This Is How You Lose the Time War

I’m a big fan of genre-bending and trope manipulation, and I was completely blown away by this rare creation of a book. It’s a carefully crafted plot of time manipulation, blending science fiction, fantasy, espionage, and romance, told through letters between two rival agents in a style more akin to a war drama.

Those contrasting styles notably elevated the story for me, accenting the cybernetic future by experiencing the naturalistic one and enhancing the love story through the suspense of corporate espionage.

At no point did I feel as if either empire was the “good” or “bad” one, only that… show more.

It's an epistolary. It's a love story. And they are trying to erase each other from existence... because that's what happens in a time war! I love it because every page is so rich; it's more like reading poetry than prose. It's not a very long book, maybe half the length of the usual novel, but there's no way I could breeze through it. 

There are books I can imagine writing. There are books I can imagine I could become good enough to write. Then there are books like this, which are so far beyond my skills that I don't… show more.

A friend recommended this book to me, and I’m so grateful! The story unfolds through letters between Red and Blue, mortal enemies who slowly realize they have more in common with each other than their respective sides, even as they murder their way through history. As we come to know them and they learn about each other, we realize the truth about the war and the creature pursuing them through history.

Neither Red nor Blue are perfect people, but you can see why and how they are the way they are, and their love story feels natural and well-earned because… show more.

A deeply romantic novella that spans time and space.

I really enjoyed this exploration of romance that could only be achieved by two time-traveling superhumans. The image of a love letter written in the rings of a tree has stayed with me for years.

It’s rare that I root for a couple as strongly as I did for Red and Blue throughout this story. It was magical to read about how they fell in love, the strangeness of how they altered the universe for each other, and all of the wartime tension and wild worldbuilding in between.

Bigolas Dickolas Wolfwood famously rocketed this book to the top of the bestseller list four years after its publication. Whatever you’ve heard about this inventive epistolary time travel romance, I promise you that it lives up to that hype. It won me over immediately with its lyrical prose, clever sci-fi conceit, and charged romantic tension between dueling protagonists.

I love dystopian fiction, but there’s something even more impressive about well-written utopian fiction. I’m even more impressed when authors remember that our various visions of utopia can be in conflict with one another and with our own individual connections and desires.… show more.

This book is best read over the course of one rainy weekend if you’re feeling in a rut. I got into a bath with this book, and by the time I came out, it was nearly finished, and the water was stone cold.

Two deadly women for the price of one! And they’re in love! This is more of a novella than a novel, and it consists of a series of letters written between two agents on either side of a complicated looping and multi-threaded war.

I love epistolary novels, and I love interesting framing devices; as a writer, it… show more.

A love story written across time itself. 

This book contains a staggering scope in a few pages. There’s an element of poetry in the back-and-forth battle between the two agents working to alter the history of the world to aid their faction. Their taunts turn to admiration to affection and then something deeper as they jump through millennia to bring about a reality that both agents pursue but, perhaps, neither wants.

The book is relatively short, but be prepared to spend extra time savoring the language, mood, and richness of the story. This is one of those rare books that… show more.

Though I love many types of fiction and nonfiction, my favorite stories involve time travel. The combination of exciting action and emotional drama puts these stories at the top of my list, year in and year out.

When I read This Is How You Lose the Time War, I was instantly sucked in. A sci-fi romance about two combatants in a never-ending war who strike up an unlikely correspondence, this book revolves around themes of suffering, redemption, and the power of love to heal the deepest of wounds.

Not only that, but it’s also written in gorgeous, lyrical language,… show more.

I am a life-long bibliophile but I have never read anything like this book! It’s almost poetry. It could be a sci-fi tale or a romance but it is so much more. I don’t want to spoil it for a new reader with too many details. I will say it has a happy ending. It’s a quick read that will make you in awe of the human spirit, even when a character isn’t 100% human.

What “Time Travel” book list would be complete without This is How You Lost the Time War?

This book is beautifully written, unique, romantic, and employs just enough time travel to be tricky but not confusing. Two agents on the opposite sides of the time war find comfort in their secret correspondences with one another, but of course, love, time travel, and war can never be so simple.

Queer, star-crossed, heart-wrenching, and, of course, oh-so-human. This one is great for anyone who likes short and sweet sci-fi with a big emotional impact.