Ulysses Critchley is a male peculiar with a peculiarity of controlled buoyancy. He works at the Ministry of Temporal Affairs for Miss Blackbird.
Biography[]
The Conference of the Birds[]
Ulysses first appears to deliver a message to Jacob Portman, telling him that Miss Blackbird wants to see him. He leads Jacob and his friends to the Panloopticon, but is briefly interrupted by Sharon. Ulysses denies the purpose of the work going on in the basement that Sharon tells Jacob, before hurrying everyone out and continuing to get them to Miss Blackbird.
He is part of the crowd of peculiars that met Jacob, Emma and Enoch when they returned from dealing with the American clan leaders, shown when Bronwyn shoved him out of the way to reach Jacob and the others.
When Jacob and his friends decide to go ask the Americans about the Well of Hope, Ulysses stops them at the loop entrance in Bentham's attic, telling them that he has strict instructions not to let anyone in.
The Desolations of Devil's Acre[]
In Bentham's house after the defeat of Caul's army, Ulysses brings Jacob and his friends to Bentham's library after they wash up.
After the announcement that all the loop-trapped peculiars of Devil's Acre will get loop freedom, Ulysses climbs halfway up one of the Portmans' backyard palm trees and starts singing.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Ulysses is a dour-looking young man. He wears a black suit with a matching apron, which is the uniform for workers in the Ministry of Temporal Affairs.
Peculiarity[]
Jacob compares Ulysses's peculiarity to that of Olive's, although Ulysses's is different in the sense that his lightness is not as extreme, making it so that when he walks, he resembles a "sped-up version of an astronaut walking on the moon." Each step, or leap, he takes matches three or four steps of others. He can also control his levitation, going up or down as he pleases, and can slow himself down while falling from a height.