1. Develop a definition of ritual. Explain some rituals that you are familiar with and why they are important. Then examine the ways in which McKillip describes ritual in the Riverworld.

2. Describe the alien that Kyreol meets on Niade's moon. How does McKillip humanize the alien? Develop an analysis of that character by exploring the expectations Kyreol first has of the alien creature and how her view changes. Find an account of contact between two cultures, such as the meeting between the Spanish explorers of Mexico and the Aztecs or Maya, or Lewis and Clark's meetings with the Native American tribes of the western United States, and compare it to meetings presented in The Moon and the Face.

3. Examine the gender roles in this novel, particularly those of Terje, Icrane, Kyreol, Nara, and the alien creature. Are there gender-specific roles? How...