Notes from the Shelf

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This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone is a 209-page science fiction novel. The novel is an epistolary format between Red and Blue, agents on opposing sides of a time war, with one author serving as the voice for Red and one for Blue. Red works for the Agency, a technological and militaristic organization who wants to work toward the advancement of technology in the future, and Blue works for the Garden, whose goal supports the environment and wants a more “natural” evolution into the future. Red and Blue each influence the future with actions that best serve their agendas, so they are from warring factions, but over time through letters that started as a taunt and battlefield boasts, they fall in love, and the discovery of their love would mean death for them both.

I mostly liked this book with the nature vs machine aspect. I liked the time travel as well; it was interesting that they would go back to rewrite history in favor for their factions, but the other would undo the progress, so it was a constant battle.

However, some of the writing was a bit stilted since it seemed they were androids or something similar, not actually human. Also, some of the romance didn’t seem very believable, like it happened without much context. It seemed to me they were fighting and then they were in love, so I missed the middle part. I think it could’ve helped to have the book be a little longer to show the relationship develop more authentically.

Overall, I give This is How You Lose the Time War 4 stars.

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