1. Why is the novel called The Gift? What “gifts” can you identify in the narrative?

2. Consider the situation with the bottle of medicine in chapter 2. Teo makes a heroic run to fetch it, but the necessary medicine was with Bard all along. In what way does this parallel the larger themes that emerge through the narrative?

3. In this story Teo and Ana both serve as Christ-figures. How does Teo exemplify the Incarnation in Part One? What does Ana teach us about the Cross in Part Two?

4. Why does Ana get caught up in a fast lifestyle? What delusions does she believe? What is the source of her confusion?

5. Why is Dohj Cristof driven mad by Ana?

6. What theological themes are represented by Ana’s encounter with Drake on Hahnerat? Hint: what do the names of these two characters mean (an Internet search can be helpful here)?

7. Who is the main villain in this story? Why do you think so?

8. In your opinion what is the most exciting scene in the book? The most saddening? The most romantic? The most mysterious?

9. By the end of the story, is Vanita Labella “saved”?

10. What does the Overseer reveal about the nature of Christianity?

11. In the Chiveis Trilogy many of the locations are actual places. For example, Roma is obviously Rome. Can you identify any specific locations within the city? Thinking further afield, where is Nuo Genov? The Domo in the Forbidden Zone? Greater Lake? Manacho? The newly-discovered pass that Ana crosses while injured? The island of Hahnerat?

12. What meaning do you discern in the names of the book’s three acts (Solidarity, Extravagancy, Victory)?

13. When does Teo become aware he is in love with Ana? When does Ana realize it in return?

14. Why is Teo so committed to building and using the gunpowder bomb in Part Three?

15. Summarize the theological theme of the book in one sentence.