Characters
ALGOBRITH writes about his trip into the temporal depths of the planet Algoritmo.
ALGOTODO is the wisest of the Seven Sages of Vicinese Antiquity. Algoritmo, the main planet within the Soul Star, is named after him. Having lost his beloved Wei on his home planet Jiadao, Algotodo designs the planet Algoritmo as both a memorial to, and a mirror of, the universe (see ⭐️ And Yet).
ALICIA is a high-school student who tries to make Baldric understand that girls aren’t aliens.
ANTINY is a traveller from the planet Antigua, which lies outside both the Kraslika (the main cosmos in the novel) and the Hexagon (the other cosmoi, known to the Looking-Glass Beings). After a very long journey, Antiny spies the ship of Looking-Glass Being 822. ⭐️ Antiny the 23rd - The Flight of the Chronus.
Antoine is an instructor at the Sorbonne. Martine’s ex-fiancé, Antoine is a stereotype of the trendy academic.
ANTONIO is a rebel from The Black Pulse who seduces the angelic Beatrice. Born on Earth, Antonio intuits his inner Fallarian nature (see Fairy Tales) and dedicates himself to the doctrine of free will at any cost.🧚 Fairy Tales - Quest - Seduction - And Carbunkle His Eyes - Mirror, Mirror - Prester John - On Becoming Alien - Güsfreude - The Ties That Bind - The Monster in the Manor.
Balazan: a Baulian integration specialist. Deeply learned yet new to humanity, Balazan awkwardly tries to orient Madame Dupont to her new life in Paris 2.7.
BALDRIC: the son of Antonio and Beatrice. A Canadian idiot, Baldric is set loose in the world with nothing but crazed parental advice and his own skinny wits.🧚 The Blue Dreamers - Black Diamond Arts - The Tyrian Corridor - The Little Merman - The Bright Hills of Yunnan - Maria de Tondo - The Brave Little Tailor - Across the Street - The Magic of Black Tea: 1. The Ancient Mariner - 2. Claudine de Montréal - 3. Yunnan Gold & the Madeleine - 4. All the Tea in China - Alicia - The Waitresses of Chengdu - Alicia del Espejo.
Baulixia: a Baulomorph from France who works as a maid in Matthew’s temporary apartment. A mix of working-class French and Baulian luxuriante, she introduces Matthew to the strange worlds of extraterrestrial sex. ✏️ Screen Time - Dear Matthew - The French Maid - Of Sand & Salt - The Baulomorphs Get It On.
BEATRICE: the belle of the prairies and eventual wife of Antonio. Influenced by her grandmother Güsfreude, Beatrice has a hard time differentiating a fallen angel from a sweet-talking con-man in Gucci shoes.🧚 Quest - Seduction - And Carbunkle His Eyes - Mirror, Mirror - Prester John - On Becoming Alien - Güsfreude - The Ties That Bind - The Monster in the Manor.
Beelzebannur: a Baulian integration specialist who helps orient Matthew to Vancouver 2.7.
BERRY: a Baulomorph and a student at UBC (The University of British Columbia). Born on Earth and infracted at age 13, Berry is of two minds about humans: he finds the species repulsive, yet can’t control his attraction to Juniper. For Berry’s infraction, see 🔮 On Becoming Human.
CLARK KENT / TARNAR: a visiting professor at the University of Palermo. Clark is a Tarnaround, a human infracted by aliens from the Copper Tarn universe. While Clark appears to be a mild-mannered defender of national freedom, he isn’t quite the man Claudia imagines him to be. For Tarnar’s infraction, see Infraction 101. For his relation with Claudia, see 💚 I, Claudia - Clark Kent - The English Garden - On the Rebound.
CLAUDIA: a student in Palermo. After dealing with her angry xenophobic father, Claudia is seduced by the liberating philosophy of Clark Kent. While writing in Palermo’s English Garden, she encounters Pietro Parlante and Clark Kent. 💚 Pietro Parlante - I, Claudia - Clark Kent - The English Garden - On the Rebound - Infraction 101. Later in Rome, she encounters Lucia and Sandra.
Coccarider: a Fallixian who is the most skilled player of The Game, which takes place on planet Die. 🎲 The Nature of the Game - The Chancemasters of Die.
CURTUS: a New York lawyer and amateur historian. From his apartment above Fifth Avenue, Curtus comments approvingly on President Trump and on his secretary Phyllis. His quietism and decadence eventually attract the attention of the Baulian sect, The Luxorium. 🗽The Political Climate - Fax Americana -Proust in the Morning - Twilight of the Idols - The Storm Troopers Return -The Luxorium.
