What do you think?
Rate this book
Breath of Life
Breath of Life is a collection of the works of author and poet LH Moore, whose history- and Afrofuturism-inspired short stories, poetry, and essays move between and blur the lines between horror, science fiction, and fantasy.
- GenresShort Stories
140 pages, Paperback
Published December 10, 2024
7 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
L.H. Moore
17 books9 followersLibrarian Note: Also writes under the name Lawana Holland-Moore.
American speculative fiction writer and poet LH Moore has been published in multiple anthologies and publications. She is also a historian and accomplished artist.
American speculative fiction writer and poet LH Moore has been published in multiple anthologies and publications. She is also a historian and accomplished artist.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 3, 2024
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection of speculative stories with Black protagonists. As someone who loves variety, I appreciated that the stories took place across a variety of settings and time periods, from 19th century U.S. to the far future. My favourite pieces were those that leaned toward horror. The final story in the collection, about a mother’s love for her son in the face of dark supernatural forces, was an absolute standout that blew me away.
This wasn’t a perfect collection. A few of the stories failed to hold my attention and there were moments when the dialogue felt a bit stilted. But the five-star stories more than made up for the ones that resonated less strongly with me.
This part of the essay that closes the book really resonated with me: “Whether we identify as African or African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native, Latinx, LGBTQ- or any combination of the above-to envision ourselves within these genres means envisioning our very existence. And why shouldn't we? We have always been here, we are here now, and there's good reason to believe that we will be here in the future too. We do not just disappear, which means that it is time to support stories that reflect that.”
I’d definitely recommend this book to sci-fi and horror fans, and I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.
This wasn’t a perfect collection. A few of the stories failed to hold my attention and there were moments when the dialogue felt a bit stilted. But the five-star stories more than made up for the ones that resonated less strongly with me.
This part of the essay that closes the book really resonated with me: “Whether we identify as African or African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native, Latinx, LGBTQ- or any combination of the above-to envision ourselves within these genres means envisioning our very existence. And why shouldn't we? We have always been here, we are here now, and there's good reason to believe that we will be here in the future too. We do not just disappear, which means that it is time to support stories that reflect that.”
I’d definitely recommend this book to sci-fi and horror fans, and I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.
December 19, 2024
Breath of Life, by LH Moore, is a slim volume that nonetheless packs a lot in. The nine horror/sci-fi stories cover the past, present, and future, and take place in the US, under the sea, and on other planets. We encounter witchcraft, monsters, vampires, body horror, and more besides. There are two essays, and a few poems as well.
I really enjoyed Breath of Life. Moore’s writing is vivid and evocative throughout, and I look forward to reading more of it in the future.
Something that particularly stood out to me (and tickled my funny bone) was how, in some of the stories, supernatural events were presented as so run-of-the-mill. For example, in A Clink of Crystal Glasses, three adolescent girls are on the brink of learning something extraordinary about themselves – but in the meantime, it’s business as usual.
In Roots On Ya, meanwhile, the healer who comes to the aid of a girl who’s vomiting minibeasts and snakes has an amusingly weary, “just another day in the office” tone. He’s established so well as a character in the limited space of a short story, I’d happily read a whole novel from his perspective about the things he’s seen.
Another thing that struck me was the author’s remarkable skill for building up suspense. In A Clink of Crystal Glasses and Here, Kitty in particular, she just keeps piling on the tension right up to the reveal at the end, and I was on absolute tenterhooks.
The science fiction stories in the collection brought up very different – but equally welcome – feelings, and showcase the breadth of Moore’s talent. Rule of Thirds, where an imperilled diver is rescued by a mysterious creature from the deep, filled me with the same sense of wonder I get from Becky Chambers’ writing and Doug Johnstone’s Enceladons books.
In A Place Called Home, set in a future where Earth is no longer habitable and people have been forced to settle elsewhere, members of a family experience a range of emotions when they have to quickly evacuate the planet they’ve lived on for two years. As well as being an imaginative and absorbing story, it serves as a reminder that anyone can become a refugee, there is no Planet B, and that no matter where “home” is, humans will continue to imbue it with meaning and form attachments.
Moore’s non-fiction pieces are also interesting and thought-provoking. On Vision and Audacity, which closes the collection, is an optimistic and rousing call to under-represented science fiction, horror, and fantasy writers.
Moore highlights how BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors can not only refresh these genres with unheard stories and perspectives, but also help readers in their demographics feel represented. Moore, of course, walks the walk with the stories in this collection, whether that’s explicitly through African-American folklore, settings, and viewpoints, or simply by having main characters who happen to be Black.
This – and Moore’s experience of the disbelief she encounters when telling people she writes speculative fiction – put me in mind of a couple of articles I’ve read recently about the expectation that authors of colour primarily write “issues” books (often with blobby cover art), when that’s not necessarily what they want to write. Publishing may have become more diverse in recent years, but it can’t pat itself on the back until an under-represented writer with a great story can bank on the reception and treatment of a white, straight, middle-class writer with a great story.
Breath of Life is an enjoyable and skilfully-written capsule collection that covers a great deal of ground.
I really enjoyed Breath of Life. Moore’s writing is vivid and evocative throughout, and I look forward to reading more of it in the future.
Something that particularly stood out to me (and tickled my funny bone) was how, in some of the stories, supernatural events were presented as so run-of-the-mill. For example, in A Clink of Crystal Glasses, three adolescent girls are on the brink of learning something extraordinary about themselves – but in the meantime, it’s business as usual.
In Roots On Ya, meanwhile, the healer who comes to the aid of a girl who’s vomiting minibeasts and snakes has an amusingly weary, “just another day in the office” tone. He’s established so well as a character in the limited space of a short story, I’d happily read a whole novel from his perspective about the things he’s seen.
Another thing that struck me was the author’s remarkable skill for building up suspense. In A Clink of Crystal Glasses and Here, Kitty in particular, she just keeps piling on the tension right up to the reveal at the end, and I was on absolute tenterhooks.
The science fiction stories in the collection brought up very different – but equally welcome – feelings, and showcase the breadth of Moore’s talent. Rule of Thirds, where an imperilled diver is rescued by a mysterious creature from the deep, filled me with the same sense of wonder I get from Becky Chambers’ writing and Doug Johnstone’s Enceladons books.
In A Place Called Home, set in a future where Earth is no longer habitable and people have been forced to settle elsewhere, members of a family experience a range of emotions when they have to quickly evacuate the planet they’ve lived on for two years. As well as being an imaginative and absorbing story, it serves as a reminder that anyone can become a refugee, there is no Planet B, and that no matter where “home” is, humans will continue to imbue it with meaning and form attachments.
Moore’s non-fiction pieces are also interesting and thought-provoking. On Vision and Audacity, which closes the collection, is an optimistic and rousing call to under-represented science fiction, horror, and fantasy writers.
Moore highlights how BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors can not only refresh these genres with unheard stories and perspectives, but also help readers in their demographics feel represented. Moore, of course, walks the walk with the stories in this collection, whether that’s explicitly through African-American folklore, settings, and viewpoints, or simply by having main characters who happen to be Black.
This – and Moore’s experience of the disbelief she encounters when telling people she writes speculative fiction – put me in mind of a couple of articles I’ve read recently about the expectation that authors of colour primarily write “issues” books (often with blobby cover art), when that’s not necessarily what they want to write. Publishing may have become more diverse in recent years, but it can’t pat itself on the back until an under-represented writer with a great story can bank on the reception and treatment of a white, straight, middle-class writer with a great story.
Breath of Life is an enjoyable and skilfully-written capsule collection that covers a great deal of ground.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews