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This Is How You Lose the Time War cover art

This Is How You Lose the Time War

Written by: Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone
Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell, Emily Woo Zeller
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Publisher's Summary

Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novella, the Reddit Stabby Award for Best Novella AND The British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novella

Two time-travelling agents from warring futures, working their way through the past, begin to exchange letters - and fall in love in this thrilling and romantic book from award-winning authors Amal-El Mohtar and Max Gladstone.

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading.
Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war. That's how war works. Right?

©2019 Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

What listeners say about This Is How You Lose the Time War

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  • Overall
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highly recommended to everyone

This is such a lyrically written book where the characters are so extra in their letters yet not at all cringey. The plot is well done and has a satisfactory ending with some sprinkling of philosophy that will ake you want to read again and again.
The narrator has done a great job too, making this an immersive experience.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely delicious

it's not enough to listen to this book, I must eat it. Came here on a whim driven by mr b.d.Wolfwood, spurred by a free credit to spend and I had one of the most wonderful literary experiences so far. It is a sensual delight. The narration is wonderful, I loved the reading of the letters.
The story is about two agents from opposite factions weaving through time, changing events and outcomes to suit the needs of their masters. They start exchanging letters, beginning with taunts which slowly (and thrillingly) turn into declarations of truthful love. If you're listening to the audiobook, do it with some peace i'd suggest, the script paired with the narration will lead the mind to conjure up colorful places. They are found out in the end, and the rest i'll leave to be found out later. I don't know how to write reviews for audio books, I will stop here and hope it leads to someone experiencing this little book themselves.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Poetically Beautiful

The narration and the story is heart felt beauty. And concept alone is award worthy. Love it. Must read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Is Romeo and Juliet a tragedy or a comedy now?

how do you write a story spanning millennia in a hundred pages. how do you weave love as true as the metaphors used. this is how you write a love story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Interesting premise

The premise is very interesting and performance great. Story is difficult to follow at times.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Love in the time of "time war"

What a beautiful piece of prose!!

Such an amazing premise - two agents who are rivals in a time war become pen friends and fall in love. Ending was as beautiful and surprising as it can be.

I heard the book on audible, performance was smashing. Story was super dense and some people can find it less engaging. This is a different style of writing which not many would find easy. But if you have the patience, the fruit is sweet.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Sending letters from everywhen

When I started this book, I expected epic battles between rivals over the span of world's. Fought from the backs of majestic beasts of myth or in starship strewn space or both! What I got was better. How do I explain how this book (this audio book in fact - the performances added something that made the experience almost spiritual) made me feel? I started this book when I was driving to work today morning. I finished it just before I left work to return home. I felt as if I was floating through my day, barely tethered to this reality. I felt suspended in time.

Most importantly this book made me feel so so gay!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Understood nothing

Understood nothing but here to stake my claim in a part of history. Confusing, I suppose, as time travel is meant to be. A fun time though.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Read due to Bigolas

Read this due to the latest Twitter saga of Trigun. It was pretty good. Things make more sense near the end and most of the book is red and blue waxing poetics (in a good way). For anyone on the fence, the bury your gays trope was beaten to death by this book. God, hope this gets posted.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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Horrible


The author duped me into giving this book a chance through her post on X. But this was so bad that I could not finish the book. Avoid.

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