If you found yourself drawn to the tough, morally gray choices made by Rion and the others in The Sapling Cage, you'll be gripped by The Fifth Sacred Thing. Starhawk's characters are rebels in a post-collapse California, constantly weighing the costs of their resistance and making decisions that aren't always easy or clean. The book's refusal to offer simple answers and its focus on the ambiguities of revolution will satisfy your craving for complex protagonists.

If what resonated with you in The Sapling Cage was how Rion and their chosen family change as they're forced to confront new truths and dangers, An Unkindness of Ghosts offers an equally compelling journey. Aster, the protagonist, undergoes profound personal growth under the weight of trauma, identity, and rebellion aboard a generation ship, making for a raw, transformative reading experience.

The Sapling Cage shines through its ensemble cast of rebels, each with their own backgrounds and motivations. If you loved that, The City We Became will be a delight: it follows six avatars of New York, each representing a borough and bringing their own voice, skills, and history to the fight against a mysterious threat. The group dynamic and interplay are electrifying.

If you appreciated the way The Sapling Cage explores a crumbling world where nature and humanity are intertwined, Parable of the Sower will speak to you. Butler’s vision of near-future America is both harrowing and hopeful, focusing on survival, adaptation, and ecological themes—mirroring the urgency and environmental stakes that made Killjoy’s novel so gripping.

If what you cherished most in The Sapling Cage was its close-knit group and the small-scale, community-focused storytelling, Bannerless offers a similar experience. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where communities are built around cooperation and sustainability, the novel’s mystery plot and character-driven narrative keep the focus personal and immediate.