Conflict abounds in William Shatner's Man O' War when a new food source called "smush" becomes a bone of contention for the colonists on Mars who mine it and for the people on Earth who depend on it.

1. Benton Hawkes has two distinct faces: the one he shows in diplomatic negotiations and the inner one that the reader sees frequently. Compare and contrast these differing aspects on this hero. Is this a believable and attractive combination?

2. What exactly is smush? Use your imagination to describe the appearance, growth habit, life cycle, processing methods, and taste of this new food staple.

3. The founding of labor unions in the United States was no easier than the same process is on Mars in Man O' War.

Look for some basic information about the IWW (International Workers of the World—the "Wobblies"), for example, and compare this bit of...