Reading Group Guide
Questions for Discussion
1. Jess Brightwell seems to be doing well in his new army career. Why do you think he fits in so well, given that he didn’t expect to like it?
2. How far would you go to rescue a friend in danger? What would you risk?
3. Morgan is unwilling to accept her fate as an Obscurist, and is angry at Jess for cooperating in her capture in Ink and Bone. Jess feels guilty about it, too. Is he really guilty, or did he not have a choice?
4. In Paper and Fire, you see quite a lot of Rome—a very different Rome from what we see today—with all the wonders of the ancient world preserved (and some added). You also get to see the tomb of Alexander the Great. Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, what is the only one we can still visit today?
5. Why would the Library develop different kinds of automata (the lions of London, the lions of Rome, the Spartans, the sphinxes)?
6. Who do you think is the most heroic character in this book? Why?
7. What danger do you think the group will find in Philadelphia? How do you think the next book’s Philadelphia will be different from the actual one?
8. If you could change one thing that happens in Paper and Fire, what would it be? Why? What aspects of the book would your change alter?
For more information about the history of lost libraries, visit the Great Library Web site at enterthelibrary.com.
