Polyamory-Related Books

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The Fifth Sacred Thing

Starhawk
Bantam Books

Starhawk is probably better known for her non-fiction books about pagan spirituality, (in particular The Spiral Dance) however, in this book, she proves that she can write an interesting novel as well.

The plot of this book revolves around a conflict between a future pagan (and polyamorous) society (in Northern California) and a militaristic regime partially based in Southern California that holds much of its power through control over food and water. Starting from this point, it would have been easy to write a bad book that played too strongly the analogy to present-day water wars in California, or to turn it into a regligous tract (my long-distant and possibly flawed memory of 2150 A.D. falls into this category). Starhawk does neither, putting together interesting and not too unreasonable plot turns, decent character development, and ends up with an interesting book. The treatment of the polyamorous relationships of the main characters to me is done particularly nicely, without turning it into a sales pitch.

(NOTES: Starhawk has written a sequel to this book which I haven't yet read, entitled Walking to Mercury.)

Tara (tara3@sprint.ca) rates this book a 9 (Truly Delightful) and says:
Got it! Love it! Definitely a book to read again and again! And Walking to Mercury is also wonderful! Maya is a fabulous character full of life power and love!

An Anonymous Reader rates this book a 9 (Truly Delightful) and says:
This is one of the best novels I have ever read. It changed my life and the way I think about the world and what it could be. I am currently reading it for the second time and still learning from it.

An Anonymous Reader rates this book a 8 (Excellent) and says:
I loved The Fifth Sacred Thing......the characters were fascinating, the plot intriguing an and the philosophy .....well..... so hopeful and accepting....I'd love to live in Madrone's world. I read this book when it came out and again last month for my book club (I suggested that we read it)....next week we'll meet.....I'm sure the group will appreciate StarHawk's vision and solutions to world problems.

Juniper rates this book a 9 (Truly Delightful) and says:
This book is a passionate representation of what our world could be like, good or bad, and what it takes to get to there. A must read!!!

Tylor (brassmunki@hotmail.com) rates this book a 10 (Best Book Available on the Subject) and says:
The Fifth Sacred Thing is the kind of book that you can't wait to finish, but once you're done, you wish you were still reading it. I read it about a year ago, and just finish the prequel 'Walking to Mercury.' Both books are incredibly realistic, identifiable and insightful. A book of this sort with such a multitude of followers gives me more hope about the future of the Earth. But I warn, do not read it with a closed mind or you will be in for a very large shock.


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