Tristan Strong Destroys the World

Not part of Riordanverse This book or series is published under Rick Riordan Presents and its contents are not considered canon to the Riordanverse.

Tristan Strong Destroys the World
Attribution
Author	Kwame Mbalia
Cover artist	Eric Wilkinson
Publication Information
Publisher	Rick Riordan Presents
Release date	October 6th, 2020
Pages	400
Chronology
Preceded by	Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
Followed by	Tristan Strong Keeps Punching

Tristan Strong Destroys the World is the second book in the Tristan Strong Trilogy by Kwame Mbalia under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. It was released October 6th, 2020.

The story involves Tristan Strong returning to Alke after his grandmother is abducted by a mysterious villain.

Synopsis

Bestselling author Rick Riordan presents the second book in the best selling Tristan Strong trilogy by Kwame Mbalia.

Tristan Strong, just back from a victorious but exhausting adventure in Alke, the land of African American folk heroes and African gods, is suffering from PTSD. But there's no rest for the weary when his grandmother is abducted by mysterious villain out for revenge. Tristan must return to Alke- and reunite with his loud-mouthed sidekick Gum Baby -in order to rescue Nana and stop the culprit from creating further devastation. Anansi, now a "web developer" on Tristan's phone, is close at hand to offer advice, and several new folk heroes will aid Tristan in his quest, but he will only succeed if he can find a way to sew broken souls back together.

Plot

Training Match, Whispers, and Ghosts

Anansi

A month after returning from Alke, Tristan Strong is training with his grandfather for sparing match later that day in the barn while others look on. He is doing fine until he hears something whispering his name and is knocked out. He pretends to be distracted by a piece of paper and Grandad and the others leave. When he is alone he pulls out his Story Box Phone with Anansi imprisoned in it, who reminds him that his parole hearing is coming up and he needs the Anansesem. He then asks Tristan if he is still having nightmares, and he lies and says no. He is looking forward to going back to Chicago at the end of the week. Soon after his grandparents and the others return will an extremely large boy as his opponent, Reggie Janson, and they get into the ring. For the first two rounds Reggie knocks him around. During the third round Tristan hears the whispers again and they become more urgent, calling for help. Just as Reggie is about to knock him out, Tristan punches him. Tony the trainer called the sparing match over, Tristan's grandfather was proud of him. During a break, Anansi reveals that he let out a Diaspora, a group of people who spread his stories. They went to the barn where Tristan told Anansi about some strange voices he heard and when Anansi asks about his bracelet. Tristan that he buried the adinkra he got from Nyame as well as the gloves from John Henry. After allowing Anansi to use his powers, they find the barn to be filled with ghosts.

Anansi recognizes them as Alkean river spirits and Tristan questions if they can contact Alke, Anansi says it is close to impossible and he doesn't have the power to do so, telling Tristan it is a bad idea even if he could. Just then a new app appears on the SBP titled contacts and he clicks it despite the Tricksters objections. He calls John Henry, who is unaware who is calling him, when a mysterious figure enters. The figure tells John Henry that Alke is damaged and the one responsible has fled. When Tristan sees a bossing, it distracts John Henry and he is taken as the screen goes black. As Tristan's grandmother makes dinner for them and their guests, she tells him about how Anansi's sons saved him, but he is to detracted to listen and keeps thinking of the Shamble Man. She snaps him out of it and they change the topic to trauma. She explains how entire communities could suffer from trauma that could last long after the event took place, such as Tulsa and Ferguson. After the talk she sends him to the barn to get his grandfather to help. When he arrives he ducks behind some creates and digs up the bracelet and gloves, which he buried in a Darkwing Duck lunchbox. When he unearths the box he puts them on and hears the voices just as Reggie walks over to him. Tristan tries to be civil, but the larger boy insults his grandmother and, forgetting that he was wearing the gloves, punches Reggie twelve yards away. Just then his grandmother comes into the barn to ask for help setting the table, but stops and Tristan thinks she hears the voice as well. Reggie gets to his feet and comes at Tristan like a raging bull and Tony and Tristan's grandfather fail to stop him. Reggie punches Tristan and he braces himself for the impact. However he soon opens his eyes to find everyone frozen in time, with the acceptation of his grandmother. When he goes over to her she tells him to freeze and he sees two translucent saber tooth tiger-like creatures in the ring. His grandmother tells Tristan to throw a bucket of dirty towels at the cats as she knits a quilt. When she finishes she tells him to throw the bucket and she throws the quilt. The beasts vanish and time starts to move. Nana Strong says they need to talk as she passes out.

