Character guide

Engineer Prokop

major

Also known as Prokop, Mr. Prokop, Eng. Prokop, Mr. Eng.

A brilliant, nerve-shredded engineer who has just synthesized Krakatit, an explosive so absolute that possessing it feels less like triumph than a sentence.

The Princess

major

Also known as Princess Willy, Willy, Princess

An aristocrat whose cool composure and sudden, reckless tenderness pull Prokop toward both desire and surrender, making her as dangerous as anything in his laboratory.

Mr. Carson

major

Also known as Carson, Mr. Carson Balttin, Balttin, Sir Reginald Carson, Sir Reginald

A wealthy industrialist who hunts Prokop through coded newspaper notices, wanting Krakatit badly enough to make his interest feel less like an offer than a threat.

Annie

supporting

Also known as the terrified Annie

A young woman from Prokop's past whose quiet grief at his leaving exposes the human cost of his obsession, and whose brother's letter pulls him back toward the world.

George Thomas

supporting

Also known as George, George Thomas, Thomas, Mr. Thomas, Mr. George Thomas, this Thomas, Engineer Thomas, Mr. Engineer Thomas, the missing Thomas, Dr. Thomas, old Dr. Thomas, Dear Mr. Thomas, Herrn Thomas, Thomas⁠

Prokop's fellow engineer, whose disappearance with the Krakatit secret and reappearance in the shadows of Grottup make him both rival and warning.

Comrade Daimon

supporting

Also known as Daimon, Old Daimon, LI Daimon

A revolutionary with yellow teeth and enormous hands who offers Prokop the world, then drinks himself into a fit, revealing the chaos beneath his grand promises.

The Doctor

minor

Also known as the doctor

Physician attending to Prokop during his illness and recovery.

Mr. Holz

supporting

Also known as Holz, the tranquil Mr. Holz, the attentive Holz, the serious and concentrated Mr. Holz, The silent Mr. Holz, Outside Mr. Holz

Holz moves through the inventor's orbit as Carson's right hand, calm and concentrated where Prokop is feverish and unraveling. His silence is a kind of pressure: he is always there, always observing, and never quite explained. That steady, unreadable presence makes him feel less like a servant than a gauge of how tightly the world is closing around Prokop and his secret.

Dr. Krafft

supporting

Also known as Krafft, So Dr. Krafft, Mr. Krafft

Krafft stands among the men who understand what Prokop has made and what it could be worth to states, armies, and industry. Where Prokop is consumed by passion and guilt, Krafft represents the cooler logic of colleagues and institutions circling the discovery. His presence sharpens the question at the book's heart: whether a creation like Krakatit can ever belong to its maker alone.

Paul

minor

Also known as Mr. Paul

Acquaintance of Prokop, appears in social contexts.

Uncle Rohn

supporting

Also known as the jovial Uncle Rohn, Rohn, the bareheaded Uncle Rohn, Oncle Rohn, Prince Rohn

Uncle Rohn belongs to the old, titled world of Balttin, where charm and hospitality are instruments of influence. His geniality makes the aristocratic circle around the Princess feel almost harmless, even welcoming, to a man like Prokop who has known only poverty and strain. That is precisely his function in the early arc: he embodies the seductive ease of the world that wants Krakatit, and wants Prokop with it.

Mon Oncle Charles

minor

Also known as Oncle Charles, the charming Oncle Charles, Mon Oncle, Uncle Charles

Charming French uncle of the Princess, a figure of old-world elegance.

Krakatit

supporting

Also known as Comrade Krakatit, the Krakatit

Krakatit is the invention everyone wants and no one can safely hold: a substance that could blow humanity to pieces in the wrong hands. It shadows every conversation, every negotiation, every embrace, turning allies into bidders and love into leverage. Personified in Prokop's fevered mind as 'Comrade Krakatit,' it is less a weapon than a mirror of the passion and corruption it promises to unleash.

Mazaud

minor

Also known as The old Mazaud, old Mazaud

Older scientist or industrialist, connected to the Krakatit network.

Prince Hagen

minor

Also known as Prince, the first Hagen, This Hagen, The old Hagen, the old Hagen, Hagen

Aristocratic figure, possibly a rival or ally in the power games.

Bob

minor

Minor character, possibly a servant or acquaintance.

Prince Suwalski

minor

Also known as the haughty Suwalski, le bon Prince, Suwalski

Haughty aristocrat, part of the Princess's circle.

Mr. d'Hémon

minor

Minor character, possibly French.

Von Graun

minor

Also known as Meanwhile Von Graun

German-sounding name, possibly a military or political figure.

Darling

minor

Term of endearment used by Prokop, possibly referring to the Princess.

Rosso

minor

Minor character in the international intrigue surrounding Krakatit.

Plinius

minor

Also known as Mr. Plinius

Minor character, possibly a scientist or associate.

Premier

minor

Political leader involved in the high-stakes negotiations over Krakatit.

Honzik

minor

Also known as the wiry-haired terrier Honzik, Whereat Honzik

A dog, Prokop's loyal companion.

Egon

minor

Also known as young Egon

Young man in the aristocratic circle.

Lieutenant Rohlauf

minor

Also known as Rohlauf

Military officer, possibly involved in security around Krakatit.

Minnie

minor

Also known as Marie

Minor female character, possibly a servant or acquaintance.

Agan Khan

minor

Exotic figure, possibly a foreign dignitary.

Peters

minor

Also known as Delegate Peters

Delegate, possibly political or industrial.

Tartar Princess

minor

Also known as Tartar, Princess

Exotic princess, possibly a fantasy or fever dream of Prokop.

Darwin

minor

Also known as hyperofabula ugongi dugongi Darwin

Mentioned in a feverish or satirical context, not a real character.

Wilhelmina Adelaide Maud

minor

Also known as Minna

Full name of a minor female character, possibly the Princess.

Whirlwind

minor

Also known as the careering Whirlwind

Personification of a storm or destructive force in Prokop's visions.

Li-taj Khan

minor

Also known as Li-taj

Exotic name, possibly from Prokop's fever dreams.

Joseph

minor

Minor character, possibly a servant.

Professor Wald

minor

Also known as Wald

Academic figure, possibly a mentor or colleague.

Father

minor

Religious figure, possibly in a ceremony or vision.

Nanda

minor

Exotic female name, possibly from Prokop's travels or dreams.

Prince Aladdin

minor

Exotic prince, likely from a fantasy sequence.

Grandfather

minor

Elderly relative, possibly in a memory or vision.

Tynice

minor

Place name or minor character, unclear.

Zahur

minor

Exotic name, possibly from Prokop's fever dreams.

Grottup

minor

Minor character, possibly a place or person in Prokop's visions.

Sudik

minor

Minor character, possibly a servant or worker.

Vedral

minor

Minor character, possibly a colleague.

Fritz

minor

Minor character, possibly German.