Emily Paull

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August Claire North Orbit Books 9780356502564 Publication date: 1st April 2014 How to classify a book like this one?  It's something of a quandary.  It's not historical fiction, though it takes place at the same time as a number of notable twentieth century events like World War 2, and Vietnam, but it's also not a science fiction novel, despite involving a form of time travel.  Part counter-factual history, part spy thriller a la James Bond, complete with top secret research facilities behind the Iron Curtain, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August avoids categorisation by being many things at once, and I think because this has been done so well, it would be safe to say regardless of genre, the book will be a best seller. But while this is 'Claire North's' first book, it's not the author's.  It appears, from an obscure author's note tucked away at the end of the book, that the creator of Harry August is no st...

I have a confession to make.  I was really only drawn to this book because of it's BEAUTIFUL cover.  I know.  Bad form, Miss Em. But seriously, look at it.  It's gorgeous! Interesting factoid: The River of No Return is also the name of a Marilyn Munroe film, as I discovered on searching for this image! Embosses with gold, this large book jumps out at a person from a shelf or display, and I think it's going to be a runaway hit for the second half of the year.  And deservedly so! From the Blurb "'Time is like a river.  It always flows in one direction.' Nicholas Davenant lives a lie.  Single, handsome and wealthy, his perfect life is a facade constructed to hide the incredible truth- he was born two hundred years ago.  Somehow, in the face of certain death, Nicholas inexplicable jumped forward in time and awoke to find himself in the care of a mysterious society. The Guild, a secretive fraternity of time travellers, helped hi...