Amal El-Mohtar

Epistolary speculative fiction received a major contemporary contribution through the epistolary time-travel novella This Is How You Lose the Time War, a collaborative book co-authored with Max Gladstone. Amal El-Mohtar is a Canadian poet, editor, academic, and critic who has established a prominent presence across science fiction, fantasy, and poetry. Her work blends rich sensory detail with mythic traditions and poetic prose.

Career & Background

Born in Ottawa, Canada, in 1984, El-Mohtar spent part of her upbringing in Lebanon before returning to Ottawa. She began publishing speculative fiction in 2006 with her story 'The Crow's Caw' and released her collection The Honey Month in 2010. Beyond writing fiction, she served as an editor for the mythic poetry journal Goblin Fruit and reviews science fiction and fantasy books for The New York Times Book Review and NPR Books.

El-Mohtar's short fiction has received wide critical acclaim, including Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards for her short story 'Seasons of Glass and Iron' and a Locus Award for 'The Truth About Owls'. Her co-authored novella This Is How You Lose the Time War was published in 2019, winning the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novella as well as the 2020 Locus Award for Best Novella and the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novella, and has been translated into over ten languages.

Writing Style & Themes

El-Mohtar's writing frequently draws from fairy tales, fables, and folklore, combining speculative narrative structures with lyrical phrasing and sensory detail. Her stories explore themes of communication, emotional connection, and transformation across temporal and supernatural divides. Whether writing short stories or longer novellas, she emphasizes rhythmic cadence and structural elegance.

Major Works

This Is How You Lose the Time War — Co-authored with Max Gladstone and published in 2019, this award-winning epistolary novella follows two rival agents traveling through time who exchange secret letters across parallel timelines. The work won the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novella as well as the 2020 Hugo Award and 2020 Locus Award for Best Novella.
The River Has Roots — This novella draws on myth, fable, and sensory storytelling to explore natural landscapes, folklore, and interpersonal bonds in El-Mohtar's characteristic poetic prose style.
The Honey Month — Published in 2010, this debut collection gathers short fiction and poetry written in response to tasting twenty-eight different single-origin honeys, showcasing her early integration of myth and sensory imagery.

Amal El-Mohtar

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

This Is How You Lose the Time War — Co-authored with Max Gladstone and published in 2019, this award-winning epistolary novella follows two rival agents traveling through time who exchange secret letters across parallel timelines. The work won the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novella as well as the 2020 Hugo Award and 2020 Locus Award for Best Novella.
The River Has Roots — This novella draws on myth, fable, and sensory storytelling to explore natural landscapes, folklore, and interpersonal bonds in El-Mohtar's characteristic poetic prose style.
The Honey Month — Published in 2010, this debut collection gathers short fiction and poetry written in response to tasting twenty-eight different single-origin honeys, showcasing her early integration of myth and sensory imagery.

Amal El-Mohtar

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

This Is How You Lose the Time War — Co-authored with Max Gladstone and published in 2019, this award-winning epistolary novella follows two rival agents traveling through time who exchange secret letters across parallel timelines. The work won the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novella as well as the 2020 Hugo Award and 2020 Locus Award for Best Novella.
The River Has Roots — This novella draws on myth, fable, and sensory storytelling to explore natural landscapes, folklore, and interpersonal bonds in El-Mohtar's characteristic poetic prose style.
The Honey Month — Published in 2010, this debut collection gathers short fiction and poetry written in response to tasting twenty-eight different single-origin honeys, showcasing her early integration of myth and sensory imagery.

Amal El-Mohtar

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

This Is How You Lose the Time War — Co-authored with Max Gladstone and published in 2019, this award-winning epistolary novella follows two rival agents traveling through time who exchange secret letters across parallel timelines. The work won the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novella as well as the 2020 Hugo Award and 2020 Locus Award for Best Novella.
The River Has Roots — This novella draws on myth, fable, and sensory storytelling to explore natural landscapes, folklore, and interpersonal bonds in El-Mohtar's characteristic poetic prose style.
The Honey Month — Published in 2010, this debut collection gathers short fiction and poetry written in response to tasting twenty-eight different single-origin honeys, showcasing her early integration of myth and sensory imagery.

Amal El-Mohtar

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

This Is How You Lose the Time War

The River Has Roots

Amal El-Mohtar

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

This Is How You Lose the Time War

The River Has Roots

For authors

Elsewhere

Amal El-Mohtar

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

This Is How You Lose the Time War

The River Has Roots

Amal El-Mohtar

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

This Is How You Lose the Time War

The River Has Roots