I enjoyed reading this book. The stories are well written, very enjoyable, and each story managed to keep my attention and hold it. I highly recommend this book of short stories. Even the introduction written by Le Guin held my attention.

Onto the stories!
Introduction - Essentially, in a nutshell, Le Guin writes that science fiction has evolved from the early "Cardboard Character" escapist type writing of the early years, but now science fiction stories have evolved to describe human situations, rather than escaping a world. Le Guin herself describes herself primarily as a fiction writer who stories are not set on earth.

The First Contact With the Gorgons - This is one of the weaker stories of the book. Essentially, tourists in Australia make first contact with Aliens. I liked it, but felt the message was a bit heavy handed - husband who doesn't listen, is so short sighted that he can't notice that the "aboriginals" are not human, and thinks that he is superior to the supposed native people.

Newtons Sleep - I liked this one. Premise is that the Earth is dieing, and few people made it to a space station to start a new life. The station is totally sterile, so when its inhabitants start seeing things, it throws things into confusion. It was hard to pinpoint where this was going half way through. Also, the story works on a number of different levels. The overall message is quite nice - you can leave Earth, but it follows you.

The Ascent of the North Face - This is another one I liked. It a cute story. This is one of those stories that is twisty and it works. You catch references to what the climb is, but the story is written so well that unless you are a climber, you think the references are part of the rock climber lingo.

The Rock that Changed Things - This story is my favorite in this collection. It is well thought out and is surprising. The use of the made up words puts the readers on one thought path (is this two species or one, and what exactly is the relationship?) Also, this is a folk tale. The language is simple, the ideas are simple, but taken altogether, it tells a very complex tale that questions your role in the world.

The Karastion - This is a sad story about a rigid culture. Le Guin has a knack for creating societies that are both very strange and very identifiable. Le Guin also is one of the few writers who is able to successfully write about what people do to themselves and why rather than what the outside forces does to a person. In this story, a shame so bad that it ends in suicide.

The Shobies Story - I read this once before and found it to be disjointed. On second reading, it came together to tell a tale of the first instantaneous Faster Than Light Ship jump and what happens. The mechanics aren't important. Its the people who choose to travel this way, 10 humans, 3 of them children, from four different cultures and how they bond. They need that bond to get out of a bad situation. This is the first story about Churten Theory in this this book.

Dancing to Ganam - This is the second story of the Churten Theory. This story happens shortly after the Shobies Story. Dalzul, a man from Terra and once worshipped as a God, convinces the scientists the the Churten Drive needs to be tested by an individual. He gets sent to a planet that might have human life, finds it, and returns claiming that the princess wants him as the planet's king. He goes back, but with 3 other people, and the story than follows Shan, from "The Shobies Story". Essentially, this is a story about the sanity of Dalzul, if the Churten Drive caused or something else. Its a dark, funny story. Well written.

The last story, and the last of the three Churten stories, is Another Story. This is an alternate story to the development of the Churten Drive. It starts, as many of Ursula Le Guin's Stories, with the introduction of the lead character's, Hideo, family and childhood. Instead of staying on the family farm, he decides to go away to Hain, which potentially means never seeing his family again. He is torn, but wants to study. He eventually gets involved with the Churten drive, and actually develop parts of it. This is a story of coming home, and how the road changed you and what stayed the same. Its a deep story, full of regrets and second chances. ( )

Lovely, wistful...like if Isak Dinesen wrote science-fiction–fantasy. ( )

A rather weak collection, this one, barely averaging over 3 per story. Nothing of any particular note.

Fisherman of the Inland Sea : The First Contact With the Gorgonids - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : Newton's Sleep - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : The Ascent of the North Face - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : The Rock that Changed Things - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : The Kerastion - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : The Shobies' Story - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : Dancing to Ganam - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : Another Story or a Fisherman of the Inland Sea - Ursula K. LeGuin

Fisherman of the Inland Sea : The First Contact With the Gorgonids - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : Newton's Sleep - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : The Ascent of the North Face - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : The Rock that Changed Things - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : The Kerastion - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : The Shobies' Story - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : Dancing to Ganam - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fisherman of the Inland Sea : Another Story or a Fisherman of the Inland Sea - Ursula K. LeGuin

Alien corroboree.

3 out of 5

Exit preparation extra visitors.

3 out of 5

Social climbers.

3.5 out of 5

Design stonewall.

2.5 out of 5

Skinflute.

2.5 out of 5

Look, its full of stars.

3 out of 5

Space princess shocker.

3.5 out of 5

Instant travel has timing problems.

3.5 out of 5

2.5 out of 5

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/12... ( )