Starhawk has written several non-fiction books connecting earth-based spirituality and goddess-worship with political movements for social justice. What does a fictional imagining of such a transformation offer that a non-fiction book cannot?

What is the fifth sacred thing? How and when do the characters discover it?

One of the important distinctions between the utopian north and the dystopian south is their approach to religion. How do they differ? How does Starhawk argue that the religious and spiritual practices of the north connect to the utopian society there?

Another distinction between the utopian north and the dystopian south involves the treatment of gender and sexuality. How do they differ? For example, how are men and women treated in the north and in the south? What are the societal norms and expectations around sexuality in the two regions? How does Madrone's sexual liaisons with the people...