Mic Breaks Only discussion

***Open discussion of Books 1 & 2 below, no spoiler marks needed. Be sure you have read through these sections before reading! Note: if this is your first visit to this topic I recommend you read this post about discussion ideas, then skip down and post your initial response, then read and respond to other people's posts.***

At the very least check in here when you finish this section and tell us if you are enjoying the book. I'll post specific discussion ideas below, along with some general topics you'll see repeated throughout the book.

Mic Breaks discussions:

1) How do you think Hill's consistent use of pop culture references will effect the long term popularity of the novel? Bonus: did you discover anything that might be a hidden reference or "easter egg"?

2) If you were plotting the story and trying to be realistic about what would happen during a Dragonscale outbreak what (if anything) would you change?

3a) Harper struggles to find her shine during the second book. How quickly would you light up?

3b) If you needed a trigger (a la "Spoonful of Sugar") what might it be?

3c) Was the group trying to trigger Harper with their musical act or was it a spontaneous coincidence?

General Discussions:

1) Share your favorite quote(s) from this section.

2) Share your favorite word(s) used in this section.

3) Do you have a favorite or most intriguing character at this point in the novel?

Location reminder

If you are returning to this topic after having continued past this section, here is a plot reminder:

Harper gets her shine on.

GO!

Have I started reading a weird fiction romance by accident? Props to Hill for the end of book 1 and Harper's confrontation with Jakob which was amazingly intense! I'm still unnerved by the cult of Dragonscale, I was hoping that Harper would end up leaving them to hang with the outcast Fireman.

References: I think Hill might be a bit too heavy handed at times. Using Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump references puts the book very firmly in a specific time (2016) and readers may struggle to understand the context even a decade from now. I think I'd have violent urges towards Harper in real life with her constant riffing on Mary Poppins. There is a way to make a reference with a simple contextual explanation, a step which Hill almost universally forgoes.

Bonus: 'Harold Cross' is a great reference to a character (two of them actually) from Stephen King's The Stand. Harold Lauder is an irritating, know it all, unsanitary, perverted, 16 year old who becomes a member of the "good" group but is recognized by everyone as an evil person. Nadine Cross has an affair with Harold and eventually plays a very important role in the "evil" group.

Outbreak: I would have liked to see more of the outbreak and its impact on various parts of the world. There are so many implied stories that beg for detail - like the fall of the CDC. I'm hoping this topic gets revisited as the story progresses. I don't even think we know how Harper contracted Dragonscale.

We actually have a very small scale comparison of widespread combustion with the recent cell phone disaster (the Galaxy Note 7). Fires started on planes, burnt out cars, and caused significant damage in buildings. What wasn't common (as far as I can tell) were full scale structure fires where buildings "burnt down". Obviously a human fireball would be worse, but how much worse? Modern buildings (especially commercial buildings) are usually made to be quite fire resistant - and generally have very good fire suppression systems.

The book indicates 15 million people are infected, This is just a wee bit over .2% of the population. If we round up to .5% (assuming a higher rate of infection in populated areas) then 1/200 people would have Dragonscale. The implied fatality is near 100% (it seems very few people just randomly start to shine and it doesn't just get better). Symptoms are visible when the infection is contagious (as far as we know at this point in the book).

If the above information is true I think the impact of Dragonscale would not be as severe as it is portrayed in the book. Presumably there would be an initial outbreak region with catastrophic impact (similar to the book) followed by a slow spread allowing for more general preparedness. I wonder if the death squads and overall fear came too early in the novel - it seems these reactions would be much more likely after it became known that the infection can be controlled.

To finally answer the question - I'd probably increase the infection rate and make the period between infection and combustion much longer (6 months maybe?). This would allow the infection to spread to the point that when people start burning there would be the chaos laid out in the novel.

Will I Shine? I'm generally wary of cults and zealotry in general and I do not enjoy singing in public (unless I'm singing karaoke and have imbibed quite a lot). I think I'd be more likely to run off then stay long enough to glow with the group.

b) My taste in music leans towards things which make me feel a bit sad and contemplative while listening to them (Les Mis, The National, Fiona Apple) which seems contrary to what I would need to happen. I think I'd want a fun group with me and some good party games like Time's Up - lots of laughter and focus.

c) I can't figure this out. There just isn't a reality where I can see this happening. If they make a Fireman movie will it be a musical? how stupid will it be? I'm not saying I don't like the book, just that this scene is trash. Final answer - it had to be staged.

