Discussion Questions

[Tessa, Founder + Curator]

After you've read Adulthood Rites, consider the following questions:

1. What was your first impression of Akin? Did that impression change by the end of the novel?
2. Do you sympathize with the resisters? Why or why not?
3. Which parts of the novel did you prefer: when Akin was with the resisters and learning about his human-side or when he was learning about and from the Oankali?
4. Does the ending entice you to read the final novel of the trilogy, Imago?
5. How would you rate Adulthood Rites and why?

[Tessa, Founder + Curator]

1. I was very frustrated by Akin at first. A lot of this is probably due to him being a baby/child and not understanding things though, so I'm probably just a bad person lol. By the end though, I appreciated him more. He still frustrated me at times, but I liked how willing he was to listen to the resisters and how quickly he came to understand why they do what they do.

2. Yes, to a degree, I sympathize with the resisters. I get why they resist and I guess I can understand their violence. But the way some of them acted towards children...whether they looked fully human or not...it was disturbing. But it was also disturbing how they treated their fellow human beings.

3. I liked reading about Akin's life in Phoenix as a child. Maybe it was because that section had the most chapters, but I found it to be the most interesting part of the book.

4. The ending caught me a bit off guard - I think it ended sooner than I anticipated - so I am curious to see what happens next, how the humans manage Mars (assuming they get there).

5. I'd give it 3 stars. There were parts (and specific quotes) I really enjoyed, but others left me kinda bored so I ended up skimming a bit.