Breathmoss and Other Exhalations

This is literate speculative fiction and may not be everyone's cup of tea. Each short story contains high-quality world-building, beautiful descriptions, and memorable characters. It should be noted that most of the characters are passive; things happen to them and we follow their reactions to such events. Some reviewers have called these stories "boring." Perhaps they were looking for more action-packed fare?

It took me a while to finish the book, but I enjoyed almost all the stories in here. Admittedly the narrative pace can be fairly slow, but I found myself getting immersed in the weird and wonderful worlds MacLeod has created. Parts of these stories have stayed with me and I still think about them.

My favourites were "The Noonday Pool", "New Light on the Drake Equation", "Isabel of the Fall", and "The Summer Isles."

Full review can be found here: https://biginjapangrayman.wordpress.com/2018/11/12/breathmoss-and-other-exhalations-2004-by-ian-r-macleod/