A Reading Guide for C. J. Cherryh's Merchanter's Luck
by Catherine H. Decker, Ph.D.
Last Update 7/2/03
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Study Guide One for Merchanter's Luck
Please Note: I never wrote out answers to these questions, so I can't email
the answers to you--sorry! However, you will get more out of the book if you
answer the questions yourself!
1. What is the setting?
A) Place
B) Time
2. What is the point of view?
a) first person (I, we)
b) third person objection (he/she/it but no information of what they are thinking)
c) third person limited omniscient (some information about what certain characters are
thinking)
d) third person omniscient (we can see into everyone's mind)
3. What is the event which triggers the action of the plot?
4. What is the conflict presented in the first chapter?
5. What do you think is the significance of the title?
6. Identify the following characters. Are they stereotypical? flat (one-dimensional)? round
(complex)? protagonists? antagonists?
Sandor Kreja
Allison Reilly
Vocabulary
respectively
hauler
flourish
customs
scrutiny
consignments
combine
sot
armament
skimmed
illicit
pilferage
scam
visa
larceny
conned
cozened
nettled
chit
gantries
umbilical
daunted
discomfiture
tautened
lacquered
musky
discordant
tentative
herded
naive
plummeted
eloquence
browbeat
couriered
ominous
felony
pitch
aft
axis
disburse
mustered
Comprehension questions
Chapter One
--1. What is the difference between the ships Dublin Again and Lucy?
--2. What happened to Sandor's family?
--3.Why does he claim to be working for Wyatt's Star Combine?
--4. Why does Sandor not stay hiding on his ship at Viking?
--5. What is Sandor afraid of when Allison invites him back to her room?
--6. Why does Sandor plan to follow Allison?
--7. Why is it a bad idea for Sandor to follow Allison?
--8. What does Sandor have to do to be able to follow Allison?
--9. Why can Sandor never return to Viking again?
Study Guide Two for Merchanter's Luck
Identify the following characters. Are they stereotypical? flat (one-dimensional)? round
(complex)? protagonists? antagonists?
Curran Reilly
Megan Reilly
Geoff Reilly
Connie Reilly
Colleen "Ma'am" Reilly
Tish Reilly
Old Man Reilly
Charlie Bodart
Papa Lou Kreja
Ma'am Kreja
Mitri Kreja
Ross Kreja
Aunt Jame Kreja
Vocabulary
torus (doughnut-shaped surface generated by a circle rotated about an axis in its plane that does
not intersect the circle)
occultation (the interruption of the light from a celestial body or of the signals from a spacecraft
by
the intervention of a celestial body)
verge
exotica
pallor
absentia
prerogative
cinder
limbo
meticulously
buoy
lethargically
pricklishness
accumulation
palatable
maliciously
pretenses
contraband
presentiment
rout
loopholes
scenario
bolted
militia
hearsay
subpoena
ebb
impassive
sordid
dread
staple
exigencies
myriad
remnant
maniac
lunatic
abundant
askew
cranny
novice
grapple
fringes
adrenalin
febrile
nape
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 2
1. What is Allison's view of her night with Sandor?
2. What motivated her to spend the night with Sandor?
3. Is she as rich as Chapter 1 implied?
4. How has our view of Allison changed after we learn about her dream job and the reality of
her
job expectations?
5. How is the language of Chapter 2 different from that of Chapter 1? Why?
Chapter 3
1. How is the launch of Lucy different from the launch of Dublin Again?
2. Why doesn't Sandor sleep in a cabin?
3. What does Sandor now think of Allison?
4. How is Sandor's situation like Allison's? Different from hers?
5. What dangers does Sandor risk when flying his ship?
6. Why does Sandor warn Dublin Again?
7. What techniques does Cherryh use to convey the physical impact of excessive space travel on
Sandor?
Chapter 4
1. What risks does Sandor run in docking his ship?
2. Why is a crowd at the ship docks?
3. Why does Sandor feel the "cost" of seeing Allison's face looking amazed was too high?
4. Why do you think Allison and her family help Sandor on Pell?
Chapter 5
1. What is Sandor apologizing for at the start of the chapter?
2. What makes Sandor hurt almost as much as when his last relative died?
3. Why does Allison think Sandor has a deathwish? Do you agree? Why or why not?
4. Why does Allison offer Sandor money?
Chapter 6
1. Why does Sandor have to get an ID done? Why does this scare him? What does Cherryh
mean by an ID?
