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A review by ghosthermione
This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I feel like I owe this novella a review, because it it was an Experience I won't forget soon, but at the same time I'm struggling to find the appropriate words.
There is not one thing about this book I would change or criticise. I couldn't even say it's too short, because it's so masterfully crafted that the size is just what it should be for the story it wants to tell. Where do I even start?
To borrow a metaphor from the book, it's like a gorgeous and masterfully crafted piece of clockwork. The writing is pure poetry, the characters feel Just Right and even in so few pages you get to know them so well...
There's a scene where Blue goes to the Globe and wonders about Romeo and Juliet, and how it will end in this alternate part of the multiverse, and this was an absolutely brilliant reference, not just because I'm a Shakespeare nerd, but because Time War has something of Romeo and Juliet in it, in its poetry and in its tragedy. And throughout, you can feel that every piece of the story was carefully crafted towards the ending, and everything fits very neatly. But beyond the craftsmanship, I was absolutely moved by this story, by the characters and by the writing. "Brilliant" doesn't begin to cover it, and it is well worth all the awards it got.
There is not one thing about this book I would change or criticise. I couldn't even say it's too short, because it's so masterfully crafted that the size is just what it should be for the story it wants to tell. Where do I even start?
To borrow a metaphor from the book, it's like a gorgeous and masterfully crafted piece of clockwork. The writing is pure poetry, the characters feel Just Right and even in so few pages you get to know them so well...
There's a scene where Blue goes to the Globe and wonders about Romeo and Juliet, and how it will end in this alternate part of the multiverse, and this was an absolutely brilliant reference, not just because I'm a Shakespeare nerd, but because Time War has something of Romeo and Juliet in it, in its poetry and in its tragedy. And throughout, you can feel that every piece of the story was carefully crafted towards the ending, and everything fits very neatly. But beyond the craftsmanship, I was absolutely moved by this story, by the characters and by the writing. "Brilliant" doesn't begin to cover it, and it is well worth all the awards it got.