From the Bookshelf of The Sword and Laser…

This Is How You Lose the Time War

Amal El-Mohtar,

Max Gladstone

Start date: April 1, 2020

Finish date: April 30, 2020

Discussion: How You Lose the Time War

Why we're reading this: Won the 5th annual March Madness!
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Showing 2 of 14 topics — 185 comments total

How You Lose the Time War

TW: Poetry or Novel or Novel in Poem Form?
By terpkristin · 15 posts · 108 views

last updated May 11, 2020 03:02PM

TW: plotless book recommendations?
By Paul · 11 posts · 86 views

last updated Apr 29, 2020 11:44AM

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What Members Thought

Apr 07, 2020 Silvana rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: novella, short-story-novelette-novella, poc-diaspora-authors, z-2020-sf-novel-novella, sff-2020-reading-challenge, audiobooks, hugo-nominees-2020, lgbtqia, reading-with-friends, female-nonbinary-authors

If the book and I were in a relationship, I might end it with the cliched "it's not you, it's me".
It's stylish, beautifully written, but the substance (or whatever implied) did not move me or interest me in any bit. Maybe if this is a short story, I could appreciate it more. After all, a post-Singularity technotopia, a single organic consciousness, a time war, should make an interesting read, no? For me, just not in this novella length.

For epistolary works that more enjoyable, I recommend Time ...more

23 likes · Like · see review

Dec 10, 2020 Angie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This book was a lot to take in. It was clearly written by two talented writers with a flair for dramatic and enthusiastic metaphors. The love story ended up somewhat satisfyingly, but the "why" of how their love came to be wasn't clear to me. I didn't know why they fell in love. I simply didn't get it. Also, with all of the technology at the snap of the protagonists' fingers - when they talk about being a wolf, you never know if they mean literally or figuratively. Ultimately, I was glad the way ...more

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Dec 26, 2020 mina rated it liked it

Really really interesting at the beginning, very unique, I would give it a 4 just for the idea. But then I am lost and I really struggle to finish the book, starting from 1/3 or 1/2 into the book. Maybe because it's almost poetry? Beautiful, but as usually with poetry, I never really understand it. ...more

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Jun 12, 2022 Becky rated it really liked it

An enjoyable and gripping take on time travel. Walks the "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" line well.

The poetic writing made it so that it didn't really bother me that there was never any explanation of how anything worked or why most things were done or really what was going on outside of the relationship between Red and Blue at any point in time. But I am still curious about all those things.

I went back to reread previous passages several times during the ...more

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Apr 23, 2020 Jen rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2020-laser

Maybe 2.5. I did start to enjoy it more towards the end, but it was real tough to get into. I think as I’m getting older, I care less for books that just throw you in the deep end.

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