Revelations, Kidnapping, and Returning to Alke

The Shamble Man

Tony and Reggie carry Nana Strong to her and Grandad's room as Reggie’s doctor, Almeida Torres, looks her over. Tristan sits on the couch for hours while Anansi tries to console him. Soon Dr. Torres and Grandad exit, revealing she passed out for exhaustion, and go to the kitchen to talk. Tristan goes over to the door and hears his grandmother ask for water as she gets up, Tristan tells her to stay put as he gets to water and sees Grandad and Dr. Torres talk on the porch. When he returns and gives Nana the water, she says Tristan has strong blood from her and Walter and reveals she knows about and has been to Alke. She explains that the creatures that attacked them are Plat-eyes, ghosts with unfinished business who can change form. As she says they will be back, Grandad comes in and tells Tristan to let Nana rest. Tristan heads to the barn and talks to one of the River Spirits, a girl named Ninah, who says her mother was stolen by the Shamble Man, she and Anansi exchange a look as Tristan hears something from the house and rushes over to find out door busted in and sees a figure just outside his grandparent's bedroom. Tristan and his grandfather try and fail to fend him off as the Shamble Man taunts Tristan and blames him for the destruction of MidPass. He grabs his grandmother and opens a rip to Alke. As they leave, Nana mouths something Tristan doesn't understand.

Keelboat Annie.

As Grandad call the police, Tristan goes to the barn to speak with Anansi. He explains what happened and Anansi tells him to be patient and call for help, but Tristan wants to go after the Shamble Man himself. Anansi reluctantly agrees and tells Tristan he needs more power, which Tristan reluctantly agrees to. They head into the forest to gain more strength and Tristan, after hesitating, tells the story of Keelboat Annie. As he does he hears splashing and the scenery changes and a new app titled "Keelboat Rideshare" appears on his phone. He presses it and looks around to find the farm gone and the forest turning into a field of grass. He starts to freak out and Anansi tries calm him down to no success. Tristan soon runs into a river and a keelboat pull up to him. He is then greeted by its captain, Keelboat Annie, and the only passenger, Ayanna. As they sail along, Ayanna explains that she is on w work study program with Keelboat Annie to help rebuild Alke, with Thandiwe and High John looking for buildings from The Sands. When he mentions his encounter with the Shamble Man, she pulls him aside and tells her everything. They go to tell Annie, who was giving the trickster a stern lecture, and she explains that she needs to complete her mission first and explains the easiness of taking a story with someone when a skull emerges from the side. Soon more skulls appear and ask for help. Tristan panics as the others launch at him, revealing that they are Talking Skulls, her passengers who are harmless. As they move along the river, Keelboat Annie tells them they are going to the Golden Crescent and she tells a story how she met the skulls in the Grasslands.

