Book Club Questions for Launch: Book Three, The Skye Van Bloem Trilogy

Carol would be delighted to speak to your book club or high school class over Zoom! 

{Warning: Some spoiler alerts ahead!}

  1. The main theme of Launch is political revolution. Why is this important to the themes of the first two books (biodiversity loss and the climate crisis)?
  2. “Elections have consequences” is an idea that runs through the last book in the trilogy. What parallels did the writer draw between her invented worlds and our current political atmosphere?
  3. Skye makes a momentous decision about the fate of Oln at the end of the book. Why is this important to her character’s development?
  4. Discuss the last three, short lines of the book. How do these sentences summarize the author’s intent for the entire series?
  5. Chapter 41 marks a pivotal point in the relationship of Starion and Tane. Could Tane have made a different decision?
  6. Compare and contrast the characters of Candliss and Thea. Which is your favorite?
  7. Merry is the main animal character in all three books. Had you heard of a kea before reading the trilogy? Did the books make you want to learn more about them?
  8. Now that you’ve read the trilogy, did it inspire you to become involved in conservation and/or politics? Why or why not?
  9. Did you enjoy the epilogue that starts “Four Years Later”? Why or why not?
  10. “Launch” has a content warning for violence on the front book cover, since it is a young adult book. Was it necessary? Comment on the amount of violence.
  11. There are three villains in the trilogy: Oln, Pruet, and Tarr. Contrast them.
  12. Book One was written entirely from Skye’s point-of-view (POV). Book Two has several character perspectives, and in Book Three the POV changed in almost every chapter. Why did the author do this? Which did you prefer?
  13. Which of the three books was your favorite? Why?