How CharacterViz works
CharacterViz is a reading companion for complex fiction: character reference, chapter-aware analysis, private notes, and fan theories — all gated to your bookmark, so nothing you read here ever reads ahead of you.
Where our analysis comes from
We don't claim to fully or accurately analyze any novel without its source text. We help readers organize, debate, and visualize as they read — and we label every piece of content with where it came from. You'll see these badges throughout the site:
The book's full public-domain text is on file with us. Character descriptions and chapter analysis are drawn from the original passages — not invented.
We don't hold this book's text, so AI produces starting points only. Readers review, correct, and publish them — nothing becomes canon here without a person signing off.
Grounded in a copy of the text a reader uploaded privately. The analysis is text-based, and the uploaded text is never shared with anyone else.
One rule holds everywhere: if the book never describes something — a character's face, for instance — we don't guess. Portraits are only generated from published descriptions.
What's free, and what tokens buy
Most of CharacterViz is free. Tokens pay for the things that cost us real compute: generating new analysis and rendering portraits.
- Browsing, chapter guides, theories, and notesFree
Reading the library, following chapter guides, posting theories, and keeping private notes never costs tokens.
- Book analysis500 tokens
Generates a full companion for a new book: character roster, chapter guide, relationship map, and "Up to This Point" arc summaries for primary characters.
- "Up to This Point" arc — primary charactersIncluded
Cumulative story-so-far summaries through each chapter — included free for primary characters on every published book.
- "Up to This Point" arc — one secondary character25 tokens
Lazy-generated once per character; shared for all readers after the first unlock.
- "Up to This Point" arc — all secondary characters in a book100 tokens
Generate remaining secondary character arcs in one unlock.
- Character portrait50 tokens
A portrait rendered from a published physical description — never from guesswork.
- Relationship map unlock50 tokens
The interactive map of how a book’s characters connect.
- Chapter companion unlock75 tokens
Chapter-by-chapter recaps, themes, and notable quotes for books that need generating.
- Companion pack100 tokens
The relationship map, chapter companion, and primary-character "Up to This Point" arcs for one book, bundled (125 bought separately).
Tokens are one-time purchases from the token store — no subscription required.
Spoiler-safe by design
Set your bookmark as you read and CharacterViz keeps pace: chapter analysis warns you before you read past your place, and theories tagged with spoilers stay locked until your bookmark catches up.
It’s the reading-group conversation — without the friend who’s already finished the book.