Where to Start with Amal El-Mohtar
For readers new to Amal El-Mohtar's lush, evocative prose, the absolute best starting point is her most famous work, This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019). Co-authored with Max Gladstone, this epistolary science fiction novella follows two rival agents, Red and Blue, who travel through time leaving hidden, poetic letters for one another. It is a standalone work that perfectly showcases El-Mohtar's lyrical style and deep emotional resonance, winning the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards.
If you prefer a fantasy setting rather than time-traveling science fiction, you should start with her solo debut novella, The River Has Roots (2025). This cozy yet eerie fairy-tale story is set in the small town of Thistleford on the border of Faerie, focusing on magical grammar, sisterhood, and queer romance.
For those who want to experience her short fiction first, the best entry point is her 2026 collection, Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories, which compiles her most celebrated short stories, including the award-winning title story.
Amal El-Mohtar Books in Publication Order
Since almost all of El-Mohtar's works are standalones, collections, or anthology contributions, they can be read in any order. However, following her publication timeline shows her growth from a speculative poet to a master of prose.
Novellas and Standalone Fiction
- This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019) – Co-authored with Max Gladstone. A time-bending romance told through letters between rival agents.
- The River Has Roots (2025) – El-Mohtar's first solo novella, centering on the Hawthorn sisters who sing to willow trees to maintain the boundary between their town and Faerie.
Short Story Collections and Conceptual Projects
- The Honey Month (2010) – A unique conceptual project of 28 poems and short stories written over 28 days, each piece inspired by tasting a different vial of honey.
- Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories (2026) – Her premier short fiction collection, gathering her award-winning stories and poems.
Graphic Novels and Comics
- Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Tricksters #3 (2021) – El-Mohtar wrote the third issue of this comic anthology, featuring a story about Reynard the Fox and a stork, illustrated by Isa Hanssen.
Key Short Stories to Know
El-Mohtar has a prolific history in speculative short fiction. While many are collected in Seasons of Glass and Iron, these individual stories are key pillars of her career:
- "Seasons of Glass and Iron" (originally published in the 2016 anthology The Starlit Wood) – A feminist retelling that weaves together two fairy tale tropes: a woman wearing out seven pairs of iron shoes and another sitting on a glass mountain. It swept the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards.
- "Pockets" (originally published in Uncanny Magazine, 2015) – A whimsical, magical realist story about a woman who begins finding impossible objects inside her pockets.
A Note on Anthologies and Collaborative Work
Many online book databases list Amal El-Mohtar under a wide range of anthologies—including various Doctor Who collections like More Short Trips or Queers Dig Time Lords. It is important to note that she did not write these books; rather, she contributed individual essays, reviews, or stories to them. For example, she contributed a notable essay to the collection Queers Dig Time Lords (2013), but is not a primary author of the fiction anthologies.