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Cover of This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-MohtarThis Is How You Lose the Time War
Modern · Fiction, Science Fiction, Romance

This Is How You Lose the Time War

by Amal El-Mohtar
2019 · 198 pages · Fiction
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 5 hours to read · about 10 days at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Two rival agents, fighting on opposite sides of a war across time, leave each other a taunting letter. What begins as a battlefield boast becomes a correspondence, and something epic and romantic that could change the past and the future.

Why it's worth reading

It's a short, dazzling love story told in letters, beloved by readers for its poetry and invention.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It's very short and poetic, best read slowly. It was co-written by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.

By the numbers

63.2Must-Read Score
  • Readers41 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller39 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Reads as

Adventurous, Epic

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

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Quick answers

Is This Is How You Lose the Time War worth reading?

Yes. It's a short, dazzling love story told in letters, beloved by readers for its poetry and invention. It ranks #2,063 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.2 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is This Is How You Lose the Time War about?

Two rival agents, fighting on opposite sides of a war across time, leave each other a taunting letter. What begins as a battlefield boast becomes a correspondence, and something epic and romantic that could change the past and the future.

How long does it take to read This Is How You Lose the Time War?

About 5 hours (198 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after This Is How You Lose the Time War?

If you liked it, try The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar, The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow or Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.