A genetically-engineered population of slaves is abandoned by its owners and struggles to come to grips with that abandonment, while one man travels to the center of the galaxy to find out where his master has gone. Along the way, he regains his humanity and learns why the path home to the Self is often "The Longest Road in the Universe." Available in Issue #7 of the British magazine Murky Depths.
MacCath, C.S. 2009. "The Longest Road in the Universe." Murky Depths, January 2009.
MacCath, C. S. 2016. "The Longest Road in the Universe." In The Longest Road in the Universe: A Collection of Fantastical Tales, First Edition, 138–63. South Haven: Triskele Media Press.
MacCath, C. S. 2020. "The Longest Road in the Universe." In The Longest Road in the Universe: A Collection of Fantastical Tales, Second Edition, 114–35. South Haven: Triskele Media Press.
"The Longest Road in the Universe" by CS MacCath is an incredibly emotion [sic] piece, easily the kind one might find in a larger publication, following a member of a species bred and genetically manipulated to love and serve a "higher species". But when their parental figures who used and abused them vanish a whole race has to face their own abuse, with varying, and in this story almost lovingly detailed, results. This is definitely one not to miss.
BookLove
In "The Longest Road in the Universe", CS McGrath [sic] gives us an epistolary tale about a man named Jens who is searching for the alien Bodhu who dominated mankind and then abandoned them. He is still devoted to them and the letters between him and his family are very poignant.
SFRevu
In CS MacCath's 'The Longest Road In The Universe' we're introduced to the bizarre world of human 'tools' that have been manipulated and augmented by the now-departed Bodhuven. The subjugated peoples are struggling to cope with the aftermath of independence and one man goes on a long and painful journey to discover the Bodhuven's destination. The story is written as a series of letters between various characters and this helps to round out our view of what has happened while deepening the emotional impact of their plight.
Stephen Hunt's SF Crowsnest