66 pages • 2-hour read
Nora RobertsA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Daughter of Lana Bingham
Daughter of Max Fallon
Adoptive daughter of Simon Swift
Future student of Mallick
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Protected by Fred
Ally to Flynn
Mallick is a mysterious rider aware of ancient prophecies who seeks to guide Fallon's future training.
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.
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.
Pet of Eddie Clawson
Lupa is a wolf who shares a unique, telepathic bond with Flynn, symbolizing the potential for harmony between humans and the natural world.
Bonded to Flynn