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I Repeat Myself
When the human race inexplicably begins to asexually reproduce, giving birth to their own clones, Ambrose Flint will have to learn what it means to raise himself. But Ambrose has a secret. A dark, wriggling secret that has infested his family tree, rotting the wood from the inside out.
The generations of Ambrose's asexually reproduced progeny that follow will need to determine where Ambrose ends, and they begin. They will need to learn how to grow, raise themselves, and forgive. But most of all, they will need to discover the wriggling rot at its core, diving deep into the VR world that holds the answers to their past, locked away in the graveyard of Ambrose’s subconscious.
It will take four generations before the men who are not Ambrose—no matter what their mirrors tell them—learn to heal their intergenerational trauma and end the cycle of abuse.
This is a story of redemption and will lead its readers from the darkest places into an unexpected light.
I Repeat Myself is a deeply psychological look at the metamorphosis of lineage, of nurture over nature, and of one man who must face his inner demons life after life before rising like a phoenix from his own hell-flame.
The generations of Ambrose's asexually reproduced progeny that follow will need to determine where Ambrose ends, and they begin. They will need to learn how to grow, raise themselves, and forgive. But most of all, they will need to discover the wriggling rot at its core, diving deep into the VR world that holds the answers to their past, locked away in the graveyard of Ambrose’s subconscious.
It will take four generations before the men who are not Ambrose—no matter what their mirrors tell them—learn to heal their intergenerational trauma and end the cycle of abuse.
This is a story of redemption and will lead its readers from the darkest places into an unexpected light.
I Repeat Myself is a deeply psychological look at the metamorphosis of lineage, of nurture over nature, and of one man who must face his inner demons life after life before rising like a phoenix from his own hell-flame.
Unknown Binding
Published September 1, 2025
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Natalia Shafa
5 books19 followersNatalia Shafa is a Persian-American-Australian speculative fiction author and solar punk game developer.
Her first novel, Descendants of Power was published in 2021 and became an Amazon Bestseller. Her second novel, I Repeat Myself, will be released late 2025. Her third novel, Samsara Inc., is coming soon.
She is the co-founder of the solar punk game, Descendants of Earth, a multiplayer environmental mobile game driven by real ecological action, which was funded by VicScreen.
Her work often reflects themes of human (and not so human) growth, exploring the process by which the ugliest manifestations of society become the compost to grow our most beautiful fruits.
In her spare time she boulders, swims in the beautiful Australian ocean, and has long and deeply complex philosophical conversations with her greyhound – all through unblinking eye-contact, naturally.
Her first novel, Descendants of Power was published in 2021 and became an Amazon Bestseller. Her second novel, I Repeat Myself, will be released late 2025. Her third novel, Samsara Inc., is coming soon.
She is the co-founder of the solar punk game, Descendants of Earth, a multiplayer environmental mobile game driven by real ecological action, which was funded by VicScreen.
Her work often reflects themes of human (and not so human) growth, exploring the process by which the ugliest manifestations of society become the compost to grow our most beautiful fruits.
In her spare time she boulders, swims in the beautiful Australian ocean, and has long and deeply complex philosophical conversations with her greyhound – all through unblinking eye-contact, naturally.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 28, 2025
'I Repeat Myself' is a powerfully moving tale of redemption, transformation and a deep exploration of the question of nature versus nurture.
The whole concept of raising your own clone magnifies the idea of passing on your best and worst attributes to your offspring and had me reflecting on how I would consider myself as both a parent and a child. I loved seeing the echoes of the original man (Ambrose) ripple outwards in subsequent generations, gradually flowering into completely new forms.
Shafa's well-placed humour brings levity to the darker scenes and the heart-wrenching moments, which helps as the novel is not afraid to venture into the shadowy recesses of the mind and alchemise the darkness into light. The book feels like a spiral staircase from torment to healing and self-actualisation.
Even aside from the apomixis reproduction (a concept I had never encountered before), the near-future setting was rich, intriguing and the characters felt real. Merging virtual reality with novel pharmaceuticals added another layer of depth and curiosity, as the author repeatedly plays with the imagined, the real and the rebirth throughout 'I Repeat Myself'.
The whole concept of raising your own clone magnifies the idea of passing on your best and worst attributes to your offspring and had me reflecting on how I would consider myself as both a parent and a child. I loved seeing the echoes of the original man (Ambrose) ripple outwards in subsequent generations, gradually flowering into completely new forms.
Shafa's well-placed humour brings levity to the darker scenes and the heart-wrenching moments, which helps as the novel is not afraid to venture into the shadowy recesses of the mind and alchemise the darkness into light. The book feels like a spiral staircase from torment to healing and self-actualisation.
