Your opening statement in the first 15 seconds perfectly encapsulates how I felt when reading this book and when I finished!!

I appreciate your willingness to read something that's potentially out of your wheelhouse and embrace it. It's not a common trait among sff reviewers.

I read it in french (my mother tongue), and then picked up the audio book, which I listened to twice in the span of a week. Each time I picked up new references, understood new clever foreshadowings and just... made the story more "mine", in a way. I love it soooo much, it lives rent free in my mind ever since. I'll need to read it a fourth time, there are still stuff I'm unsure about. By the way, I do find it pretty consistent in its worldbuilding to be honest but I am completely unable to explain how the time travel makes sense to me. I swear it does! Somehow.

I just finished this book about 5 minutes ago and really appreciate your review! I had a SUPER hard time with some of the writing style (it made me feel incompetent and unintelligent at times), but I really appreciated the relationship between the two characters and the beautiful poetry in their letters to one another. I love your idea about rereading and possibly listening to the audio book to grasp more of what I missed in my first go😅

@kevinroth24ify

11 ай бұрын

I just finished this book 5 minutes ago and how you describe feeling when reading this book is the exact same way I felt when reading. I'm so glad I'm not the only one to have been thinking that.

@aoldatabase548

10 ай бұрын

I know i was like i enjoy this book but also am i really stupid

I just finished the audio book, my man i am not sleeping tonight. This was so out of my comfort zone reads.. Its a 4 hour audio book and i listened to it in one go. My mind is a scrambled egg right now...

(In passing; this is late.) The time war is a venerable science fiction trope that has very few exemplars: Fritz Lieber's Change War series (1958-67), Poul Anderson's *Corridors of Time* (1965). Related would be Anderson's Time Patrol stories (1955-95), Brunner's *Times Without Number* (1962), and Simon Hawke's TimeWars series (1984-91), ironically more of a time patrol series, despite the name. Diana Wynne Jones *Tale of Time City* (1987) covers some of the same ground in a YA book (outside of YA DWJ generally is a much underrated author.) (I think Wilson Tucker also addressed some of these themes, but I don't remember titles.) Having read Lieber's *The Big Time* and *Corridors* , the background of *This Is How You Lose the Time War* was immediately comprehensible to me, but these books are over 50 years old, and I can see how confusing it would have been without some context. Definitely a welcome new take on the trope. Anderson's *Corridors* even deals with some of the same elements in a very different way - there is a time war between a biotechnical and mechanistic culture, post-humanism, a love story, and a resolution, but it is a highly idiosyncratic book and I wonder if most younger readers would find it palatable.

Just finished reading the book and came looking for reviews on it. You put so nicely into words what I think of the book!

I adore this book so much! The juxtaposition of war and desolution with intrigue and innocent love is what gives this novel its perfection. And the letter in the bee sting was my favorite letter of all. This is my favorite book of all time.

You encapsulated all my thoughts about this book it’s crazy.

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

One mind!!!

This book does many things well and takes a risk that could have stopped most readers with its occasionally obscure language and references. If you're not an academic you will gloss over many things unless you stop to look them up. I like the use of the letters and how the agents begin to bend towards each other. Those sections are undeniably strong and accessible. The pop-culture references relating to the colors had some nods and winks that are very cute and many that are straight up obscure and require a google search. Overall, this short book is enjoyable. I would have a hard time recommending it to anyone that has a difficult time with complex prose. It has a tough barrier to entry and embraces an unusual narrative style. I applaud it and the authors for that, but I won't gush about it to friends as many of them would wonder why I found it so enigmatic yet interesting. I may reread it or listen to it again when I need a palate cleanser from other genres I spend time in. I'm sure it will deepen my appreciation.

One of my favorite books of all time, sci-fi genius is always about creating a work never before described, this book did that. It fit into a realization I had about winning. Because you can not win. And this book is brilliant for reasons far beyond cognizant resonance. It is about love, incredible love transcending time both up and down the timeline and also across the the ideas of being and belonging.

@DragonArmyBooks

Жыл бұрын

Transcendent love both up and down the timeline. Love it.

Read this book a few months ago. Truly loved it, cried about it, and found my own personal life-stories entangled in it. I give it a 5/5 also.

I have this on my shelf right now to read. I am a very excited to read it!

The prose and writing style of the book felt very complex, and reminded me of academic theory type stuff that I’ve read in some upper level college courses, but applied to an actual “for fun” fiction book and I loved the series for that

@DragonArmyBooks

Жыл бұрын

Great analogy. Often, I didn't understand what I was reading, but it was still something beautiful to behold!

thank u for this review it made me want to continue reading till the end i recently started this book and im still pretty lost about whats happening but this was very reassuring to hear!

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

It's definitely confusing but if you lean into it, you might just fall in love!

thanks for the review, dustin 💕💕💕👊

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

My pleasure!

Had no clue what to feel in the middle but by the end I was enraptured.

@DragonArmyBooks

Жыл бұрын

Same! I went from lost to enraptured in a matter of pages.

@kevinroth24ify

11 ай бұрын

I had to keep putting the book down after a few chapters and coming back each new day to tackle more of the story. Once I got about 3/4 of the way through, I finished it up in one night.

@tomjohnson4462

11 ай бұрын

@@kevinroth24ify re-read it in like 2 weeks it will make so much more sense. The first time I read it was before senior year and I re-read it after and I understood a lot more of the prose and the meanings behind.

This is intriguing! I'll totally add it to my list.

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

You'll love it!

Great review. Agreed with everything you said!

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

I completely agree on the intro.

Could you explain the meaning behind the title and how it ties into the end of the book?

Great review. You've got me intrigued by the confusing nature of this book.

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

It's definitely worth looking into!

I love this love story

@DragonArmyBooks

Жыл бұрын

I really need to give it a reread. It's been too long.

It was an amazing audio book but I also read along with it on Kindle. It’s a lot to decipher and loaded with blatant and subtle humor.

Hmmm, this is on my TBR and I was able to get the audio. Hearing this review it may not be best to get on audio if it's difficult to follow. Maybe i'll have to grab the physical just to be able to flip back and forth

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

It would be worth having both. When I do a reread, I'll try the audiobook for sure!

so excited for this one

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

Hope you enjoyed!

I've read it, it's one of my favorite of all time♥️

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

I loved my time with the book!

I'm halfway through! I'm just beginning to become connected to the characters : )

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

It only gets better from there!

Your first 20 seconds is so spot on. Also are you honestly trying to say you didn't understand who the Chaos Oracle is?? :)

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

At this point I don't even know what you're referring to. Guess it's time for a reread! 😂

@FIT2BREAD

3 жыл бұрын

@@DragonArmyBooks ha. Obv joking. But there's a passing reference to the Chaos Oracle with no context at all and I really loved it because it so fits into the confusion of much of the book. The author is basically dropping stuff in with sort of a wink to "dont worry you don't really need to know who that is." Thats was pretty cool

i first heard about it when i won the Nebula Award for Best Novella of 2019

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

Well deserved award.

Okay, I’m glad not the only one confused -Purple

I don't pretend to have understood this one either, but I enjoyed it very much.

I am reading this now, pls no spoiler. Quick question tho, do red and blue end up together?

@DragonArmyBooks

2 жыл бұрын

I feel like an answer to that question would be in spoiler territory.

wishing you a great day

@DragonArmyBooks

3 жыл бұрын

Same to you!

I read it + 1

Dope! Excited to get into this one. I’ll check it out. Check Our All Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai if you’re into time travel stuff.

This book is absolute nonsense and I love it SO MUCH.