Note: There are spoilers within the monster descriptions, so read at your own risk if you are not up to date with the series.
Vint: Humanoid species that is dominant in the monster-world city of Thinir. Dark skin. Big, pointed ears that tend to be pierced and grow with age—their ears can get so large that they flop over. Long fingers, sharp teeth and elfin features. Sharp-tongued and combative. Keen botanists.
Moric Lor is the ruler of a prosperous fiefdom in a corner of the monster world, close to the Caen an Sin, that contains the city of Thinir and the Barren Valley, where Wyn resides and where the main tear to the US is located. Lor lives in a hyll—like a palace—at the top of Thinir and oversees the fiefdom with his council and his twin brother Lyri, who is his general.
He is very young for a Moric, and feels unprepared and unqualified for the role. He is quite anxious and timid, and cares deeply about appearances because he worries about how he is perceived by his citizens. Loves his twin brother deeply and cares strongly about being a fair ruler to all in his fiefdom.
Appearance: Beautiful, delicate and elfin features, with very big pointed ears with lots of piercings. Deep blue skin—a characteristic of “royal” vints. Eyes with black sclera and silver irises. Small, sharp features. Long, dark grey hair that has many beads and gems wound through it—these are the Moric’s beads, that are not allowed to be removed until a Moric dies and the beads are passed on to their successor. Slender build.
Verin Lyri is the twin brother of Lor. He is trans. He is the general of Thinir, overseeing the fiefdom’s army alongside the baregh Iorn. Confident, brash and a little overbearing, but it comes from a place of love. Very much enjoys and is a resolute supporter of all earthly pleasures—drinking, fucking, gambling, fighting and generally being a bit of a menace. But he does take his job and the safety of his brother and the fiefdom very seriously. Ruthless, but not cruel. Determined.
Appearance: Delicate elfin features. Big pointed ears with many piercings, deep blue skin, eyes with black sclera and silver irises. Long grey hair usually kept in a simple style. Lor and Lyri are almost identical, but Lyri’s features are a little harsher. Toned, wiry build—he has a lot of energy.
Lilimar is the vint healthkeeper of Moric Lor’s hyll. She is very protective of Lor and Lyri, having overseen their birth and tried to save their mother—with whom she was very close—when she grew ill. Deserves to have an entire fiefdom named after her given how freaking hard she works in Book Seven. Jugs regards her as a motherly figure in his life and loves her very much.
Councillor Raynir was head of Moric Lor’s council in Thinir. Sly, conniving, and sat on the council for a very long time. Has a deep, unjustified hatred of salyik and used his position of power to keep them in poverty. Tried very hard to keep Lor under his thumb through manipulation and more insidious methods. Now locked away in the city gaol. Asshole.
Seraph (species name: N/A): Former human, soldier Luke Buckley, who was used by the military as Test Subject 01 for Project Divinity, a top secret military project that aims to create bioweapons using monster DNA. When it didn’t work as they hoped, they absorbed Seraph into the specimen programme as specimen 008 at the military’s Nebraska base and continued to dose and monitor him while taking samples to use on other test subjects, which always resulted in fatalities. He vanished from the Nebraska base under classified circumstances, and was taken to Collector Mary’s mansion to be part of her monster menagerie, where he was kept on his dosing schedule and made to fight other monsters until Gloam and Rig took him back to the Nebraska camp in Book Four.
Was previously in immense, unending pain due to the drugs he was kept on, which were altering his DNA. When they ran out, what remained of his human self essentially died, but a new life seed that formed from Aury’s DNA kept him alive as Seraph. He is utterly devoted to Lilac.
Appearance: Grey-black skin that is textured and feels and looks a bit like old leather. Extremely tall with long limbs and overly long fingers with extra knuckles, but he tends to hunch over due to being stuck in a cage for so long which didn’t allow him to straight properly. Rows of solid black and white eyes that ring the entire front half of his head, blinking sporadically, including two human-like eyes and a rycke eye in the centre of his forehead. Only thin flat nostrils, and a big, gaping mouth crowded with needle-sharp teeth. A mottled black and pink tongue. Long feet with little black claws. He must be protected at all costs.
Observed by Danny in Book One; encountered by Rig and Gloam in Book Four before they take him with them back to the Nebraska camp to try and help him. Beloved by all the other monsters and, of course, by Lilac who would—as he tells him often—kill anyone who ever tries to hurt him. Which is Lilac’s version of “I love you”.
Salyik [sal-yick]: Humanoid species that live in the monster-world city of Thinir, but are relegated to the poorer areas close to the city’s ports because they are the minority. Treated poorly by other citizens. Quiet and tall.
Observed by Wyn and Danny in the monster world in Wyn’s novella. Also encountered often in Book Seven.
Moth (full name: Malimoth) is half-human, half-salyik. He is the son of the Herald, a power-hungry salyik who ran a cannibalistic cult in the Wastes. He is a very prickly, closed off and arrogant person due to being alone for basically his entire life—he lived on the streets in one of the cities as a little boy, before making his way out into the Wastes alone when he was twelve. He was then found by one of the Herald’s missionaries at the age of thirteen, which is how he discovered the truth about his monster half. He is a nomad who travels the Wastes, sticks close to the Nebraska camp, and has a very remote safehouse. Formerly in love with Ghost—has since realised that it wasn’t love, just a desperation to have someone who didn’t seem to instantly detest him. He’s actually in love with Charlie, even though Charlie annoys the crap out of him.
Appearance: Moth has long, silvery-white hair that he tends to wear either in a braid or half-tied back. Dark eyebrows and eyelashes, very pale blue eyes with filmy pupils. Tapered ears with several piercings. Unnaturally beautiful, with a ‘vibe’ that makes most humans instinctively find him “wrong” or slightly repulsive. Tall and leanly muscled. His torso, neck, hands and arms are covered in black tattoos which are words in the salyik language that basically tell other salyik to not approach him because he’s a “half-breed”. He also has a line of symbols scarred into his spine, which allowed the Herald to summon him. He has patches of pink, brown and purple scales all over his torso, and his legs are completely covered in scales and are not quite human, with completely inhuman feet with arched heels and three toes with thick, black claws. He also has a very cute tail that tends to betray how he’s feeling. And he has a sword. That he stole.
The Herald—Malomar in’ya Konikt—was Moth’s progenitor and a power-hungry salyik that travelled through the tear and began amassing a following to create a cannibalistic cult that operates out of a shopping mall to the north west. They were guarded by Gloam’s two brothers, Metelimus and Neminos, and enslaved Gloam when he refused to follow them with the brothers’ help. They gave Gloam to Mary to act as her protector while she carried out her missionary work with the military. They made their way through to the human world after they were shunned by the rest of the salyik community in Thinir because they were trying to start a revolution and overthrow the current vint monarchy.
Appearance: The Herald had long, white hair half tied back in complicated braids. Androgynous, inhumanly perfect face described by Rig as looking “like no one else alive, and a million other people all at once—blank enough to be forgettable”. Ghostly pale skin covered in faint pink scales, and intense, pale pinkish-grey eyes. They wore long white robes made of an otherworldly fabric.
Encountered by Rig and Gloam in Book Four when Mary takes them to the cult for Rig to become a coal. Also encountered by Moth and Charlie in Book Five. Destroyed by Moth. Encountered by Lor in Book Seven.
Talimuth [tal-ih-mooth] is a salyik who acts as the representative for their people when Lor begins his efforts to improve the lives and wellbeing of the salyik population in Thinir. They later take a seat on the council and become a very close friend of Lor’s. Their progenitor, Talimor, helps in Lilimar’s efforts to save Jugs. They are very quiet and serious, don’t show their emotions often, but care deeply about those they are close to and the wellbeing of their people.
Appearance: Tall and slender with long white hair, and pale purple eyes and scales.
Aytorin [ay-tohr-in]: One of the old races. Scholars who hoard words, knowledge and languages, and live in a ruined city to the south of the monster world that has fallen into disrepair as fewer aytorin are born. They roam their world always hunting for new knowledge. A humanoid species that is fairly introverted, with not many left. Speak an ancient language that holds power; knowing an aytorin’s true name grants control. They live in small groups that are ruled by Matriarchs. In their species, Matriarchs impregnate the males, who carry the young until an opening naturally forms on their abdomen for them to be removed. The Matriarchs then feed and care for the young until they reach adulthood. Aytorin are always born in threes.
Appearance: Tall, bipedal and muscular. Grey, mottled skin that has decorative, thick cabling. Wide, rectangular pupils like a goat. Two tiny, velvet-covered nubby horns. Tapered ears. Small fangs and tusks.
Gloam (true name: Aedonimus ag ni Boetna) has textured ridges between his eyes, and no eyebrows, but the cabling gives the illusion of them. He is bald, with a black stain on the back of his head. A wide, flat, bridgeless nose and wideset eyes. Heavy cheekbones. He wears leather pants, big boots and has a leather harness over his shoulders. Until recently, he was owned by Collector Mary, and had a cage on his head and metal rings piercing his spine to keep him chained to her RV. He has a huge war hammer with a decorative handle.
Dain (true name: Metelimus ag ni Boetna) is the eldest of the ag ni Boetna triplets. He carries a double-bladed greataxe. He convinced his brothers to investigate the rumours of the Herald when they travelled to the human world to learn, and he quickly got drawn in.
Tide (true name: Neminos ag ni Boetna) is the youngest of the ag ni Boetna triplets. He carries a thick-handled mace with a round head covered in deadly spikes. He was drawn into the cult by Metelimus and the Herald.
Both brothers told the Herald the words to enslave Gloam, and forced rings through his jaw to hold his mouth open wide within his cage, so he couldn’t speak. They also put the rings through his back at Mary’s request.
The two brothers are observed by Rig in Book Four, and encountered by Moth and Charlie in Book Five.
Telyth [tell-ith]: One of the old races, known as Soul Eaters. Only seven remaining, including Wyn and Orlith. Humanoid, single-sex species that is born from eggs. Has the ability to dissipate into thick black smoke; can travel great distances this way. This ability is obstructed by behamots, whose rock-like skin sends vibrations that prevent dissipation. A species that does not need to eat, drink or sleep.
Appearance: Tall, rangy muscular build. Pale, greyish white skin. Black, curling horns that have jagged edges. Prominent brow bone and flat, bridgeless nose; sharp cheekbones. Thin, raised ridges across the curves of the forehead and cheekbones. Very sharp teeth.
Wyn is completely covered, head to toe, in scars. He has one pure black eye that can see death, and one that is white with just a tiny pinprick of a pupil. Long black hair. Black-stained fingertips. He typically wears heavy black boots, black pants, a loose black shirt and a long, grey coat with a ragged hem and a hood that conceals his face. Specimen 015 at the military’s Nebraska base.
Orlith has one pure black eye that can see death, and one that is silver. Long white hair. Black markings extending up past his wrists. His horns are smoother than Wyn’s, but have a second jagged spike. He wears a variety of coats; he likes to steal them from the human world, as well as other human items that he hoards in his nest in the monster world. Met by Wyn and Danny in Wyn’s novella. Previously had a casual relationship with Wyn; was hoping Wyn would want to have babies with him. He’s jealous of Danny.
Rycke [reek]: One of the old races, but not long-lived out of choice. Humanoid species. Specimen 001 at the military’s Nebraska base—the first monster specimen the military captures. Feared by almost all other monsters. Described by Edin as ‘unfathomably powerful—a dichotomy of unlimited violent rage and a peaceful, gentle nature’. Do not like causing harm, but become unstoppable when pushed to their limit. Fiercely protective by nature. Gain strength with age.
There is only ever one rycke, though there used to be many before they almost wiped themselves out. The rycke has a life seed inside them that gives them life. When the rycke dies, their body nourishes the seed to grow the new rycke. The seed brings with it the memories of the previous ryckes.
Appearance: Huge black, sinewy wings. Barbs on the side of their neck and down their spine. Dark, bird-like feet. Prominent black veins all over their body. Greenish-grey fingernails.
Aury has several scars, including a fairly severe burn scar on the right side of his face, which happened during the fall of the military’s Nebraska base. His specimen brand is located beside his left shoulder blade. Until recently, his right wing was ruined, rendering both wings basically useless. He has chin-length, slightly wavy black-green hair. Big black eyes that have pinpricks of colour if you look close enough.
When Ghost is threatened, Aury changes form. This form is around twenty feet tall and his wings have a span of about sixty feet. He has four-foot-long barbs covered in jagged teeth down the length of his spine. Greenish-white skin with thick, raised, prominent black veins. Black talons on his hands and feet. A huge protruding jaw that juts out from his face, like a goblin shark. Giant, sunken black eyes, and a cavity instead of a nose. Basically, he ain’t pretty.
He is observed by Danny at the military’s Nebraska base in Book One, and mentioned by Edin in Book Two, before finding his human in Book Three.
Isdernuc [iz-der-nuck]: One of the old races. Edin’s species, but he is the only one left after a rycke killed the rest of the last remaining tribe more than 5,000 years ago, when Edin was still an adolescent. Humanoid species. A species that does not need to eat, drink or sleep.
Appearance: Close to seven feet tall, with six-inch-long horns that curve up over the forehead. Pale lavender coloured skin. Extremely muscular. Long, prehensile tail with sharp tip. Dark purple hair and eyes, which are bigger than a human’s and have much bigger irises. Craggy, intense demonic features. Fangs.
Edin wears a black kilt that ends just below the knee, heavy black boots, and a metal pendant on a leather strap around his neck, which is the last remaining item of his pack’s that he owns—it is a piece of a metal bowl his mother made. Part of his right horn gets snapped off in Book Two, leaving the end of it jagged. He doesn’t need to sleep, but he likes to—it energises him. Specimen 002 at the military’s Nebraska base.
Parasite (species name: unknown): A parasitic monster that infects humans. They are the same species as Wyn; he can detect them, so he destroys them to stop them wiping out humanity. Capable of injecting deadly venom through its bite as a defence mechanism when threatened or a nest is attacked.
The life cycle of a parasite is as follows: a hatchling will crawl inside the mouth of an unaware human—usually while they are asleep—and into the digestive system. The human will, at this stage, start feeling somewhat ill as the parasite begins consuming all of the nutrients in the body as it prepares to lay its eggs. Once the eggs are laid in the stomach, the parasite uses its sharp teeth to escape the stomach; it expels a glue-like substance that it uses to ‘patch’ the tiny tear it has made in the stomach lining so that the host stays alive long enough to incubate the eggs. The parasite will then latch onto the spinal column to control the host’s brain activity and keep the host functioning as the eggs incubate. During this time, the parasitic eggs continue to absorb nutrients through their permeable linings, causing the host to lose weight rapidly, weaken and eventually become too ill to function. When the eggs are ready to hatch, the host will expel them from the stomach and die, the parasite dying alongside it. The eggs then hatch and go off in search of new hosts.
Queens live in nests, laying eggs. A queen produces a thick jelly that creates the environment the eggs need to incubate outside of a host. She is normally tended to by worker parasites, which are bigger than normal parasites, and bring the queen food and tend to the eggs when they are ready to hatch, sloughing off the queen’s jelly.
Appearance: Full-sized parasites at the end of their life cycle are about the size of a small rabbit. Dark, scaly skin. Twelve legs, thin and spindly and covered in hard bristles. Flat face with wide eyes like a housefly that curve around the sides of its head. Circular mouth with sharp teeth.
The parasite spawn expelled by a host is a thick, grey mucus, with the darker eggs visible. Hatchlings are tiny versions of adult parasites—about the size of a bumblebee.
Worker parasites are bigger—about the size of a small dog.
Queens are huge—car-sized—and shaped more like a tick, with a thinner thorax and a fat, bloated abdomen that is usually swollen with eggs. Two dozen legs with sharp ends that she uses as weapons.
Ashara: Specimen 007 at the military’s Nebraska base. Tall, slender humanoid species. Non-gender-specific. Pale grey. Angular yet flat face with alien-like features and big dark eyes.
Observed by Danny in Book One, standing in the centre of their cell, unmoving. Their DNA was used on Seraph.
Moric Oril is the ruler of the Ayivis fiefdom, the neighbouring fiefdom to Moric Lor.
Baregh [barr-egg]: Species that are typically employed as guards in the monster world, due to being big and hulking. Big and muscular; pale grey skin and a thick, dark mane of hair that extends down the back.
Observed by Danny and Wyn in the monster world in Wyn’s novella. They guard the city of Thinir, including Moric Lor’s hyll and public gardens. Also seen briefly by Hunter in Book Two, at the fighting competition. This one is thickly scarred, chained up, and being forced to fight by another small, wiry species of monster with six arms.
Seis [sayz] is Moric Lor’s personal guard. Quiet and serious, but friendly with Lor and very supportive. Adores Jugs.
Gryf [griff] is Verin Lyri’s personal guard. Easily influenced by Lyri, which means he’s partial to having a drink while they’re out in town, but takes his job very seriously. He and Lyri maintain a casual sexual relationship but are not romantically interested in each other—they’re very good friends.
Bayhk [bay-ick]: A big cat-like creature with blindingly white, leathery skin decorated with lavender stripes. They live in the forest that Edin’s tribe came from, and their pelts were prized among the isdernuc. Part of Mary’s monster menagerie.
Encountered by Rig and Gloam in Book Four. Mentioned by Edin to Hunter in the Christmas Homestead short.
Behamot [bee-ya-mott]: Described by Edin as ‘tough, but not particularly smart’. Very hard to kill—the only ways of destroying them are to push them off a great height, causing their rock-like skin to shatter, or to set them on fire. A species that eats and sleeps. Meat eaters.
Appearance: Around seven-and-a-half to eight feet tall. Dark grey skin that is pebbled and rough like stone; basically impenetrable and as hard as rock. Squashed face with big tusks jutting up from their lower jaw.
Encountered by Hunter, Charlie, Edin and Wyn in Book Two. Also encountered long, long ago by Edin and Wyn when two behamots were taunting the Soul Eater about squishing his head under a big boulder, and Edin showed up to help—ripping his own arm off in the process.
Borolesh [bohr-oh-lesh]: Large, gentle species. Herbivores. Move on all fours. Pale skin the colour of sand that is wrinkled and hairless. Droopy, sagging faces. Three long, curving horns protruding from their bald heads. Long arms. They make soft, warbling sounds to communicate.
Observed in Book Two by Hunter, Edin, Danny and Wyn; encountered by the Nebraska camp in Book Three, and by Rig and Gloam in Book Four. Two borolesh were owned by Collector Mary, and pulled her RV across the Wastes until Gloam and Rig set them free. They now live in the forest behind the Nebraska camp.
Caffid [kaff-id]: A monster-world creature that lives on the sandy beaches to the north of the Caen an Sin in the monster world. They live buried in the sand and use their white, nerve-like tongues to hunt out critters. They migrate to the ocean to mate every few years.
Appearance: Very large—wide but relatively flat—but very placid. Described by Wyn as “quite ugly”. Mottled brown, domed hump of scales on their back that shimmer faint pink. Front flippers that they use to cover themselves in sand. Wide, flat head with tiny white eyes.
Observed by Danny and Wyn in the monster world in Wyn’s novella.
Cagin [cay-jin]: Muscular, bear-sized monster with dark brown hide that’s thick and solid, like armour. Domed, gleaming back that is impenetrable—even bullets can’t get through—but its weakness is on its underbelly, if you can stay alive long enough to flip it over. Long head with a split snout. Teeth that grow in every direction. Long, thin eyes. Poor eyesight, excellent sense of smell. Makes a soft warbling sound. Cagins eat very infrequently, so will stalk the prey they choose for as long as it takes.
Encountered by Ghost and Aury in Book Three, when it is stalking a group of soldiers barricaded in an old house. It runs at the sight of Aury. Also encountered by Moth and Charlie in Book Five, when it attacks a group of soldiers, driving them into a barn, and is subsequently killed by Moth. Charlie calls it a dome bear.
Chekla [check-lah]: Small creatures that look like reddish-brown, human hands with too many knuckles and too thin, bony fingers. Ten bristly legs, five either side of its fleshy flat body. They make soft, termite-like nests in the ground. Charlie describes them as “nasty little things” that will cling to whatever part of you they can so the teeth on their underbelly can rip through your clothes, then your skin, then the rest of you. According to him, the smaller ones even crawl into your mouth to eat you from the inside if they get the chance. He calls them “finger fuckers”, much to Moth’s amusement.
Encountered by Rig in Book Four outside of the grounds to Mary’s mansion, and by Moth and Charlie in Book Five when Wastes aficionado Moth makes a minor error by stepping in a chekla nest because he’s too busy (and flustered) trying to seem all tough to Charlie.
Chilt: A shellfish-type creature found in the monster world. Their meat is typically jellied and eaten as a favoured dish of vints, particularly within the port city of Thinir.
Copicen [coh-pick-ehn]: Small monster-world species with grey fur, long limbs and a long, spike-covered tail. They have spikes over their backs and small, flat hands. Flat, bat-like face with long pointed ears and big bulging eyes. Make chirruping, hissing noises. Tend to be seen picking through junk in the Wastes. Will attack only if cornered.
Chuck is a very timid, very clever copicen who Moth rescues when she is being attacked by some humans in the Wastes. She decides Moth is hers, and keeps him company until he vanishes—she then keeps travelling across the Wastes looking for him until they are reunited. She has a little white cowlick going round one eye. She’s not scared of Wyn—but she is scared of Aury—and has taken a liking to Lilac. Rig is jealous.
Eyriad [err-ee-yad]: An ancient warmongering species that were driven underground many, many centuries ago after laying waste to several fiefdoms, murdering Morics to usurp their thrones. They are driven to conquer and seize power. They are sly, cunning and enjoy strategizing and wargames. Eyriads organise themselves by hordes, each of which is led by a warlord.
The remaining eyriads reside in the cave systems beneath the Crepis Flats in Moric Lor’s fiefdom. Well—except for the one who escaped.
Appearance: Very tall and muscular with jet black skin that is covered in glowing red fissures—like cracks with lava beneath their skin. Large black horns that sweep back across their head and are generally pierced with red metal hoops. Long, sinuous tail. Long black hair, roughly braided. Solid black eyes with glowing red rings for irises. They tend to wear very little as a show of their strength and prowess in battle—they see it as a mark of pride that they don’t cover their bodies with armour. Generally heavily pierced and adorned with bicep cuffs and other body jewellery.
Marikhai is the leader of the Strife Horde. He negotiates with Lyri and Iorn to exchange the fungi they need from the cave systems for a few minutes of fresh air on the surface of the world. Except not exactly. He is a sneaky little shit. Whereabouts currently unknown.
Forileun [fohr-il-ee-yun]: Invertebrate species. Secretes a poison from its claws that amplifies pain receptors to incapacitate its prey.
Appearance: About seven to eight feet tall on all fours. Four legs that are segmented and covered in hard bristles, ending with small claws that let it grip. Long, thin body (shaped, as Hunter describes, ‘like an ear of corn’) covered in dark bristles over a shiny exoskeleton. Long, curving neck and low-hanging face. Rectangular, vertical black eyes that wrap over the top of its head. Blunt, thick teeth.
Encountered by Hunter and Charlie in Book Two, and by Moth and Charlie in Book Five, when the military drop several into the new city of Chicago to wipe out infected citizens from a parasite outbreak. Charlie calls them cob monsters.
Folna [fol-nuh]: A canine-esque monster world species that can be kept as pets. Mentioned by Lor in Book Seven.
Iphlim [iff-limb]: Big creature with six long, thick arms and a round, blank body. Described by Rig as “a monstrous version of those thin, wispy spiders that are everywhere when summer is coming to an end”. About nine feet tall, and shoots a sticky white substance that incapacitates its prey, allowing it to drag its catch into its nest, where it slowly sucks it dry.
One was part of Mary’s monster menagerie and encountered by Rig and Gloam in Book Four; another has nested in a small town close to the Nebraska camp, and is encountered by Lilac in Book Six when he follows Tank, Bishop and Tipley after they leave the camp.
Karik [kah-rick]: A creature that looks like a large, land-walking squid, just with more legs that are sturdy, so it can run—fast. Mottled, blueish-purple skin that looks wet. Huge, bulbous eyes and a big mantle. Its beak is a big white protuberance fringed with little teeth. Their suckers can rip skin clean off the muscle. One rips Edin’s leg off when he is young, and Wyn comes across him and helps him. This is how they meet.
Encountered by Ghost in Book Three, when one has moved into the military’s Nebraska base after the rycke leaves. It chases him, but gets distracted when it is attacked by another monster.
Kerenis [keh-ren-iss]: Creature that hunts and feeds on anything warm and living; constantly searching for meals, which it smothers before consuming. Next to impossible to kill.
Appearance: Black blob-like monster that moves by rolling its body over itself in a constant undulation. Its underbelly is covered in teeth and ringed by thick black fronds that let it sense vibrations and movements from nearby creatures.
Encountered by Danny and Wyn in Book One.
Koleb [koh-leb]: Fairly primitive species that travel in big packs via tunnel networks that they dig. Known for their pilgrimages where the tribes meet to offer the best sacrifice to their god, in exchange for plentiful harvests and bountiful young. A species that eats and sleeps. Vegetarian.
Appearance: About four feet tall. Greenish-grey skin. Thin with spiny, hunched backs. Long arms that end with two long, clawed fingers. Long, floppy ears. Big mouths filled with shark-like teeth.
Encountered by Hunter and Charlie in Book Two.
The Mabs: The Mabs, Ara and Hag, are two ancient (more ancient than Wyn), gigantic beings that live in the Caen an Sin in the monster world and witness the sharing of time between lovers. Their “battles” shake the land. Worshipped as gods by most in the monster world, but not by Wyn.
Ara has pure black skin and either wears a white mask or has a face that looks similar to a stag skull, with enormous antlers. He wears blue-gold bands on his biceps and above his knees, and a short, sleeveless tunic made of white leather.
Hag has anaemic white skin and either wears a pure black mask or has a face that looks similar to a wild boar skull, with huge sharp tusks jutting out to the sides. He wears a short black leather kilt, and has strange markings down his shins and the centre of his chest.
Encountered by Danny and Wyn in the monster world in Wyn’s novella.
Morke: A monster world creature that is used for transport—either hitched to carriages or wagons, or ridden directly. Mentioned by Lor in Book Seven.
Mortik [mohr-tick]: Invertebrate species. Opportunistic hunters that lure their prey in by camouflaging themselves depending on their surroundings. Some have adapted since coming to the human world. Nocturnal.
Appearance: Described by Hunter as a ‘cross between a beetle and a scorpion, but the size of a cow’. Six segmented legs. Long tail with extremely sharp stinger that secretes acid-like venom. Head that mimics a human face; small black eyes and open mouth with a long, thin black tongue that it tastes the air with due to poor vision.
Seen briefly by Danny in Book One; encountered by Hunter and Edin in Book Two in the tunnels; also encountered by Lilac and Seraph in Book Six outside the Nebraska camp.
Myrm [muhrm]: Big, worm-like creatures the size of a horse, covered in dark hair. Six short legs. Long, curving neck. Blank face with a wide slit for a mouth and two tiny black holes for eyes.
Described by Edin to Hunter in Book Two—a myrm is the reason Edin was caught by the military and became specimen 002. He came across one that had been trapped by the military and was freeing it when they tranquilised him. Observed by Ghost in Book Three, when he and Aury stop at the river after visiting the Topeka camp. Observed by Moth and Charlie in Book Five, and by Lilac in Book Six.
Narid [nah-rid]: Water-dwelling creature that tends to inhabit lakes in the human world. Humanoid with the ability to speak. According to Moth, they are known for being “particularly seductive”. Charlie describes them as fish-like, with gills.
Mentioned by Charlie to Moth in Book Five.
Nask: A monster-world creature described by Wyn as a “fat, ugly little creature” that engages in the “least enthusiastic mating dance” he’s ever seen. They sleep for decades at a time.
Appearance: Squat, round bodies and stubby limbs. A disproportionately small head with bulbous eyes. Black, leathery skin with deep red markings that hint at their age, and a bright red underbelly. Moves with a jerky, back-and-forth walk.
Mentioned by Wyn, and observed by Danny and Wyn in the monster world in Wyn’s novella. Danny wants to keep one as a pet. Wyn says no.
Pama: Small sea critters that live in rock pools in warmer areas of the monster world. When they mate and retreat into the water to have young, they leave behind a thick milky jelly that is used to make expensive face creams—the kind that Lor likes.
Posk: A monster-world sea creature that is typically fried and eaten. Eaten heavily in the port city of Thinir.
Pylk [pilk]: Part of Mary’s monster menagerie. Gloam describes pylks as gentle and rare.
Appearance: Sinewy monster with long, slender limbs and three-fingered hands. Its skin is an electrifying shade of teal and its eyes are the same colour. Slim, genderless torso. Tiny button nose and small mouth, with raised patterns over its skin and no discernible ears.
Observed by Rig and Gloam in Book Four, when it appears to mimic Rig.
Rosir [row-seer]: A bug-like, monster-world creature with fluffy white wings.
Observed by Danny and Wyn in the monster world in Wyn’s novella.
Scurig [skoor-ig]: Monster-world critters that have many legs and like to live in dark shadowy corners. Web spinners. Lor hates them.
Shulc [shuhlk]:Small, thin, bony monster that is hairless and a deep burgundy colour. Head shaped like a blank teardrop on its side, a smooth round skull thinning to a sharp point for a snout, which stretches into a wide lamprey-like mouth when it is eating. Two small black eyes. Four spindly legs that end in two tiny claws, similar to a tarantula’s tarsal claws. Makes a strange chittering noise when it’s excited.
Encountered by the Nebraska camp in Book Three and by Rig and Gloam in Book Four. One was the domesticated pet of Collector Mary. Until her untimely death, it slept in her RV and appeared to enjoy being carried in her arms like a baby, though it was quick to eat her once she was dead. It tries to eat Cutter’s hand (and half-succeeds). It definitely has a particular taste for arms and hands.
Skilos [skee-loss]: Mammoth worm-slash-millipede creature that burrows underground and bursts out of the ground when it senses vibrations from nearby prey. Waves its body through the air to distract its prey.
Appearance: Described by Rig as being “the length of a stretch limousine, as tall as a horse, and a toxic orange-red colour that screamed danger”. Has hundreds of tiny sharp legs that let it move fast. Big white eyes and a wide, thin mouth that can open extremely wide, with stubby sharp teeth. Has a retractable barb on its tail end. Gooey orange blood.
Encountered by Gloam and Rig in Book Four, when one attacks them as they are travelling across the Wastes to Mary’s place. Destroyed by Gloam. Also encountered by Lor, Lyri and the rest of their group in the Crepis Flats, after the crafty Marikhai sneaks a baby skilos into the bag of mushrooms he has agreed to give them.
Soliri [soh-leer-ee]: Rare creatures that only inhabit a small stretch of warm beach on an island far to the north of Lor’s fiefdom. They come on shore to sunbathe and naturally shed their iridescent scales, which are then collected and used to make expensive beauty products due to the belief that their scales have youth-giving properties.
Typild [tip-ild]: Bloodsucking bug-like creatures that hunt in swarms and use echolocation to locate their prey and communicate due to poor eyesight.
Appearance: Around three feet tall, bipedal with legs bent like a cricket’s. Bristly front arms they keep folded like a praying mantis. Squat, oval transparent bodies that fill up with blood as they feed, blue-tinged skin with visible organs. Deeply sunken eyes, upturned teardrop-shaped heads, narrow mouths with a thin proboscis that has a barb on the end to inject a mild toxin that makes their prey docile so they can feed as a group. They have something brittle on their backs that snaps open and closed to make the clicking sound they use to communicate.
Encountered by Seraph and Lilac in Book Six, when Lilac takes down a swarm that are trying to attack them. One jabs him, causing him to briefly pass out.
Usho [ooh-show]: A monster-world species that is described by Wyn as “boring and logic-driven”, which makes them good business owners (no offence to business owners—that’s just Wyn’s opinion). They tend to reside in cities, and are a dominant species in the city of Thinir in the monster world. Keep to themselves and have no natural predators due to tasting very bad. Somewhat arrogant.
Appearance: Bumpy, grey-green skin. Bulbous eyes. Thick necks and very wide mouths with lots of blunt, crowded teeth.
Encountered by Wyn and Danny in the monster world in Wyn’s novella, several times. They are all very rude to Danny, so Wyn gets, ahem, protective. Also encountered often in Book Seven.
Wanuk [wah-nuk]:A monster-world creature, about the size of a small pig, that resembles a large naked mole rat but with a beak instead of teeth, and six long, thin legs that end in sharp points.
Edin hunts one for Hunter and Charlie at the homestead in Book Two, but they decline to eat it. Wyn catches one in the monster world in his novella, to feed the soldier on his test-run. The shulc catches one for its dinner in Book Four, but Rig doesn’t know what it is.
Unknown: Water-dwelling creature with deep purple skin, long gills either side of its head, and bulbous purple eyes shot through with wavy lines of white.
Briefly observed by Charlie and Moth in Book Five.
Unknown: Monster with dark green skin. Long, rangy limbs and hands with three webbed fingers.
Kind of encountered by Rig in Book Four. He hears it in a little town he’s trying to scavenge in, and Mary sends her pet shulc in to find it. The shulc rips its arm off and brings it back to the RV to eat.
Unknown: Shimmering scales in iridescent colours, and seems to live partly in water, because its cage at Mary’s mansion was half-filled. Part of Mary’s monster menagerie.
Encountered by Rig and Gloam in Book Four.
Unknown: A prehistoric-looking, bird-like creature covered in multicoloured feathers that are leathery and stiff. Heavy protruding brow, big black eyes and wide beaked mouth. Described by Rig as the “kaleidoscope bird”. Part of Mary’s monster menagerie.
Encountered by Rig and Gloam in Book Four.
Unknown: Docile-appearing creature with a squat, brownish-orange body, long tail and orange eyes. Part of Mary’s monster menagerie.
Encountered by Rig and Gloam in Book Four.
Unknown: Extremely tall monster covered in pale hair, with arms so long they drag on the ground. Fairly aggressive.
Encountered by Ghost in Book Three, when one distracts the karik that is chasing him, giving him the chance to escape.
Unknown: Short, wide female monster with yellowish-green, wet-looking skin. Lightbulb-shaped head with no discernible neck. Four long arms that end in three thick, tentacle-like fingers. Long, thick, dark green, rope-like strands protruding from her head that move independently. Flat face; thin lips and no nose—just two slitted nostrils. Long, thin eyes with horizontal pupils.
Encountered by Hunter and Edin in Book Two; one of them mans the sign-up table at the fighting competition. She hits on Edin and Hunter gets bratty about it.
Unknown: Tall, gangly monster with ‘freakishly long’ limbs (according to Hunter) with an extra joint. Covered in coarse brown hair.
Encountered by Hunter and Edin in Book Two; one of them guards the front prison entrance where the fighting competition is held. Nosy. Bit of a creep.
Unknown: Humanoid species. Tall, hulking monster with leathery tan skin that’s hairy in places. Thick, clawed fingers. Beady black eyes. Big tusks that distort his lower lip.
Encountered by Hunter and Edin in Book Two; he is the lover of the fightmaster at the fighting competition. The military also had one of these monsters held in their specimen programme at the military base. They were specimen 003. Their DNA was used on Seraph.
Unknown: Tall, wispy pale monster, dressed in long dark robes. Moves like it is almost floating. Long fingers. Featureless face except for two small dark eyes.
Seen briefly by Hunter in Book Two, at the fighting competition. It is the owner of the human fighter who Charlie goes up against.
Unknown: Troll-looking creature. Pebbled, mustard-colour skin.
Seen briefly by Hunter in Book Two, at the fighting competition. It is the owner of the human fighter who Hunter has to fight.
Unknown: Female monster species. Sunburnt red skin. Long arms and legs. Small, open ring of tentacles for a mouth. Two thin slits for nostrils. Circular black and white eyes.
Encountered by Danny in Book One, as the leader of the small pack that try to take Danny. Destroyed by Wyn.
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LILY MAYNE 