This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - ★★★

[John]

Blue and Red are rival agents in a long-standing time war. Red works for the Agency in some distant future when unbridled technological growth has resulted in societal aberrations. Blue belongs to the Garden, collective consciousness embued in all organic matter. Each side seeks to change the past to effect the futue for their respective benefit. Each side seeks to undue the modifications made by the other.

The novella combines an interweaving of straight prose and a epistolary novel. The two begin by writing each teasing and taunting letters which slowly begin evolving into love letters. As one might expect with love letters the prose becomes poetic. I loved the number of adjectives for the two characters' colors. Iniitally, I wasn't sure what was occurring since the authors favored writing style over content. I enjoyed these two writers literary interplay even if was difficult determining what was happening in the novella.

[Joanne]

Agree with not being able to follow what the heck was happening-I had to throw it into the DNF pile-kudos for finishing it John~

[Booknblues]

I was sure I was going to like it, but like Joanne, I put it in the DNF pile.

[Jgrace]

I loved it. I had a great time with the literary references. It also inspired a good discussion with my daughter. It's nice when we like the same thing. Doesn't happen often.

[Booknblues]

Jgrace wrote: "I loved it. I had a great time with the literary references. It also inspired a good discussion with my daughter. It's nice when we like the same thing. Doesn't happen often."

I remember your review. the book was already on my radar and your review made me so sure I would love it, that I was sad to walk away from it.

[NancyJ]

Jgrace wrote: "I loved it. I had a great time with the literary references. It also inspired a good discussion with my daughter. It's nice when we like the same thing. Doesn't happen often."

Me too! I loved this book. It was so much fun to read - even better to listen. I agree it wasn't always clear, but it such a fun ride. If I read it at a time when I was feeling more analytical or judgmental, I might not have liked it. I must have gotten some advice before hand - something like "set your brain to open." I relaxed and let it wash over me. I did spend some time learning more about the historical references later. (The tongue twister about the Huns just popped into my head.) I would have enjoyed Master and Margarita more if I followed that advice.

The book was also particularly meaningful to me, because it aligned with concepts I taught for years - mechanistic versus organic - related to organization culture, management styles, thinking styles, personality, etc. (I preferred to work with flexible, adaptable organic organizations that valued people - versus - rigid inflexible organizations that treated people like machines or interchangeable parts. ) In the book, one group of people were built with tech (mechanistic), and the others were grown like plants in the ground (organic).

I'm so sorry that others didn't like it. It's clearly not for everyone, or not for every mood . I'm just glad I read it at a time when I was open to a little more poetry and books with creative ideas.

[Robin P]

Joanne wrote: "Agree with not being able to follow what the heck was happening-I had to throw it into the DNF pile-kudos for finishing it John~"

Me too, I couldn't get interested, the two characters weren't real for me.

[Ellen]

I think I lasted 3 pages before it was a DNF.

[Joanne]

Ellen wrote: "I think I lasted 3 pages before it was a DNF."

🤣-glad to know there is another person around that will throw a book at the wall!