The Santaroga Barrier cover

The Santaroga Barrier

by Frank Herbert

On the face of it Santaroga seemed like any other small California town in an agricultural valley. But this one had its own — unofficial — rules. Outsiders found *no* houses available to let or for sale. G.I.'s *always* returned there on discharge. No Santarogan *ever* left the valley. No chain Supermarket could open there. Were they simply "last-ditchers"? Or was there some other explanation, physical, psychological or even extraterrestrial? Gilbert Dasein, pshychologist, with an old college girl-friend living there, went to try to find out. It wasn't any of the things he thought it might be and some of his investigations led him into strange paths before he was able to pass through *The Santaroga Barrier*.

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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?