The Book of the River

RIVERWOMAN... Ever since she was a child, that had been Yaleen's goal in life, to join the powerful River Guild, and ply the waters, learning about all the towns of the eastern bank. Now she was a riverwoman at last, one with the water, one with the mysterious, sentient black current which granted women the rule of the river, yet called men forth to madness or death. But when her only brother joined the male organization, the Observers, and lured her to aid him with knowledge of the seemingly unattainable western shore, Yaleen found herself caught by a destiny beyond her control - a destiny that would put her beyond the laws of her guild and lead her on to challenge the black current itself.

The possibility that something else exists, that a male can write from a female point of view, that things are different,that the world is divided, never occurded to me before this book. I have read and reread it since I bought it 13 years ago. I love it. Take the time to alter reality for a while.To think that on an alien world, an alien would write a story about a big worm in a river, in correct english from our point of view (and what would she call herslf anyway - a hero?) is nonsense.