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This Is How You Lose the Time War

* HUGO AWARD WINNER: BEST NOVELLA * NEBULA AND LOCUS AWARDS WINNER: BEST NOVELLA *
“[An] exquisitely crafted tale...Part epistolary romance, part mind-blowing science fiction adventure, this dazzling story unfolds bit by bit, revealing layers of meaning as it plays with cause and effect, wildly imaginative technologies, and increasingly intricate wordplay...This short novel warrants multiple readings to fully unlock its complexities.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From award-winning authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone comes an enthralling, romantic novel spanning time and space about two time-traveling rivals who fall in love and must change the past to ensure their future.
Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading.
Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.
Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right?
Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.
“[An] exquisitely crafted tale...Part epistolary romance, part mind-blowing science fiction adventure, this dazzling story unfolds bit by bit, revealing layers of meaning as it plays with cause and effect, wildly imaginative technologies, and increasingly intricate wordplay...This short novel warrants multiple readings to fully unlock its complexities.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From award-winning authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone comes an enthralling, romantic novel spanning time and space about two time-traveling rivals who fall in love and must change the past to ensure their future.
Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading.
Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.
Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right?
Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.
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Community Reviews
I wish this was a limited series that I could watch. The imagery used in this book would be better understood seen than read. I liked the premise of the story so much but had trouble visualizing it.
I’m already excited to reread this book! It started out with an incredible humor and transitioned into being hauntingly beautiful.. I’m in absolutely pieces because of this book
This one was just not for me. Had to force myself through it (coming close to DNFing). The conceit is interesting - two agents on opposing sides of a (time) war fall in love, but the love doesn’t really feel earned and we don’t know the characters well enough to be vested. I was able to guess the identity of the seeker quite early. This one just didn’t thrill me.
The most lovely book - poetry meets sci fi meets love story
Wow! This is How You Lose the Time War surprised me in so many ways. This is definitely science fiction, but with the most beautiful prose describing a romanticized relationship between two soldiers in “the time war.” They travel up and down time strands correcting and changing events. I was never sure what their purpose was, but the two sides were Garden and Agency. The soldiers are Red and Blue and they never actually, physically meet, but communicate through correspondence. The letters are in a variety of mediums. The letters are what makes this story so beautiful. This book is only 198 pages, but it will leave an indelible impression.
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