One Last Game

by T.A. Chan

Star Player on the Atlantic Archipelago Nation’s Battle Team, Niko Vandes wants to quit his job. Problem is, the board games he plays are the 22nd Century’s solution to war. Winning a match means winning a battle, and losing costs more than chips—it costs lives. With the fate of his country on his shoulders every time he makes a move, the government will keep Niko playing until it’s his turn to die by losing . . . unless he escapes.

Across the ocean, Imani Tenzing barely escaped alive from an isolated cult as a young teen. She’s all-too familiar with the violent consequences of human conflict left unchecked. Now, she serves as one of the Custodians responsible for cleaning up the deaths left behind by each Battle Game. When the disappearance of Niko upheaves the societal status quo she’s grown dependent on, she vows to find and turn him in to authorities.

With a world war on the verge of breaking out, Imani and Niko’s paths collide, and they must decide when the price of peace has become too high–or if it can ever be too high.

Genres: Science Fiction, Adult, Dystopia

184 pages, Paperback

Published September 9, 2025

Reviews

[Kemi Ashing-Giwa]

One Last Game is a fierce story that emphasizes the necessity of resistance while cautioning against the romanticization of violent revolution. In less than 200 pages, Chan explores complicity, the pitfalls of celebrity culture, and the senseless devastation of war as she switches between her two protagonists. Filled with complex characters, this brief but powerful novella drops you right into the action and carries you along for a wild ride toward a devastating conclusion.

[Millie Abecassis · Rating 5 out of 5]

With engaging characters, fast-paced action, and an intriguing premise, One Last Game kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. A great novella for amateurs of smart sci-fi and dystopian worlds.

[toby⋒]

This was a great dystopian novella!

[Morgan K.]

This book was fast paced and impossible to put down. The worldbuilding was fascinating and brutal and gut punching throughout, a dystopia in utopian clothing. At least once every 20 or so pages I had to set the book down for a second and go "damn." The plot is unrelenting and shows some truly messed up actions on both sides of the conflict in the name of keeping the peace or changing the world for the better.

My main complaint was that I think there was some dissonance between how the author wanted us to think of certain characters and how they actually come across. I think the revolutionaries are supposed to be presented as morally gray people who make tough choices for the greater good but I think the author overshot morally gray and made them pretty much godawful. One character is pretty much a textbook domestic abuser but the narrative never really acknowledges that and still treats him like we're supposed to side with him.

I appreciated the themes of revolution being unglamorous and there being bad people on both sides but I think perhaps there wasn't enough space to really explore this and instead we're just expected to arbitrarily side with some people who do not show themselves to be meaningfully better in any way than the people they're fighting. I think this book could have benefited overall from being full novel length to give certain character decisions more room to breathe so that they would ring more realistically.

Nevertheless I know I sound like I'm complaining a lot but I really did love this book and the author did a great job making me care deeply about the characters and the world in a short period of time.

Hashtag fuck Aiden though

[J. Alvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

From start to finish, I couldn't put the book down! There's just something about Chan's writing that hooks you in a subtle way and before you know it, the book was over and now you're left staring at those marching ants on the wall and wondering when the sequel will come out.

I like Niko as one of the book's deuteragonist. He's chill, he's rational, and he can play a mean game of death and make it look so effortless. You know that scene from Legally Blonde where Elle sees Warner again and he asks in disbelief that she got into Harvard and she was like, "What, like it's hard?" That's pretty much what Niko is here with the Games, lol. Despite that, he's a nuanced guy with a strong sense of justice and knows deep down that the Games are messed up and too extreme of a solution to settle a dispute.

Imani, on the other hand... well, she's an acquired taste for me. I was having a bit of trouble with her character but at the end, I liked her enough despite her little Lawful Neutral (for me, at least) thing going on in with her. She's smart, flawed, and brave and I really wanted more of her so there's that...

As for the book in general, I love the pacing and some of the hilarious banters and dialogues. And of course, how could I forget about the game which involves sinking ships that Niko and Imani played? Honestly, it was the best scene for me in the book!

[a collective of books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the unique storyline of a futuristic world where, instead of fighting in wars, Battle Games are played in an arena to conquer other nations. With limited resources, nations agreed that this is the best way to handle international conflict. Losing isn't without consequences, unfortunately. The losing player and people living in a selected section of their nation are permanently eliminated in a non-violent way to preserve the land and resources. Only those who were able to cross the border or make it to bunkers in time survived. Plants and animals are unaffected. 

The characters are wonderfully diverse. Niko is revered for his wins and gaining land for his nation. However, knowing he's the cause of many lives lost is taking a toll on him. Imani is an orphan and a Custodian, part of the crew that cleans up the losing nation's square. She has always felt gratitude for her nation and is very loyal to the system. The characters are intelligent and complex. Their personal experiences drives them and their decisions that create a ripple effect.

This is an amazing, fast paced read that really packs a punch. I highly recommend it!

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Last Game by T.A. Chan is a fast-paced science fiction novella that doesn't pull any punches. Niko is a Battle Game Player at the top of his class–a class that determines who lives and who dies. Imana is a government worker who sees the games as a defining feature of civilization. Both will face challenges of loyalty and ethics when confronted by a revolutionary group called the Iconoclasts.

Excellent take on the death games plot where instead of feats of physical prowess, skill at strategy games takes the win. Parts of this story reminded me of Chain-Gang All-Stars and Hunger Games.

