This is How You Lose the Time War

Amal El-Mothar and Max Gladsonte's "This is How You Lose the Time War" follows two agents, Red and Blue, on opposite sides of a war that spans all of time and (some of?) space across multiple universes.

Each chapter starts with a snapshot of what each agent is doing to advance their side's cause, whether that's taking part in major historical events or planting the seeds for 'coincidences' in the future, and ends with the discovery of a letter from their counterpart. What begins as acknowledgements of respect, nods across the battlefield, gradually grow into something more.

Fans of science fiction may be disappointed by the lack of focus on the time-traveling, universe-hopping backdrop to this story of star-crossing lovers. Details are sparse, and little is disclosed about the factions or why they are at war other than hints and impressions throughout the book.

The gradual, tip-toeing romance between Red and Blue via their elegantly composed letters is the strength of this book. There is a sweetness as the characters, hovering just beyond what one might call "human", discover that they are capable of such love, and for who should be their mortal enemy, no less. Readers who never tire of "Romeo and Juliette" will find much to love in "This is How You Lose the Time War".

I must preface this with the fact that I have always disliked time travel in fiction. Not once have I ever enjoyed any depiction of it. I find it frustrating and uncomfortable and this iteration, though definitely a unique take on the topic, was no exception.

This is a very difficult book to pin down and review because it felt like it almost didn't want to be read. While it was extremely formulaic (one chapter told from one of the two protagonists' POV, followed by a letter left by the other, then switch places) the prose was so flowery that I had difficulty understanding just what was supposed to be happening at times. Though I suppose when your two lead characters are literally named 'Red' and 'Blue' it shouldn't be surprising when the rest of the book is absolutely purple. rimshot

There's a war between two factions that both have some sort of time traveling technology that is never explained. Why the two factions are warring with each other or for how long (if that's even a possible question to ask) is never explained. And I understand that it's left intentionally vague because it's not the focus of the story the authors wanted to tell, but I found what was happening in the background to be more interesting than what was being handed to me.

A slow and careful romance between two combatants on either side of a deadlocked conflict should be an interesting premise. And there are certainly voiced concerns about possible betrayals and thoughts of, "what if this is just a long con to make me a turncoat?" that I'm glad were brought up. I just struggle to believe that a relationship can arise at all when these characters have no direct in-person interactions with each other and spend entire lifetimes without hearing from one another. I just found that the eventual culminating romance to be unearned and wished that it had resulted in a genuine betrayal or a more tragic note than what I got.

(Also, it feels disingenuous to market this as a "sapphic romance" when the two leads are essentially shapeshifters and have a loose association with gender beyond using she/her pronouns. This didn't feel queer in a way I could recognize.)

This first read for 2024 was superb, though not always totally pleasant - as you'll see towards the end of this review. Check the section between the **** lines.

The novel is full of quotable, poetic and philosophical lines, and, mirroring its two-author composition, it centers around two main characters. Both are spies.

The first introduced is Red. She belongs to the Agency, a post-singularity technotopia. The other is Blue and she belongs to Garden, a single vast consciousness embedded in all organic matter. In their (Red & Blue) words, Garden is viny-hivey elfworld, as opposed to techy-mechy dystopia. These already say quite a lot about their two "Origin Worlds" or timeframes, or Strands. Either word works fine.

Each of them answers to a hierarchy - of sorts. Red to Commandant, and Blue, to Garden, as an ocean becoming a drop, in order to communicate with another drop - a member of its own community. Or, rather, a tree becoming its own branch, since all metaphors used in the book about Garden are plant-based ? Perhaps we can also view it as a form of possession.

Red's and Blue's pasts (and many presents) are bloody and filled with gritty actions, as their respective Authorities sent them backwards and forwards in time into various Strands ( (are these parallel 'universes'?), all numbered... Some days Blue wonders why anyone ever bothered making numbers so small; other days she supposes even infinity needs to start somewhere. After all, this helps direct their operatives to their missions' time-space location more effectively - and since Agency and Garden's projects are totally at odds, this creates mutually exclusive futures for Red and Blue.

