The Last Kids on Earth and the Monster Dimension

Quint is Jack’s best friend and a key member of the team throughout the series. Like Jack, Quint is 13, but while Jack’s skills tend toward leadership, Quint is a natural tinkerer, constantly at work in the novel on his signature weapon, the Conjurer’s Cannon, a device that gives him unique “wizard” powers and serves as a testament to his ingenuity. He is highly intelligent and analytical, which allows him to make critical observations and approach problems from a scientific perspective. 

Quint is also calm and level-headed, making him a foil for the more passionate and impulsive Jack; while Jack often leads with his emotions, Quint remains collected even in the most intense situations. On their long journey to confront Wracksaw, Quint quietly picks up what Jack thinks is useless junk; when the battle begins, however, Quint reveals that he has been quietly collecting pieces to rebuild his Conjurer’s Cannon. This balance between their personalities strengthens their friendship and teamwork. Quint is a deeply loyal and protective friend, committed to standing by Jack’s side no matter what dangers they face, and he often serves as the voice of reason in the face of their adventures.

Globlet, also known as “Globlet the Infamous” and “Globlet the Charming Rogue,” is a small, pink slime monster and a friend of Jack’s. Globlet is an unconventional hero who brings charm, wit, and chaotic energy to Jack’s crew. She is wanted by the Enforcers and is infamous for her long history as a thief, scammer, and general rule breaker in the monster dimension. Despite her past, Globlet is loyal to Jack and his friends.

Globlet’s knowledge of the monster dimension and its workings proves invaluable to the group. With a vast understanding of the monster realm and its most powerful entities, she suggests the quest to find Shuggoth, an important step in gathering the information that Jack needs to prepare for the coming battle. In her guidance, Globlet offers Jack and his crew insight into their enemy’s world. While Globlet supports Jack’s goals, her fearlessness and recklessness add a layer of unpredictability to her character. She often courts danger without much of a plan, sometimes leaving her friends confused or frustrated by her risky, comedic, and overly literal interpretations of their missions.

Globlet is a morally gray figure. She’s willing to lie, cheat, and steal, traits that might not traditionally align with heroism. Yet her loyalty to Jack and the battle against Ŗeżżőcħ transcends her self-serving instincts, revealing a deeper commitment to the good of the group and the world they’re fighting to save.

Wracksaw is one of the primary antagonists of this novel, a surrogate of Ŗeżżőcħ who fights on the side of evil. Wracksaw is a “mad doctor,” a scientist who conducts Frankenstein-like experiments on himself and his underlings, combining their bodies and performing experimental surgeries to create more powerful and monstrous beings. Wracksaw has a personal vendetta against Jack; in a previous novel, Jack defeated Wracksaw and sent him back into the monster dimension, causing him extreme pain. Wracksaw fights against Jack with an army of minions who ride on hornet-like monsters called strayfurs. 

Wracksaw values monstrousness and pursues it aesthetically in his bodily modifications. Although Jack doesn’t like to admit it, his Cosmic Hand gives him something in common with Wracksaw. Brallier illustrates The Contrast Between Humanity and Monstrousness with the parallel between Wracksaw and Jack: Although they are both “hybrids” of monster and human, what makes Wracksaw a monster isn’t his modifications but his lack of morality. His very different manifestation of hybridization contrasts with Jack’s own, in which he uses his own monstrous modification for moral purposes.

Thrull is another major antagonist in the series and Ŗeżżőcħ’s most powerful servant; he is the leader of the monster hordes and architect of the Tower that will summon Ŗeżżőcħ. Thrull is a hulking, physically intimidating monster. He initially seemed like a friend and ally to Jack in earlier books before betraying Jack and revealing his true goal of summoning Ŗeżżőcħ and joining the forces of evil. In this novel, Jack uncovers more of Thrull’s backstory and learns that he used to be the leader of a group called the Great Champions who fought against Ŗeżżőcħ in the past. Sometime between then and the present, Thrull switched sides and became a surrogate of Ŗeżżőcħ. Over the course of this novel, as Jack learns about Thrull’s history, he becomes disturbed by the parallels between their paths. Thrull is a foil for Jack in that he illustrates how Jack’s power and leadership qualities could lead him to betray himself and his friends. Upon realizing this, however, Jack uses this awareness to help him control his power and not follow in Thrull’s footsteps.

Ŗeżżőcħ, the overarching antagonist of the whole series, is a supernatural entity bent on destroying worlds. Though he was banished in ancient times, his servants have woken him and inspired a new hunger to destroy. He is responsible for sending monster vines and the zombie plague into the human world that caused the apocalypse. The portals closed before he could travel to Earth, so now, he waits for his servants to build the Tower that will allow him to come to the human dimension and destroy it. Although Jack faces many foes during the series, Ŗeżżőcħ is the ultimate villain of the series and one that Jack will have to face for true victory. Although he isn’t present during the novel, his presence looms as Thrull prepares for his arrival.

Stargrove is a giant, zombified starfish monster that the gorblins keep in a cage for their entertainment. Whenever travelers seek passage over the river, the gorblins force them to fight against Stargrove in a spinning cage ring. Jack successfully uses his powers to telepathically connect with Stargrove, understanding her feelings and desires through “mind-doodles.” He realizes that Stargrove hates fighting in the ring and wants to be free of the gorblins. When Jack connects telepathically with Stargrove, he gains more insight into the monster, causing him to further question the blurred boundaries between human and monster, connecting to the theme of the contrast between humanity and monstrousness. When Jack liberates Stargrove, she becomes a loyal traveling companion who helps in the fight against Wracksaw. Jack’s developing relationship with Stargrove shows him the power of Empathy in the Face of Conflict, and his successful alliance with her illustrates Jack’s developing leadership skills.