Along the River

Along the River is a 1993 short story by Ursula K. Le Guin.

"Along the River," a very short story, deals with sex distinctions from an alien perspective. This story is more allegorical than realistic, unlike "The Kerastion". The mdambres are split into "the cooks" (actually referred to as "he") with fingers and toes, and "the firelighters" (referred to as "she") with flippers and big teeth. The sexes differentiate in behavior and then create sexism. ("He" and "she" are in quotes because the sexes are not differentiated by sexual characteristics and do not reproduce sexually.)

Editions

• 1993: Omni: Best Science Fiction Three ed. by Ellen Datlow