Year One

Nora Roberts

66 pages 2-hour read

Nora Roberts

Year One

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Lana is a 28-year-old sous chef living in New York City with an affinity for fashion and cooking. When the Doom strikes, her latent abilities awaken, revealing her to be a powerful witch. She is deeply devoted to her partner, Max, and focuses on keeping their chosen family fed, safe, and united as they travel through the ruined world.

Key Relationships

Fiancé and partner of Max Fallon

Friend and traveling companion of Eddie Clawson

Mother of Fallon Swift

Future sister-in-law of Eric Fallon

Protected by Simon Swift

Eddie is a practical, resilient drifter in his early twenties who lacks magickal abilities but possesses vital survival skills. He is intensely loyal and values decency, offering his knowledge of mechanics, hunting, and gardening to the group.

Key Relationships

Friend and companion of Lana Bingham

Friend and companion of Max Fallon

Owner and protector of Joe

Max is a well-known author, a practiced witch, and Lana's dedicated partner. He possesses a pragmatic, grounded outlook that naturally pushes him into a leadership role among the survivors. He prioritizes the safety of his group, balancing Lana's idealism with necessary caution and strategy.

Key Relationships

Fiancé and partner of Lana Bingham

Older brother of Eric Fallon

Friend and companion of Eddie Clawson

Father of Fallon Swift

Eric is Max's younger brother, a survivor who initially appears eager to understand his newly awakened Uncanny abilities. He travels to an Allegheny cabin with his college friends, where his fascination with power and his chafing under Max's leadership begin to create significant friction within the group.

Key Relationships

Younger brother of Max Fallon

Friend and ally of Allegra

Connected to Lana Bingham

Friend of Shaun

Allegra is Eric's college friend, described as possessing striking beauty and a restless, impatient demeanor. She explores her Uncanny power alongside Eric, exhibiting an ambition that causes friction with the rest of the surviving household.

Key Relationships

Friend and ally of Eric Fallon

Fred is a 21-year-old intern at a New York news station who reveals herself to be a faerie. She serves as a guide and protector for Arlys, using her wards and innate kindness to help others move through the devastated city.

Key Relationships

Colleague and friend of Arlys Reid

Ally of Chuck

Caretaker of Starr

Rachel is a skilled, pragmatic emergency room doctor who works tirelessly to save patients as the medical infrastructure collapses. She forms a close bond with paramedic Jonah Vorhies, utilizing her medical expertise and level-headed nature to anchor their small group of survivors.

Key Relationships

Partner and ally of Jonah Vorhies

Doctor to Katie Parsoni

Jonah is a 33-year-old paramedic burdened with the Uncanny gift of sensing death. This psychic weight drives him near the breaking point until he helps deliver a pair of twins, an act that restores his sense of purpose and commitment to protecting the living.

Key Relationships

Partner and ally of Dr. Rachel Hopman

Rescuer and friend of Katie Parsoni

Arlys is a 32-year-old television reporter driven by a commitment to the truth. She risks her safety to document the collapse of society, eventually fleeing the city with trusted allies to help establish a new community rooted in transparency and order.

Key Relationships

Colleague and friend of Fred

Ally of Chuck

Simon is a disciplined former Army captain residing on his family's farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He maintains a steadfast, ethical nature, offering protection and stability to travelers without judging their Uncanny abilities.

Key Relationships

Protector and companion of Lana Bingham

Adoptive father of Fallon Swift

Fallon is the prophesied child of Lana and Max, representing hope for the ruined world. Though she remains unborn for most of the early narrative, she exerts a profound influence, communicating with her mother through visions to offer guidance and strength.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Lana Bingham

Daughter of Max Fallon

Adoptive daughter of Simon Swift

Future student of Mallick

Supporting Characters

Katie is a pregnant survivor who loses her immediate family to the Doom within days of the outbreak. She demonstrates immense fortitude, giving birth to twins and adopting an orphaned baby, focusing entirely on nurturing the next generation.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Ross MacLeod

Daughter of Angie MacLeod

Wife of Tony Parsoni

Protected by Jonah Vorhies

Patient of Dr. Rachel Hopman

Ross is a 64-year-old New Yorker whose accidental spilling of blood at an ancient stone circle inadvertently sparks the deadly global contagion known as the Doom.

Key Relationships

Husband of Angie MacLeod

Father of Katie Parsoni

Angie is Ross's wife, who quickly contracts the contagion after caring for him upon his return from Scotland.

Key Relationships

Wife of Ross MacLeod

Mother of Katie Parsoni

Tony is Katie's husband, desperate to protect his growing family as the plague begins to claim millions.

Key Relationships

Husband of Katie Parsoni

Chuck is a skilled hacker who uncovers the true, suppressed statistics about the Doom's death toll and military actions. He provides vital logistics and safe harbor for Arlys and Fred during their escape.

Key Relationships

Source and ally to Arlys Reid

Ally of Fred

Shaun is a friend of Eric's whose family cabin serves as a refuge for the survivors. He copes with the apocalypse through stress eating but gradually works to prove himself useful to the group.

Key Relationships

Friend of Eric Fallon

Friend of Kim

Kim is a pragmatic survivor who understands the grim realities of the outside world, warning the group against premature travel.

Key Relationships

Friend of Shaun

Friend of Poe

Poe is one of Eric's friends, learning domestic skills like baking bread and assisting with scouting missions to maintain the group's supplies.

Key Relationships

Friend of Eric Fallon

Friend of Kim

Flynn is a wary elfin teenager who possesses telepathic abilities. He survives independently in the woods with his wolf companion before joining the larger community.

Key Relationships

Bonded to Lupa

Ally to Starr

Starr is a 14-year-old elf whose family was murdered. Deeply distrustful of others, she slowly responds to the patient care offered by the New Hope residents.

Key Relationships

Protected by Fred

Ally to Flynn

Mallick is a mysterious rider aware of ancient prophecies who seeks to guide Fallon's future training.

Key Relationships

Future mentor of Fallon Swift

Rove is a survivor who harbors deep prejudice against those with magickal abilities, actively attempting to provoke conflict within the recovering community.

Key Relationships

Antagonist to Max Fallon

Antagonist to Lana Bingham

Joe is a puppy rescued by Eddie, providing comfort and a sense of normalcy to the traveling survivors.

Key Relationships

Lupa is a wolf who shares a unique, telepathic bond with Flynn, symbolizing the potential for harmony between humans and the natural world.

Key Relationships

Bonded to Flynn