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The Other Lives
From the author of The End of the World Running Club, a dark and gripping reincarnation tale perfect for fans of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.How many times have you lived? Once? Twice? A thousand?TV host and London playboy Elliot Childs has a secret. He can see into the mind of everyone he meets - a useful ability when you're job is to destroy celebrities on live television.But when he stumbles upon a hundred-year-old photograph in which he sees himself as a boy, Elliot's gift spirals out of control.His only hope to retain his sanity lies in the hands of a group of misfits who claim to have lived before...and who know Elliot very well.Can Elliot discover the secret of the photograph, and of who he really is, before he loses his mind forever?
- GenresFictionScience Fiction
345 pages, Paperback
Published November 7, 2018
110 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Adrian J. Walker
15 books430 followersAdrian J Walker was born in the bush suburbs of Sydney, Australia in the mid '70s. After his father found a camper van in a ditch, he moved his family back to the UK, where Adrian was raised.
His second novel, The End of the World Running Club, is a post-apocalyptic running fable about hope, love and endurance. It is being published by Del Rey UK, in May 2016.
His third novel, Colours, is the first part in a dystopian sci-fi trilogy and is available now.
His second novel, The End of the World Running Club, is a post-apocalyptic running fable about hope, love and endurance. It is being published by Del Rey UK, in May 2016.
His third novel, Colours, is the first part in a dystopian sci-fi trilogy and is available now.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 10, 2024
What if every body was a single soul, the universe learning and experiencing itself through multiple viewpoints... Adrian J. Walker takes this premise and builds a gripping story of what if.
A thoughtful and compulsive read. Highly recommended.
2022 Read
A thoughtful and compulsive read. Highly recommended.
2022 Read
November 6, 2018
No spoilers, but main themes are: something similar to reincarnation (past, current and future lives intertwined), current societal issues, relationship bonds, psychology.
I'll be honest, I don't know if I actually "enjoyed" this book. It didn't even leave me satisfied once I'd finished it. But that's not because of the writing or the plot. It was written excellently. The plot was pretty solid. I don't think the author intended the reader to "enjoy" the book. I think the reader is supposed to feel uncomfortable, and in places I certainly did. There were even points when I wondered if I wanted to carry on reading it. But this isn't a negative review - far from it. I'm glad I carried on, it got me thinking and wanting to keep reading. There are plenty of "feel-good" books out there if that's the reading experience you want, but if you want fiction that will make you think and take you out of your comfort zone then definitely give this a read.
I'll be honest, I don't know if I actually "enjoyed" this book. It didn't even leave me satisfied once I'd finished it. But that's not because of the writing or the plot. It was written excellently. The plot was pretty solid. I don't think the author intended the reader to "enjoy" the book. I think the reader is supposed to feel uncomfortable, and in places I certainly did. There were even points when I wondered if I wanted to carry on reading it. But this isn't a negative review - far from it. I'm glad I carried on, it got me thinking and wanting to keep reading. There are plenty of "feel-good" books out there if that's the reading experience you want, but if you want fiction that will make you think and take you out of your comfort zone then definitely give this a read.
January 29, 2021
3.5/5
This book ended up being a lot better than I had initially imagined. The main theme is centered around reincarnation, and how all of us are connected to each other. But all of that is put forward in such an insane, twisted way that it gets your mind running and makes you think. A very compelling read, and an even better concept.
This book ended up being a lot better than I had initially imagined. The main theme is centered around reincarnation, and how all of us are connected to each other. But all of that is put forward in such an insane, twisted way that it gets your mind running and makes you think. A very compelling read, and an even better concept.
December 6, 2018
This is the best book I have read in a long time. I found the beginning intriguing, but it really began to resonate and leave an impression on me for the middle and (most of) the end.
The story has an overwhelmingly positive and important message, although it is delivered in a somewhat dark and pessimistic way. Delivering it any other way would probably be overpowering, or sickening.
I'll be recommending this book to everyone I know.
The story has an overwhelmingly positive and important message, although it is delivered in a somewhat dark and pessimistic way. Delivering it any other way would probably be overpowering, or sickening.