They have nothing in common—or almost! They’re the best at what they do, and they’re alone, even lonely. So, when Red finds a letter marked “Burn before reading” signed by Blue, she's intrigued, overlooks the warning, and reads this first letter, to which she replies, starting an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents in a war that stretches through time and space, across many Strands.

They cross one another's paths by their actions and counter-actions, or re-actions ; causing either damage, war and havoc in one spot, or attempt to prevent, or re-orient these, to change the future.

The authors left the exact mechanics out of composition ; the narrative gives away only possibilities as to what each operative's doing here, there, now, then, or in x amount of time from these... filling the cause-and-effect with poetic phrasing such as

But wars are dense with causes and effects, calculations and strange attractors, and all the more so are wars in time. One spared life might be worth more to the other side than all the blood that stained Red’s hands today. A fugitive becomes a queen or a scientist or, worse, a poet. Or her child does, or a smuggler she trades jackets with in some distant spaceport. And all this blood for nothing. I especially love that part of "or, worse, a poet" as a phrase, though am not totally sure if I agree with the affirmation itself. And "all this blood for nothing" echoes, for me, an anti-war comment, though it's said within a time-war's context and its effects.

Elsewhere, a passage that is probably even more eloquent (is it ? I don't really know),

… It’s so easy to crush a planet that you may overlook the value of a whisper to a snowbank. Or even Start a stone rolling, so in three centuries you’ll have an avalanche. Both of those work so marvelously in telling about those tiny actions each Agent in this time-war may have much bigger future ramifications. We can see them based on our, real life, past (and present) wars, how some small things became much bigger as well (and fear of what may come from current ones).

The authors also never tell us exactly how Red and Blue manage (technologically speaking) to embed their messages to one another - we just assume that in their Earth Realities, they have the means to do so.

Some of these were harsher for me read, and took me out of my comfort zones. Indeed, as some messages are left in seeds, others required more graphic, even gory aspects - here I warn you that about 20% into the book, a message is left inside a seal, the goriest scene of the entire book.

There are, however, many passages that are quite graphic, with characters doing things to their bodies, for instance, or descriptions of decay and battlefields.

Also, the V- word for emetophobes are present 4 times (though 2 are symbolic, the other 2 are occurrences), so beware of those short passages.

The prose and poetry are exquisite ; the authors found a balance between repeated words, and unique usage of others, especially at the start of each letter (dear Red, dear Strawberry, dear Blue, or dear 00FFFF are just a few of those).

The unfolding story and relationship born from unusual pen-paling and their fight to the death of timelines are super well written, in a mix of bittersweet wording, into decay in one side, and lyrical blossoms on the other. The narrative grows, expands, and descends into its ultimate not-totally open-ended conclusion, one that explains the novel's title, without really spelling it out...

One can question the morality behind both entities who sent these agents on missions of annihilation - the Agency and Garden's real motives and morals are left to the reader's interpretation, not only via the philosophical discussions of war, but also the operatives' letters and exchanges with their respective bosses.

Red and Blue's exchanges also bring the question of identity, in the midst of existential crisis, and one's motives to the forefront ; I love how two lone spies, even lonely, become so mutually enmeshed in their enmity, from taunts to a sort of admiration, respect and a bizarre relationship.

What a successful first collaboration between these two authors - both who already wrote solo before this novel erupted out of their combined minds. It's no wonder this novel was nominated, and won, many awards!

My own overall score is 9/10 - the lost point due both to the emet triggers and the gory portions out of my comfort zone.

This is how you lose the time war, a pour titre VF : Les Oiseaux du temps. Ma critique reprends les noms et termes de la VO, ne sachant pas exactement ce qu'ils sont en version traduite.

Cette première lecture pour 2024 a été superbe, même si pas toujours totalement agréable – comme vous le verrez vers la fin de cette critique. Vérifiez la section entre les lignes ****.

Le roman regorge de lignes citables, poétiques et philosophiques et, à l’image de sa composition à deux auteurs, il est centré sur deux personnages principaux. Toutes deux sont des espionnes.

La première introduite est le Red (Rouge). Elle appartient à l’Agence, une technotopie post-singularité.

