This Is How You Lose the Time War

By: Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell, Emily Woo Zeller

HUGO AWARD WINNER: BEST NOVELLA
WINNER OF THE NEBULA AND LOCUS AWARDS: BEST NOVELLA

“[An] exquisitely crafted tale...Part epistolary romance, part mind-blowing science fiction adventure, this dazzling story unfolds bit by bit, revealing layers of meaning as it plays with cause and effect, wildly imaginative technologies, and increasingly intricate wordplay...This short novel warrants multiple readings to fully unlock its complexities.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

From award-winning authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone comes an enthralling, romantic novel spanning time and space about two time-traveling rivals who fall in love and must change the past to ensure their future.

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment 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, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

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

Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.

©2019 Amal El-Mohtar (P)2019 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"Emily Woo Zeller and Cynthia Farrell's dual narrations emphasize the divergent personalities of two time-traveling protagonists.... Listen, then listen again to unravel this intricate story, beautifully narrated." (AudioFile Magazine)

Amazing book with great narrators

I had been waiting for this book for many months. I had a set idea in my head of what this book would be about, what it would try to achieve, and how it would get there. It was none of the things I wanted it to be. Instead, it was the most beautifully written work of fiction I've ever read.

A bit dense, but a ride worth the extra effort.

The book is full of choppy sentences and strangely descriptive words, but it feels just right in the context of the story. The narration was really well done, and made listening to the book a pleasure. The story has tension, it has fun, it has mystery. It was a journey well worth my money and time. Listen to it in one sitting if you can.

One of the few things I didn't like as much would be that in the last few chapters, it lacks internal consistency. But no means did that makes the book less fun though. My only other complaint is that there wasn't more of it.

Struggled at first but worth the fight

For the first half of this book I really felt like I had no idea what was going on. I struggled to connect with the characters emotionally which made me question the whole book since it is supposed to be a love story. By the final third of the book you would have trouble convincing me that this wasn’t a book of sheer brilliance. I really do wish that I had read the book rather than listen to the audio version. I felt both narrators did a poor job of conveying the depths of emotion and I honestly think that’s why I struggled with it at first. Whether you read the book or listen, this one is a work of art

Bigolas Dickolas knew this book slapped hard!

It's such a good story, and it's definitely worth reading/hearing over and over again. I loved every minute of it! It brought me to tears, it brought me hope, and it brought me inspiration. Thank you to the author for bringing this book into existence! Thank you for making it a memorable story that will most assuredly be resounding in my mind.

Unexpected and gripping

I loved how this story unfolded without context. I was hooked early and looked for extra time to listen (not just when driving as most stories) and wished for more when it was over. The performance was fantastic.

interesting

good. I enjoy the use of letter writing. The Reader was good. My lower stars are only a reminder to me that I would not want to reread.

Fantastic writing

What poetry. What a well-wrought piece of work this is. I didn't think I was the type to enjoy this and found myself surprised.

Great for people who love pining romance!

Narration was great! Performance great! Story was interesting, but it just wasn't my cup of tea

Love the voice acting.

Voice acting was amazing. The story concept was cool too. The whole concept of controlling time threads like the Time Variance Authority (TVA) in Loki.
The book is literally a series of letters back and forth between enemies.

I liked it

I picked this up because a booktuber I like gave it 5 stars. I was easily lost 😬 but alas there is no denying it was beautifully written and well crafted. 👏🏻❤ I loved red and blue ❤💙