Book Review: THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR by Amal El-Mothar and Max Gladstone
Letters sent back and forth in time
The cover design of this book is misleading — or rather, it’s designed to say “This is not one of those sci-fi books, it’s Real Literature!” Yeah sure, whatever you say pal. The protagonists are time-traveling cyborgs, so I’d call it sci-fi.
Book review: THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR (2019)
by Amal El-Mothar and Max Gladstone
In the science fiction genre, stories are often written as replies or comments to previous works. Over time, new variations on established themes form an ongoing ”conversation” inside the field. It’s a bit like how jazz musicians work.
One such theme is ”time war.” It probably originated with THE LEGION OF TIME by Jack Williamson (pulp-magazine serial in 1938, novel in 1952).
In a basic time war scenario, two alternate, mutually exclusive futures are competing for their very existence. They try to manipulate a common past in order to determine their future... and the losing future will be erased from history.
In THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR, we follow the two women Red and Blue – cyborg agents, and enemies in an extraordinarily complex time war that runs across alternate timelines. Red and Blue communicate by secretly sending each other written letters, addressing each other — as worthy opponents — and this correspondence forms the text of the book.
The twist is that the bewildering conflict is only the backdrop for Red and Blue’s growing obsession with each other. As they exchange long secret messages, their mutual obsession grows into infatuation. Forbidden love in wartime! It’s unashamedly romantic and written in gorgeous purple prose.
This is the kind of book you may have to read several times, because it is too rich to digest in just one go. I enjoyed THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR.
Heartily recommended for readers who enjoy original, beautiful, imaginative writing.
See also in the same subgenre:
- THE BIG TIME by Fritz Leiber
- THE LEGION OF TIME by Jack Williamson
- THE LIGHT BRIGADE by Kameron Hurley