L’autre est Blue (Bleue) et elle appartient à Garden (est-ce Jardin dans la VF?), une vaste conscience unique ancrée dans toute matière organique. Selon leurs mots (à Red & Blue), Garden est un monde elfique de ruche vinicole, par opposition à une dystopie techy-mechy. Ces termes en disent déjà beaucoup sur leurs deux « Mondes Originaux » ou laps de temps, ou Strands (Volets en VF ?). Tout ces mots fonctionnent bien.

Chacune répond à une sorte d'hiérarchie. Red au Commandant, et Blue à Garden, comme un océan devenant une goutte, pour communiquer avec une autre goutte, membre de sa propre communauté. Ou plutôt un arbre devenant sa propre branche, puisque toutes les métaphores utilisées dans le livre sur Garden sont végétales ? Peut-être pouvons-nous aussi y voir une forme de possession ?

Les passés de Red et Blue (et de nombreux présents) sont sanglants et remplis d'actions difficiles, car leurs autorités respectives les ont envoyées dans les deux sens dans le temps dans divers brins (sont-ils des « univers » parallèles ?), tous numérotés... "Certains jours, Bleu se demande pourquoi quelqu'un a pris la peine de faire des nombres si petits ; d'autres jours, elle suppose que même l'infini doit commencer quelque part" (pour citer le livre, et le traduire). Après tout, cela aide à diriger plus efficacement leurs agents vers l'emplacement spatio-temporel de leurs missions - et puisque les projets d'Agence et de Garden sont totalement en désaccord, cela crée des futurs mutuellement exclusifs pour le Red et Blue.

Elles n’ont rien en commun… ou presque ! Elles sont les meilleures dans ce qu’elles font et sont seules, voire solitaires. Ainsi, lorsque Red trouve une lettre marquée « Brûler avant de lire » signée par Blue, elle est intriguée, ignore l'avertissement et lit cette première lettre, à laquelle elle répond, déclenchant une correspondance improbable entre deux agents rivaux dans une guerre qui s'étend à travers le temps et l'espace, à travers de nombreux Strands.

Elles se croisent par leurs actions et contre-actions, ou réactions ; causer soit des dégâts, des guerres et des ravages en un endroit, soit tenter de les empêcher ou de les réorienter pour changer l'avenir.

Les auteurs ont laissé de côté la mécanique exacte en dehors de la composition ; le récit ne donne que des possibilités quant à ce que chaque agent fait ici, là, maintenant, alors ou dans un laps de temps x à partir de celles-ci... remplissant la cause et l'effet de phrases poétiques telles que (et je traduis encore ces citations à venir)

"Mais les guerres sont denses en causes et en effets, de calculs et d’attracteurs étranges, et encore plus les guerres temporelles. Une vie épargnée pourrait valoir plus pour l’autre camp que tout le sang qui a souillé les mains de Red aujourd’hui. Une fugitive devient une reine ou une scientifique ou, pire encore, une poète. Ou bien son enfant, ou un contrebandier avec qui elle échange des vestes dans un port spatial lointain. Et tout ce sang pour rien". J'aime particulièrement cette partie de « ou, pire, une poète » comme expression, même si je ne suis pas totalement sûr d'être d'accord avec l'affirmation elle-même. Et "tout ce sang pour rien" fait écho, pour moi, à un commentaire anti-guerre, bien qu'il soit prononcé dans le contexte d'une guerre temporelle et de ses effets.

Ailleurs, un passage sans doute encore plus éloquent (n'est-ce pas ? je ne sais pas trop),

"… Il est si facile d’écraser une planète que vous risquez de négliger la valeur d’un murmure à un banc de neige."

Ou même "faites rouler une pierre, pour avoir, dans trois siècles, une avalanche".

Les deux fonctionnent si merveilleusement en racontant ces petites actions que chaque agent dans cette guerre temporelle pourrait avoir des ramifications futures beaucoup plus importantes. Nous pouvons les voir en fonction de nos guerres réelles, passées (et présentes), de la façon dont certaines petites choses sont également devenues beaucoup plus importantes (et de la peur de ce qui pourrait résulter des guerres actuelles).

Les auteurs ne nous disent jamais non plus exactement comment Red et Blue parviennent (technologiquement parlant) à intégrer leurs messages - nous supposons simplement que dans leurs réalités terrestres, elles ont les moyens de le faire.

