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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

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

What the critics say

"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)

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

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    1 out of 5 stars

Nothing special, 3 hours too long

Okay this book was on so many lists for a must-read that I got it...and it's absolutely boring and plain. The characters are terrible and everything is written in such a messy way that it wasn't fun to follow along. the story is very basic. I kept waiting for the characters and the story to develop further, but it was just stagnant and then it ended half-way between a build up to a better story plot.
don't waste your time. in all honestly the book could be 1 hour long and literally nothing would be lost from it.
.
Narration was decent, no real emotions, just very dry reading. can't complain I guess.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

sci-fi love story for grown ups

This story got under my skin, into the spaces that I didn’t know were empty. I didn’t know I wanted to hear a love story- I was looking for queer sci-fi and came upon this incredible novel, with beautiful prose and storytelling. It’s a love story. Set throughout time. I literally have been ignoring my family while listening to this story, and my heart is now full and sore and complete.
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Simply not my thing.

Couldn't finish it. Two people writing love letters - poems - to each other doesn't do it for me. I've tried in the past, many times, thinking that I am missing something important, but have never been able to appreciate poetry or flowery language. Probably my loss.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Most beautiful book ever

Pure poetry and an epic love story
I wept a the end, truly stunning

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Beautiful and challenging

I doubt you’ve ever read anything like this before. It’s incredibly beautiful, confusing, abstract and imagination sparking. This book is about love distilled into its purest form. The performances are perfect! The two women reading for Red and Blue have just enough distinction to know who is speaking.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Deeply compelling

This is one of the most beautiful stories I've ever heard narrated, the prose is absolutely breathtaking and the love between the characters that builds over time is phenomenal. The performances of the two narrators are wonderful, as well.

However, if you are the type of reader who seeks detailed explanations of how specific things work (ie the time travel in this particular story) as well as more in-depth worldbuilding, you aren't going to get that from this novel. The final five or so chapters, as well, are also very confusing and hard to follow unless you have been listening attentively the whole way through. I still, however, cannot recommend this enough for its premise and writing alone.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it!

Stellar from start to finish. The dual performances add so much richness to an already beautiful story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Compelling

I really enjoyed the premise, the world, the characters and the relationships. Very lyrical at times, but by no means light.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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very captivating

both ladies were great to listen to. really adds to the already very interesting storyline

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing. Stunning. Vibrant.

I've never listened to story quite like this before. It was happy and sad, funny and tragic, science fiction and fantasy, love and war. Romance and comedy. All wrapped neatly in a time loop, a dance of paradoxes that promises to please anyone that reads it. Do yourself a favor and get it. Witty, short, and sweet.

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