I'll be recommending this book to everyone I know.
April 18, 2025
Really interesting idea and a strong opening. The main character, Elliot, is straight talking, mean, and funny. I was looking forward to seeing how he changed throughout the story...
However, the tight, pacy writing soon unravelled. It became repetitive and went off on tangents/ into meaningless detail. I didn't become interested in the other characters, and the plot thinned out. I also failed to understand why it ended the way it did. Maybe that's just me...
However, the tight, pacy writing soon unravelled. It became repetitive and went off on tangents/ into meaningless detail. I didn't become interested in the other characters, and the plot thinned out. I also failed to understand why it ended the way it did. Maybe that's just me...
October 18, 2022
This book was very thought provoking as it provided a very interesting look into reincarnation but in a different way, I thought this was very good and left me thinking about this book for days after, I would highly recommend
November 9, 2018
Adrian Walker’s latest novel, ‘The Other Lives’, (‘lives’ as in plural of life and not ‘lives’ as in present of to live) earns its place alongside his previous offerings, 'The End of the World Running Club' and 'The Last Dog on Earth’, on my shelf reserved for good ‘speculative fiction’. Walker’s books sit well next to novels by the likes of M.R. Carey, James Morrow, Matthew Mather, Alex Scarrow and even William Forstchen (despite Forstchen’s being at the opposite end of the political spectrum to Walker). In fact Walker out-writes at least a couple of names on that list now I think about it. The main (pro?)tagonist, Elliot Childs (any resemblance to tabloid talk-show hosts of the Jeremy-Kyle variety is strictly coincidental) has a fool-proof way of telling if people are lying. But it’s not by reading ‘the usual body language’ nor is it the result of 'the point-blank challenge'. Childs seems to know exactly what people are thinking. And there’s a reason for that. The book's spiel mentions ‘reincarnation and redemption’ which might put some people off but Walker’s highly developed ear for utterly realistic dialogue ensures that the implausible is soon just reality (remember our old friend, Lineker, the last dog?) and, as the narrative jumps between, amongst other 'places', our present and a cold war-time Cornwall, the mystery of a century old photograph is gradually solved. This novel is difficult to put into any kind of genre but ‘speculative fiction’ will do for now. At times it’s like reading a Tom’s Midnight Garden for adults (this novel is definitely not suitable for children) and at others it’s almost like you’re reading Ian McEwan. If ‘The Other Lives’ were a Netflix show (and might I suggest the title ‘Gleaners’?) it would be in your top three. But it isn’t so you are going to have to read it.
July 2, 2019
Whilst I agree with the closing sentiment in this interesting novel the journey there was a mixed path. The concept of the story is better than the end product. Felt like hard work at times and nowhere near as good as his breakthrough book. Interesting is the kindest comment I can make.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
February 23, 2021
Well-crafted, at once haunting and hopeful
I won't soon forget The Other Lives.
Sometimes surprising, and sometimes we watch the dense characters, frustratingly oblivious to the obvious.
I won't soon forget The Other Lives.
Sometimes surprising, and sometimes we watch the dense characters, frustratingly oblivious to the obvious.
December 1, 2020
It was well written and interesting concept. I just found it tedious because he went on dragging details that didn't seem to matter.
May 27, 2019
Adrian J Walker is back, following up on his wonderful dystopian novel THE LAST DOG ON EARTH with THE OTHER LIVES. This one is harder to place in a genre but no less entertaining and thought provoking. I’d summarise it as a metaphysical meditation on the current woes of British society wrapped up in a romp of an urban fantasy/magical realist narrative.
The lead protagonist is Elliott Childs, who is a combination of Jeremy Kyle and Piers Morgan. An evening talk-show host whose program is like the Colosseum, feeding Christians to the lions to sate the baying mob, who confuse the entertainment of their base fears with truth. Elliott is a nasty piece of work, with a gift to ‘dive’ into people and see into their deepest secrets. He is a man with everything, but that is soon put at risk when something triggers a chain reaction affecting his power. He loses control of it and the grip on his life. His ability to ‘dive’ is only the symptom of a greater power, that will see a man who has tried to avoid personal ties eventually connect with people in a more significant, deeper way, even if he doesn’t want to. He is connected to a group or a ‘knot’ of people with whom he has shared many other lives. But what this means for Elliott and the world he is helping to see the ‘truth’ through his programme will be the subject of the novel.
