Following are topics designed to provide a stimulating discussion—but be careful…if you have not read Dark Side of the Moon yet, the questions below contain spoilers:
1) What did you enjoy most about Dark Side of the Moon?
2) Was the plot engaging? Did the story interest you?
3) Would you like to have seen Karen Vail accompany the group to the Moon or did you feel it was better to have her handle the leak/mole investigation?
4) Was there one character you found yourself drawn to? If you had the opportunity to spend time with any of the characters, who would it be?
5) If given the opportunity to travel to the Moon, would you do it? Despite years of testing, space flight still contains unknown risks. Would the chance to walk on another planetary-type body outweigh the risks?
6) The budget for exploring–and maintaining our military edge in space—is obviously limited. Would you advocate returning to the Moon, to perhaps build a base and establish a national presence, or do you think we should instead aim for sending Americans to Mars?
7) If you could ask Alan Jacobson one question about Dark Side of the Moon, its characters, or the plot, what would it be?
8) Were you satisfied with the ending? If caesarium really existed, do you think the US should, or should not, bring it back to Earth, provided it was only used for study and not for war?
9) Dark Side of the Moon is likely the first book ever to deal with a special forces mission to the Moon. What was the most surprising fact you learned about the future of military-oriented space missions?
10) Alan Jacobson writes fiction but grounds his fictional stories and characters in fact. He spent several months working with dozens of experts to make sure what he wrote about spaceflight, moon walks, and so on was accurate based on our existing science. Did this enhance your read of Dark Side of the Moon or could he have just “made it all up”?
11) Did you enjoy Dark Side of the Moon? Please write a review on Amazon or Goodreads and…tell others!