This Is How You Lose the Time War

time travel stuff is notoriously difficult to do well but i think the authors managed to craft something pretty intriguing and satisfying. this makes me want to write letters again. however, i would've rated the book higher if the time we spent with each character (outside of correspondence) weren't so... vague. like, i had a general sense of the nature of each agency, and how their agents operate, but it was more like i was letting the book's atmosphere lazily haze around me than being fully engrossed in the descriptions or actions, some of which was overly metaphorical and more alien than relatable anyway. it's probably best to just describe this as a tender exchange of letters because i don't think the rest will really stick with me if i don't summarize it in this review.

i read this via a combination of hardcover, ebook, and audiobook while at home and on the road. it was a bit tough to get rolling but once i got used to the style (and the plot stakes were higher) things pretty much cruised along through to the end. and i had a guess about something at the beginning that turned out to be right, so that was pleasing.