Short Fiction · Character
Unknown
Dixon Wells, a wealthy, chronically tardy heir who keeps getting pulled into van Manderpootz's reality-bending experiments — and keeps falling in love with the wrong women.
major
Also known as I, mine, myself
First appearance: a martian odyssey
As a major figure in Short Fiction, Unknown is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
First-person narrator in the opening dialogue with van Manderpootz, later identified as Dick Jarvis in the conversation about time travel.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
He's the first-person voice of the van Manderpootz tales, a rich man's son who can't reach his desk on time but can be counted on to volunteer for any device that scrambles perception. Twice burned by inventions — once…
Continue beside the text
The fuller portrait of Unknown sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.
See Unknown in a martian odysseyCharacter Web
21 connectionsA slice of how Unknown sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Protagonist
- Expedition and inventor core
- Key figures and companions
- Central characters and beings
+16 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
This is the story's dramatic climax because van Manderpootz’s emotional peak—his eruption of wounded pride ove…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingIn the story
Unknown appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Unknown unlock in the free preview.
See Unknown in a martian odyssey