1. Several characters in The Lone Sentinel rebel against authority in one way or another. Obviously, Maag is a rebel, but Augusta, Erik, and even Burdick break some of the rules. What do these rebels have in common? In what ways are they different? On what basis can you decide which rebels are good and which are not?

2. Writers and movie makers have long been fascinated with the subject of contact between humans and space aliens. Read a novel or watch a movie on this subject, such as Star Trek, Star Wars, E.T., or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Point out similarities and differences in setting, characters, and attitude toward visitors from space.

You may want to listen to a recording of Orson Welles's famous radio broadcast of War of the Worlds.

3. Erik thinks casually about the extinction of...