose to use theirs (though we get to see that to a lesser extent).
Through these vehicles the author explores the many questions we've had about this type of looping immortality and how us humans would use it.
We get stories about how some of them tried introducing new technologies way ahead of their time, much to humanity's chagrin, how some manipulated the fates of others with foreknowledge... briefly-speaking, we get to see the best and the worst case-scenarios of how us, the regular citizens, would spend our immortality.
The plot takes Harry through some very fascinating adventures through time and space, often stopping along the way to offer thoughts and philosophies on the great burden that living life over and over again would be.
Thankfully, Harry's narration is upbeat in a jaded and cynical way, often giving us chuckle-worthy quips and funny observations, perhaps mirroring the mindset of an immortal stuck in his fate.
Though it does feel like the “end of the world” ordeal takes a bit of a back seat to exploring Harry's power, it still shines bright and will surprise you from time to time, especially in where it takes the story to.
Speaking of which, I feel the author ought to be commended for the amount of research she put into this novel. Though most writers out there will take the story to different countries just for the sake of having a more exotic locale, North (or Webb if you prefer) actually takes the time to provide lifelike details about life at that place at that time. This especially shines through when we end up visiting the good old Soviet Union.
This is definitely a book I'd recommend to anyone who wonders what repeating your own life as an immortal would be like... and to anyone who enjoys science-fiction in general.
Favorite quote: "The most it ever seems we know how to do with time, is to waste it."
 | Catherine WebbA pen name used by Catherine Webb. Catherine Webb (A pen name - Claire North) is a British author who completed her education both at the London School of Economics and the Godolphin and Latymer School. She has written under the pen names of Kate Griffin and Claire North, and amongst other awards and nominations won the John Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year for The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. |
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