Breathing Constellations

by Rich Larson

Misunderstanding threatens a commune whose survival is dependent on precise communication with another species...

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories

20 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 5, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Chanel Chapters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet futuristic short story involving humans and orcas - about communication, respecting customs and being vulnerable.

[Kaiti]

Not giving this one a rating because I have too many dead mom feelings right now to be able to decide how I feel about this short story that is heavy with dead mom feelings.

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

i feel like something is missing.
beautiful but idk

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story, people can now communicate with Orcas. A sister and her brother are trying to talk with a pod of Orcas near their community to get permission to harvest from the waters controlled by the Orcas. Her request is rejected, and she fears her community may have to leave or starve. But then, one orca offers another chance to talk, if she is willing to get out of her comfort zone.

[Anna Avian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, how I wish this was longer..
A captivating short story that explores themes of communication, empathy, the profound connections between all living beings and the possibilities that arise when we finally start to listen to the voices of nature.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would happen if we could actually communicate with other species? Of course the way we look at things would be completely different than the way they see things, so communication would be fraught with misunderstandings. This story explores such a situation and I really enjoyed it.

[Radwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

this reminds me of a documentary of people trying to decipher whale songs and communicate with them, but it's set in a futurustic world, where that is actually happening, and we see a human lost in translation in trying to communicate with a pod of orcas.

sea life is always enchanting to me.

[Heni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learn that orcas are so brave, doing the vulnerable thing to hunt like that. First time I heard about it.
The story itself, I think it's more about processing grief rather than "trying to survive". It's telling us that being vulnerable and helpless are two different things.

[Duarte · Rating 5 out of 5]

[…] For a giddy moment, Vega thought she was being ordered to get up and pirouette—and nearly did it, too. […]

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was hard for me to really like this story, as I felt that the entire premise was flawed.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short story about a brother and sister trying to save their commune by trying to talk to orca whales.

[Fatima · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to make friends with orcas.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was beautiful. I really wanted it to be longer.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! Orcas are my favorite animal, and I am fully convinced that they should be the dominant species, only they are too smart for want that role.
While the background of this is, "We are starving and need permission from the orcas to build a plankton farm", it goes so much deeper.

Learning to work with others despite a language barrier. Understanding that in order to gain respect, you need to take a chance and show your vulnerability.

“Helpless,” she said, windpipe squeezing tight around the word. “They feel helpless.”
“They feel vulnerable,” Miguel said sharply. “It’s not the same thing, Vega..."

This one exchange is so powerful. About understanding that risk is required for the greater good.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third thing I’ve read recently about inter-species communication and it makes me happy as I thought it was well done in that regard.


https://reactormag.com/breathing-cons...

[Abdullah Mobin Chowdhury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good one.