Eddie enters Year One as a young man in his early twenties. He first encounters Lana and Max during their escape from New York, and although he is initially portrayed as ordinary and unremarkable, he becomes one of the novel’s most resonant symbols of humanity’s enduring goodness. In a world divided between light and dark, Eddie embodies decency, loyalty, and quiet resilience from his very first appearance, begging an initially suspicious Max not to harm his dog. Eddie’s concern for his pet over himself reveals his core values: compassion for the vulnerable and a willingness to risk himself for the sake of another being. Throughout the narrative, Eddie consistently acts with kindness and responsibility, demonstrating the best of what humanity can be, even in the bleakest circumstances.

Unlike many of the central characters, Eddie possesses no magickal gifts. In the pre-Doom world, he worked off-season as a caretaker in the Catskills with little ambition or long-term planning. However, after the Doom, his practical knowledge becomes indispensable. He can repair vehicles, fish, hunt, garden, and manage the basics of survival. What once marked him as directionless now makes him a vital member of the group, and his quiet competence suggests that the group’s survival depends not only on supernatural power but also on resourcefulness and steady labor. His easy acceptance of Lana and Max’s magick also highlights his open-mindedness, for rather than fearing or rejecting what he does not understand, he acknowledges their gifts with gratitude, recognizing that they have saved his life. Through Eddie, Year One illustrates how ordinary goodness, resilience, and practical wisdom can matter as much as prophecy or power.

Max, a well-known author and Lana’s fiancé, plays a pivotal role in Year One as Lana’s partner and their ragtag group’s de facto leader. Long before the Doom, he acted as a guide for Lana, nurturing her interest in magick and encouraging her to experiment and trust in her abilities. This encouragement laid the foundation for her eventual transformation into one of the most powerful witches of the new age. Together, Max and Lana adapt to a collapsing world, surviving the initial devastation of the Doom, and their lovemaking conceives the child who is destined to become “The One.”

Whereas Lana embodies hope and idealism, Max balances her tendencies with pragmatism and realism. His grounded outlook enables him to see dangers clearly and make hard decisions, and these traits allow him to step naturally into a leadership role. Whether he is traveling with Lana or rallying other survivors, Max consistently demonstrates a steady hand and a willingness to shoulder responsibility for the group’s safety. His realism also deepens his capacity for sacrifice, as he consistently prioritizes the well-being of others over his own.

Max’s ultimate act of sacrifice occurs when he gives his life to protect Lana and the unborn child from the attacks of corrupted magick wielders. His death devastates Lana, but he chooses a death that ensures the survival of those he loves most and guarantees the continuation of the prophecy that will one day rest on Fallon Swift’s shoulders. Max’s sacrifice becomes both personal and symbolic, as it is an affirmation that love and selflessness can persist even in the midst of a ravaged world. Even after his death, Max’s presence lingers in the choices that Lana makes and the path she follows. His encouragement of her power, his leadership in times of chaos, and his unwavering devotion shape her resilience and determination.

Eric, Max’s younger brother, joins forces with his college friend Allegra to become one of the most powerful antagonists in Year One. Their fall from grace enhances the novel’s world building by demonstrating that magick, once corrupted, can become a destructive force. Eric, who is eight years younger than his brother Max, initially appears eager and curious about his incipient powers. Allegra, who is described as possessing ice-queen beauty, exhibits behavior that complements Eric’s restless ambition. Together, they embrace dark Uncanny practices, using blood sacrifices and twisted rituals to strengthen themselves at the expense of others.

Unlike those who harness magick for protection or healing, Eric and Allegra embrace its destructive potential, and their self-destructive choices highlight the dangers of unchecked ambition, showing what happens when the thrill of power overrides one’s existing moral code. Intoxicated by their newfound power, they no longer hesitate to exploit the group’s fear and pain, and they actively threaten the lives of others to expand their reach. They ultimately act as foils to Lana and Max, who use their abilities to protect, nurture, and build.

Eric and Allegra’s behavior also illustrates the fragile nature of found family. For communities to survive the Doom, all members must commit to loyalty, trust, and mutual sacrifice, but Eric and Allegra never offer such commitment. Instead, they undermine their group’s cohesion, seeking personal dominance rather than working toward collective survival. Their betrayal and hunger for control reveal that found families can fracture when even one member refuses to share responsibility.

Ultimately, Eric and Allegra represent the darker path that is now available in a world remade by magick. They choose selfishness over solidarity, cruelty over compassion, and destruction over creation. Their physical beauty and charisma conceal the rot of their ambition, rendering them both dangerous within their circle and treacherous to the broader community of survivors. Through their destructive actions, the novel illustrates the constant tension between light and dark, suggesting that not everyone who gains power will use it for benign purposes.

Fred, the 21-year-old intern named after Freddie Mercury, plays a vital role in Year One as a beacon of hope and generosity. While Eddie embodies the best qualities of humanity, Fred illustrates the same goodness through the lens of the Uncanny. As a faerie, she bridges the gap between human survivors and magickal beings, offering guidance, protection, and comfort in a world redefined by chaos.

Fred first acts as a guide to Arlys, showing her the “safe zones” of New York City amid the Doom-fueled devastation. She wards buildings to protect those inside and warns of approaching supernatural threats, and her presence reassures others that kindness and care can still make a difference, even in the face of widespread death and destruction. In a collapsing city, Fred becomes a figure of stability: someone who sees possibilities for safety and community where others see only ruin.

