- How did the voices of the two men, Dutch and Walker, differ through their journals? And how did the same version of the story change after being seen through both characters eyes?
- What do you believe would have happened to Gopher Ink if it had been able to continue—in other words, if Walker and Dutch had not been killed? What long-term effect—if any—would this “un-company” have had in the world?
- Is “the very scary thing”a religious entity? Or do events like this happen all the time if we just take the time to look?
- Was it a tragedy that Walker and Dutch were killed? Or would their type of worldview not have fared well in more modern times?
- Is there any meaning in the stories concerning Abercrombie and the Countess of Backwards Clocks, or is it just filler?
- Why does Walker relate the story of the “Thirty-three Cecils” that he used to tell his daughters? Why do you think the author chose this seemingly minor incident in the course of the novel for the book’s title?
