Do you want a swoon worthy romance? Do you want a relationship to root for? Do you want to become deeply invested in a love story that does not concern you? If so, I would recommend you read This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
Yes, you’ve heard me right. For a great romance, I am recommending you read a sci-fi novel.
This is How You Lose the Time War is not the most accessible novel. If you are used to reading contemporary rom-coms, it might not be what you are used to. The novel does not ease you in with a relatable world and quirky characters. Instead, the novel throws you in the deep end. You might say that, it thrusts you into a strand of time. The novel not only starts in the middle of the action, but it also does not have the most traditional characters. In fact, I have no idea what any of the characters in this novel look like and I only have a basic understanding of the wider world the novel takes place in. This might be strange to say as I have read the novel three times and wrote an essay on it. Yet, the joy of the novel is that it makes almost no sense but perfect sense at the same time. You don’t need to understand the ins and outs of the world because the romance is what draws you in.
At its core, This is How You Lose the Time War is an enemies to lovers romance. Red and Blue work for rival time organisations and are working against each other to manipulate the time line. This science fiction element forms the background of the novel. The intricacies of time and politics in the novel are almost unimportant. What matters is that the wider world has forced Red and Blue to be enemies.
Despite working against each other, Red and Blue start to communicate with each other. They leave each other letters which start off goading and full of banter and evolve into the most romantic lines of fiction you will ever read. Alongside this, the characters evolve. My personal favourite part of the novel is watching Red come into herself and embrace her inner thoughts. When you think of science fiction, you will probably think about some of the most famous evolutions or transformations of all fiction. But forget Frankenstein, The Fly, and X-Men. The sci-fi evolutions we should be talking about are in character development.
Because This is How You Lose the Time War is a novel focused so much of characters (both their relationships and their inner selves), it manages to be the perfect romance novel. It is forbidden love done perfectly. I’d say read the novel even if it seems intimidating. This might annoy sci-fi fans, but forget the world and just focus on the romance.
Words and Dragons 