Certains d’entre eux ont été plus durs à lire et m’ont fait sortir de ma zone de confort. En effet, comme certains messages sont laissés en graines, d'autres nécessitent des aspects plus graphiques, voire gore- je vous préviens ici qu'à environ 20% du livre, un message est laissé à l'intérieur d'un phoque, la scène la plus sanglante de tout le livre.

Il existe cependant de nombreux passages assez graphiques, avec des personnages faisant des choses à leur corps, par exemple, ou des descriptions de décadence/pourriture et de champs de bataille.

De plus, le mot V pour les émétophobes est présent 4 fois (bien que 2 soient symboliques, les 2 autres sont des occurrences), alors méfiez-vous de ces passages courts.

La prose et la poésie sont exquises ; les auteurs ont trouvé un équilibre entre les mots répétés et l'utilisation unique des autres, en particulier au début de chaque lettre (chère Red, chère Strawberry*, cher Blue ou cher 00FFFF ne sont que quelques-uns d'entre eux).

• Strawberry étant Fraise. Je ne sais pas si le livre traduit suit ces séquences.

L'histoire qui se déroule et la relation née d'une correspondance inhabituelle et de leur combat jusqu'à la mort des chronologies sont super bien écrites, dans un mélange de formulations douces-amères, dans la pourriture d'un côté et les floraisons lyriques de l'autre.

Le récit grandit, s'étend et descend jusqu'à sa conclusion ultime, pas totalement ouverte, qui explique le titre du roman, sans vraiment l'épeler...

On peut s'interroger sur la moralité des deux entités qui ont envoyé ces agents dans des missions d'anéantissement - les véritables motivations et la morale de l'Agence et de Garden sont laissées à l'interprétation du lecteur, non seulement à travers les discussions philosophiques sur la guerre, mais aussi dans les lettres et les échanges des agents avec leurs patrons respectifs.

Les échanges de Red et Blue mettent également au premier plan la question de l'identité, en pleine crise existentielle, et des motivations de chacune ; J'aime la façon dont deux espionnes esseulées, même solitaires, s'emmêlent mutuellement dans leur inimitié, des railleries à une sorte d'admiration, de respect et une relation bizarre.

Quelle première collaboration réussie entre ces deux auteurs - tous deux qui écrivaient déjà en solo avant que ce roman ne sorte de leurs esprits combinés. Il n’est pas étonnant que ce roman ait été nominé et remporté de nombreux prix !

Mon propre score global est de 9/10 – le point perdu à cause à la fois des déclencheurs emet et des portions sanglantes hors de ma zone de confort.

I can't decide if this would have worked better (for me) as a short story, or a full length book. If it was longer, it could have expanded on it's ideas. If it had been shorter, it wouldn't have felt so repetetive.

There is some good ideas here, but they deserve better than being hand waved away. How do Red and Blue target their letters to each other across strands of time? If there are certain contested junctures in time, shouldn't they be swarmed with agents, and multiple aspects of the same agents? If the protagonists are just cogs in two massive opposing machines battling for supremacy over all time - why does it seems like they are the only two operators in the field?

I'm not saying this is a bad book, there is a lot good writing here. But it didn't work for me. Two highly subjective stars. (I'm going to hold of actually rating as there are so few reviews here yet)

"This is How You Lose the Time War" asks the reader to perch on the shoulders of two operatives on opposing sides of a time-traveling war.

Each chapter follows "Red" or "Blue" as they scurry up and down timelines and across dimensions. The book is both sweepingly broad and extremely contained and personal.

The settings flit by, dizzying: a temple for mechanized humans, an ancient holy cave, the assassination of Caesar - each sketched with broad, emotional strokes to give the setting an aesthetic. One gets the sense that a great web of cause and effect is being constantly constructed, altered, and destroyed, without ever seeing the full picture.

Against these backdrops, the characters "Red" and "Blue" write to each other - as nemeses, then as friends, ever deeper entangled even as they demolish each other's plans and forces. The letters make up an enormous part of the experience, and they are comic, intimate... poignant. I didn't give a damn about the war - I just wanted these two characters to be alright.

I loved it. I stayed up past midnight every day I was reading, which wasn't long because I had to see what came next and kept reading.