1. Is the development of Jommy Cross's character fully depicted? Is anything missing? Is the person he becomes as attractive as the person he was at the novel's beginning?

2. Was van Vogt making any moral judgments when Cross's attitudes change?

3. Biological evolution is an inescapable theme in Slan. Does evolution show up in a small scale; do any individual characters evolve physically or in their personalities?

4. In what ways does Slan comment on twentieth-century society? Is its depiction of tyranny believable? What points did van Vogt make about modern social conflicts, such as racism?

5. Joanna Hillory asserts, "A normal life must include marriage." Must it? What does this remark tell us about Joanna Hillory? How might other characters in the novel regard her assertion?

6. Scientist Samuel Lann asserts, "Morality, after all, is a matter of training." Is it? Does Slan show this? Does this account...