“This Is How You Lose the Time War” is a sci-fi I’ve been wanting to review for a while now, another fantastic book suggested by Stefen from Stefen’s Books in Perth. Co-authored by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, this story takes the reader on a whirlwind stroll through Earth’s history and beyond.
The story is presented as a series of short scenes focusing on the characters Red and Blue, each a futuristic agent in a never-ending time war between the technocracy of the Commandant and the organic society of the Garden. I’ve always had a weakness for “correspondence” style stories: as a reader, you are given tantalizing glimpses of the strange worlds and pressing social issues, but with everything filtered through the character’s worldview.
This book is no different. Each character vignette ends with Red or Blue completing the mission in their own unique way, then discovering a hidden letter from their opponent. The two authors each wrote one side of the correspondence, so the reader gets a real feel for the differences between the combatants. What really frames these letters however is the beautiful descriptive sequences of how the strange, futuristic messages are found – I’ve never come across writing quite as beautiful, or methods of hiding a secret missive quite so original.
The overall plot (no spoilers) follows Red and Blue as they mock and challenge, but eventually grow to acknowledge each other as equals – or even as something more. If I have a complaint it’s that some of the energy went out of the story once they stopped boasting and threatening each other, however the third act picks up the pace nicely and the story has a fantastic conclusion.
Whether you’re a fan of spy fiction or science fiction, this book is an absolute must-have!
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