by Dom Testa
B. With friends or classmates, role-play a conversation in which you give Bon, Lita, or Gap advice about dealing with their grief over the death of Alexa. If desired, use library or online resources to research ways to deal with grief and use this information in your role-play.
C. Did Triana make the right decision riding into the wormhole? In the character of Gap, Lita, Bon, or Channy, write an online journal entry confessing your true feelings about what happened when your leader went missing, and whether you think the crew of Galahad should allow her to resume her position upon her return.
III. Leadership
A. What makes a great leader? Go to the library or online to learn more about great leaders through history. Choose one leader and create an informational poster about this individual. With friends or classmates, create a display of great leader posters.
B. Make a class brainstorm list of important qualities for leadership. If possible, use information from activity III.A, above, to help you. When your list is complete, number the qualities in order of importance. Is there one quality which all leaders must share? Are there different but equally valid ways to lead? Write a short report analyzing your class list and discussion, and stating whether or not you agree with the conclusions of the class.
C. Would your class vote for Gap or Hannah to become the new Council Leader? Hold an election in your classroom. Tabulate and report the results of the vote. Afterward, invite students to discuss how they chose their candidate.
D. Learn more about politics in your city or town. Collect newspaper articles about upcoming elections. Write an article about local government for your school paper. Or volunteer to help with a political campaign. Write an essay explaining why it is (or, if you disagree, why it is not) important that young people participate in government.
E. Who do you think won the Galahad election? What will happen next to the ship and its crew? Will the vultures attack? What do you think Triana brought back from the wormhole? Write one to three paragraphs describing your predictions for the next Galahad novel. Include a title suggestion if desired.
Questions for Discussion
1. The novel opens with Roc, the spaceship computer, commenting that, like wormholes, “rules change for people, too, depending upon what suits them at the time.” Do you agree with this comment? To what kind of “rules” do you think Roc refers? As you read the novel, for which characters do you think the rules have changed? Which characters remain true to their beliefs and attitudes despite the current crisis?
2. Describe Gap’s reaction to Triana’s departure from the ship. How do Lita, Bon, and Channy seem to feel about the new leadership situation early in the novel? If you were a crew member on Galahad, would you be comfortable with Gap in charge?
3. Channy tells Bon there were “two people on this ship that you had feelings for, and they’re both gone” (p. 24). Describe Bon’s feelings for both of these people. How might Gap’s feelings for Triana and Hannah put him in a similar emotional situation? Are either Gap or Bon able to discuss these feelings with others?
4. Why does Hannah decide to run for the position of Council Leader? Do you think her intentions are honorable? What qualities does she have that might make her a good choice for the position? What advice might you give her about her relationship with Merit?
5. Do you think Bon is right to refuse Gap’s request to hold the translator until a new Council Leader is elected? Do you agree with Gap’s decision to allow Bon to keep the translator until the election? Explain your answers.
6. How does Bon describe his relationship with the Cassini? Despite the pain, do you feel that he likes connecting with them? Can he resist them? If you were Bon, would you be worried about the Cassini’s effects on your brain?
7. Compare the first and second election forums in terms of their structure, the attitudes of Gap and Hannah, and the reactions of the crowd. Do you think there was a clear winner or loser at either forum? Why or why not?
8. When Lita realizes that Bon was trying to reach Alexa and not Triana, how does this change her understanding of Bon? Do Bon’s actions suggest that, despite his gruff exterior, he has some kind of faith? How might you describe that faith? How might this relate to the kind of faith Gap encourages the crew to find when he addresses them in the second election forum?
9. From “waves” to “bruises,” what theory explaining the shield malfunctions is most convincing to you? Can you imagine living on a spaceship where your life was constantly, at some level, in peril? How do you think you might handle such stress? Does it make sense to you that members of the crew are acting out?
10. What is Lita’s theory about Gap’s connection with the Cassini and the events that have occurred since Triana left the ship? If Lita is correct, do you think Bon should be studied, restrained, or otherwise treated differently than the rest of the council and crew? If so, in what way and why?
11. How does the novel’s final scene, in the Spider bay, reveal a change in the relationship between Gap and Bon? What other relationships have changed by the novel’s end?
12. What has Gap learned about leadership and, perhaps, its relationship to friendship and even love by the novel’s end? Has this novel affected the way you think about leadership roles you take on in your own life? Explain your answer.
DOM TESTA of Denver, Colorado, has been a radio show host since 1977 and currently is a co-host of the popular Dom and Jane Show on Mix 100 in Denver. Find out more about Dom at www.domtesta.com.
Tor Teen Books by Dom Testa
GALAHAD
The Comet’s Curse
The Web of Titan
The Cassini Code
The Dark Zone
Cosmic Storm
The Galahad Legacy (forthcoming)
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
COSMIC STORM
Copyright © 2011 by Dom Testa
The Galahad Legacy excerpt copyright © 2011 by Dom Testa
Reader’s Guide copyright © 2011 by Tor Books
All rights reserved.
A Tor® Teen eBook
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
ISBN 978-0-7653-2111-4
First Edition: October 2011
eISBN 978-1-4299-8539-0
First Tor Teen eBook Edition: September 2011