The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

Harry, using the alias Kostya Prekovsky, blackmails Professor Gulakov into helping him locate the scientist Vitali Karpenko. Four days later, Gulakov calls with instructions to meet at the Avtovo Metro station, but the line sounds monitored. Preparing for trouble, Harry retrieves a gun from his Cronus Club contacts.

At the station, Harry spots state security agents watching a nervous Gulakov. He evades them by riding the metro back and forth. Returning to Avtovo, he creates a diversion by shouting about a thief and firing his gun into the air, causing a stampede. In the chaos, Harry grabs Gulakov, who reveals that Karpenko is at a facility called “Pietrok-112.” Harry escapes, disposes of his identity papers, and retrieves a new set, preparing to travel north.

Richard Lisle murdered Harry in the latter’s eighth life. In his ninth, Harry decides to kill Richard before he can embark on his killing spree. In 1948 Cuba, Harry discusses his plan to preemptively kill Lisle with another kalachakra, Akinleye. Akinleye questions the morality of the plan, arguing that since Lisle has not yet committed the crime in this life, killing him would be murder, not justice. She also reminds Harry of the difficulty of intervening in historical events and urges him to simply “enjoy” life.