This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - 4 stars (Subdue)

[Joy D]

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar - 4* - My Review

This book is a lyrically written story about two rival time travelers, Red and Blue, who communicate through letters, in unique and creative ways, across time. They are from extremely different cultures. Red is part of the Agency, a technology-based AI civilization, while Blue is part of the Garden, a nature-based mass consciousness. Each one travels through time, with a goal of ensuring their culture prospers in the future, thus “winning” the war. They must keep their correspondence secret as the penalty would be death. The storyline relates how these two travelers form a sapphic love that transcends their differences.

It is a collaboration between authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, with one author writing Red and the other Blue. I found it creative and engaging. The language feels overwrought at times, and I wish there had been more explanation of how these cultures evolved. It reads more like fantasy to me than science fiction and values the emotions of the protagonists over world-building. It is more a story of relationships, so if you are looking for hard SciFi, this is not it. The story provides a positive message of overcoming differences. It also emphasizes the ability to communicate in ways that engage the heart and mind.

I found this book on Pam's "Clerk" list after rolling a 5,6 in our Subdue the Shelf game.