Now on the face of it, this may not sound like the most exciting of stories, at least the way I have presented the premise above. However, you’d be wrong. This novel is dealing with big meaty issues, not least of which is the character change of the protagonist as a means to explore the current divisive state of British society. It does that through a metaphysical thought experiment of, ‘what if we lived other lives and could remember them?‘
This could quite easily become 300 plus pages of hipster tosh, where the leftist, barely read university graduate put themselves on a higher moral pedestal than the loathsome rightists, who are quite clearly either evil capitalist straw men, replete with twirling moustaches and mirthful, hand rubbing laughs, and the great unwashed. Note these aren’t the ‘good’ deserving poor, the noble poor, but the other kind, the racists, little Englanders. However, it doesn’t become that one-dimensional polemic. It is a very good story, and does what all good stories do: allowing the reader to step into other people’s shoes and look at issues from other dimensions / standpoints. Part of what makes this so well done is the use of the main protagonist, Elliot, who is quite the dark nihilist, who hates everyone equally and thinks the world is only made up of layers of deepening hypocrisy. That there are reasons for his own life and opinions, and that there might be for others is all just a load of cuddly, tree hugging crap, about as sincere as a hipster tweeting about his fare trade coffee on an iPhone made with conflict minerals and the suicidal labour of the Chinese underclass. (See it’s easy to hate everyone, but especially hipsters, with all that Moroccan hummus and pomegranate seeds stuck in their ZZ Top beards).
For an admittedly pinko-tree-hugger such as myself, there is something deliciously perverse about viewing the world through Elliot Child’s point of view, partly because there is a small degree of truth to the hyperbole he comes out with. And as much as we might like to deny it, the baying crowd is part of everyone, and if you think it’s not, you are already a mark for the hustle – like all those people on Grand Designs making a grotesque moral aesthetic out of their ostentatious displays of wealth; or the no-nonsense racist cab driver, who blames immigrants for everything, “coming over here and taking our jobs, changing our culture“, and not the deregulation of money markets in the 1970’s and South East Asian industrial robots. There are no easy answers, and standing opposite each other across the ideological divide shouting insults is, for certain, the method least likely to make anything better.
Adrian J Walker is a great character writer, and this book is full of interesting folk from different walks of life all put in the blender together. Not only that but I would class Adrian’s writing akin to the great master of speculative fiction, Stephen King. It has the same easy flow, a blue collar straightforwardness that is all about moving the story along by building character and setting. There is a good deal of humour in his work too, the kind that comes from observation, and the writer’s eye for cutting to the heart of a matter by looking at it from different perspectives. But with humour there is also tragedy, both small and large to be had here.
The prologue reminded me a lot of the opening chapter of Dead Zone, not in any sense of plagiarism, but in its manner of introducing the physics, or rather metaphysics, of the world we are about to enter. It is also what the writing coach James Scott Bell calls the ‘care package‘ scene, helping us to invest and care about our lead character. Also, the references to 1980’s English comprehensive school created a wonderful feeling of nostalgia for me, while simultaneously reliving the awkward horror that it was, where every other ‘friend‘ was a cappo regulating the hierarchy of popularity and, let’s face it, sexual opportunity, like a troop of primates in school blazers and ties.
Towards the end of the book, I was hit with parallels between The Other Lives and a famous story by Dickens. I won’t say which one because I don’t want to spoil the ending for you. This realisation generated an expectation in me, which when I turned the page was completely usurped by the author. The twist hit me like a stampede of hipsters at a farmers’ market looking for a safe space when it suddenly dawns on them it’s not a wheat or dairy free zone. It was an ending with a visceral twist, one that still has me thinking about it. I think it was the right ending. It vibrates with the same authenticity of the lead character, that is perhaps more in tune with the timber of our discordant times.
