Christopher
Christopher is one of the main characters of Impossible Creatures, alongside his newfound friend Mal, who comes from a magical world that can only be accessed from the Archipelago.
As a regular boy living with his grandfather in the Scottish Highlands, Christopher's life in the beginning of the novel appears to be quite quaint. However, the dynamic of his character changes when Mal, a young girl with a special knowledge of magical creatures, crashes onto his property. Christopher decides he wants to get to know Mal and her intentions, and learns that all of the creatures of myth and legend, such as sphinxes and dragons, are indeed real creatures. Mal shows him how they can commute back and forth to Christopher's world through a group of islands called the Archipelago.
Christopher soon learns that the Archipelago's magical properties are at risk of being vanquished, and steps into one of the lead character roles by embarking on a quest to allow the portals that the creatures come through to stay open.
Through his care for the newly discovered magical, "impossible" creatures, Christopher shows his instinctive kindness, as well as his ability to adapt and learn.
Mal
Mal is the second major charater of Impossible Creatures, and works alongside Christopher to save the creatures that can only be found on the Archipelago. A younger girl about Christopher's age, she demonstrates a rugged sense of individualism throughout the novel. However, she is also in desperate need of Christopher's assistance to save the creatures, given the scale of their potential peril.
The word "mal" in French translates to "bad", and that name may have been chosen due to the situation that Mal introduces to Christopher. However, as the novel demonstrates through the perseverance of Mal, even bad things can be overcome.
Christopher's Grandfather
Christopher's grandfather is the guardian of the Waybetween, which is how the creatures are able to travel between their world and the Earth through the Archipelago. Though not a central character in the novel, Christopher's grandfather plays a pivotal role in the sense that he brought Christopher into the position of meeting Mal and discovering new worlds.
The Impossible Creatures
As a group, the Impossible Creatures represent animals and concepts from the various myths and legends of Earth's cultures. To Mal, they represent an important part of the world from which she came, while to Christopher, they represent the idea of new and unexplored worlds. The Creatures play an important role as side characters and the major concept of the novel, thus their designation as the book's title.
The Creatures serve as a way for the reader to better understand Christopher's tranformation into a somewhat heroic figure, in his decision to try to save their world. Christopher instantly shows passions towards them, even though they appear new and frightening once they first arrive. Though most of the creatures have a rather static character composition, is it repeatedly mentioned throughout the novel that Christopher and Mal gravitate towards specific animals with whom they bond.
