Here Be Monsters! An Adventure Involving Magic, Trolls, and Other Creatures; The Ratbridge Chronicles Volume 1 Characters

One Brave BoyWho comes from the sewer, besides the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Penguin? Arthur, that's who. When we first meet our main man, he is climbing out from a drain cover and then...

Mean Man with a PlanThe first time we see Snatcher, he's leading a cheese hunt. We'll note that cheese hunts are both "cruel and… illegal" (3.8) according to Grandfather, though this fact doesn't...

Kind Old ManWe first encounter Grandfather when Arthur talks to him remotely about the food-gathering trip aboveground. Grandfather cautions Arthur to be careful, and also reminds him: "And remembe...

Helpful FellowWhen Arthur accidentally takes refuge in a closed shop, he meets Willbury, who is an older-looking dude " wearing half-glasses and a gray wig and […] smiling at Arthur" (5.9). Seems...

Inventor ExtraordinaireWe hear about Marjorie before we ever meet her. Here's how Willbury describes her: "Marjorie was my clerk. Very bright woman. She used to deal with patent claims mostly. Inva...

Man in the MaskWho's Herbert? Arthur meets him in the dungeon under the Cheese Hall, at first seeing him through the divide between their cells as a man in a mask. As they talk, Herbert describes h...

This is the first boxtroll that Arthur meets. All he knows about them is that they're "timid creatures" and they "loved everything mechanical" (5.2). But he doesn't run into them much underground,...

These two boxtrolls are Fish's buddies. However, when Fish first brings in Arthur, they come across as a little judgmental. They make "spluttering noises" (5.14) that are interpreted as mocking Fis...

Titus is a cabbagehead, meaning that he looks like "a small man with a cabbage tied to the top of his head" (5.9). Duh. Like the boxtrolls that Arthur meets in Willbury's shop, Titus is the first...

This is the tiny boxtroll that Willbury buys off Gristle. He speaks by making "squeaking sounds" and he is comforted by the objects the big boxtrolls give him: he "picked up the nut and bolt, kisse...

This little dude is timid at first, but soon becomes BFFs with Titus. First, though, they do some weird cabbagehead-smelling ritual: Titus leaned forward and took a tiny sniff. After a moment Titus...

Kipper shows up on Willbury's doorstep as a "smiling man with a platform made of sticks fixed to his head" (15.26). On the platform stands Tom, the rat he describes as "'the boss'" (15.31). Kipper...

Tom is "a large, friendly-looking rat wearing a spotted handkerchief around his head" (15.26), and can talk, too. Kipper, his human buddy, refers to him as "'the brains of this outfit'" (15.33), an...

Mildred is one of the crows that lives aboard the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry and helps out with running the laundry business. When the whole adventure at the Cheese Hall begins, Mildred acts as a n...

The captain of the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry is a rat. Despite this, he seems pretty genial, and like he actually cares about his crew. He's very invested in finding his missing crew, especially s...

This dude is one of Snatcher's minions. He makes a fuss on the cheese hunt that Arthur observes, and while he's acting as one set of horse legs, he tells the rider "'Well, I'm not going on, and I'l...

This dude used to work at the Patent Hall, and he's the one who ran off with Marjorie's machine. His dad, Louis Trout, also worked there, but as the head patent officer. Coincidence? We think not.W...

Willbury identifies this guy as the head patent officer at the Patent Hall (14.68). Further, he says: "'He knows me from a certain legal case. And if I let one or two things drop in conversation wi...

This is another of Snatcher's minions. On the first cheese hunt, he's told to deal with one of the cheeses that they catch. He's shown as a "stubby rider" (2.21) who ties up the captured cheese and...

Framley is one of the rats that used to work on the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry. Kipper describes him as "'a nasty piece of work'" (15.52), while Tom describes him as someone they felt "'could turn...

These women have fashion on the brain—and it's some pretty bizarre fashion at that. For one thing, they have interesting-shaped bottoms: "Round ones, cone-shaped ones, pyramidal ones, cuboid ones...

This dude is the pie-seller in the Ratbridge market. He not only makes good pies, but also knows what's going on around town. He gives Willbury the scoop on Marjorie's Patent Hall woes, and he give...

The police in Ratbridge have two names, one official and one unofficial. Officially, they're known as the Ratbridge Irregular Police Force ("Irregular," we're guessing, because they don't patrol th...

This is the head policeman of Ratbridge. When he shows up to arrest everyone involved in the scuffle on the ship, Snatcher makes some funny gestures to him and speaks in code. The chief squeaker ob...

The Banana LadyWhen Arthur is on his food-gathering expedition early in the book, he accidentally makes too much noise inside a greenhouse. This draws its occupants out to investigate, including "a...