The Long Game by Ann Leckie
Blurb
An inquisitive life-form finds there’s more to existence than they ever dreamed in an imaginative short story by New York Times bestselling and Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author Ann Leckie.
On a far-off colony, humans tower over the local species who grow the plants they need. Narr keeps the workers in line—someone has to. But when Narr learns just how short-lived their species is, the little alien embarks on a big adventure to find out why their people die and how to stop it. Stubborn and hopeful, Narr has a plan for the locals, for humans, and for the future.
Ann Leckie’s The Long Game is part of The Far Reaches, a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.
Review
This is the fourth book of The Far Reaches collection which I have been really enjoying so far. The Far Reaches collection features six short stories by different authors. This is my first introduction into Ann Leckie and I was not disappointed.
To begin with I was a little bit confused by this story because it begs the question of what is the point behind it because at first it just seems like a pointless tale about a little alien. However, once I got into this short story I realised it asked quite a few big questions.
Narr is a native species of a planet that humans have colonised. Narr’s species are subordinate to the humans and basically do all the work that the humans don’t want to do. Narr keeps the workers (his own people) in line for the humans. However, Narr soon begins to realise that his species are very short lived in comparison to the humans and that there must be a reason behind it.
This story is only 28 pages long but it packs a punch and asks a lot of questions. I really enjoyed it and I will definitely be on the look out for more books by Ann Leckie. I give this little short story 4 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
Ann Leckie (born March 2, 1966) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. Her 2013 debut novel Ancillary Justice, which features artificial consciousness and gender-blindness, won the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Novel, as well as the Nebula Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the BSFA Award. The sequels, Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy, each won the Locus Award and were both nominated for the Nebula Award. Provenance, published in 2017, and Translation State, published in 2023, are also set in the Imperial Radch universe.
Leckie’s first fantasy novel, The Raven Tower, was published in February 2019.
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