Search - The Fifth Sacred Thing

This is a very dense, interesting book with a lot to say. I'm glad I read it. You can read this story on two levels (individually or both at the same time, it's up to you), so I'll talk about them seperately just for the purposes of this review.

1) The Plot/Story: If you're a fan of distopian stories, you should definitely read this. It's a fascinating look at our country after it suffers a political/religious upheaval and ecological disasters. The solutions to these problems sought by the protagonists don't follow either the glorification of technology or the rejection of it many distopian stories take. I find the rise of the theocracy based in Angel City super creepy and just way too believable for comfort. The pace drags in places and the story could have been tightened up a bit, my own cynicism made it pretty hard for me to find certain parts involving the extreme effectiveness of non-violent protests believable, but overall I found the book engaging and interesting.

2) The Message: If you're a Pagan of any kind, follower of an Earth-centered religion, follower of any kind of "spiritual but not religious" path, or are just interested in reading about any of those things, you should also read this book. I've read some of Starhawk's other non-fiction works and attended a talk she gave at my university (she's a very inspiring speaker!), so I could definitely see this book as her trying to show what a society that functions with the kinds of spiritual and political beliefs she promotes might look like. I myself don't agree with her entirely on either subject, but it's not really necessary to wholely believe in it in order to get something out of the book. Reading parts that I found a bit unbelievable (the afore mentioned usefulness of complete non-violence against zelots with guns for instance) or parts that I didn't feel would be really useful in real life (banishing people to live outside the community instead of prisons, for instance) just got me to think and clarify what I believed and what I might do instead. That's useful.

Overall, I think this is a worthwhile book.

This book is AMAZING!! Starhawk (who also writes books on paganism and eco-feminism) weaves a beautiful tale of two cities really. I was enthralled by Starhawks depiction of her eco-fem community and loved the idea of such communal support. If you have not read this book it will change the way you view society. READ IT NOW!

A great read!!!

I love this book! Despite its flaws (which range from a very romantic vision of polyamory to oversimplified solutions to giant problems) it's still a great story, with real characters and a very real sense of magic. I've probably read it three times in five years, and will most certainly read it again someday. Great feminist/environmentalist utopia/dystopia. Wish there were more stories like this out there.