Tor Teen Reader’s Guide

The Dark Zone: A Galahad Book

By Dom Testa

About This Guide

The information, activities, and discussion questions that follow are intended to enhance your reading of The Dark Zone. Please feel free to adapt these materials to suit your needs and interests.

About the Author

Dom Testa grew up a world-traveling air force “brat” with a passion for radio. He got his first radio job at the age of sixteen. In 1993, he joined Colorado’s MIX 100, where he now cohosts the award-winning Dom and Jane Show. The author is a frequent speaker at schools and libraries. His passion for reading, writing, and education is profoundly evident in his Galahad books as well as his Big Brain Club, a foundation dedicated to encouraging young people to be proud of their intellectual accomplishments. He lives in Colorado.

Writing and Research Activities

I. The Same, Different

A. Divide a sheet of paper into two columns. Date the right-hand column with today’s date and the left-hand column with an earlier date, such as the start of the school year, New Year’s Day, or simply one year ago. In the right column, jot down some facts about yourself from appearance (hair color, height, style) to activities (sports, arts, volunteer) to relationships (home address, dynamics between parents and siblings, responsibilities around the house, best friends). Complete the left column, describing the status of your right-column entries on the the earlier date.

B. Write a short essay commenting on the changes (or lack of changes) you observed in exercise I.A, above. Compare and contrast your observations with those of friends or classmates.

C. In the character of Triana, Bon, Channy, Lita, Gap, Alexa, or Taresh reflecting on his or her almost-year aboard Galahad, write a journal entry beginning, “I never expected to change in this way but…”

D. A key reason the crew struggles to form a plan to deal with the mysterious vultures is that they cannot understand whether they are biological or technological, primitive or sophisticated, alive or not alive. Imagine you are a crew member aboard Galahad. Give a presentation to the Council (portrayed by friends or classmates) explaining the ways you perceive the vultures to be similar to and/or different from human beings, Roc, the Cassini, or other species or technologies of your choice. Employ graphics, models, PowerPoint, or other presentation software.

II. The Brain-Mind Mystery

A. Go to the library or online to learn more about the study of the brain-mind relationship. Create a short report or informational poster, profiling one or more scientists, philosophers, or other scholars (such as René Descartes, John Eccles, Steven Pinker, Geoffrey Hinton, or Daniel Dennet) who has commented on this topic.

B. Another dichotomy stemming from the brain-mind question is the issue of logic versus emotion. This is particularly notable in Channy’s handling of her feelings for Taresh. Write a short essay describing a situation in which your “heart interfered with your head,” like Channy’s. Or, comment on a favorite literary character who struggles with this problem, the outcome of the situation, and any advice you might give to this character.

C. Create a musical composition, sculpture, collage, dance, poem, or other artistic work depicting elements of the brain-mind mystery or the struggles that it can cause for teenagers.

III. Dark and Light

A. You are the Galahad crew member assigned to plan the funeral service for Alexa. Write an outline of the events, speakers, and other elements of this service. As you plan, consider the possibility that this may not be the last death aboard Galahad and that you are in some ways responsible for beginning a new tradition of grieving.

B. The designers of Galahad saw that relaxing in the naturalistic domes would be a popular unwinding activity for the crew. Use watercolors, chalk, or other visual arts media to create a picture of this place—with or without a threatening vulture attached to the outside. Write a poem or song celebrating the pleasure of the domes and/or about how the arrival of the vultures has disturbed this peaceful place.

C. Go to the library or online to learn more about dark energy, wormholes, or black holes. On a large sheet of paper, create an illustrated Fascinating Facts list based on your research to share with friends or classmates.

D. With a friend or classmate, role-play a conversation in which Roc and Triana debate her decision to travel into the wormhole, using information from exercise III.C, above, if desired. In the character of Triana, write a single paragraph beginning, “The most important reason I have decided to leave Galahad for the wormhole is…”

E. Similar to the beginning of this book, write Roc’s introduction to the next Galahad novel, explaining how Bon, Gap, Channy, and Lita reacted when they realized what Triana had done, and hinting at whether (and possibly how) the Council Leader will return to the ship.

Questions for Discussion

1. In the preface to The Dark Zone, supercomputer Roc poses the question, “What exactly is the difference between the brain and the mind?” How would you answer this question? If you were aboard Galahad, do you think you would interact with Roc in the same way as Triana or Gap? Explain your answer in terms of your sense of “brain” and “mind.”

2. What is important and unique about the opening scene of The Dark Zone? Over the course of the novel, do you think Alexa makes the right choices about sharing her “dreams”? Do you see any similarities between Alexa’s handling of her dream crisis with Channy’s handling of her romantic troubles? Explain your answer.

3. What challenges does the crew face, both emotionally and technologically, as Galahad enters its eleventh month of space travel? Have you ever faced comparable challenges in the life of your family, school, or community? Describe the similarities you perceive and the solutions you or others employed.

4. In chapter 2, Taresh comments that “The path that we’ve all taken is a part of who we are. How can you appreciate what you have if you have nothing to compare it to?” While he is referring to historical events, how does Taresh take this belief to the personal level? Do you think he is right? What guidance might you offer Taresh in terms of his relationship with Channy?

5. Compare and contrast Taresh’s thoughts about honoring his ancestry with Triana’s connection to memories of her father and Dr. Zimmer. Can one character be right and the other wrong about the connection between their pasts and present-day decision making? Explain your answer.

6. Why does Triana initially decide not to warn the crew about the vultures? In what other instances in the novel does she choose to share limited information about this situation and related events? How might you relate these decisions to the tension between brain and mind?

7. Throughout the story, which characters struggle with relationships in which they feel romantic attraction and those in which they feel connected in other ways? How does Channy’s “Dating Game” offer a window into these differences? How would you describe the value of these different types of relationships?

8. Describe the impact of Alexa’s death on Triana, Gap, Channy, Lita, and Bon. For whom do you think this death has been the greatest loss? How has Alexa’s death changed some Council members’ sense of their roles and their outlook on the Galahad mission?

9. Early in the novel, Triana notes that “Every horror movie fan knew that the terror didn’t come when the monster jumped out at you; no, the real panic lurked in the shadows, torturing you with what might be there.” Do you agree? Does this apply only to the vultures or to the entire Galahad mission? And if so, how can the crew survive the journey to Eos emotionally?

10. As the story draws to a close, what opinions have you formed about the vultures? Do you think they are connected to other galactic life-forms? Are the vultures friend, foe, or something else? Do you support Triana’s decision to tell Lita not to autopsy the dead vulture and instead to send it back through the wormhole intact?

11. In chapter 27, Bon explains his relationship with Alexa to Triana. “It wasn’t the freakish experiences that we had. It was the fact that those experiences meant that we, more than anyone else … needed to connect with someone on a basic level, maybe more than anyone else on this ship. We needed to reassure ourselves that we were still human, that we weren’t freaks.” Why might Triana be particularly able to understand Bon’s words? How might Bon’s feelings be relevant to kids who have exceptional intellect, unusual talents, or even unique experiences? How might Bon’s notion make sense for all human beings?

12. Has Triana made the right decision to venture into the wormhole? How might her emotional state have affected her decision? Can a rational argument be made for her actions? Do you think a crew member venturing into the wormhole is the best “next step” for Galahad? Do you think Triana will find her way back to Galahad? Explain your answers.