Character Analysis
Author
Since we aren't given a name for the anonymous narrator in the prologue and epilogue, we are referring to him henceforth by his occupation—author. We know he met the equally-anonymous Director of Facilities while researching a book he has recently published, and that he tends to specialize in the bizarre or slightly supernatural.
Director of Facilities
Just like "Author," the Director of Facilities at the retirement home who summons the author to come check out Will Henry's journals remains unnamed. He seems like a guy who's easily spooked but has been beaten down by a job that holds little perks.
Mrs. Bratton
Mrs. Bratton is Dr. Starr's henchma—uh, housekeeper. She is an accomplice in the terrible neglect shown toward the patients of Motley Hill, and even worse, she helps to hide the inhumane conditions that they keep them in. She's a nasty piece of work, that Mrs. Bratton.
Eliza Bunton
Eliza Bunton is the poor dead girl that Erasmus Gray finds the dead Anthropophagus wrapped around during the course of his illicit grave robbing.
Burns
Burns is the navigator on board the doomed Feronia. He's the guy who grabs Captain Varner and barricades them in his quarters before being devoured by the alpha female Anthropophagus.
Mr. and Mrs. Flanagan
Mr. and Mrs. Flanagan are the proprietors of the local market that Will Henry frequents for his groceries. Mr. Flanagan is an affable romantic while Mrs. Flanagan is a boisterous nagging stereotype, but they both have an affinity for gossip as well as each other.
Erasmus Gray
Erasmus Gray is the elderly man who discovers the Anthropophagi and alerts Dr. Warthrop to their presence. He is a sweet grandfatherly type who has fallen on hard times (hence the illegal grave robbing). Erasmus is very kind to Will Henry, and he's the only one who actually treats him like the kid that he is, so we're pretty sad when he becomes the first victim of the vicious Anthropophagi.
O'Brien
O'Brien is Constable Morgan's loyal driver.
Slidell & Mason
Slidell and Mason are the mysterious "philanthropists" who consulted with Dr. Alistair Warthrop to help bring the Anthropophagi over from Africa.
In reality, they were fanatic eugenicists who wanted to try to merge the species with human beings. Their goal may have been to produce the ultimate predator—a killing machine with an intellect—to fight for the Confederate cause. Yikes all around.
Smith
Smith is one of the crewmembers on the Feronia who helps drunkenly taunt the captive Anthropophagi with disastrous results.
Reverend Stinnet and Family (Elizabeth, Michael, Sarah, and Matthew)
In a story about vicious man-eating beasts there have to be victims, and that role falls to the unfortunate Stinnet Family. They are killed in the most gruesome way imaginable, but their deaths are not in vain; seeing what the Anthropophagi can truly do helps to set the scene for how terrifying the situation is.
In addition, the death of Elizabeth becomes a driving factor for Malachi's semi-suicidal pursuit of vengeance. For more on that, check out Malachi's page in this section.
Captain Hezekiah Varner
As the sole survivor of the doomed Feronia, Captain Varner probably wishes he died on board with the rest of the crew. When we meet him, he has been left to rot in his own filth in an insane asylum, driven mad by his own horrible memories and inhumane treatment at the hands of Dr. Starr and Mrs. Bratton.
Wilson
Wilson is the first mate on the Feronia, an unfortunate sot who stupidly taunts the Anthropophagi and then meets his doom upon helping them to escape.