In sum, Adrian J Walker has delivered another great read. A metaphysical meditation on the divisions of modern Britain, wrapped up in a fast paced romp of a narrative, including obnoxious chat show hosts, shady political figures, hitmen, tree-huggers, tramps and hippies (sorry no hipsters, they were at a Neil Gaiman book signing pretending they’d always liked him). A truly delicious lead character, happy to twist the knife of everyone’s hypocrisies, and yet vulnerable to the dangers of being exposed to the root of his own folly, and what facing that might mean for you, me, everybody, because everybody might need somebody (as the Blues Brothers told us).
No hipsters were harmed in the writing of this review!
The lead protagonist is Elliott Childs, who is a combination of Jeremy Kyle and Piers Morgan. An evening talk-show host whose program is like the Colosseum, feeding Christians to the lions to sate the baying mob, who confuse the entertainment of their base fears with truth. Elliott is a nasty piece of work, with a gift to ‘dive’ into people and see into their deepest secrets. He is a man with everything, but that is soon put at risk when something triggers a chain reaction affecting his power. He loses control of it and the grip on his life. His ability to ‘dive’ is only the symptom of a greater power, that will see a man who has tried to avoid personal ties eventually connect with people in a more significant, deeper way, even if he doesn’t want to. He is connected to a group or a ‘knot’ of people with whom he has shared many other lives. But what this means for Elliott and the world he is helping to see the ‘truth’ through his programme will be the subject of the novel.
Now on the face of it, this may not sound like the most exciting of stories, at least the way I have presented the premise above. However, you’d be wrong. This novel is dealing with big meaty issues, not least of which is the character change of the protagonist as a means to explore the current divisive state of British society. It does that through a metaphysical thought experiment of, ‘what if we lived other lives and could remember them?‘
This could quite easily become 300 plus pages of hipster tosh, where the leftist, barely read university graduate put themselves on a higher moral pedestal than the loathsome rightists, who are quite clearly either evil capitalist straw men, replete with twirling moustaches and mirthful, hand rubbing laughs, and the great unwashed. Note these aren’t the ‘good’ deserving poor, the noble poor, but the other kind, the racists, little Englanders. However, it doesn’t become that one-dimensional polemic. It is a very good story, and does what all good stories do: allowing the reader to step into other people’s shoes and look at issues from other dimensions / standpoints. Part of what makes this so well done is the use of the main protagonist, Elliot, who is quite the dark nihilist, who hates everyone equally and thinks the world is only made up of layers of deepening hypocrisy. That there are reasons for his own life and opinions, and that there might be for others is all just a load of cuddly, tree hugging crap, about as sincere as a hipster tweeting about his fare trade coffee on an iPhone made with conflict minerals and the suicidal labour of the Chinese underclass. (See it’s easy to hate everyone, but especially hipsters, with all that Moroccan hummus and pomegranate seeds stuck in their ZZ Top beards).
For an admittedly pinko-tree-hugger such as myself, there is something deliciously perverse about viewing the world through Elliot Child’s point of view, partly because there is a small degree of truth to the hyperbole he comes out with. And as much as we might like to deny it, the baying crowd is part of everyone, and if you think it’s not, you are already a mark for the hustle – like all those people on Grand Designs making a grotesque moral aesthetic out of their ostentatious displays of wealth; or the no-nonsense racist cab driver, who blames immigrants for everything, “coming over here and taking our jobs, changing our culture“, and not the deregulation of money markets in the 1970’s and South East Asian industrial robots. There are no easy answers, and standing opposite each other across the ideological divide shouting insults is, for certain, the method least likely to make anything better.
Adrian J Walker is a great character writer, and this book is full of interesting folk from different walks of life all put in the blender together. Not only that but I would class Adrian’s writing akin to the great master of speculative fiction, Stephen King. It has the same easy flow, a blue collar straightforwardness that is all about moving the story along by building character and setting. There is a good deal of humour in his work too, the kind that comes from observation, and the writer’s eye for cutting to the heart of a matter by looking at it from different perspectives. But with humour there is also tragedy, both small and large to be had here.