Diamarus: the head croupier of The Game on planet Die. 🎲 The Nature of the Game - The Chancemasters of Die.
DACTALLA: a Fallarian spy in deep cover as a travel agent on Attar Prime (in the Ataari Lok universe). Ostensibly working for Knifestream (a Demon Priest), she has a special bond with Farenn (a Fallarian who is both respected and feared by the Demon Priests), and peaks the interest of Qayam at a conference on the tourist planet Kollarum. 🎲 The Blue Bubble - The Lady with the White Fangs - Spectra & Sentience - In the Contabri Bar - The Librarian’s Tale - Bar Songs - Spirals - The Finest Ear-Muffs Money Can Buy - Dance of the Seven Veils.
822: a Looking-Glass Being. ⭐️ The Flight of the Chronus - Antiny & the Wizard Ship of Albinon.
Emily & Charlotte: UBC students.
FARENN: a philosopher whose counsel is sought by the Demon Priests of the Black Horde. He makes the opening speech at the Great Assembly. 🎲 Assembly - Farenn and has a covert relation with Dactalla. The Finest Ear-Muffs Money Can Buy - Farenn of Caldemar - The Condensation of Demon Saints - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Alive - In the Ephemera Café.
FRA SOLE: a Looking-Glass Being who (contrary to Einstein’s saying) rolls dice with the cosmos.
Conrad: an English scholar from Oxford, recently deceased. Married for 59 years to Madame Dupont, Conrad shared with her an idyllic professorial life in Montparnasse.
FRANCINE: a French diplomat who is married to Remy. Although she hates America, Francine can’t quite bring herself to hate her American husband and children.🗽 Jason - Medea - From the Battery.
Gascitar and Kaldriscat: Demon Priests; allies against the Demon Priest Knifestream.
GÜSFREUDE: Beatrice’s grandmother who lives in Eden Valley. Steeped in ancient wisdom and folklore, Güsfreude guides Beatrice onto the Golden Path that leads to the Stairway to Heaven.🧚 Güsfreude - The Ties That Bind - The Bind That Flies - The Monster in the Manor.
Herr Kollixion: Field Marshal of the Kollari Sector of Atari Lok, and dear friend of Knifestream.
HORSEFLY: a young adult from the planet Dalitis (in the cosmos of the Frozen Skiff). Horsefly is exceptionally fast and powerful, which makes him very attractive to Venoozia (from the Pink Sea). They meet at the Kalkutter Security Agency on Kollarum.
Jenny & Sam: the children of Remy & Francine.
JUNIPER: a UBC student who stands up to Old Rex and takes no prisoners, except Berry. ✏️ J. Alfred - Back to Black - The Girl Who.
K: an elderly Lactari who sees confusing evidence of sentient life beyond the solar system of Lactar.
KENNETH: an Oxford scholar lecturing at the Collège de France (in the Latin Quarter). An expert in existential probability, Kenneth is in love with Martine and deeply jealous of her friend Antoine. Kenneth has difficulty coming to terms with what Martine sees as ESP. 💍 The Actress - Equations - The Academic - Probabilities - Lestatique - Madame Dupont - All Shook Up - Les Mouches - La Vie en Orange.
KNIFESTREAM: Demon Priest. Chief controller of The Game on planet Die. He operates a vast spy network, of which he believes Dactalla to be a part. 🎲 The Nature of the Game - The Chancemasters of Die - Bar Songs - Spirals - The Finest Ear-Muffs Money Can Buy - Dance of the Seven Veils.
LUCIA: an art student from Parma who moves to Florence. Plagued by celestial visions, Lucia is further unnerved by her encounters with Claudia and Sandra in Rome. 💚 Di Parma - Di Firenze - Di Roma.
MADAME DUPONT: an elderly widow and Holocaust survivor. Having specialized in French philosophy and Blaise Pascal, she returns to the Collège de France for nostalgic and academic reasons. Fragile in body and fiery in spirit, she yearns to be reunited with her intellectual soul-mate Conrad. 💍 Madame Dupont - All Shook Up - Les Mouches - At First Sight - First Contact - The Soul Star.
Maria & Elee: Two Filipinas who live with Ragor.
MARTINE: an actress and doctoral student at the Sorbonne. Finishing her thesis on aesthetics, Martine aspires to turn her relationship with Kenneth into a romantic drama. Her experience of ESP puzzles Kenneth and reverberates with the experiences of Lucia in Italy. 💍 The Actress - Equations - The Academic - Probabilities - Lestatique - Madame Dupont - All Shook Up - Les Mouches - La Vie en Orange.
MATTHEW: a UBC student and aspiring writer. Traumatized by teachers and zealots, Matthew tries to reshape his world by writing stories about academia and travel. ✏️ The Collected Works of Humpty Dumpty - The Homework Blues - My Own Personal Rheinmaiden - Constellations - J. Alfred & the Weird Sisters - Hammerfest - The Prophecy of the Völva - Back to Black - The Girl Who - Times New Roman -1825 - As Loki Steers Us - Transcanada: A Dream of Combustion - Total Collapse & Baulixia: Screen Time - Dear Matthew - The French Maid - Of Sand & Salt - The Baulomorphs Get It On.
Meaghan & Kristy: students who work at Starbucks in New York. 🗽 The Political Climate - The Storm Troopers Return.
Molotova the Whip: A Silvanian sent to Earth to aid Occasional Cortez in her Revolution. 🗽 The Elkbalam - Molotova the Whip - Rablanar & the OC.
Occasional Cortez: a politician in NYC 2.7, and the underground leader of the Revolution. Beautiful and feisty, the OC’s teeth seduce Rablanar and frighten the ruthless Baulian overlords. 🗽 The Elkbalam - Molotova the Whip - Rablanar & the OC.
Old Rex (Dr. Rexroth): an English professor at UBC. Raised in a world of epic visions and stiff upper lips, Old Rex struggles to inspire his students, especially the rebellious Juniper.
Pietro Parlante: a geologist in Palermo. Having made millions discovering a rare mineral, Pietro embarks on a quest which leads him to Claudia, who is writing an essay in the English Garden.
Prester John: the town priest of Vulcan, Alberta. He believes that religion is science-fiction and that science-fiction is religion.
QUALINI: a Lactari librarian. Suspected of treason, Qualini is also in love with Zadar.
QAYAM: a commander in the Ataari Counter-Terrorism Agency, we first see him under cover as the host of the Kantabri Bar. on the Ataari planet of Kollarum. He is permanently stationed on Attar Prime. His early story is started in 🎲 The Tarry Dot.
RABLANAR: a Fractal Mystic (one of the two high castes in the Baulian Empire). Rablanar’s theory about infinite fractals challenges the supposed superiority of the Fractal Masters.
RAGOR: a Bluprint (a human infracted by the Blue Dreamers). Tasked with documenting nefarious human activity, Ragor finds himself distracted by delicious martinis, narratological battles with imaginary critics, and the smooth legs of Maria and Elee.
REMY: an expert in international law. A strong family man, Remy nevertheless falls for the cultured, decadent Francine. 🗽 Jason - Medea - From the Battery.
SANDRA: a Canadian who studies in Geneva and visits Rome. In attempting to negotiate the cross-currents of her own identity, Sandra finds herself attracted to the margins of what she can understand, both in Rome with Zigana and on the edges of the cosmos with Claudia and Lucia. 💚 Roma I - Roma II.
SYLVIA: a UBC student of environmental science who is attracted to Matthew.
TALFAR: a world-stalker, diplomat, and boyfriend of Thalphemera. Highly placed among the Vicinese elite, Talfar spends much of his time dealing with the Fallarians.
THALPHEMERA: a girlfriend of Talfar and a Magnet Dreamer who gives shocking news to the Bright Council. 🎲 On Golden Hill.
VENOOZIA: a young adult Vallorian (from the galaxy of Vallorità in the cosmos of the Pink Sea). Venoozia meets Horsefly while working as a secretary for the Kholkutter Security Agency.
Wei - the girl Algotodo falls in love with on the planet Jiadao.
Wizard (The): a Looking-Glass Being who searches for 822. ⭐️ The Flight of the Chronus - Antiny & the Wizard Ship of Albinon.
Zadar the Heretic: a Lactari who tries to warn his fellow Lactaris about the coming Doom. Zadar writes stories about alien life forms. Iconoclastic by nature, his stories disgust the Lactari cult members, yet are of interest to K the astronomer and Qualini. 🎲 On Lactar8 - Zadar & Qualini - The Swarm
Zigana: a beautiful gypsy who intrigues Sandra. 💚 Roma I - Roma II.
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Table of Contents - Chart of Contents - Characters - Glossary - Maps - Story Lines