| Hassan |
al-Hubbaul | Renowned merchant who began as a rope-maker |
| Edgar |
Allan Poe | American writer |
| Ana |
Alvarado | Former zookeeper pursuing a software degree |
| Ms. |
Archer | Teacher |
| Zoe |
Armstrong | Children's book author |
| Charles |
Babbage | English polymath |
| Enrique |
Beltran Castillo | Mexican conservationist |
| Jeremy |
Brauer | Dermatology professor |
| Derek |
Brooks | Designer of avatars for Blue Gamma |
| Jennifer |
Chase | Employee of Binary Desire |
| Helena |
Costas | Greek-English singer and producer |
| Edmund |
Dacey | Raised by Automatic Nanny |
| Reginald |
Dacey | Mathematician |
| Mr. |
Dahl | Dorothea's acquaintance |
| Roderick |
Ferris | Movie star |
| Dian |
Fossey | American primatologist and conservationist |
| Jane |
Goodall | English primatologist and anthropologist |
| Eleanor |
Hardy | Edmund Dacey's mother |
| Nigel |
Hawthorne | English actor |
| Gerald |
Hecht | Lawyer |
| Fuwaad |
ibn Abbas | Central character and narrator |
| Thackery |
Lambshead | Fictional speculative concept |
| Arthur |
Lawson | Astronomer |
| Martin |
McCullough | Wilhelmina's brother |
| Mrs. |
McCullough | Wilhelmina's mother |
| Nathan |
McCullough | Museum director |
| Wilhelmina |
McCullough | Nathan's daughter |
| Erica |
Meyers | Whetstone spokesperson |
| Roland |
Michaels | Employee of Binary Desire |
| Marilyn |
Monroe | American actress |
| Dorothea |
Morrell | Archaeologist |
| Andre |
Nguyen | Photographer |
| Glenn |
Oehlsen | Shoots Morrow |
| Jessica |
Oehlsen | Widow |
| Martin |
Osborne | Alias used by Wilhelmina |
| Scott |
Otsuka | Singer |
| Roy |
Pascal | English scholar |
| Frank |
Pearson | Director of VA San Diego Healthcare System |
| Irene |
Pepperberg | American scientist |
| Felix |
Radcliffe | Xenotherian project participant |
| Solomon |
Shereshevskii | Soviet mnemonist |
| Natalie |
Vance | Former youth pastor |
| Maria |
Zhang | Polish actress |
| Ajib |
| Young rug weaver |
| Alex |
| African gray parrot |
| Alfred |
| Rosemary's husband |
| Andrew |
| Teresa's ex-boyfriend |
| Angela |
| Nicole's mother |
| Anongo |
| Girgi's kinsman |
| Arecibo |
| Giant radio telescope |
| Bashaarat |
| Mysterious metalsmith and alchemist in Baghdad |
| Becca |
| Lyle's acquaintance |
| Carlton |
| Beta tester |
| Coco |
| Natalie's digient |
| Dana |
| Therapist |
| Deborah |
| Recording artist |
| Deirdre |
| Painter |
| Drayta |
| Sophonce digient |
| Emily |
| Dacey's wife |
| Gbegba |
| Master of bushcraft |
| Gibson |
| Automatic nanny |
| Girgi |
| Umem's wife |
| Janssen |
| Dorothea's acquaintance |
| Jax |
| AI digital companion pet |
| Jechira |
| Member of debated tribe |
| Jeremy |
| Narrator's friend |
| Jijingi |
| Young boy from a West African village |
| Joel |
| Architect |
| Jorge |
| Dana's client |
| Kokwa |
| Storyteller |
| Kyle |
| Ana's boyfriend |
| Linda |
| Robyn's partner |
| Lionel |
| Dacey's son |
| Lolly |
| Early childlike AI digient |
| Lyle |
| Prism support group member |
| Mahesh |
| Cofounder of Blue Gamma |
| Maimuna |
| Assistant to physicians at the bimaristan |
| Marco |
| Panda-bear digient |
| Morrow |
| Manipulative shop manager |
| Moseby |
| Missionary |
| Najya |
| Beloved wife of Fuwaad ibn Abbas |
| Nat |
| Recovering addict |
| Natasha |
| Zoë's daughter |
| Nicole |
| Daughter of the narrator |
| Nyyti |
| Digient and Jax's classmate |
| Orga |
| Jijingi's father |
| Ornella |
| Roderick's wife |
| Polo |
| Company mascot |
| Raniya |
| Hassan's wife |
| Remem |
| Lifelog system |
| Robyn |
| Ana's friend |
| Rosemary |
| Dorothea's cousin |
| Sabe |
| Village elder |
| Shangev |
| Jechira's son |
| Stefan |
| Trainer from Blue Gamma's Australian office |
| Taahira |
| Ajib's wife |
| Teresa |
| Dana's client |
| Tibo |
| One of the oldest digients |
| Vince |
| Narrator's friend |
| Vinessa |
| Dana's acquaintance |
| Voyl |
| Sophonce digient |
| Wendy |
| Derek's wife |
| Zaff |
| Jaguar-cub digient avatar |
