This Is How You Lose the Time War

A wild ride. I struggled at first, persisted thanks to prior recommendations from two dear friends, and it started paying off past the one-third mark. I feel rewarded... but YMMV. What helped me was getting into a different headspace: switching off the physics-and-math parts of my brain, shushing the occasional snarky thought. And—this was harder—distancing myself from the authors' casual attitude toward violence: it's a war, I get it, but there is no hint that all those dying in it are anything but pawns. (There are many chess and Go references throughout the book. It is traditional, though, and in my opinion good form, to temper those with empathy when the pieces are human.)

Once in the right mindset, I really loved most of it. Part of that is, admittedly, a personal soft spot I have for well-penned billets-doux. These may have been over the top in their burning and yearning, and omg their floridness, but they worked for me. (Again, YMMV). I liked the professionalism: the admiration of two lonely craftspersons for each others' skill and selves — also the authors' and editors' respect for the reader, recognizing that this is a difficult book, and not dumbing it down. I loved the female-centeredness, not only the main protagonists but all throughout the book, the recognition of women as major influences across worlds and timelines. The language... I two-thirds loved? It could soar gracefully, it also bogged down at times. The pervasive metaphors — weaving, gardening, seeds, chess/Go, Romeo and Juliet — were at first promising but never actually developed anywhere... or, perhaps more likely, I'm not smart enough to see how/if they did.

I can easily imagine timelines in which I rate this book five stars; perhaps because the book is different, perhaps because I am. It's mildly entertaining to ponder those; also to look out the window and see a scrub jay and wonder; and to mull Chaos Theory and fantasize about being able to predict consequences of ripple effects. Those were fun side effects from reading — but my real take-home was a reminder of the preciousness of connection and the need to preserve it; to swap words with those I love.