The prologue reminded me a lot of the opening chapter of Dead Zone, not in any sense of plagiarism, but in its manner of introducing the physics, or rather metaphysics, of the world we are about to enter. It is also what the writing coach James Scott Bell calls the ‘care package‘ scene, helping us to invest and care about our lead character. Also, the references to 1980’s English comprehensive school created a wonderful feeling of nostalgia for me, while simultaneously reliving the awkward horror that it was, where every other ‘friend‘ was a cappo regulating the hierarchy of popularity and, let’s face it, sexual opportunity, like a troop of primates in school blazers and ties.
Towards the end of the book, I was hit with parallels between The Other Lives and a famous story by Dickens. I won’t say which one because I don’t want to spoil the ending for you. This realisation generated an expectation in me, which when I turned the page was completely usurped by the author. The twist hit me like a stampede of hipsters at a farmers’ market looking for a safe space when it suddenly dawns on them it’s not a wheat or dairy free zone. It was an ending with a visceral twist, one that still has me thinking about it. I think it was the right ending. It vibrates with the same authenticity of the lead character, that is perhaps more in tune with the timber of our discordant times.
In sum, Adrian J Walker has delivered another great read. A metaphysical meditation on the divisions of modern Britain, wrapped up in a fast paced romp of a narrative, including obnoxious chat show hosts, shady political figures, hitmen, tree-huggers, tramps and hippies (sorry no hipsters, they were at a Neil Gaiman book signing pretending they’d always liked him). A truly delicious lead character, happy to twist the knife of everyone’s hypocrisies, and yet vulnerable to the dangers of being exposed to the root of his own folly, and what facing that might mean for you, me, everybody, because everybody might need somebody (as the Blues Brothers told us).
No hipsters were harmed in the writing of this review!
November 8, 2018
This was one of those books that I found very hard to write about without any spoilers. Now that doesn't mean there was anything wrong with the book, it just means the book description covered everything I needed to know, without ruining this unique and intriguing tale. The story revolves around Elliot Childs, a TV host with an uncanny knack for exposing his guest's secrets. But Elliot doesn't have to employ a private detective, pay a photographer, or seek out those willing to spill the dirt for a price. Know, his secret is that he can see inside people's heads( a very useful skill in his line of work I might add) and find out everything he needs to know.
It isn't until he sees a picture of himself as a boy, in a time and place he couldn't possibly have been(or could he), that his life goes off the rails. Desperate for answers, he embarks on a journey of discovery and in the process, learns much more than he ever imagined about himself and those around him. I wasn't sure at times where this was going or how it would all come together, but it did and it provided me with quite a bit of food for thought.
I loved The End of the World Running Club and wondered what Adrian J. Walker would write next. This book is totally different, but it is a compelling mystery that captured my attention until the end. If this is the type of genre you enjoy and the book description appeals to you, I recommend The Other Lives.
I won a DRC from Adrian J. Walker when he pulled my entry from his hat!
It isn't until he sees a picture of himself as a boy, in a time and place he couldn't possibly have been(or could he), that his life goes off the rails. Desperate for answers, he embarks on a journey of discovery and in the process, learns much more than he ever imagined about himself and those around him. I wasn't sure at times where this was going or how it would all come together, but it did and it provided me with quite a bit of food for thought.
I loved The End of the World Running Club and wondered what Adrian J. Walker would write next. This book is totally different, but it is a compelling mystery that captured my attention until the end. If this is the type of genre you enjoy and the book description appeals to you, I recommend The Other Lives.
I won a DRC from Adrian J. Walker when he pulled my entry from his hat!
August 6, 2020
I found this book hard going. I found it hard to link the past and present stories happening concurrently and once they did merge it was hard to recall the nuances of the characters since I found I had barely invested in them. Although I can see this was meant to be a bit of a redemption story for Elliot Child’s a detestable TV celebrity, I found I had very little interest in what he learned from his experiences. I imagine I was meant to find the conclusion profound (“Every face you ever see belongs to someone you will be or have already been, and one day that smile you give them, or that tip of your hat, or that sneer or that fist-shake through the windscreen, or that curse or that spit or simply that utter disregard, will one day be impressed upon you as it was upon them.”) Maybe, like Elliot I am a contemptible character, beyond hope. I can appreciate the sentiment behind the author’s encouragement for us to treat each other well, but I found it preachy and hard to comprehend with the suggestion we could be reincarnated into a life of someone who has already lived. It probably won’t be a book for me to recommend to others.
