‘This Is How You Lose the Time War’ — ★★★★
Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Science fiction, time travel, enemies-to-lovers
Winner of both the Nebula and Hugo Award for best novella in 2020, writers Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone tell a sapphic love story between time-traveling agents Red and Blue. Despite working for rival agencies in the midst of a time war, they fall in love through a series of letters secretly placed for one another in different timelines. What begins as bickering between enemies eventually blooms into a forbidden love worth the cost of betrayal.
Set in a futuristic era, the characters’ queerness is never portrayed as a point of crisis, which I personally found refreshing to read. As we follow the agents through space and time, the storyline feels intentionally scattered — a narrative style that El-Mohtar and Gladstone continue until the end, when Red and Blue reveal their illicit affair. Though the prose challenges the reader to piece together many fragments of plot, the lyrical writing that shines through the epistolary elements balances this, imbuing the story with a captivating beauty that lingered with me for days.
‘The Song of Achilles’ — ★★★★½
Madeline Miller
Historical fiction, Greek mythology, forbidden love
Madeline Miller’s retelling of the Trojan War is an emotional punch to the gut. Though I came into this book without an extensive knowledge of Greek mythology, Miller’s confident writing eased me into a plot packed with high stakes and high emotions.
We take the perspective of the magnanimous Patroclus as he and the mythic hero Achilles grow up together and become lovers — a queer lens on their well-studied historic friendship. Their relationship exists as an open secret, though it is scorned by Achilles’ mother, the goddess Thetis. This tension drives the story, making their narrative compelling to follow.
By anchoring the story in Patroclus’ point of view, Miller reveals a more humane and compassionate Achilles, who is usually portrayed as an untouchable warrior. She skillfully shifts the focus to the emotional depths of both their characters. As the war escalates, so does the contrast between Patroclus’ tenderness and Achilles’ natural pull toward warfare. This, along with the prophecy of Achilles’ death lingering over their heads, combine into an emotional pressure that leads the book to its heart-wrenching ending. The novel stands as a devastating exploration of love and fate, broadening my understanding of these characters and the stigmatization of queerness in the alluring world of ancient Greece.
‘Twisted Souls’ — ★★★★
Skye Crawford
Grimdark fantasy, Celtic mythology, horror
In their debut novel, Skye Crawford expertly encapsulates the grimdark genre through morally gray lovers Valan and Sorn. “Twisted Souls,” the first installment in Crawford’s “The Shattered Mirror Saga,” draws from Celtic mythology and is told through Valan’s perspective. Valan is a sidhe — an elf-like supernatural being — of the Unseelie Court who works to keep dangerous secrets from his enemies and family alike. His most dangerous is his relationship with Sorn, a half-human rogue whose lower social standing means the two must conceal their relationship. Valan and Sorn will do just about anything to protect one another in this universe where they are constantly scrutinized.
The dissonance between their internal trust and external secrecy forms the story’s backbone. As Valan and Sorn navigate increasingly perilous circumstances and travel through interdimensional portals to escape Valan’s tyrannical family, the plot — albeit steeped in fantasy — mirrors the reality of how queer people often must hide their identities to remain safe. The horror and gore of this dark fantasy are well-balanced with tender moments between the main couple and just the right amount of comedic relief, making it a thrilling and enjoyable read.
