1. David Starr has few, if any, noticeable faults. Does this make him harder to identify with?

2. The Martian farm boys show a simple but consistent code of loyalty and fair play. How does this contribute to the overall effect of the novel?

3. Does the fact that we now know the existence of intelligent life on Mars to be impossible affect your response to the novel?

4. What does "Bigman" Jones add to the story?

5. Is the villain plausible? How convincing are his motivations?

6. This book presents an optimistic view of science and technology. Do you think this view is exaggerated or even simplistic? Would readers of today be as optimistic about this subject as those of the early 1950s? Why or why not?

7. Like most science fiction of its time, David Starr,Space Ranger has no female characters. What assumptions are being made in such...