Part 1 – Plot questions
Part 2 – Character questions
Part 3 – Gotham questions
Part 4 – Pelletier questions
Part 5 – World questions
Part 6 – Gripes
Character questions
If Melissa hates the National Integrity Commission and their nefarious methods, then why is she working for them?
Because she’s obsessed with getting to the bottom of the Silvers mystery, and working for Integrity is the only way to stay in the loop. She’s also secretly working with Cedric Cain to save the Silvers from Integrity. She can’t do that as an outsider.
Is Cain really on Melissa’s side, or is he just using her as a tool to help him take over Integrity?
Cain’s not a bad guy. He genuinely sees the wisdom of treating the orphans like assets instead of enemies. All the same, he’s been itching to get control of the agency ever since they demoted him. He definitely has some scores to settle.
Why is Theo the only one who can find the string in the God’s Eye?
Because Theo’s the only augur (aside from Ioni and the Pelletiers) who can enter the God’s Eye willingly. The rest of them have to have to wait for the right neurological circumstances. That makes it harder for them to look for the string on a regular basis.
Why is Peter so convinced that this mythical string exists?
Because he saw it while he was in a coma. Whether he actually glimpsed it or not is subject to question, but he believes it exists with all his heart, and Ioni later proves him right.
At the start of the book, it seems like only Mia has complete faith and trust in Peter. Why don’t the rest of the Silvers? They’ve been with him for six months already.
They all have their reasons. Zack doesn’t like the way he looks at Amanda. Amanda doesn’t like the way he keeps secrets from them. Hannah hates the apocalyptic pressure he puts on Theo, and Theo feels doubly the same.
As for “David,” well, he makes it clear toward the end of the book that he thinks Peter’s an idiot.
Is Heath autistic or not?
Though he was never formally diagnosed, it seems pretty likely that he has Asperger’s syndrome. Or maybe he just has a unique and quirky personality. I left it intentionally vague because it doesn’t really matter. Heath is Heath, and he is awesome.
Why does Heath insist on keeping his golden Pelletier bracelet?
For the same reason he wears his New York Giants jersey, even though he hated it at first. He made a promise to his mother’s last boyfriend that he would expand his horizons and adapt to life’s changes. He wears the bracelet as a personal challenge and as a point of pride.
And now he’s doing the same with Semerjean’s wristwatch. He’ll be wearing that thing for the rest of his stubborn life.
Does the watch still protect Heath from solic attacks?
No. Azral permanently disabled that feature at the end of the book. It’s just a plain old timepiece now.
What do Hannah and Jonathan see in each other?
They’re two longtime underachievers who managed to find strength and redemption on the new world. They’re nuts about music, they’re hopelessly attached to Heath, and they’re both rare survivors from an Earth they love and miss. And not to put too fine a point on it, but they both look damn good to each other.
On hindsight, I wish I’d devoted a little more screen time to their relationship. This was not one of Hannah’s usual infatuation flings. She had a deep and genuine with Jonathan, which makes his death all the more tragic.
What do Zack and Mercy see in each other?
They’re both spirited artists with a defiant streak and a droll sense of humor. They both hate the Pelletiers with a fiery passion, and they’re both quietly convinced that they’ll be dead within a year. That’s enough to form a bond.
Still, nobody mistakes their relationship for true love, least of all them. For Zack and Mercy, that’s a feature, not a bug. The last thing they want is to get sappy about each other.
Of course everything changes at the end of the book, when Semerjean tells Zack that he can be with Amanda…on one condition. You’ll see how that all plays out in The War of the Givens.
Yeah, but Zack knows that Mercy had a role in the murder of his brother. Why does he forgive her?
If the Pelletiers hadn’t tortured him, he might have stayed angry at her. But his time in the mirror room changed his perspective. He doesn’t have the strength to hate a remorseful young Gotham. All his rage is reserved for Azral and Esis.
So what do Peter and Amanda see in each other?
They’re two strong-willed Catholics with a mutual respect and attraction for each other. They both got married to the wrong people for the wrong reasons, and they’re determined not to repeat their mistakes. If anything, it’s the first casual and mature relationship for both of them. It might have even been nice if the Pelletiers hadn’t messed everything up.
And since we’re talking about relationships, how did Mia become bisexual all of a sudden?
There’s nothing sudden about it. It’s been brewing inside her for quite some time. There are even tiny little hints of her attraction to women in The Flight of the Silvers. All it took was the right girl to come along to bring that side of her to the surface.
Semerjean reversed Carrie two years, erasing all her memories of Mia. Is that really the end of their relationship, or will there be more in Book 3?
You haven’t seen the last of Carrie Bloom, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that she and Mia will get together again. Mia has a long road to travel in The War of the Givens, and it’ll take her to unexpected places.
Theo leaves the group at the end of the book and goes to San Francisco. Will he be on his own from now on, or will he eventually rejoin the team?
He’ll be doing his own thing in The War of the Givens, but he won’t be a stranger to the people who know and love him. Hannah, Mia, and Melissa will get a lot of time with him in Book 3, to say nothing of Ioni.
What are some other things I can expect to see with my favorite characters in the next book?
The War of the Givens starts 13 months after the events of Book 2, so expect some big changes right off the bat. Some of our heroes will have new responsibilities. Some will have new talents. Two of them will have a dark new secret. And one of them will have wings.
But the biggest change to look for is with Evan Rander. He’ll be playing a major role in The War of the Givens, one he never could have possibly expected.
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Plot questions | Character questions | Gotham questions | Pelletier questions | World questions | Gripes
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