Golden Crescent and The Grasslands

Junior

After a rough ride, they reach the Golden Crescent to find it abandoned. Ayanna explains that they are all busy rebuilding Alke. When Keelboat pulls them assure, he gives her Anansi, as the trickster doesn't want to meet with Nyame and Tristan needs Anansi to find the Shamble Man. When they get ashore, a boy runs over to them and introduces himself as Junior. Junior greets Ayanna and rebuffs Tristan for being, what he sees, as a false hero. He says he has to speak with the gods, but Junior says they sealed themselves up in Nyame's Palace to discuss rebuilding and he challenges Tristan to race to the palace and promises to show the Anansesem a way inside if Tristan wins, but if he loses he has to let Junior record a story of his father in the Story Box. Without telling him he doesn't have it on him, Tristan agrees to the race as Ayanna reluctantly acts as referee. They rush through the town as Junior takes a short cut through an alleyway into the palace grounds. Just as he is about to catch up, Kumi appears out of nowhere and blocks his way before allowing him to pass. He passes Junior as the other boy is looking at the orchids and claims victory. When he asks about the secret passageway, Junior reveals they are already on the property. Seconds later Sarah and Rose appear behind them and escort them in as they lecture the boys. When Tristan mentions the Shamble Man, they demand to know how he knows and tells him to leave it to them when he does. Just then a girl tells them something and they bring Tristan and Junior into a room with a statue on a fountain just as Nyame calls for the goddesses. As they wait something hits Tristan on the head and he blames Junior, with the reverse happening soon after. They start yelling as Junior reveals he think Tristan isn't a true hero as he left after the final battle ended and before cleanup could start. He points out that the statue vanished just as something lands on Tristan. He tosses it off and it speaks to him, after hearing her voice he realizes attacker as Gum Baby. She tells him John Henry wants to talk to him and she leads Tristan and Junior to the steel driving man. Along the way she tells Junior embarrassing stories about Tristan, much to his annoyance. When they arrive, the room is pitch black and John Henry asks who is it is. When they identify themselves he welcomes them back and demands Tristan leave the Shamble Man to the other gods. Just then one of Tristan’s charms activates and he sees John Henry lying in bed with a missing foot and realizes he is fading. Tristan and Junior head back to the room and he tells Junior, who noticed he saw something, that John Henry is sick. After a while Ayanna arrives with Gum Baby, who crashed her raft while looking at a rainbow, and tells them the Shamble Man is in Nyanza, a city in the Grasslands. They agree to go, but Junior says Nyame is keeping him on a short leash, but he can get them out. At the docks they explain everything to Keelboat Annie as she lets Ayanna pilot the boat. Tristan gets Anansi, who was placed in a locker, as Junior watches from the dock. After Junior mentions how everyone is telling him to be better then his father, Tristan invites him to join them and he accepts. As Ayanna struggles to set sail, Anansi complains and catches Junior's attention. When Tristan shown him the phone be backs up, just then he senses something a tastes something metallic as an iron monster attacks.

As Tristan is swept up in the river, he grabs on to something and clings onto it. However the current stops and opens his eyes to find himself on a rooftop garden with blue trees over looking a city. Tristan realizes he is in the Grasslands and finds the SBP cracked and Anahi's gone. He sees a large vulture fly over to him wearing jeans and a necklace of trophies, who introduces himself as DJ Kulture, who takes credit for stopping the iron monsters and threatens to eat him. After DJ Kulture takes the SBP, Tristan tackles the bird and they plummet into a nearby lake. As DJ Kulture struggles, Tristan holds onto him and pushes away as they near the water. Tristan lands on the beach and injures his right wrist. DJ Kulture crawls out of the lake berating Tristan for his actions as onlookers surround them. Tristan uses his bracelet to look at his necklace and realizes it is made up of stories, with one trophy being a knitting nettles. Tristan demands DJ Kulture tells him where he got the knitting needle and he refuses. Tristan activates his bracelet again and summons the boxing gloves and lands two punches despite his injured wrist. DJ Kulture's birds start to swarm around Tristan as the vulture picks him up and drops him repeatedly. When Tristan mentions his grandmother, DJ Kulture mentions he guarded her for the Shamble Man and called her off limits. Just as he is about to eat Tristan, Ayanna and Junior show up and hit the birds with rocks, scaring them away. Tristan mentions a plan to his companions he distracts the buzzard as the others pelt him with rocks and Gum Baby, who flies in on a sap covered raft, crashes into the vulture, trapping him on the raft. After Gum Baby lands on Tristan and falls asleep, they walk in Nyanza.

They walk for an hour until until the raft returns covered in sap and feathers. Ayanna cleans it off as best she could and lets Gum Baby fly. As they fly, Junior eyes Tristan suspiciously and Tristan reveals that Anansi escaped. Ayanna is shocked and Gum Baby mocks him for damaging the Story Box. She crashes the raft into the dome of the City of Lakes and they jump off into a dried river bed. As they get to their feet, invisible guards spot them and take them inside. As they walk, Ayanna and Junior remain on guard as Tristan takes in the sights of the city and notices the city is abandoned. After getting on a lily pad, Gum Baby runs of as the others give chase. When they catch up with her they run into Chestnutt. The rabbit fills them in on the storm slowly growing in the horizon and that the city's patron goddess, Mami Wata, is missing. Chestnuts explains how the Warren Society sent her to Nyanza to look into the goddess’s disappearance. When she mentions the Shamble Man, Tristan explains how he broke into his grandparent’s house and took his grandmother and mentions Ninah, a daughter of Mami Wata. When Chestnutt suggests he tell Mami Wata’s story, he reveals that his powers haven’t worked since his grandmother was taken and that the SBP broke during his fight with DJ Kulture. Chestnutt suddenly remembers Lady Night, a goddess who could fix anything who lives outside the Golden Crescent and theorizes that the Shamble Man is a god from MidPass.

Big Big's Birthday and Shamble Man Attack

Lady Night

As they head back to the Golden Cresent, with Chestnutt staying behind, Tristan thinks of the dangerous repercussions if the young rabbit’s theory were to be believed as Gum Baby crashes the raft into a mountain. Just then the doll hides as Tristan, Ayanna, and Junior are surrounded by security and, as they about to be let go, their Boss orders them to bring them in. They inter a room filed with party goers and are approached by the host, Big Big. Big Big reveals he knows about Tristan and takes his bracelet along with Ayanna's club and Junior's satchel. He calls a servant, Cookie, to take them away and bring him something other then rice to eat. Cookie takes them away and tells them Big Big has contacted the Shamble Man, but she can get them out with their belongings if they can help her find her skin. They realize she is Lady Night and ask her to fix the SBP. She agrees to, but she needs her skin first. Just then Gum Baby crashes in on the Flying Raft and starts insulting Big Big. They use this as a distraction and Tristan sneaks out to get the skin. However Big Big finds him and tosses him aside. While they fight, Lady Night gets her skin back and Big Big, whose name is revealed to be Clifford, apologizes as he gives Tristan and his friends back their items and Lady Night wraps him in a cloak. She offers them food as thanks and agrees to fix the SBP. As Gum Baby stays behind on the dance floor and plays the drums, the others follow Lady Night to a booth in the back and, after asking for the SBP, she throws it in a pot of Jollof Rice. Tristan is alarmed but calms down as he starts to smell the pages of a new book with Ayanna and Junior smelling a breeze while flying and freshly fried plantains respectively. As the crack starts to heal, Lady Night explains that they need stories to fix the SBP, but it risks attracting the Shamble Man. As Gum Baby comes to the table, she looks at the rice and mocks Tristan for putting the SBP in it. When Tristan thinks of his grandmother, he realizes he doesn’t have to tell the stories, but rather listen and use the energy they give off to heal it. He takes the pot to the stage and tells the club goers that he needs their help and to tell their stories. After a while, patrons start telling stories about themselves during the iron monster attacks. The energy manages to fix the SBP to show Anansi sleeping, but it also attracts plat-eyes.

As the others cheer, he lets Lady Night, Ayanna, and Junior heard the plat-eyes, now in oxen form, towards the stage as Anansi creates a new app called the "Diaspor-app". The trickster says it can allow him to see other's stories. When he uses the app, he sees that the plat-eyes are actually the ghosts of a boy and girl bear. He sees the good times they had with their father and honorary uncle, who he recognized as Brer Fox. One day their uncle went missing and their father sent more and more time looking for him. One they he returned home after they died, but they didn't pass on and he couldn't see their ghosts. He mourned them and swore revenge on the Anansesem who punched a hole in the sky. The story ends and Tristan realizes who the Shamble Man truly is. When he arrives at the juke joint, Tristan addresses him by his true name, Brer Bear. Tristan tries to reason with the enraged god and tell him about his children, but his please for diplomacy fall on deaf ears as the bear attacks him, only missing due to Gum Baby's warning. He silently asks Anansi to call the other gods as Brer Bear pins him against the wall and tells Tristan he only wants him to feel the pain of losing a loved one, as he believes Tristan did for him, and tell the boy to call the gods as they won't come to his aid. As he drops Tristan and prepares to strike, Junior pelts Brer Bear with stones and the rogue god reveals him to be Stone Thrower, one of Anansi's sons. Lady Night then attacks Brer Bear and tells Tristan and the others to go. He picks up an unconscious Gum Baby and he and Ayanna, with Junior staying behind, fly away.

The Missing Relic, Return to MidPass, and A Majority Reunion

As they fly, the sun rises and he starts to wonder if everything thing is his fault. Ayanna snaps him out of his trance just as Gum Baby wakes up and he tells her they had to run. Tristan asks Anansi if Junior was indeed his son, which he confirms. The others try to reassure Tristan as he hears his grandmother telling him to get back up. When Ayanna mentions the trauma the Midfolk had to deal with after the iron monsters were taken down and Anansi suggests something might be manipulating Brer Bear, Tristan forms a theory that he hopes is wrong and sets course for the Maafa. As they fly past the Golden Crescent and over the Burning Sea, they stop over the wreckage of the sentient slave ship and he uses the SBP to call it. At first nothing happens, but soon the Maafa emerges and, speaking through various iron monsters, asks if it's and Tristan's deal still stands, which it does. When Tristan asks about Uncle Cotton, it tells him the haint's remains are long gone, but someone raided it for parts and took a mask imbued with his essence. As Tristan's friends tell him to stop, it sends iron monsters to attack them, they dodge every one as he recalls Gum Baby pelting Uncle Cotton with sap as he was defeated and guesses it hardened to form the mask. As they fly away, the others ask Tristan about their next move as he tries to figure out the connection between Brer Bear's actions. He pitch the idea of the bear wanting to destroy the symbol's of power, but Anansi states Brer Bear isn’t powerful enough to do so. After thinking of possible locations his grandmother might be, he realizes she might be in the one place in Alke that is currently off limits, MidPass.

Mami Wata

As they fly over the island, with the help of the "Alke-maps" app, they see the burned remnants of the Drowned Forest and land in what used to be the Thicket. They see the burnt shell of the Tree of Power and, after Tristan activates his bracelet, he sees energy coming from the tree and realizes the storm over Nyanza is connected to the tree. The four brace themselves and head in. They notice fetterlings wrapped around the roots and as they go deeper, Anansi shows Tristan an called "This Little Light". He presses it and the passage illuminates with light. He sees a figure he thinks is his grandmother, but he soon realizes it is Mami Wata, who is being used by Brer Bear to create the storm. Despite the others telling him to stay with them, he goes over to the water goddess, who is bound in chains and her feet are in a puddle, and frees her. When she is freed, she tackles him to the ground and says it is to late. She shows him a vision of what Nyanza was like before she was taken and confirms that Brer Bear is being manipulated by Uncle Cotton. They snap back to the present as the tree is imploding. He helps Mami Wata to the raft and gives her his bracelet to strengthen her. As they get out, the tree becomes a geyser of water and wood thanks to Mami Wata as they move to safety. Once she goes over to them and Tristan mentions his grandmother, she reveals that the two of them, along with Lady Night and Keelboat Annie, went all over Alke as a group. As the others question how long it will take to find the rogue god, Tristan realizes he is with his grandmother and now knows his intentions. As they fly to the juke joint, Tristan introduces his friends to Mami Wata and the goddess compares Tristan to his grandmother, saying how stubborn the both of them are. When they reach the juke joint, they find it seemingly abandoned and completely demolished. However, they find the boo hag with a group of warriors from the Ridge, he looks for Thandiwe but they say she is still away. When he asks about Junior, Lady Night says she is uncertain of his whereabouts and rushes over to hug Mami Wata. Soon Tristan summons Keelboat Annie and the three joyously hug, wishing Tristan's grandmother was with them. Soon they see the storm reach the Golden Crescent and they realize Bear has arrived.

Storming the Storm and Fleeing Alke

As they fly into the storm, which avoided MidPass due to the geyser, Tristan, Lady Night, and the goddess rebuild the quilt Tristan brought with him. As they get closer to the Golden Crescent, Tristan confronts Anansi, who is worried about Junior. When they arrive, Gum Baby lowers the raft and he sees Brer Bear and his grandmother, the latter of who is talking to someone the others can't see. When they land, Tristan tells Anansi his plan is to create another geyser to shield the mainland before handing the SBP to Keelboat Annie. After that, he confronts Bear to tell him to stop. The rogue god reveals that his plan is to separate Alke from Tristan's world so that Alke can be safe. Realize he and his grandmother will be trapped and fade away if that happens, Tristan tries to reason with Brer Bear to no avail and a fight breaks out. He dodges the Bear's attacks and nearly knocks the mask off before showing him the quilt, which includes his cub's story. Brer Bear temporarily comes to his sense and asks Tristan for help.

However as Tristan moves towards him, the mask fixes itself and Brer Bear howls in pain. Soon Mami Wata, with the others watching from the Keelboat, summons waves to pull him into a bay and douses him with water. The water pressure causes some of the armor to come off and Tristan yanks off the rest until only the mask remains. Tristan is hesitant to remove it until he meets Nana's gaze. Tristan rips off the mask and throws it into the bay. Brer Bear quickly regains his senses as Tristan comforts him. However Gum Baby soon interrupts as the storm gets worse. As the winds pick up, buildings start to crumble. He activates his bracelet to see that the stories Alke is made of are being destroyed. He sees John Henry's Hammer and rushes towards it. He picks it us , and it adapts to his size, and activates his boxing gloves. After building up power, he tosses the hammer into the sky and watches it vanish. He finds his grandmother and tells her they need to leave, but she insists on helping the Alkeans. Soon he sees his companions and Brer Bear under the keelboat, with it being turned upside down and acting as an umbrella. He sees a recovered John Henry pulling a boat full of Alkeans with Sarah and Rose shielding some of them with their wings. Nyame appears carrying multiple babies just as Old Familiar flies in with High John and Thandiwe, along with a few injured such as Brer Rabbit. Looking at everyone, he tells them to get to the boats.

As they all pile into the keelboat, they see another hole forming in the sky and Tristan and Nana see the family farm. As the others ask Tristan what his plan is, he reveals that they are going to leave Alke, but with their stories he can hopefully rebuild their world. He has Mami Wata, Sarah, and Rose direct them towards the tear in the sky as he has the other gods hold the quilt while he imbues it with the stories of the locations and people of the dying world. Just as Tristan finishes, they reach the tear and he passes out.

Recovering and Discoveries

Ayanna

They successfully land in the forest by the farm and a few suffer minor injuries, such as Tristan's rubs and his grandmother's knee. However most vanish upon entering his world including Ayanna, Gum Baby, High John, Thandiwe, Sarah, and Rose. Two days later he wakes up to the alarm on the SBP and the smell of his grandfather bringing him a plate of pancakes and bacon. When he asks about his grandmother, who has been confined to her room until further notice, his grandfather says she is the same. His grandfather leaves and Anansi tells him he received a message. When he clicks on it, they see pictures of those who went missing on the journey. He rushes out of the house and to the keelboat, now acting as a treehouse, and is let in by the gods who reside in it. He is somberly greeted by Nyame, Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, Keelboat Annie, Lady Night, Mami Wata, and John Henry. Before he can tell them what he found, they show Tristan a piece of Uncle Cotton's mask and tell him they sense nothing inside and show him that half the bottles have been broken, meaning more evil spirits are loose. After that he shows them pictures of Ayanna, Junior, much to Anansi's joy, and Gum Baby. After realizing the SBP can track Alkeans and haints in his world, Tristan vows to find them all.

Chapter list

1. Tricksters and Whispers
2. The Sparring Match
3. Two-Piece Special
4. The Spirits Come Calling
5. Buried Trauma
6. Ghost Cats
7. Strong Blood
8. Unspooling a Story
9. The Paper Giant
10. Riverboat Rideshare
11. Keelboat Annie
12. Talking Skulls
13. Hero's Welcome
14. A Race to Trouble
15. When the Gods Fade
16. Bumbletongue Overboard
17. Kulture Vulture
18. Birds of a Feather
19. The City of Lakes
20. Where's Mami Wata?
21. Boo Hag Blues
22. Juke Joint Jamboree
23. Jollof Rice
24. The Plat-eyes' Tale
25. I Don't Want to Fight
26. Get Back Up
27. Return of the Maafa
28. Shadows of Greatness
29. Eye of the Storm
30. Free Mami Wata
31. The Gang's All Here
32. Beachfront Showdown
33. Hosed Down
34. The World Undone
35. United We Stand
36. I Will Find You

Characters

• Tristan Strong
• Anansi
• Gum Baby
• Walter Strong
• Nana Strong
• Reggie Janson
• Tony
• Almeida Torres
• John Henry
• Shamble Man/Brer Bear
• Brer Bear's Son
• Brer Bear's Daughter
• Ninah
• Ayanna
• Keelboat Annie
• Mr. Richardson
• Junior
• Kumi
• Sarah
• Rose
• Nyame
• DJ Kulture
• Chestnutt
• Big Big
• Lady Night
• Benny the Boar
• Brer Fox
• Maafa
• Mami Wata
• Old Familiar
• High John
• Thandiwe
• Brer Rabbit

Trivia

• The book was released the same day as The Tower of Nero.
• Unlike other books published under Rick Riordan Presents, who each publish pictures of four characters that appear in the book, Tristan Strong Destroys the World has published the most so far with six pictures.
• Early on in the book, Anansi mentions Selkies, shapeshifters from Norse and Celtic mythology who can turn from human to seal.