This is How You Lose the Time War

This story was so beautiful that it gave me goosebumps and I devoured it. This Is How You Lose the Time War is a short love story about two rival agents on opposite sides of a time war. Through their letters, we gradually witness their characters and their relationship gradually unfolding. Full of yearning, it’s a captivating and intimate read with such beautiful prose. I almost never reread books, but I would pick this one up again just to take in every detail and etch the words into my mind. The fact that the main characters are two strong, smart and badass women makes the story even more powerful.  I should mention that I initially found it difficult to follow and it may not be for everyone. I think that it is intentionally disorienting, with the time shifts and a lack of context, so you have to slow down while reading and can interpret parts of the story as you wish. For me, though, every moment of confusion was worth it, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something different. 

Neither poetry nor love -- which in some cases is the same thing - was not invented before This Is How You Lose the Time War ny Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar. It's is a collection of love letters written by two rival women fighting on opposing fronts to win the time war. The letters are written across time and space -- following its own queer chronology, marking time and space, marking bodies. One of the most beautiful love stories and use of prose I have ever read.

I would have never imagined that I'd tear up reading about time-travelling agents fighting on opposite sides of a war, who then fall in love through the letters they send each other... But well, I did. This book paints a dystopian future with bloodthirsty battles fought through time and space and, at the same time, manages to be full of poetic writing and heartachingly beautiful loveconfessions! I can't recommend it enough!

There is only one reason why one would dislike this book. And that is if you’re not all that into sci-fi. Other reasons I will not tolerate. But if you happen to like sci-fi, like me, as well as amazing, complex female characters (yes, unfortunately we still have to mention and highlight this, because it’s still so rare), a creativity and an originality of imagination you couldn’t fathom on your own even if you tried, an elaborate plot that has you question the low number of pages time and time again and prose so mesmerizing and powerful it makes you want to buy a new journal and stationery, then this is a book for you! You cannot read this in one sitting. You need time to process it, to understand it, to feel it. To savor these beautiful sentences and the story they so elegantly tell. Read this book and experience something you’ve never known before.

This book absolutely blew me away. A truly beautiful, heart-wrenching story told through some of the most beautifully poetic language I’ve ever read. Quickly became one of my favorite books of all time.