I highly recommend this post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction novella to readers of the genre. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks to T.A. Chan and Fairwood Press for an e-ARC.

[Ann Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. It's a wild ride with sky-high stakes, both personal and global, and also deeply compelling on an intellectual level. The world-building is fascinating (and chilling and disturbingly plausible) and so intricately done you’ll be utterly convinced it’s real. I personally love stories where every character's choices make emotional sense, including those who seem to be working against each other. Here, the two main characters are at odds, not just in worldview but in a high-stakes clash where both perspectives feel genuinely valid, which makes everything hit that much harder. A fantastic read. Highly recommend.

[Sandra Proudman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for an early reader copy of ONE LAST GAME for the Street Team!

Not many people have the strength to change their world views, and even fewer to act upon it afterward.

ONE LAST GAME serves as a great reminder of the power we can have as individuals, both negatively and positively and what it takes to stand up for what is right. It is a thoughtful and often chilling look at a world where humans are game pieces and war, not matter what form it comes in, continues to cause mental havoc. Perfect for fans of Ender's Game looking for an NA story to fill that gap.

It's a fast and thrilling read that'll leave you hanging onto every word till the end.

[Claire Barner · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Not many people have the strength to change their world views, and even fewer to act upon it afterward.”

One Last Game is a fast-paced novella that explores the trade offs between stability and freedom. I found it to be timely and thoughtful. The world building was super interesting. The concept is that instead of traditional warfare, battles between nations are played out on game boards. This has eliminated much of the world's problems, including climate change. However, the consequences for the losing country on the gameboard is to gas a portion of their country. I liked how the central moral dilemma was explored and neither side was particularly sympathetic.

[T.A. Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

*trips stumbles and falls into smashing the 5-star rating button* *stands and casually brushes dirt off knees*
oh hey there! I swear I totally didn't mean to do that ... what I did mean to do though is list out the all the potential triggers I could think of in this book below:


- mass executions of civilians (via chemical warfare)
- murder (via firearm)
- toxic romantic relationships (via gaslighting and manipulation)
- PTSD from shootings
- PTSD/flashbacks to cults

[A.D. Sui]

One Last Game has one of the most unique "dystopian" future mechanics I've read in a long time! Seriously, no spoilers, but it had me hooked from the very first page.

Perfect for folks who enjoyed The Hunger Games and Ready Player One, this is a fast-paced novella with the highest of stakes. Chan does a great job of compressing a rich world and expansive plot into a book one can read in an evening. I'd be thrilled if we got more novellas (or maybe even novels) in the same world!

[Melinda Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked the Hunger Games, this has a similar vibe. Some people are chosen early in life for the Battle Teams, to play a battle board game in which the stakes are life or death for a small part of the population --and the player. Others might become Custodians, who have to go in and clean up the bodies. Still others are rebelling, trying to change the world - but no revolution is without sacrifice.

[sylvia]

i couldn’t even finish this book, i wanted a short sweet very easy to read dystopian novella as a sort of break from the heavy books i’ve recently read and this was truly so bad 😭😭😭 like BAD 2000s wattpad fanfic bad. there were so many grammatical errors, random punctuation in places, words that im assuming were meant to be cut out and just in general the concept was so lacking. based on the other reviews did i just get a bad copy or something???

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much for the ARC

Wow this one was incredible! I was looking for something a little bit shorter and easier to read so I picked One Last Game off my TBR pile and I am so happy I did! Chan does such an incredible job building believe characters and a challenging story in such a short amount of time. I was honestly blown away by the world and how developed it was. Everything feels exactly how it needs to be and there is not a second of wasted space on the pages! It takes a lot of skill to build such an in depth story in such a small package but she definitely did it! My one complaint is that it wasn’t long enough! I need more and I need it NOW!!

[amity𖦹 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars rounded up. Thank you to the author for giving me the chance to read it early! This was a very strong debut. This novella is perfectly paced with complex and layered characters, relationships, and a well-developed world with complicated and troubling politics. I really enjoyed reading from both characters povs. This story has a very unique concept from other dystopians that I have read. I liked how she wrote the setup of the games and I think Niko's story and how he was raised playing them was very well-written. I think he was my favorite of everyone, his backstory and character development making him a very likable protagonist. The political structure and injustices in this story are heartbreaking and the characters have to go to great lengths to try to make a change to the system. The concept and execution of this story was just great and I had a lovely time being an early reader for it!

[Courtney Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This compelling dystopian sucks you in and grips you the entire way through. The last 20 pages or so had me screaming, and I thought I was dead inside. 10/10, worth all 5 stars and then some.

[Teri Dederer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I haven't read dystopian fiction as much, but this was a highlight of the genre at its pinnacle! Felt like a great update for a Hunger Games fan--this one set in a future where climate disasters have created the need for Peacekeeper Games between factions--only the stakes aren't just life or death for the player....

Beyond the amazing premise, I really enjoyed the characters, especially IMANI! Her dedication, loyalty, heart, and underestimated skills made her the heroine I kept turning the page for. Not to say that I didn't like the other main narrator Niko, but Imani steals the show in the best way for me.

The other show-stealer was Karlo the fog--for any Bay Area native, having the fog play such a big, menacing role was really cool! Overall, smart and inventive Games, betrayals and twists to keep me reading straight through to the end. A must read!