This Is How You Lose the Time War

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel blends elements of various genres, including science fiction and romance. How effectively do these different genres work together? Have you read other genre-blending works like Cloud Atlas that employ similar narrative techniques?

2. What was your reaction to the authors’ decision to tell this complex story through letters? How did this format affect your engagement with the characters and plot?

3. How did you interpret the book’s title by the end? What does it mean to “lose” the time war, and who ultimately loses?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Red and Blue communicate through hidden messages in the natural world. Have you ever found a creative way to communicate with someone special in your life?

2. The characters struggle with loyalty to their respective organizations versus their personal desires. When have you experienced tension between institutional expectations and individual choices? How did you navigate it?

3. Throughout the novel, Red and Blue discover they have more in common than their differences suggest.