+- Forums (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum)
+-- Forum: Doom Arts (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=6)
+--- Forum: Doom Books (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=13)
+--- Thread: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (/showthread.php?tid=5144)
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - King Bob - 10-23-2019
This is kind of an odd one. It's about two operatives in a war across time, where they move between possible time streams ("threads") to influence them. One, named Red, is from the largely mechanized possible future run by the "Agency," and the other, named Blue, is from the organic (bio-engineered?) future run by the "Garden." Red and Blue start exchanging letters (which are written into things like lava, plants, etc.) and develop a connection and begin thinking about life outside their conflict. Chapters alternate between the two operatives, and some are their letters. It has a sort of poetic feel, particularly in the letters, and I'd say it's more about mood than ideas. I enjoyed it but it's not standard SF by any means. It is fairly short, I think a plus when sampling new authors.
RE: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - Dr. Ivor Yeti - 10-23-2019
Max Gladstone is a fave of mine. I recommend his series. Most can be read alone, but characters are shared and there is a general timeline.
RE: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - Greg - 11-11-2019
Read it. Liked it.
The prose is pretty good which is what I expect from Gladstone. But they never say who is writing which character or how the writing chores were divided up. The book is short and could have done with a little more world building. They could have spent more on why they fell in love rather than just giving it as a given.