The only reason they would want each other is familiarity through the ages type of thing. Two enemy agents start an unlikely correspondance in the midst of a war through time. ISBN-10. And for me, an important point of romance is making me believe or understand why people would fall in love with each other or want to be together (even if it's messed up and problematic). Granted, saying “the setting is strange” when Gladstone and El-Mohtar are involved is very much like saying “water is wet”. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. It reads: Burn before reading. I cannot recommend this highly enough! It feels good to read out loud. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. This is How You Lose the Time War is exquisitely written, a poetic masterpiece created by two highly talented and seasoned writers. I see where you're coming from but think you're missing things. /r/Fantasy is the internet's largest discussion forum for the greater Speculative Fiction genre. You’re a swift opponent, Blue. This is How You Lose the Time War is a love story – the star-crossed kind. Co-written by two award-winning writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space. You’ve suffered agonies of time. I hope so, its not for me, but if you're looking for romantic poetry fantasy, I don't think it gets better than this. Press J to jump to the feed. You’ve waited. Today’s the day! Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space. It was love poetry. Its not for me, but there is definitely a market for this out there. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. I would argue that there is a plot and world building. I keep coming back to my favorite passages today. There a mix of futuristic elements and a form of dark, fairytale-like magic which makes the reading experience unsettling. But there wasn't enough of tension to make it an enjoyable rivals-in-love. You play long odds. This Is How You Lose the Time War (Book) : El-Mohtar, Amal : Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. Personally, I was really disappointed by this book, BUT I know that's not the general consensus. Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space. 32706 Ratings. This Is How You Lose the Time War is a 2019 science fiction epistolary novel by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. In a later period of the Eighth Doctor's life, the Time Lords began foreseeing the future Time War (AUDIO: Deeptime Frontier, Fugitives, The Crucible of Souls) as tensions rose between them and the Daleks. You should maybe take it more as a work of art than a novel. It's such a unique little book. Its a great title, I mean its a really good title. There is much that you can glean from these letters about the world of this story, bits that you can piece together into a tableau. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between … Poetic love letters, not the poetry of simple words carefully chosen but a stream of flowery prose. But at the same time, we’re grounded with familiar elements to pop culture and classical references. It would never use one word if it could use three alliterative ones. This review made me want to read this book! Damn it sounds great. Amal El-Mohtar is an award-winning author, editor, and critic. And the thrill of This Is How You Lose The Time War suddenly becomes not the time travel, not the war, not any of those things that no one could ever describe anyway, but just the connection between two lonely professional killers with the ability to inscribe letters on lava. Thank you, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. One of the problems of working for a publisher is that I get to read books about, oooh, a year – or more! Head over to Bookish for the behind the scenes details! The poems and pining are there but the 'romance' ingredient somehow missing. This book was so heartbreakingly beautiful, and gorgeously written. It's just in the background. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. This is one of the ones I read, and I couldn’t talk about it until it was officially a … Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Language: English. It is very much a romance and if you go in expecting a romance then it works. If we’re to be at war, we might as well entertain one another.” This Is How You Lose the Time War is the kind of novel that dips in and out of minds, catches the sharp sun of memory and gleams, leaves its scent on its readers, like perfume transferred between lovers. It reads: Burn before reading. I love Gladstone's Craft Sequence but I'm not familiar with El-Mohtar. It was first published by Simon and Schuster. It's not the point, the point is the romance between Red and Blue. It reads: Burn before reading. Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. Bahaha that song is godawful. About The Author. But eh.. it just felt bland generic, somehow. There is definitely world building, it's just poetically done. I’ve never read anything like it, and I strongly suspect I never will again. You were right. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The whole point was the romance. This is How You Lose the Time War is a love story – the star-crossed kind. This Is How You Lose the Time War is my novella collaboration with Max Gladstone, and it launches in North America today (UK folks get it on the 18th, though there as here some copies have skillfully wiggled out of their temporal constraints). Poetically nerdy, poignantly romantic. Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone shared the process behind writing the book together. This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone. That’s how war works. This is not what the book is about. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. I read it far enough after it's initial release that I knew going in it was a romance story with a sci-fi time travel background. Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. It’s a study of contrasts: the horrors of an unending war, the beauty of a blossoming and fragile love. What starts out as funny soon … We welcome respectful dialogue related to speculative fiction in literature, games, film, and the wider world. Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. What starts as a boastful correspondence, soon turns to understanding, and then so much more. Press J to jump to the feed. So we would have action provided by the war and then maybe a light discourse on the nature of paradox, followed up by some time travel related plot twists. It didn't go beyond generic 2 super advanced sides fighting each other. As you can probably tell from this description, This is How You Lose the Time War reads less like a story and more like a conversation. I was dying to get this book, blurb unseen – because with these two authors, there was no doubt it would be amazing. It won the BSFA Award for Best Shorter Fiction, the Nebula Award for Best Novella of 2019 and the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novella. I didn't get it in this novel. Just lacking for me. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. You run the table. We welcome respectful dialogue related to speculative fiction in literature, games, film, and the wider world. The writing is excellent and it's also short. Similarly, before This Is How You Lose the Time War, Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar’s new epistolary science fiction novella, the time travel love … Except discovery of their bond would be death for each of them. This is How You Lose the Time War follows two spies, Red and Blue, of warring time factions, chasing each other along the braids of life. It is a problem with how the book was marketed. The fear, the wonder, the hope. The Daleks began fighting the Time War before it was formally declare… This Is How You Lose the Time War (Book) : El-Mohtar, Amal : Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. If I ever see the kindle edition on sale I'll pick it up. Only here it's the future/time travel. I devoured the whole thing yesterday, and lost count of the times I had to pause because a sentence, phrase or paragraph just bowled me over with its poignant perfection. All signs pointed to me and this book being a perfect match. There was no build up for me, only love letters to two characters that are remote and unrelatable (for me), to the point they might as well be sociopaths. “Seditious and seductive, lush and lustrous, allusive and elusive, THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR is one of those rare stories where one struggles to decide whether to heap more praise upon its clever structure and prose or its brilliant ideas and characters.” —Ken Liu, author of The Grace of Kings and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories To those who read this review: I hope it’s for you, too. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://uncannymagazine.com/article/seasons-glass-iron/. 1534431004. The messages are sent through improbable ways, each time a surprise for both the reader and the recipient. ISBN … ★★★★☆ I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. And thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. The world building was weak. This is How you Lose the Time War is released today! It reads: Burn before reading. 1 Jan. 2019. So we would have action provided by the war and then maybe a light discourse on the nature of paradox, followed up by some time travel related plot twists. If you’re thinking I have used up a lot of words in a row as a preface to admitting that I didn’t love This Is How You Lose the Time War, you are perfectly correct. You're very welcome. But now you can suffer its pleasures too. 13.97 x 2.03 x 20.96 cm. It reads: Burn before reading. The setting is strange. If you want to get better acquainted with her writing, here's her Hugo-winning short story: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/seasons-glass-iron/, I LOVED it and I'm not usually a fan of epistolary novels. It reads: Burn before reading. If we say that Locke Lamora is heist fantasy, or The Starlight is superhero fantasy, this is romantic poetry fantasy. I meant the stormlight archives not starlight! Without spoiling anything, it's as though Jeanette Winterson wrote an epistolary romance between post-human, time-travelling, lady spies, spiced with generous amounts of SF. The tone is taunting, boasting at first, then it becomes flirty, then achingly beautiful. Amazing locations that are they so they can be described rather than add any actual plot. This Is How You Lose the Time War has an argument to make—several, actually—about conflict, love, and resistance. (AUDIO: X and the Daleks, et al.) I went in assuming it would be about war and time travel, maybe a bit of losing, but probably not much. (This review was first published on The Fantasy Inn). I think it worked for me because the form played so well into the episodic multi-verse/time travel aspect of the story. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. I went in assuming it would be about war and time travel, maybe a bit of losing, but probably not much. Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. From the moment Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone announced they were co-writing a novella, it immediately became one of my most anticipated SFF releases. I could not agree with this review more. Estimated Ship Date for Winners: June 11th, 2019. There’s still a war going on, after all. Anything that’s done can be undone; one agent can carefully move an entire army into position, only to have the entire plan fall apart because the other agent went upthread (ie: into the past) and used the Butterfly Effect with a surgeon’s touch to change the whole outcome. If you go in expecting time travel shenanigans then you're going to be disappointed. But I didn’t love it in a way I find interesting and want to think more about. The messages are sent through improbable ways, each time a surprise for both the reader and the recipient. “Seditious and seductive, lush and lustrous, allusive and elusive, THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR is one of those rare stories where one struggles to decide whether to heap more praise upon its clever structure and prose or its brilliant ideas and characters.” —Ken Liu, author of The Grace of Kings and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories I got Blue by Eiffel 65 stuck in my head for days (thanks Amal, thanks Max…). This Is How You Lose The Time War will be released on July 18th. Two enemy agents start an unlikely correspondance in the midst of a war through time. But you forgot the most important thing... What bingo squares does it fulfill ;)? This was a mistake. This Is How You Lose the Time War (Book) : El-Mohtar, Amal : Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. This Is How You Lose the Time War (Book) : El-Mohtar, Amal : Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. This Is How You Lose the Time War is a character-driven story; it is all about Red and Blue and their unlikely correspondences through time and space. If you take away the amazing descriptions and the poetic prose there is not much left, its not about character or world building or plot, but the words really are incredibly beautiful. This is How You Lose the Time War takes its time in each small piece of the world, but it never loses itself. Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space. Publication date. That sounds really cool. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. I just read the preview on amazon, and the prose is quite lovely: textured and rhythmic. Nice writing though. Friends! This is how you lose the time war. Right? The closing lines paired with the title create a fantastic turn: Both authors play to their strengths, which gives us this miracle of a book. [Amal El-Mohtar; Max Gladstone; Cynthia Farrell; Emily Woo Zeller] -- "Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space. I can accept it since we can take the novel in the style of a "historical" novel where the letters just happen and the period peculiarities aren't explained. Co-written by two award-winning writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space. It reads: Burn before reading. “Seditious and seductive, lush and lustrous, allusive and elusive, THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR is one of those rare stories where one struggles to decide whether to heap more praise upon its clever structure and prose or its brilliant ideas and characters.” —Ken Liu, author of The Grace of Kings and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories The playfulness of a new relationship, the tension of the outside world where they’re supposed to be mortal enemies. It was for me. Da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, though I'd been meaning to get this but had forgotten about it, so really thanks. Get this from a library! Dimensions. On one hand, I loved the interplay between not only the characters on the page, but the voices of Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar as they seamlessly weave together the story of Blue and Red. /r/Fantasy is the internet's largest discussion forum for the greater Speculative Fiction genre. 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