gandalfs-reads

[gandalfs-reads]

Title: "This is How You Lose the Time War"

Co-authors: Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Rating: 10/10!

Dear internet people,

"This is How You Lose the Time War" is a co-authored 2019 sci-fi/sapphic romance novella. This book was recommended to me by a good friend. As soon as I saw the cover art, I knew it would be good (remember kids, ALWAYS judge a book by its cover!). That plus the praise from the likes of V.E. Schwab and Ken Liu and its brevity led to an easy pick-up. It starts as a "tease war" between the two main characters, Blue and Red, enemy operatives on opposing sides of a massive war spanning through all of space and time -the best at what they do- and boy is it a fun read. They send these letters via increasingly intricate media. The idea of Blue carving each line of a letter into different rings of a tree over centuries still boggles my mind (also, seal lovers beware)! Through the story though, these letters are sent in increasingly fleeting ways, which comes into context beautifully.

The characters are amazingly written and (kind of) easy to root for. I cared so much about them by the end. Blue's calm nature, Red's TERRIBLE sense of humor, and both's confidence stole my heart. What really sets this book apart though is the striking imagery and the masterfully written prose. The comedy, wordplay, and conversational style alone make this worth a couple reads (don't let that intimidate you, it's done in a digestible way. Just keep a dictionary handy). The recurring themes of loneliness, connection, and hunger will leave you with a hunger of your own. There are also quite a few pop culture references, which I actually enjoyed (that's saying a lot because I HATE these most of the time). The care and love that was put into this really pulled me through. You can FEEL the fun that Gladstone and El-Mohtar had writing this together (this is shown even more in the acknowledgments.)

By the end of this story, you will be left with many real-world questions. What does it mean to love? What would you sacrifice in its name? What are the costs of living in a modern society?

I hope everyone gives this book a shot. I'm sure glad I did.

Forever yours (or at least for however long it takes you to read this),

B.A.S.

"The strength of walls depends on the courage of those who guard them." - Genghis Khan