December 10, 2018
Adrian J Walker writes cracking books.
An on-going theme of near (or an already arrived) dystopian Britain. General human horribleness with an interesting existential twist I can't comment upon.
Deep and multilayered plot lines, I really enjoyed this book.
An on-going theme of near (or an already arrived) dystopian Britain. General human horribleness with an interesting existential twist I can't comment upon.
Deep and multilayered plot lines, I really enjoyed this book.
July 11, 2019
Mindnumbing
I have enjoyed previous books by this author but this was laborious to read. Nothing meaningful really occurs and the characters ...who are meant to have "other lives" are one dimensional and dull. Wasted part of a holiday reading this nonsense
I have enjoyed previous books by this author but this was laborious to read. Nothing meaningful really occurs and the characters ...who are meant to have "other lives" are one dimensional and dull. Wasted part of a holiday reading this nonsense
April 1, 2020
We Are All Connected?
A book for our times, as we all hole up in isolation.
Made me think of Sense8 and Quantum Leap and how it would be a good basis maybe for a series along these lines.
A book for our times, as we all hole up in isolation.
Made me think of Sense8 and Quantum Leap and how it would be a good basis maybe for a series along these lines.
April 27, 2020
This book just blew me away!! I am having a hard time putting into words how much this novel moved me. I mean WOW!! Adrian's mind sure works in mysterious and fabulous ways!!!! Thank you once again Adrian for taking me along on an excellent and most interesting ride!!
Read
March 27, 2025sadly, I'm tapping out and DNFing at the 50% mark. the beginning really had me and I was keen to know what the higher concept of the 'why' was, but it's just slowed too much with the time jump back and I can't be bothered to continue.
December 8, 2018
Loved this book. Big thought provoking ideas and interesting twists. The main character was unlikeable (and familiar!) and his ‘journey’ was not what I expected.
October 5, 2020
Fascinating idea for a book and for the most part an exciting read throughout. I am becoming a big fan of Adrian Walker, with this being the 4th boom of his, that I have read.
October 9, 2021
Adrian J. Walker is one of my very favorite writers, but this one was a tough read. The subject was intriguing but the execution of it just didn’t do it for me.
February 23, 2022
disappointing
I have enjoyed Adrian Walkers other books but this one was hard going, badly thought out and just a bit of a mess really…
I have enjoyed Adrian Walkers other books but this one was hard going, badly thought out and just a bit of a mess really…
January 12, 2019
This is a book that doesn't sit neatly into any particular genre. Scifi without the science? that would just be 'fi'? ok, the book is 'fiction'. Lets not get hung up on genres. Walker introduces us to Elliot Childs, a thoroughly unlikable TV talk show host appealing to sort of baying studio audiences that make you despair for humanity. Elliot Childs also despairs for humanity, but his reasons and motivations for being the objectionable person he has become, are intertwined with the person(s) he was. I don't want to spoil it by saying anymore, read the book, its a brilliant story!
December 19, 2018
This book had a totally different "feel" to it than The End of The World Running Club and The Last Dog on Earth. Does this mean I enjoyed it less - certainly not! Adrian Walker is up there as one of my favourite authors, you know, the ones who you'd happily read their shopping list! His writing is so immersive and I loved losing myself in the pages of this book.
The Other Lives central theme is reincarnation and the recollection of past lives to solve a current mystery but there is so much more to the story and to reveal too many details would ruin the experience for others. It is certainly a bit of a brain melter so be prepared!
The Other Lives central theme is reincarnation and the recollection of past lives to solve a current mystery but there is so much more to the story and to reveal too many details would ruin the experience for others. It is certainly a bit of a brain melter so be prepared!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews