The Last Book In The Universe

An elderly man, known as a “gummy.”He is described as “so ancient, the hair on his chin beard was as white as bone, and most of his teeth were gone. Even his skin was old and worn out and so thin, it looked like if you held him up to the light you’d see right through him” (11). He has striking, “shiny” eyes that “kind of light up from deep inside his head” (15). Ryter lives alone in the poorest section of Billy Bizmo’s latch, known as the stackboxes. He is willing to give up everything he has to keep his manuscript, his most prized possession. He is not scared of Spaz’s seizures and volunteers to go with him on his quest to see his younger sister. His knowledge of the Pipes from when he was a refugee is useful for the journey.

While it is never acknowledged in the text, his name reflects his profession. Ryter is a writer, and presumably the last of his kind. Most people in the Urb do not know how to read or write and see Ryter’s book simply as markings on a page. Ryter is calm, reasoned, and patient. He is a methodical person; he does not make snap decisions, but he knows himself and what he holds true. Once he has made up his mind, it is difficult to talk him out of it. He is not the smartest person in the Urb, but he may be the wisest. He knows a lot about the "backtimes" and finds this information valuable. His knowledge of the past allows him to see things about the present and to predict things about the future that no one else is able to. Ryter enjoys teaching and passing on his knowledge to those younger than himself; he does well in the company of children and does not talk down to them.

Little face is a 5-year-old orphan who hangs around the stackboxes but is presumably homeless himself. Spaz gives him chocolate to help him find Ryter. Largely mute, Little Face learns the word “chox” and uses this word to do most of his communicating. Whenever Spaz visits the stackboxes, Little Face appears wanting more choxbars. Ryter and Spaz attempt to leave him behind when they set out on their journey to find Bean, Spaz’s younger sister, but Little Face follows them and quickly catches up. He proves useful to the group on several key occasions, mainly because of his acrobatic, youthful nature; he is able to lead the way up and down the physical structure of the Pipe for the group, with their safety in mind. One of presumably many children in his circumstances in Billy’s latch and probably across the Urb, Little Face endears himself to his companions. When they arrive in Lanaya’s home in Eden, Little Face and Bree, Lanaya’s mother, form a fast bond; Bree adopts Little Face and when the rest of his group are forced to return home, he is able to stay hidden in Eden long-term with his new family.

A teenaged female proov, Lanaya has “beautiful gray sky-colored eyes, and perfect skin, and short hair that sort of glows” (23). All proovs, which stands for “genetically improved,” look perfect to normals, and they cannot help but stare at them. Lanaya lives in an opulent home in Eden, but frequently travels with bodyguards to the Urb to hand out food, known as edibles, and to observe the normals. She is destined to become a Master of Eden, which means her genetic alteration includes a predisposition for leadership; she has also been granted privileges due to her elevated status amongst the proovs, with the presumption that allowing her room to explore her world will also make her a better Master, when the time comes.

Lanaya is a generous person; she is the only character in the novel in any kind of position of power or privilege who seems to be aware of what that means for her, and how she can use her status to benefit the lives of others. Lanaya is kind and confident, but she is not always soft. She often states things directly in order to get things done faster and more efficiently. She is a strong orator and communicator, and while they do not always agree with her, people tend to listen.

Bean is Spaz’s 12-year-old younger foster sister and the foster daughter of Charly and Kay. She has leukemia, which is referred to in the text as “the blood sickness”(47), and while she fought and recovered from a serious episode at age 8, when Spaz still lived with his family unit, she has recently relapsed and sent word to Spaz that she is dying. She and Spaz share a special bond, despite not being blood related. When she first had leukemia, only Spaz could get her to eat and take her medicine, so he sat by her bed and slept in her room until she got better.

Spaz consistently refers to Bean as being precocious and smart. Bean is incredibly intelligent and shows this trait most clearly in Eden when she provides a challenge for Jin at chess, despite him being one of the top players and her just having learned that day. She also comprehends Lanaya’s complex analytical explanations when they go right over Spaz and Ryter’s head. She is quick and thoughtful, and similar to both Spaz and Lanaya, she is forward-thinking; after her recovery in Eden, she begins to wonder what positive changes could happen in the Urb if the conditions and benefits found in Eden could be transposed there.

Billy Bizmo is the latchboss for Spaz’s section of the Urb. His henchmen are known as the Bully Bangers. Billy is Spaz’s biological father, a fact which is kept from Spaz until the end of the narrative. Billy is dangerous and can be unpredictable. He has a “sharp, crooked nose, and curly hair like tufts of rusty iron, and […] ratty yellow teeth, and the pale scars on his neck and jaw where somebody tried to kill him once and missed” (27). He is prejudiced against proovs and warns Spaz against seeing Lanaya again after he first finds her edibles in Spaz’s crib. He has a nasty temper and a penchant for rules. Spaz is scared of him, and generally tries to stay out of his way: “Sometimes his eyes are bright and interested and that makes you want to please him, and then he blinks and his eyes are dead and you’re scared he wants to make you dead, too” (29). His latch has poverty, which is widespread across the Urb, but in general is not overrun with senseless mob violence. Billy is not a good leader, but he keeps his latch in order.

Lotti Getts is the boss in Bean, Charly, and Kay’s latch, and has been since Spaz also lived there. Her henchmen are known as the Vandals. She banished Spaz from her latch for having “bad blood” (99) due to his epilepsy and seizures. She is a fierce and proud leader with many nicknames, only some of which she knows about. She has “special razors glued onto her long fingernails,” and most of her "luvmates"(99) are now dead. Lotti banned the use of probes in her latch because of their negative consequences on the user’s brain. She is not afraid to go against the norm if she believes it will further the stability of her latch and therefore keep its residents under her control. Her latch is one of the only to have an active and regulated trade quarter, known as Traderville. Lotti may have a fair number of enemies and rivals, but she is capable of keeping her territory under her command.

Vida Bleek is the boss of the underground in Lotti Getts’ latch. His business is conducted in relative secret amidst the above-board trade going on in Traderville. His henchmen are known as the Furies. While the Furies are fearsome women in black-hooded capes with skull masks and black daggers, Bleek is a small, hairless man whose eyes “blaze with intelligence and cunning” (113). He is one of the only people on their journey who is unimpressed by Lanaya’s looks or status. His ambition to become latchboss eventually gets him killed.

Mongo the Magnificent is the former latchboss in a section of the Urb that Spaz, Ryter, and Little Face must cross through in order to get to Bean. Once a fearsome warrior, he has been stripped down to a wasted living corpse, with no hair, no teeth, and no sight because he has been looping in a probe for over a year. While his henchmen have attempted to keep the peace by displaying a holograph of their latchboss, in reality there is no means of commerce, and nothing but extreme poverty left in the latch. Mongo’s former henchmen, the Monkey Boys, have become more animal than human, and his territory is in a state of chaos. His life is over, and no one will help him because of how terrifying he was as a boss.

Jin is Lanaya’s father, known in Eden as her “contributor” because of Lanaya’s genetic improvements. Jin has a “small, dark, pointy beard” (148) and wears beautiful clothing. Jin is an intelligent man; he enjoys playing chess and is one of the top players in Eden. Jin has a few biases about what the normals should be capable of doing and is in awe when Bean is able to beat him at his own game. As a fair father, he remains relatively non-judgmental with his daughter; he will tell her what he thinks, but she is free to disagree with him. He is quick to join in and help seek treatment for Bean’s leukemia. After Bree adopts Jin, his initial skepticism is soon replaced by love for the child and treatment as one’s own.

Bree is Lanaya’s mother, also known as her "contributor."She has “golden hair done up in thick weaves” and is “perfect and beautiful” (148) like her daughter. Bree’s mothering style is fairly traditional, and she yearns for a child for whom she can care. Bree adopts Little Face, and the two get along splendidly. They spend a lot of their time together in Eden, often in the kitchen where Bree might be seen giving Little Face cookies and milk, hugging him, or dancing around with him.

Charly is Spaz and Bean’s foster father. He is very protective of Bean, at the expense of Spaz. It is at Charly’s initiative that Spaz is sent to live in Billy’s latch, banished from his home latch for a genetic “deef,” or defect, that Charly feels makes him dangerous. Charly is depicted as being ignorant, more so than evil or morally corrupt. Spaz acknowledges that Charly is “basically okay, but he’s got this bad side, too, and Bean never saw it” (34), although he goes on to say Charly was physically and mentally abusive with her. He is an inconsistent father to the pair; he gets Bean’s message to Spaz but seems surprised to see him. He is afraid that Spaz will hurt Bean during an episode but has no qualms giving her a smack. He is also against bringing Bean to Eden but defers to the group when Kay indicates it’s what she wants to try as well.