Phthor cover

Phthor

by Piers Anthony

Arlo is the son of Aton, conqueror and victim of a dreaded Minionette. Arlo has known no world but the cavern-world. When war comes to the caverns he is a confused spectator. Men, women, and other creatures bearing exotic weapons invade. The women fascinate Arlo—they seem disturbingly familiar to him. Well they might. For these beautiful, identical, fiery-haired and smokey-eyed savage warriors are minionettes—figures of terror and dread on all civilized worlds. And they are his kin. Arlo's fate is to battle them and the superintelligence of Chthon at once, to work out a destiny shaped by a god more ancient than mankind—the destiny of the galaxy as well as his own.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?