The Race Against Time: A Student’s Review of “This is How You Lose the Time War”

Written by Khang Dang

They say time heals all wounds.

They say time is the only one who can decide between life and death.

They say time is infinite.

A war against time is inevitable.

Who can win against time?

Two of its greatest contestants, life and death, cannot even fight time itself. Time plays on both sides as a dual wielder, allowing time to decide all things.

Time is eternal. It is unchanging. When something has changed, that does not mean the rest of the world will. The world still goes on regardless if something is in it or not.

The only thing we can do about time is decide what we want to do with it.

We cannot change what happens to time. We cannot decide how much we can take away and distribute accordingly. All we can do is make the most out of our own.

So this war against time, what exactly is it?

“This Is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone is a science fiction novella that was published in 2019. It is a story between two groups pitted against each other in a race against time to save their collapsing world from the calamity. Both groups sending their best agent to combat the tremors of time, have sought out for the most efficient way to end this war.

Red from the technological group of the Agency, and Blue from the primitive land of the Garden butt heads. They are selected on behalf of both of their organizations, the organizations selected them and pitted them against the deadliest in their groups.

As a means to instigate, Blue sends a letter off to Red as a less-than-harmless aim to taunt. This kicks off a chain reaction that continues for the rest of the novella. An equal exchange of letters builds a deeper connection between the two. As they tease one another, the war continues through their time-traveling journeys. All of this is to prevent the calamity from sending their world into a deeper oblivion.

Now, I really can’t say much about this story because if I give out anything else, it could completely spoil it. But it is a story that plays a very poetic and really mellow-styled kind of narrative. It is beautiful in its own manner, and with the imagery that it pulls you in, it is hard to turn away from it. It is a story about discovery and breaking free from the chains that bind you to your past. It is one that will have moments that stay with you even after you’ve put the book down.

I found it to be quite a slow read. I was supposed to finish this book about four months ago but found myself finishing it just a few days ago. I don’t believe that should set the expectation for every individual who chooses to read this book, but I know that it was not my cup of tea. Not at first, really.

But what I will say is the sci-fi parts were really cool and getting to understand the motivation of each character was so interesting. The way their perspectives shifted was intriguing, considering it was written from the dual perspective of both agents. You could understand what they were thinking and understand the justification they had for themselves as they fought one another.

There is good representation in this book, too (which I cannot spoil, read the story!). The connection between the two characters makes for a lot of understanding, and it makes them feel alive. You can see the way that they acknowledge each other despite being each other’s worst enemies. The emotions that they feel, the way their desires are kept, and everything that makes them feel human makes you feel captivated by the presence of how poetically each of them are written.

But I will say no more. I cannot say anymore because that would take away the luxury of reading it yourself. You may find yourself completely encapsulated. You might not. Honestly, it’s a fun 200-page read (198 pages, to be exact). A few pages a day might turn to a few 10s of pages, to a few hundreds, until there’s nothing left.

Who knows? Only time can tell.

Featured Image: Simon & Schuster