AKA Goddess Book 1 of The GrailKeepers |
Discussion Questions A lot of readers, especially in book clubs, like to have a starting point with which to explore different elements in a story. Whether you wish to read A.K.A. Goddess as part of a discussion group, or you simply enjoy analyzing books that you read on your own, here are some questions from the author for consideration: |
1. Maggi Sanger is not a cop, not a spy, not a soldier. She's a Professor of Comparative Mythology. Yet there's no doubt Maggi is a Bombshell(tm) heroine. What about her makes that clear? 2. How did the scenes showing Maggi and Lex's shared past strengthen or weaken your understanding of their relationship? What did you most like learning about their past? What did you like least? 3. Have you ever had a long-term relationship like Maggi's with Lexone that haunted you no matter how hard you tried to leave it behind? What was it like? How did it turn out? 4. How many of Lex's secrets did you guess, before Maggi figures them out? Or were you completely surprised? 5. How much of Rhys's secret did you guess, before Maggi figures it out in Vouvant? Or were you completely surprised? 6. A main theme throughout the story is the Holy Grail. How much did you already know about the Holy Grail when you began reading A.K.A. Goddess? 7. Which of the characters in A.K.A. Goddess is most interested in the standard legend of the Holy Grail as the cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper? Why do you suppose this particular legend appeals to this particular character? 8. Which of the characters in A.K.A. Goddess is most interested in the theory that the Holy Grail is based on myths about ancient goddess cups and cauldrons? Why do you suppose this version of the legend appeals to this particular character? How do you feel about this theory? 9. Which of the characters in A.K.A. Goddess is most involved in the concept that the Holy Grail might be a holy bloodline of descendents from ancient Sumerian kings, including King David and the family of Jesus? How do you feel about this theory? 10. Evelyn Vaughn was already writing A.K.A. Goddess when Dan Brown's bestselling book The DaVinci Code came out, brilliantly incorporating much of the research she'd already used in plotting her own story. Evelyn made some changes in A.K.A. Goddess to lessen those similarities (for example, she cut out several scenes that would have brought Maggi and Rhys to the Louvre, and she downplayed the "bloodline" theory in her own story). If you've read The DaVinci Code, what did you find that was still similar to A.K.A. Goddess? What did you notice that was different? 11. Have you ever heard the idea that ancient civilizations were probably goddess oriented? As either a fictional plot device or an actual historic possibility, what do you find most interesting about this idea? 12. Have you ever heard of the goddess Melusine? What did you think of her story? 13. If you were could commune with any one goddess from any one culture, which goddess would that be? Why? 14. A theme that runs through A.K.A. Goddess is the difference between male, competition-based values and female, equality-based values. What characters best represent these differences? How do the characters of Rhys and Catrina contradict these generalizations? 15. A consistent symbol in this book is the importance of blood. How can you connect the theme of blood to the following story elements? * The Holy Grail legend * Maggi's last name (consider words like sanguine or exsanguinate) * Lex's childhood illness * The method with which Lex's mother killed herself * The weapon of choice for ritual killings by the Comitatus * The scene in Lex's apartment 16. In November 2004, Maggi, Lex, Rhys, and even Catrina Dauvergne return in the Silhouette Bombshell sequel, Her Kind of Trouble. What do you think might happen in that book? |
