🛸 Book Review: The Long Game by Ann Leckie (Kindle Edition, The Far Reaches Collection)
A quietly profound sci-fi short story that explores mortality, exploitation, and the meaning of legacy—Ann Leckie delivers a thought-provoking tale told through the eyes of a small alien with big questions.
🧠 Overview
Published in June 2023 as part of Amazon Original Stories’ The Far Reaches collection, The Long Game is a 31-page speculative fiction short by Ann Leckie, Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of Ancillary Justice. The story centers on Narr, a slug-like alien lifeform living on a distant human colony. Narr’s species is short-lived—just two years from birth to death—and tasked with cultivating plants vital to human survival.
When Narr discovers the truth about their species’ lifespan and the exploitative relationship with humans, they begin a quiet rebellion: a quest to understand mortality, reshape cultural legacy, and imagine a future beyond the limits imposed by biology and colonial power.
✨ Key Themes & Highlights
- ⏳ Mortality and legacy: The story asks what it means to live meaningfully when your lifespan is measured in months
- 🧬 Xenofiction perspective: Told from the POV of a non-humanoid alien, the narrative challenges human-centric assumptions
- 🧠 Colonial critique: Humans are portrayed as exploiters, using Narr’s species for labor while denying them autonomy
- 🌱 Hope through knowledge: Narr’s journey is driven by curiosity and a stubborn belief that change is possible—even in the face of systemic oppression
“Narr learns just how short-lived their species is… and embarks on a big plan to find out why their people die and how to stop it.” — Goodreads summary
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 3.61/5 from over 7,600 ratings
- 📖 Readers praise the story’s unique perspective, philosophical depth, and subtle worldbuilding
- 🧾 Some found the narrative emotionally resonant but wished for a longer format to fully explore its ideas
- 💬 “It’s well-paced, well-written, with fantastic worldbuilding… makes me feel like I just unlocked a new mode of looking at reality.” — SciFi Bloggers review
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At 31 pages, it’s a compact read—best approached as a philosophical vignette rather than a plot-heavy adventure
- 📚 Subtle storytelling: Leckie favors introspection and quiet rebellion over action or dramatic twists
- 🧾 Standalone story: Part of The Far Reaches collection, but fully self-contained
🏁 Final Verdict
The Long Game is a thoughtful and emotionally rich sci-fi short story that invites readers to reflect on mortality, exploitation, and the power of small acts of resistance. Ann Leckie’s elegant prose and alien perspective make this a standout entry in The Far Reaches—perfect for fans of speculative fiction that challenges the boundaries of empathy and imagination.