Quotes: "There's something horribly unfair about dying in the middle of a good story, before you have a chance to see how it all comes out. Of course, I suppose everyone always dies in the middle of a good story, in a sense. Your own story. Or the story of your children. Or your grandchildren. Death is a raw deal for narrative junkies."

"Before he dropped out of college he had been a philosophy major, and he still had the habit of hunting through his vocabulary for exactly the right term, which, somehow, inexplicably, always made it the wrong term."

The fireman's swearing tirade.

"When they spoke of the Bright, they had all the uncomplicated happiness of pod people."

Words: I didn't note any - so here are some mysteries I'm intrigued by: Harold's notebook, radio static, Snuffleupagus cat.

Character: The Fireman. Renee and Allie are both up there. Is The Fireman that we know the titular character, or will he pass on his knowledge to Harper? I kind of hope Harper keeps the lead role, but she needs some more jagged edges before I can appreciate her character.

Pop Culture
I think it is hard to predetermine what pop culture will hold up over time and what will read as outdated in a quarter of a century. Most pop culture in this novel are of things exceedingly familiar to my generation from U2 and Bruce Springsteen, to Mary Poppins and Harry Potter. I felt that Hill's references were contained to mainstream pop and steered away from micro-references. So far reading this novel is no Pynchon or Murakami undertaking.

Although I was warned in the inspiration, I kind of want to smack Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins (who I actually love) as Harper reminds us again and again of how obsessed she is with that character.

Hidden Nugget
As Harper filled her pockets with rocks and meandered toward the water I immediately thought of Virginia Woolf and her watery suicide.

Also, see below listed quotes.

Outbreak Reconstructed
I couldn't get over the fact that the community at Camp Wyndham hadn't put more effort into searching abandoned locations for supplies, equipment, and food. I found it ridiculous that moronic Harold Cross had located a cottage less than a mile away from camp that had internet, a generator, and a freezer full of food. HELLO camp leaders get your shit together and start thinking long term. At the very least I found it odd that some of the 100 people at camp hadn't returned to their own homes to collect all useful items.

To Shine or Not To Shine
I'm a natural cynic, so the slightest whiff of a cult will get my hackles up. While I would be happy to be safe and enlightened that some people with Dragonscale don't seem terminal in the immediate sense, finding my "happy" would likely be a bit elusive.

Trigger Happy
Puppy kisses would likely bring on a shine for me. Maybe champagne, French cheese and a baguette as a close second (probably an unlikely trio given the book's setting).

We're In This Together
Like combustion, I vote SPONTANEOUS, not a pre-planned song.

Favorite Quotes
"Nurse Lean blew a hard puff of air, as if to remind everyone who was in charge."

"In some way Ben and Nelson, Allie and Nick, and all the rest of them had left the room, leaving behind lamps made of human skin." (Ick Ed Gein)

"Ghosts carried messages from beyond, but they didn't seem like they would be terribly good listeners."

"Harper had always wanted a tough friend like Jamie, someone rude and mouthy, who would cut a bitch for talking smack."

"Bereft and enough went together like bride and groom."

"Harper thought, helplessly, of the hallucinatory nudes who pirouetted through the credits of the James Bond movies."

"Most of them had been preparing for postapocalyptic stealth missions since they were old enough to pick up an Xbox controller."

Favorite Words
Drubbing, sardonic, fomented, laved, clouting, mollified, swinish mien, jollity, lassitude, and winnows.

Favorite Character
While I'm dying to know more about John Rookwood, this section my vote has to go to the tenacious teenager Allie. "You could just tell she was the best kind of trouble." Much like The 100 it feels that teens may actually be in charge of the society at camp. Allie is clearly boss of all the teens and makes her own rules. I'm not yet sure if the plot will deteriorate into Lord of the Flies or if Allie, like Clarke, is the leader because she is the best choice.