Beau Sato-Jones is the love interest and major supporting character of the novel. He is one of Alix’s only friends, who demonstrates his attraction to and care for Alix throughout the plot. Beau is “part white, part Black, part Japanese, part Pakistani, and all bisexual” (172). He is a fashion designer who owns a small dress and costuming shop called Brummel’s—named after a famous Regency-era fashion icon, Beau Brummel. His family does not understand either his sexuality or his work, and he fears they will never fully support him. Though Alix believes he must be successful and happy because he comes from a traditional family (married parents and siblings), and owns his own business, he is stressed, exhausted from overwork, late on bills, and in danger of losing his shop. He hopes that his current commission of a book dress for an upcoming actress’s red-carpet debut will put him on the map and make him a true success.

Beau is handsome and often seen in the company of beautiful models of all genders. Alix believes she is not attractive enough for him and does not at first take his clear flirtations seriously. However, Beau’s interest in her is blatant and unapologetic from the start. He sees her beauty and strength even when she does not. Though he briefly leaves her to defend the library alone—afraid after the Board threatens his business—he quickly realizes he has made the wrong decision and returns to support her. Beau thus counters Alix’s long-standing internal narrative of never being chosen or made the priority in anyone’s life.

The Librarian of the Astral Library is a woman who appears to be in her seventies, with gray hair in a bun, glasses on a chain, and a green cardigan. She is meant to embody the classic librarian archetype. She is also a “book dragon” (33), a centuries-old person who can literally shapeshift into a large green dragon whose scales are made of bookbinding leather and wings made of vellum. She has been managing and protecting the Astral Library for several centuries.

The Librarian is terse and impatient, but fundamentally kind. She is determined to protect both the Library and its Patrons, providing a sanctuary for the “lost and desperate” (36). Despite her assurance to Alix that she is not the “wise mentor figure” (34) archetype, she ultimately plays that role for Alix. She leads Alix on an adventure through the book worlds, teaching her how the Library works and how to survive. In keeping with the Hero’s Journey archetype, she is then injured and removed from active participation in the plot, forcing Alix to take up her mantle and become the champion/hero of the story.

The Librarian also represents the traditional purpose and view of libraries, in contrast with the members of the Library Board, who represent modernization and monetization. However, she does not take the Board seriously enough, allowing them to gain unchecked power over the system, contributing to the theme of The Weaponization of Bureaucracy and the novel’s warning that such bureaucratic oppression must be faced head-on rather than ignored or appeased.

The Gallerist is one of the Librarian’s counterparts. They are described as nonbinary with a French accent, wearing a black turtleneck and black boots, in keeping with the stereotype of the Beatnik, avant-garde artist type. They run the Astral Gallery, a space like the Library where Patrons can live inside paintings. The Gallerist is a friend and ally to the Librarian (during the initial attack) and Alix (after she becomes acting Librarian). Though the Gallerist is a secondary character with little time on the page, they are a crucial ally for Alix in the plot.

In contrast to the gatekeeping practices espoused by the Library Board, who want to limit who is allowed to enter and use the Library, the Gallerist argues that everyone has a right to access art. Art is “not only for the collectors, snobs, experts, college graduates, or the well-informed” (117). They argue that if a piece of art makes you feel something, then it is for you.

Like the Gallerist, the Programmer is a counterpart to the Librarian, who runs a space called AGNIS, “Astral Gaming Network Interspace System” (140), where Patrons can live inside video games. The Programmer is described as a tall Black man wearing jeans and a Star Trek: Next Generation T-shirt, in keeping with the stereotypical image of a computer or video game nerd. He and the Librarian clearly had some kind of romantic relationship in the past, but the Librarian now treats him with impatience and indignation.

The Programmer is a minor character who appears only twice in the novel, but like the Gallerist, is important as an ally to the Astral Library and Alix when she prepares to face the Board.

Sarah Ross is a Patron of the Astral Library, living in the world of Sherlock Holmes under the assumed name of Sarah Hudson. She has entered the world as Mrs. Hudson’s American niece. She lives in the lower apartment of 221B Baker Street and occasionally helps on Holmes’s cases. She reveals that she also has a casual sexual relationship with Holmes. She is the second Patron Alix meets and the one who makes the biggest impression on her, due in part to the danger she appears to be in.

Sarah entered the Astral Library to escape her abusive husband, reflecting Books as a Space for Escape and Healing. When the red warning cards indicate that her husband has somehow found her location and is trying to infiltrate the book worlds, Sarah concludes that the Astral Library lied about its ability to protect her. She decides she cannot rely on anyone but herself and tells Alix that she will do whatever is necessary to save herself from her husband and return to her life in the book world. She bluntly states: “I’d let that entire place burn down, and this one too, if it meant keeping myself safe” (121).

Due to this attitude, Alix suspects that Sarah betrayed her and the Library to the Board in exchange for safety, though this proves to be a red herring. Sarah ultimately helps Alix to protect the Library, demonstrating the importance of community support and the power of reading.