Book Review: “This is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
Håfa adai! Welcome to my review of This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone; a story about time travel, conflict between multiverses, and forbidden romance.
This book review consists of two parts: a spoiler-free plot summary and my thoughts on the story. In the second part, I give my personal rating and break down the setting and worldbuilding, storytelling, cast of characters, and themes. There may be some lightweight spoilers—such as how characters interact with each other and the world around them—but I will not give away any major plot twists or endings. I want to share my opinions of the book and maybe encourage you to purchase a copy of your own.
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Spoiler-Free Plot Summary
Red and Blue are elite soldiers of Agency and Garden, respectively, in a conflict for control in the Time War spanning over multiple timelines across multiple universes. Their paths cross when their superiors deploy them to alter the outcomes of specific events in the histories of different universes; success in which will give their side the ultimate advantage. They are supposed to be enemies. They are supposed to have no interaction. They absolutely should not be friends. They absolutely should not be anything more than friends. Their first interactions—letters left in different places in time and space—reflect intrigue between two highly trained agents of opposing sides in a complex war. Intrigue turns to teasing turns to flirtation turns to an emotional yearning made more intense by their separation by timelines and universes. They are discrete. They believe they are not under suspicion. But a looming shadow grows greater and darker. And once knowledge of their contact reaches a superior, one is ordered to kill the other.
My Thoughts on This is How You Lose the Time War: 4 stars
This is How You Lose the Time War takes places across multiple universes along multiple timelines, with the main time where Red and Blue originate being in the far future and them traveling back and forth in time to alter events of the past in various universes. The purpose and extent of the war between Agency and Garden is unclear. What is clear is that Red and Blue’s ranks are high enough where they are granted immediate audience with their superiors, and that their superiors know them by name. That being said, this conflict forces Red and Blue to be secretive about their interactions for fear of being perceived as spies for the opposing side.
This is How You Lose the Time War alternates between third-person narration and first-person epistolary form, meaning the narration is given through the reading of letters written by the protagonists. Letters written by Red were composed by Max Gladstone while those written by Blue were composed by Amal El-Mohtar. Although the authors did create an outline to guide the direction of the letters, the letters themselves were entirely composed by one author before being and sent to the other author for response. The emotions captured in each letter is a reflection of the genuine reaction of each author representing the perspective of their assigned protagonist, with the third-person narration for scenes in between created later to cohesively tie the letters together and guide the reader through the plot. The way Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone structured and presented This is How You Lose the Time War completely held my attention throughout the entire story.
The two protagonists of This is How You Lose the Time War are Red and Blue, high-ranking soldiers of Agency and Garden in the Time War. The missions they are sent on give the impression they are much older than they really are. Their internal conflict amplifies as their professional motives and personal feelings collide. They are loyal to the sides they are fighting for, but are not so strictly socialized or brain-washed that they do not entertain correspondence with each other. This loyalty causes them to be cautious of each other, but does not stop them from aiding each other.
It is unclear what sparked the Time War or what exactly each side is aiming to achieve. For that reason, I cannot say with confidence that the antagonists of the story are Agency and Garden. Instead, it seems as if the antagonistic force is the Time War itself. It is for the purpose of gaining advantage in the Time War that Agency and Garden deploy Red and Blue to the past events and universes they are sent to. It is to avoid accusation of treason that Red and Blue must be discrete about their interactions and feelings for each other.
My overall rating for Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone’s This is How You Lose the Time War is 4 out of 5 stars. This story is truly unlike any science fiction I have read recently. The best way I can describe it is a time travelling, multiverse jumping tale of Romeo and Juliet; except here I was intrigued by the protagonists instead of rolling my eyes at them. Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone masterfully weave together elements of science fiction and romance in a way that holds the attention of even the most reluctant reader of Shakespeare. I appreciate that the authors did not follow the story of Romeo and Juliet to the point of Red and Blue committing suicide as their act of defiance. That would have been cringeworthy and disappointing. Instead, the act of defiance Red and Blue commit is to use their methods of participating in the Time War to defy the orders their superiors give them in an attempt to win the Time War.
Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading my review of This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
Rating Cheat Sheet
4.75 - 5.00 stars: Everyone should read this book! (If you’re into that sort of thing.)
4.00 - 4.50 stars: I appreciated many aspects of this book. I recommend it!
3.00 - 3.75 stars: I liked some aspects of this book. I won’t revisit it, but someone else might really like it.
2.00 - 2.75 stars: There were some things I appreciated about this book, but I do not recommend it.
0.25 - 1.75 stars: I do not recommend this book. I did not enjoy or appreciate the experience of it.
Post Date: 20 August 2024
Published: 16 July 2019
Publisher: Saga Press