Even aside from the apomixis reproduction (a concept I had never encountered before), the near-future setting was rich, intriguing and the characters felt real. Merging virtual reality with novel pharmaceuticals added another layer of depth and curiosity, as the author repeatedly plays with the imagined, the real and the rebirth throughout 'I Repeat Myself'.
November 17, 2025
I Repeat Myself is one of those books that moves quickly and keeps you turning the pages, but it also makes you sit with some very big questions about childhood trauma and how it affects each generation. It made me think a lot about whether trauma is something passed down genetically or whether there is always a choice not to repeat the footsteps of our parents. In that way, it reminded me a little of Margaret Atwood, especially the blend of science fiction with deeper questions about identity, memory, and the weight we carry from the past.
The writing is strong and the pacing is excellent. It is easy to see how this author became a best seller with her earlier work. I really liked how she created four different characters who all originate from the same source but each have their own distinct personality. At times I felt a genuine sense of empathy for all three of the later Ambrose Flints. The story does not shy away from showing how children can both love and hate their parents, even when they understand the damage that has been done and the damage that might continue. Not many writers capture that space in the middle where a parent can be both everything you have and the source of deep pain. The moments of humour in the characters' inner thoughts were a welcome balance to some of the darker parts.
What impressed me most was how carefully the author handled the difficult subject matter. The worldbuilding around fertility issues, VR, and the ethical questions that come with them felt believable and well thought out. By the end of the story, there is a strange kind of hope as the characters try to break the patterns that shaped them. It also leaves you questioning whether trauma that is embedded so deeply across generations can ever truly be erased, but I will leave that for readers to consider.
The writing is strong and the pacing is excellent. It is easy to see how this author became a best seller with her earlier work. I really liked how she created four different characters who all originate from the same source but each have their own distinct personality. At times I felt a genuine sense of empathy for all three of the later Ambrose Flints. The story does not shy away from showing how children can both love and hate their parents, even when they understand the damage that has been done and the damage that might continue. Not many writers capture that space in the middle where a parent can be both everything you have and the source of deep pain. The moments of humour in the characters' inner thoughts were a welcome balance to some of the darker parts.
What impressed me most was how carefully the author handled the difficult subject matter. The worldbuilding around fertility issues, VR, and the ethical questions that come with them felt believable and well thought out. By the end of the story, there is a strange kind of hope as the characters try to break the patterns that shaped them. It also leaves you questioning whether trauma that is embedded so deeply across generations can ever truly be erased, but I will leave that for readers to consider.
October 18, 2025
"I Repeat Myself" merges my two loves, psychology and sci-fi. Get ready to jump down a very trippy rabbit hole from page one of this intergenerational sci-fi thriller meets family drama.
Ambrose has some very serious issues that he is choosing not to deal with. But when the human race begins to asexually reproduce through the same process of 'apomixis' that some plants use, Ambrose, to his horror, becomes pregnant.
We follow the Flint family over four generations as the man who was Ambrose changes and evolves, baby by baby. This book asks, what would it be like to essentially raise yourself? Exactly what kind of parent would you be and what kind of child would you find yourself with? And most importantly, how many lives would it take to change ingrained familial patterns and what would finally alter its course?
Ambrose has some very serious issues that he is choosing not to deal with. But when the human race begins to asexually reproduce through the same process of 'apomixis' that some plants use, Ambrose, to his horror, becomes pregnant.
We follow the Flint family over four generations as the man who was Ambrose changes and evolves, baby by baby. This book asks, what would it be like to essentially raise yourself? Exactly what kind of parent would you be and what kind of child would you find yourself with? And most importantly, how many lives would it take to change ingrained familial patterns and what would finally alter its course?
November 13, 2025
Psychological self body horror? Maybe parent's just try their best. Now you can do it yourself. Give yourself everything you wanted. This cycle of self rebirth is so cool!
It's like a nature vs nurture. But you nurture yourself. No parent is perfect, each of our lives shapes what we do and how to raise a child.
This book is like a surrealistic painting, never ending staircase, doors that lead back to themselves.
It's like a nature vs nurture. But you nurture yourself. No parent is perfect, each of our lives shapes what we do and how to raise a child.
This book is like a surrealistic painting, never ending staircase, doors that lead back to themselves.
October 12, 2025
Absolutely loved this book! Gripping read with a creative way of exploring very gnarled psychological content. As someone who is a social worker, I can easily detach if explorations of pain and trauma feel insincere or sensationalist, however this book felt like it held the characters in their fleshy fullness
October 19, 2025
Buckle up for a thrilling ride, humans can asexually reproduce. I was intrigued throughout, held my attention to the end. Throughly enjoyed this novel. Not my usual genre and a first read from this author but definitely one worth reading
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews