Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

This is How You Lose the Time War is a romantic science fiction novella you’ve never seen before. Written by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone, this novel transcends time and space – literally. The tale is of two time-traveling agents.

Red and Blue are two agents working for different sides of the war. They’ve come up against each other for years. Enjoy the competition and drive towards winning against the other. That is, until something changed. One letter started a chain of events until their lives were changed forever.

I can tell you that this novella was like nothing I’ve ever read. It was beautiful and poetic, and every element of the story felt organic. I was enchanted by the first letter.

Writing

This is How You Lose the Time War is a collaboration between Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone. And let’s just say that I sincerely hope we see more work from these two because this was a memorable novella. I mean it when I say I’ve never read anything like it. I’ve seen some of these elements here and there, but never in such a combination as this.

The story was told through the use of several types of storytelling techniques. It was an interesting yet effective combination. There were perspective shifts – Red and Blue. But there were also letters. These letters flowed like poetry. They allowed for an organic relationship to develop over time. One that didn’t feel forced and very much felt real and alive.

There were many other elements woven into this novella as well. As the title indicates, there was a heavy science-fiction element. Our two agents were quite literally agents who utilized time travel for their battles. But perhaps not in the way you would expect. It was a unique view of things if nothing else.

The battle between opposites was a prevalent theme in this novel. Red fighting against the blue. Technology is fighting nature. Hate fighting love. It all kept weaving together into this one massive tangle – one that our two leading characters were forced to figure out.

Development

This is How You Lose the Time War may have woven many complex themes into it. But it was all told in such an organic and believable manner. In many ways, the battle is one that we’re all familiar with – leaving us feeling like we’ve been reading this tale for years.

Red and Blue were fascinating characters. At a glance, they appear to be perfect examples of their archetypes, but their deviations and differences are more pronounced upon a closer look. It’s no wonder these two were constantly drawn towards one another.

The relationship between these two felt almost as natural as breathing. It progressed in steps here and there, feeling wholly organic the whole way. We’ve often seen this tale told with a heavy-handed approach, but that was not the case here. It was oddly refreshing.

There were several twists and turns to this novella. Yet, they made complete and utter sense, even at the moment of revelation. It was almost like we were waiting for that next twist to occur. It was all brilliantly done.

Conclusion

This is How You Lose the Time War has got to be one of the most unique novellas I’ve read recently. And not just because it’s a collaboration, though that may be part of it. It combined so many elements to make a truly original telling. Something that has never been seen before. At least, not by me.

My biggest regret about this novella is that it’s over. And I hope we’ll see more from Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone in the future. Not that I’d have any clue what they’d write next.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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