Reading Guide Prompts
Reading Guide Prompts can elevate the reading experience, help us dig deeper, and consider the larger issues from new perspectives. These prompts are not meant to replace the classroom teacher’s innate sense of what is right for his or her students; they are merely probes, tapping the inner spiritual and emotional journey. The questions can be taken from any section and applied as they work best for the situation. Onward and upward…or inward, as the case may be.
OldEarth Aram Encounter
Elementary
1 What is the main conflict in the story? What are some of the side conflicts that revolve around Aram?
2 Who is your favorite character and why? Did any character anger or annoy you? What was so challenging about him or her?
3 This novel is set in the ancient past but reflects transcendent human characteristics, like the need for security. What are some other characteristics that transcend time?
4 What did you think of the different settings in the novel? Which was your favorite place in the story?
5 Aram’s clan had to successfully deal with dangerous forces of nature to stay alive. What forces do humans have to deal with today to stay alive?
Secondary
1 In the beginning of the story, Aram had challenging relationships with everyone around him. What were some of those relationships and how did he manage them?
2 Which characters changed the most in the novel? Were there any characters that did not change?
3 How might you have handled some of the dangers facing Aram and other clan members? Considering the time and place, did he have options, or was he a victim of circumstances?
4 Ishtar’s father, Neb, demands that his son commit an act of atrocity without any consideration of the effect it will have on him and others. Do people like Neb really exist, or is he an iconically evil character created as a backdrop to the more complex characters?
5 There are many “side characters” with complex back stories. Which side character interested you the most? Why?
Adult/Book Clubs
1 There are several examples of personal growth in the novel. Which ones could you relate to best?
2 Which characters did you love? Why? Which did you hate? Did he or she remind you of anyone?
3 Death hovers in the background throughout the story, almost like an unseen character. Does death seem real to you or as just something to be passed off, an unreality to be ignored as much as possible?
4 There are many conflicts in the story. Some are handled well, some not so well. Which situations would you have handled differently? How?
5 The characters’ lives continue in the next book, OldEarth Ishtar Encounter. Who do you most want to reconnect with? Why? Is there anyone in real life that you wish you could reconnect with?
Paperback/Journal Reflections
1 If I were living in the novel, which clan would I join? Why?
2 If I could visit one place in the novel, where would I go? Does it remind me of someplace real that I miss?
3 Are people in my life struggling through the kinds of emotional issues that the characters face? Are some of life’s journeys lonely simply because no one can walk in another person’s shoes, or can we walk with others even without fully understanding their suffering?
4 Ishtar grows personally by rejecting his father’s power over him. Have I ever had a spurt of personal growth and then suffered a relapse? What do I think will happen to Ishtar in the next novel?
5 Are there any hopeful examples that light a forward path and encourage me to transcend failure, rejection, misunderstanding, or any other painful situation? How can I apply those lessons to my life?
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OldEarth Ishtar Encounter
Elementary
1 What is Ishtar heading toward in the beginning of the novel? Does he want to go? Why or why not? Who is directing Ishtar? Does he have any say in the matter?
2 What do Obed and his wife argue about? Who is right? Can they both be right? Can disagreements sometimes help people gain greater insight into the world and other people’s perspectives?
3 Who is Amin, and why is he so angry with his clan? Who is he trying to protect and why? Is it really his responsibility?
4 How does Ishtar change during the novel? What influences his change of heart?
5 A hidden, alien race observes and judges humanity throughout the novel. Could such aliens exist? How might an alien describe humanity to another alien that has never observed us?
Secondary
1 What kind of man is Ishtar at the beginning of the novel? How does he change? What influences alter his trajectory?
2 There are several subplots in the novel. How do they twine around Ishtar’s story?
3 How would you describe Eoban and his place in his clan? He doesn’t have official authority, yet he influences the people around him in powerful ways. How does he do it?
4 Who is Alanah? Why does he help Ishtar? And why is his help so extraordinary? Is Ishtar ever able to return the kindness?
5 The aliens, Teal and Sterling, have a complicated relationship. How do they influence each other? What do you suppose they really think about humanity?
Adult/Book Clubs
1 Ishtar has been raised by his father to enslave other people. When he breaks away, he makes new friends, yet his past still haunts him. What are some key factors that help him alter his self-destructive trajectory?
2 There are several intertwining subplots in the novel. What is your favorite and why? Which characters seemed most vivid to you?
3 The aliens, Teal and Sterling, have a complicated relationship. Much is left unsaid yet understood. Would you consider their relationship a healthy one? Do they benefit each other in any way?
4 What role does Alanah play in Ishtar’s life? Who are some of the characters that alter Ishtar’s trajectory? How does role with his mentor change by the end? Does that often happen in real life where the mentor becomes the one in need of aid?
5 Is Chai a realistic character? Does Ishtar’s reaction to him make sense? Why or why not?
Paperback/Journal Reflections
1 How do I relate to Ishtar’s struggle to alter the trajectory of his life? Though most of us haven’t been raised to enslave other people, dark influences might have set childhood patterns we wish we could change. What are some patterns of thinking and behavior I would like to change in myself?
2 In the interaction between the various plot lines, characters influence each other in ways they may not be aware. Are there people who influenced me, but I didn’t realize it until much later? Am I an influence in other people’s lives they may not be aware of yet?
3 As Alanah mentors Ishtar in an understated manner, he is also dealing with a rising family crisis. Can we struggle with our own problems but still help another person deal with their issues? Does a wounded person perhaps have as much to offer as someone less wounded?
4 Ishtar has to face the enemy within and enemies without. Who are some of the outside enemies he has to face, and how does he defeat them? Who are some enemies I have faced in life? Do I feel like I won or lost? Or is the battle ongoing?
5 The original title for this novel was Ishtar’s Redemption. Do I believe that Ishtar is fully redeemed? Or could he fall again? Can a person fall many times and still find redemption? How does that thinking play out in my life?
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