WARNING: You may find spoilers if you are not a few books into the series. I tried to keep the descriptions basic, but even the existence of new people gives them away. This includes characters present in all the books up through the 7th.
It may seem like a lot of people, but this covers almost 2000 pages of story across 7 volumes.
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From Clownfish Cove
Frank Douglas. 52-year old ex-trucker. Finished his career with his own trucking company and garage. Retires to sunny Florida to listen to tunes, lay on the beach, and read books. The fun ends when the EMP strikes…
Penny O’Rourke.39-ish blonde woman lives next door to Frank. Career woman, married, has a child in late 30s, then becomes stay-at-home mom. Husband is away from home a lot to work at a growing branch of banking company. Fitness and aerobics are her full-time jobs while her toddler daughter Daisy is at daycare. Seems like stereotypical trophy wife, very ‘put together’, until Frank learns more about her.
Carmen Rodriguez. 35-ish. Divorced. Cuban heritage. Her mother lives in Miami. Wealthy from a divorce, but she keeps busy by running a salon out of her house. Has a living room filled with every type of cat decoration known to humanity. Fondness for outdoors and tending her lawn. Frank thinks she looks a bit like actress Jennifer Lopez.
Trevor Derada, 22. A young man who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. Took that wealth and became a high-class drug dealer. His house becomes party central for young adults looking for designer drugs and good times. Cars always parked on the grass in front of the place. All his partying makes his neighbors take an instant dislike to him.
Pike. Friends with Trevor. Husky. His yes man.
Bonnie. Girlfriend of Trevor. Gets tangled in the young man’s lies and must act as a scout for him due to threats placed upon her. She lives in North Pointe.
Toby and Trish. Live in the house next to Trevor, but they haven’t been seen on the street since before the EMP. All we know is that Toby seemed to track down Carmen whenever she was working in her yard so he could hit on her. Known as workahaulics. Location after the EMP, unknown.
Ben. Married to Evelyn. Retired guy, about 60, good shape, likes to spend his days (before the EMP) on his jon boat fishing and sleeping his days away on the canals. Affinity for beer. Loves his wife but often can’t stand her.
Evelyn. Married to Ben. About 55. Dour lady in poor physical condition who is often at odds with Frank and the rest of the street. Overly protective of ‘her Ben’ and doesn’t like him leaving her side…which is part of why he was always on his boat pre-EMP. Has a form of Epilepsy that requires medication.
Levar, 25. Married to Kaira. Young man who started his own contractor service installing security systems in the Fort Myers area. Tall, basketball-player height. Good with wiring and technology. Inseparable from his young bride, Kaira.
Kaira, 23. Married to Levar. Worked in downtown Fort Myers when the EMP struck. Short woman, especially compared to her husband. She doesn’t like being separated from Levar, but quickly proves she can handle herself in the chaos.
Luke Farmington, 37. Married to Melanie. Works from home in IT. First person to step up and help Frank when the EMP strikes, mostly a result of wanting to take care of his wife and two teen kids.
Melanie Farmington, 36. Married to Luke. Worked in Fort Myers but had snuck out of the office to go shopping when the EMP went off. Meets Frank and Luke during the rescue of the teens at their school. Becomes the caretaker for younger children on Clownfish Cove, starting with the twins Zoe and Alex.
Tyler Farmington, 16. Known as the class clown in school, he works hard to carry that title onto Clownfish Cove. Very keen to impress Frank and show he can also be responsible during the EMP event. Works up the nerve to ask out Zoe, so they can ‘hang’ during the disaster.
Rainey Farmington, 17. Popular girl in school who excels at running and is a go-getter. She and her brother are constantly at odds, but she loves to help out the street and is welcoming of new arrivals from the school.
Mr. Puppers. The golden retriever belonging to the Farmington family.
Chuckie. The stray chiweenie (half Chihuahua, half Dachshund mix) found by Frank in the debris of the hurricane.
Black Lab. Stray dog as yet to be named.
Jack Rusell. Stray dog with wheels under his useless rear legs. One wheel was missing when he was found coming across the bridge of a canal.
