Does Gameland remind you of anything in today’s world? Do you think it might have been based on something from the real world’s past? Why or why not?ġ1. Benny is “sad and disgusted” when he realizes that people “pretend that there was no wasteland of zombies outside.” Why is it problematic to pretend that there is no Rot and Ruin?ġ0. How are they different from how you imagined zombies to be before reading the book? How are they different from living humans? Why do you think the author choose to characterize and differentiate zombies in these ways?ĩ. Make a list that describes all the characteristics about zombies in the book. Benny tells Tom that Nix has “collected everything she can about zoms” in her diary. What happened? Why? How might it have been different if he did/didn’t let fear take over in that moment?Ĩ. Never.” Describe a moment when Benny faces fear in the book. Consider what Tom tells Benny: “We let fear rule us and guide us, and that’s never the way to win. How does your opinion of these activities change over the course of the book? What do you take to be the author’s commentary on entertainment in the new world?ħ. Various forms of entertainment and gambling are mentioned in the book: from the zombie cards to Gameland.

What are the differences in the attitudes and outlooks of the characters who survived and remember First Night, and those who did not live in the old world and are unable to remember it?Ħ. In what ways do these themes impact the choices of the characters and also affect their emotions throughout the book? Are there differences between the three words? When in the book does each come into play?ĥ.

Secrecy, mystery and ignorance all play important roles in this story. In what ways does the absence of electricity impact life in the new world? Are these changes all practical, or are some of the changes emotional, as well?Ĥ. I was there, I can relate.” In what ways are they broken? Why do you think they choose to live as they do?ģ. Oh, sure, their bodies did, but I think some fundamental part of them was broken by what happened. On Benny’s first venture out into the Rot and Ruin, they encounter the “Children.” Tom later says, “I think a lot of the Children are people who didn’t survive the Fall. Most of the time they aren’t in the same world, you know?” Are there any divides you notice in your daily life where two things exist in “different worlds”?Ģ.

Consider what Tom says: “There’s the town and then there’s the Rot and Ruin.

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry