* CompleteMonster: Johnny [[MeaningfulName Wulgaru]] is a PsychoForHire whose fierce intelligence allows him to commit depraved atrocities such as torture, murder and rape. Used as [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Felix Jongleur]]'s attack dog, Johnny decides to eclipse his boss's ambitions and use his PsychicPowers to seize control of the Otherland operating system from Felix. To indulge in his sadistic pleasures, Johnny uses his newfound godlike power to rape, torture and massacre the people of Dodge City. Wanting to branch out his carnal sadism further, Johnny then plans to use the resources of Felix's empire to break into the real world and continue his cycle of torture there. Described by a psychologist as "one of the purest examples of a sociopathic personality that he'd ever seen", Johnny Wulgaru would treat innocent lives as mere hedonistic whims.
* GrowingTheBeard: The first book, before the characters really get into Otherland, reads like something of a JustifiedTutorial. It's very clear that the series is written as a coherent whole, rather than four separate novels, and the plot doesn't get into full gear until the second book.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** Several characters refer to cinematic films as "[[Creator/{{Netflix}} net flicks]]".
** At some point, Martine has to explain the original concept of a "meme" to her companions who are not familiar with the word. Bonus points for describing it as "a theory from the last century".
* HoYay: Finney and Mudd have a very close relationship.
* IronWoobie: Paul Jonas. The man spent eternity in the trenches of World War One and things got ''worse'' when he escaped. And he just kept going, and going, and going.
* NightmareFuel:
** So very much. If it involves John Dread, it's going to be fairly horrible, particularly when he gets godlike power.
** The Other inspires nightmares in its power and inhumanity, let alone the entirety of its very existence.
* TrappedByMountainLions: Okay, yes, technically every one of the massive number of plot threads matters in the end, but there are so, so many...
* TheWoobie:
** Orlando, naturally.
** At the end, the Other.
** And possibly Paul Jonas.

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