Zoe Roads. Twin sister of Alex. Classmate of Tyler and Rainey, Zoe is a redhead with a long braid down to her waist. Fond of anime and “nerdy things” but she and her sister are tall and strong, like softball players. Tyler Farmington takes an interest in her.
Alex Roads. Twin sister of Zoe. Classmate of Tyler and Rainey, Alex is a redhead with a long wild hair down to her waist. Not as confident as her sister, but is a survivor. Also a bit nerdy overall.
Mr. and Mrs. Drummond. Elderly retirees who are on a trip to Europe when the EMP strikes. All we know is the man used to be in law enforcement and he was a prepper, given the large stockpile discovered in his garage. Frank is forced to tap into his supplies, but constantly worries whether he is doing right by the real owners.
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From Zen’s Area of suburbia
Zen. Twenty-something man who lives in the subdivision across Bayside Road. Starts off as a drug kingpin of the area who has a beef with Trevor. Evolves into a new role as leader of the streets between Frank and the coast. Though a little unpredictable, he seems to become a good ally of Frank.
Pax. Zen’s bud who can’t quite quit the drug life. Has a run in with Frank when he threatens some girls at the high school and later is the victim of a crime when bad people seek out his drug stash.
Charlie. One of the leaders who lives beyond Zen’s subdivision, closer to the coast.
Shane Kingston. Barely old enough to drink, he and his brother strike it big with a lottery ticket in Georgia. Use the money to move to Florida and buy lots of beer and guns.
Sonny Kingston. The more sensible of the brothers, he often has to smooth over what his all-action brother does. Brothers had a home near the coast at the far western end of Frank’s area of control. Also known for their old station wagon.
Kimber. Sonny’s new girlfriend. Survived an attack on Sonny’s house inside a concrete bunker under the bed. Before the EMP, she worked as a cheerleader for the Atlanta Falcons.
Alison. One of the women from the islands. Meets Frank at the ship while she and her people are getting supplies from inside. Little known about her.
Brendan. About 10. Meets Frank early while he is riding his bike around Clownfish Cove circle. Frank gives him ice cream to get him to go home.
Corey. 8 or 9. Young boy who is left alone in his house near the ship, since his parents are missing. Spends the night riding out the hurricane on a floating roof. This is Brendan’s brother, and the two boys eventually end up at Clownfish.
DAWN STAR. Giant cargo ship beached at the end of Poseidon Pier. Was carrying a contingent of soldiers of unnamed enemy invaders.
Geraldine Lasko. 105. Found in her upstairs bedroom days after the hurricane. Ends up on Clownfish Cove, so she would not be alone.
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From Torval’s Street
Torval. An elderly man who meets Frank as he drives by. Their chance meeting sets in motion a partnership that survives turmoil on this street.
Jack Ellars. Large man from Torval’s street. Volun-told by his neighbors to the be their leader. No one else wanted the job.
Agnes. A nurse who lived on this street until Frank asks her to move to Clownfish Cove to help his people. She started the apocalypse on a ton of cancer drugs, as she was deep into her cancer treatments when the world collapsed.
Arnold. Middle-aged Filipino man who has a high-performance milk truck in his garage.
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From Albacore Anchorage
Dante and Tara. A couple who lives on Albacore Anchorage. Dante works for the Florida Panthers and is often wearing their jersey. Tara spends a lot of time working the main roadblock. These are Frank’s main contacts on this street.
Elmer. Vietnam vet who lives in the last house on Albacore, he gives shelter to Frank and Margaret as the threat of the Poncho Guys arrives at the door of the subdivision. Despite his age, he is good at keeping watch for the group.
Mr. James. Principal of the high school. Unable to make decisions about releasing the students and this causes a panic on day 1. Later, found to be a resident on Albacore Anchorage, and generally makes life difficult for Frank and the others.
Regis and Francine. An elderly couple living on Albacore who choose to get involved with defending the roadblock, since they want to make a difference. Regis likes to carry his shotgun in his rolling golf bag, so he doesn’t get yelled at by the street’s busybody, Mr. James. Both are old enough they can’t keep watch for long periods, but they try.
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From Barracuda Bay
Marco and Tessa. This couple lives on Barracuda. Marco is a large guy who always carries chaw in his mouth. He fiercely defends his pregnant wife, Tessa.