2. Why does Curran call Sandor a whore?
3. What dangers do the Dubliners pose to Sandor? the civilian authorities? the military
authorities?
Chapter 7
1. What has Allison applied for? Why is this odd?
2. What is Allison's motive in applying for the "tour" on the Lucy? Why is she unhappy with her
family?
Study Guide Three for Merchanter's Luck
Chapter 8
Who are the Mazianni? Why is Sandor upset that the Mazianni ship the Norway is part of the
Pell Alliance?
Why are pirates now hunting down and killing other pirates?
Why might the Alliance want the Union to think there is a great danger from pirates?
What sort of clauses is Sandor looking for in the contract with the Dubliners?
Why is Sandor nervous about the deal with the Dubliners?
What do Sandor and Allison discover about each other on the shopping trip?
What do the chocolates mean to Sandor?
Why does Sandor suspect Allison is being childish? Do you think she is or not?
Chapter 9
Why does Sandor see himself as a twisted child?
What advantages to the Lucy is Deidre excited about?
What happens gradually to Sandor at the dinner?
Why does Sandor want the Dubliners to go back to Dublin Again when the Norway gets
involved?
What is the Norway forcing Lucy to do?
What does Sandor think of the Norway's orders?
Chapter 10
How is Allison's departure from Dublin Again typical of her life on the ship?
What is the significance of Allison taking everything she owns with her?
What does Allison fear about Mallory?
Chapter 11
Why doesn't Sandor want to share the comp keys? What does he imagine they will think when
they hear Ross's voice?
Why is Allison upset about the comp keys?
In what ways is Sandor more like Mallory than the Dubliners?
Why does Allison decide not to continue her affair with Sandor?
Why is Allison scared Sandor might be a lunatic?
Chapter 12
Why does the presence of the Norway at the nullpoint upset the crew of the Lucy?
What does the Thor want from Lucy?
In what way does Sandor feel he is worse off with the Dubliners than he was
before?
What is the relationship between Curran and Allison?
Why is Curran jealous of Sandor?
Why does Allison doubt Sandor ever had a family?
Why are the Dubliners upset about the state of the loft?
What does Curran want to do to get the comp keys?
Chapter 13
What does Sandor think of Allison?
What does Sandor think of the contract with the Dubliners now?
Why can't the Dubliners kill Sandor?
Why does Sandor call the Dubliners Mazianni?
Chapter 14
Why is Sandor upset about Allison's desire to control Lucy?
Why does Sandor think Curran has good qualities?
Why are the Dubliners surprised when Sandor lets Allison do the jump to nullspace?
How are the Dubliners becoming more like Krejas?
Why won't Mitri's ghost let Sandor sleep without writing down the comp keys?
Why does Sandor start to hope the crew will work out?
Chapter 15
How does the crew react when the Mazianni move to board them?
What does Allison think of herself as a result of Sandor's reaction to the pirates?
What is Curran's good quality? How is it revealed by the emergency?
Why is it important that the Dubliners' patches not be found or be explained away as the patches
of a disowned Dubliner?
Why is the Lucy important to the Mazianni? How could they hurt Pell by controlling the Lucy?
How are "marginers" and Mazianni alike? Why does this give Sandor an advantage?
Chapter 16
Why does Allison decide to return to the main part of the Lucy?
What is Allison's reaction when she hear Ross's version of comp?
What does Allison plan to do? What is her top priority?
Chapter 17
Why does Sandor prefer mass-murderer Mallory to mass-murderer Edger?
How has Mallory set up Sandor and the Lucy?
How does Sandor get shot?
Why do the Mazianni abandon Sandor and Curran?
Why do the Norway, Finity's End, and Dublin Again show up?
Why doesn't Allison warn the other ships about the Australia?
What ship does Allison shoot and why?
Why is the significance of the arrival of the Union ship, Liberty?
Why is Allison not overjoyed about her first solo docking?
Why is she mad at her family?
Why doesn't the collar stripe of posted crew matter to Allison anymore?
Why does Allison call herself a poor relation?
Why do you think the Dubliners look at Allison differently now?
Chapter 18
How did the Norway help Sandor and Curran?
What sort of look does Curran give Sandor when they embrace? Why?
Why can't Sandor thank Mallory?
Why does Sandor get the ship paper's fixed?
What is the significance of the young Dubliners cleaning the Lucy?
Why does the author include the last paragraph? Why is it important to know Allison now talks
to comp?
