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| Trade paperback, 198 pages Published 2020 (originally 2019) Acquired April 2020 Read July 2020 |
by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
This novella alternates between two agents, Blue and Red, in a reality-consuming time war between Garden and the Agency. Typically the structure is one will undertake a mission, during which they find a message from the other; the next chapter is that letter; that leads into a mission from the letter writer's perspective; and so on.
It's quick and its clever. I know I should have higher aspirations when reading Hugo finalists, but one of my main thoughts when reading this was that there were more clever time war ideas in 100 pages of this book than in the dozen-something Big Finish Doctor Who Time War box sets I have heard. Cool ideas about nipping and tucking reality. I liked the letters, too, both the weird methods of transmitting them, and their contents, which go from rivalry to friendly regard to something more. Some of the beats will be familiar (there are two different bootstrap paradoxes, I think), but they're put to good effect, and the writing is strong. The plot is a little predictable (it's obvious, I think, that they will be brought into direct conflict), but how it's done is always interesting, and the conclusion is neat.
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