In addition to offering her magickal abilities, Fred holds a constructive outlook that makes her indispensable. She constantly emphasizes collaboration and moderation, reminding others to take only what they need. Her small, practical acts (such as offering snacks, protecting safe spaces, and sharing seeds and spices with Lana) create a pervading sense of comfort and normalcy.

Fred’s role is also to foster trust among the more traumatized survivors, such as Starr, the elf who is deeply wary of others. When Starr finally accepts Fred’s offer of shelter, her decision to extend her trust stands as a testament to Fred’s warmth and authenticity. Just as Fred turns Arlys’s escape into more than a desperate flight, her presence also transforms New Hope into more than just a settlement. Through her efforts, Fred represents the light within the Uncanny and demonstrates that kindness can be just as transformative as magick.

Rachel, a slight, skilled African American emergency-room doctor, joins forces with Jonah, a 33-year-old paramedic, and the two eventually emerge as both partners and pillars of the New Hope community. Their relationship, which is forged in the chaos of the Doom, illustrates the idea that love and companionship can blossom even in the shadow of devastation.

Jonah’s magickal gift is to sense the impending death of the living, and he can also read the lives of the dead. In the wake of the Doom, when death is constant and overwhelming, his ability threatens to destroy him. The psychic weight pushes him toward despair, and he even contemplates ending his life to escape the torment. However, Katie Parsoni’s sudden appearance forces him to choose life over surrender as he helps her give birth to her twins. That moment becomes a turning point, revealing Jonah’s capacity for endurance and his recognition that his gift, however painful, can also serve others.

Rachel, who is grounded in her medical expertise, provides both healing and stability to others, working tirelessly to treat the sick and injured. She also brings a sense of rationality and calm to situations that might otherwise descend into panic. Her partnership with Jonah highlights the balance between emotional vulnerability and professional strength. Together, they demonstrate that survival requires the courage to confront trauma and keep moving forward. As leaders in New Hope, Jonah and Rachel make invaluable contributions, offering both practical skills and moral guidance and helping shape the fledgling community into a place where people can truly live rather than merely survive.

Katie (who gives birth to twins Duncan and Antonia and adopts the orphaned baby Hannah) embodies the endurance and quiet strength of humanity. Her story begins in tragedy, for within the first week of the Doom, she loses her parents, Ross and Angie MacLeod, and her husband, Tony Parsoni, to the contagion. Rather than breaking under the weight of so much loss, she pushes forward and becomes a steady force for survival. Her immunity to the plague links her directly to the prophecy since her family line carries the grim legacy of having unleashed the Doom upon the world. However, Katie reshapes that legacy into something hopeful. By taking Hannah in as her own, she shows compassion, selflessness, and an unshakable drive to protect human life.

Katie’s decision to raise Hannah highlights her role as both protector and nurturer, and she embodies the concept of Found Family as a Survival Mechanism, demonstrating that bonds of love and responsibility can form in even the most challenging circumstances. Her choices ensure the children’s well-being and keep the group’s hope alive, offering a vision of what survival can look like when care and community are prioritized over fear and violence.

Her twins are born with magickal abilities, and although they are only infants in Year One, they will grow to become critical figures later in the series, representing the merging of their mother’s courage with the extraordinary power of the Uncanny. Together, they will come to embody the balance between ordinary strength and supernatural potential.

Arlys began her career as a television reporter in New York City, a woman driven by ambition and a genuine desire to inform. When the Doom sweeps through, she is among the first to recognize its scale. At first, she yields to fear and bends to pressure from those who want to downplay the crisis. However, after witnessing a former news anchor’s suicide, Arlys insists on reporting the unvarnished truth, and this choice shows her integrity and establishes her refusal to ignore harsh realities.

As society collapses, Arlys moves from observer to participant, and her partnership with Fred, the faerie intern, galvanizes her into action. Together, they make their way out of New York, and along the way, Fred tempers Arlys’s cynicism, reminding her that survival requires meaningful connection in addition to stoic resilience.

Although Arlys loses her career, her colleagues, and the world she once knew, she embraces Resilience in the Face of Grief and Instability and adapts to her new circumstances. Her background as a journalist helps her think critically and stay level-headed, and she also remains willing to risk opening herself up to others. By the time she reaches New Hope, Arlys has become an integral member of the fragile community that is struggling to arise amid the ashes of an obliterated world, acting as a voice of clarity and encouraging her community to forge a bold new future, no matter how much has been lost.

Simon, a former Army captain, emerges as a figure of strength, discipline, and protection, taking in the desperate Lana in the aftermath of Max’s death in the Purity Warriors’ attack on New Hope. Although many survivors fall into fear or chaos, Simon relies on his training and sense of duty to provide stability to others amid a fractured world. In his burgeoning relationship with Lana, he uses his skills and discipline to shield her from danger, and their connection grows into a romance that offers them both a sense of comfort and renewal. Although Simon is not Fallon’s biological father, he willingly adopts her as his own, accepting the responsibility of raising this prophesied child alongside Lana. His role as Fallon’s adoptive father symbolizes the importance of found family in an age when old social structures have collapsed.

For Lana, Simon represents a steadiness and a sense of safety that contrast with Max’s creative passion. Max encouraged Lana to discover and embrace her magick, inspiring her to grow into her power, while Simon provides the grounding and structure that she needs to survive and rebuild her life. Together, these relationships highlight Lana’s complexity, suggesting that she needs both inspiration and stability to navigate the new world.