Falling Bodies

The Far Reaches Collection

By: Rebecca Roanhorse

Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett

A young man caught between two disparate worlds searches for his place in the universe in a wrenching short story by New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse.

Light-years from home, it’s Ira’s second chance. Just another anonymous student at a space station university. Not the orphan whose Earther heritage was erased. Not some social experiment put on display by his adoptive father. Not the criminal recruited by the human rebels. But when Ira’s loyalties clash once again, two wars break out: one on the ground and one within himself. Which will Ira stand with? Which will take him down?

Rebecca Roanhorse’s Falling Bodies 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.

©2023 Rebecca Roanhorse. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Enjoyed it.

Nice short story.

Easy to follow.

Kinda expected it would end the way it did.

Another great short from Rebecca Roanhorse

I love everything that I've ever read by Rebecca Roanhorse, and this is no different. A short story that illustrates the view of the colonized, and the struggle with keeping hold of self-identity and autonomy amid different cultures and influences.

Good read, more pointed than a lot of modern sci fi

A good character study and exploration of the psychological effects of being a colonized people. The ending could come with some content warnings, though it made sense in the context of the story’s premise.

A study of rebellion vs terrorism

The sci-fi didn’t factor in very much; this could easily have been set in parts of today’s world.
It was on the dark end of humanity’s discontent and the way people are used.

Heavy, but so good

There are obvious parallels between the colonization of our conquered Earth in this story and the factual colonization of the indigenous people of the Americas, which makes this a powerful read. This has a different feel to Rebecca Roanhorse’s novels I’ve read, but I really enjoy them all. Highly recommended her work.