Amanda Barclay. HOA president. Lives on Barracuda Bay. Not a fan of Luke Farmington because his dog, Mr. Puppers, runs wild on the street. She has words with Frank about the subdivision rules until events flip on her and she sees the new world coming for them.
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From ‘The North’
Gretchen. 3rd in command of her group of residents living north of Frank, but south of North Pointe. She and her son Zack have to hold off the attacks of the brutal forces of North Pointe. Drives a giant red pickup truck and dresses like Lara Croft.
Two mystery leaders. There are two leaders in control of Gretchen’s subdivision, but Frank doesn’t know who they are…
Darla and Nathan Roads. Divorced parents of Alex and Zoe. Live in separate trailers at the trailer park north of Clownfish Cove, rescued by Frank and his friends. Darla was a schoolteacher. Nathan was famous for playing Call of Duty and being a bit of a layabout. However, he loved his girls and often goes into the woods to help defend them while on Clownfish Cove.
Red. Truck driver who shows up with an 1970 Mack RS700 tractor-trailer. Was driving to points beyond Fort Myers, but decides to stay with Frank’s people because it was too dangerous out there. Came from direction of Port Charlotte area (the north).
Kris. Arrives with Red. About 50 years old. Possibly a professor from a college. Has a ‘life partner’ named Andi, who is even more mysterious. Contributes nothing to the group. Seems to avoid work of any kind.
Andi. Around 25 years old. Dark eyes. A bit moody, as if a cloud always hung over her. Is the ‘life partner’ of Kris, and seems to be able to order him around with a whisper in his ear.
Sheriff of North Pointe. Portly gentleman who uses his position to force out the mayor of North Pointe, then invade the subdivisions south of his town. This conflict puts him at odds with Gretchen, and later, with Frank.
Rosie. Korean woman who owns and operates a salon at the first intersection going into the town of North Pointe. Some of her workers start as hostile to Frank, but they create an uneasy truce where they help each other survive.
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From ‘The South’
Elizabeth. Trauma surgeon released from the North Pointe hospital to tend to Trevor. Later, Frank helps her rescue her grandson from her subdivision in the south, so she will consider staying.
Amy Nixon. Worked in a high-rise in downtown Fort Myers. Searching for her daughter, Nikki, brought her close to Clownfish Cove before she was stricken with a debilitating ailment that sent a whole street into quarantine.
Nikki Nixon. Discovered in the back seat of Shane’s station wagon, the teen girl was friends with Rainey back in high school, and found her way to Clownfish Cove after discovering a sign leading to the street back at her school cafeteria.
Alvero Mencino. Middle-aged father. Unwilling leader of many people in the chaotic south. Meets Frank at the wing filled with solar panels. One son, Homer/Greg, is present at the wing. He is always searching for his other son, who went missing.
Homer aka Greg Mencino. Older son of Alvero. Was found breaking solar panels in the woods with his friends, including girlfriend Tifini. Enters uneasy truce with Frank to watch over the plane until he can return.
Tifini. “With three I’s.” Girlfriend of Homer. Hides on Frank’s truck as she flees her abusive boyfriend Homer while Frank was working on the solar panels found on the broken wing of the plane. Seems to be a bit of a bad apple…
Mercer. Supervisor at Pennsylvania Power and Light. His team was in Fort Myers to prepare for Hurricane Aurora, and they’ve been fighting their way home since the EMP went off. Frank mistakes them for a motorcycle gang.
Jammer. A mailman who stays in uniform after the EMP. This seems to make him a target for bad people to use him as a front man while going door to door. This danger is what finally gets him to flee when Frank shows up.
T-Bone. Mentioned in passing several times. May be leader of faction living in the south.
Mr. Kim Park. Korean man. Owner of the comic book store next to the tractor supply in South Pointe.
Chuck Hefner. Owner of the tractor supply store. Makes an arrangement to give supplies to Frank as long as he gets him back to his wife.
Em. (real name is Temenuzhka) Exchange student from Bulgaria. Blue hair. A bit wild. Runs away from home at end of school year, hoping to avoid going back to Bulgaria. Found hiding in the cafeteria of the school.
Margaret. A soldier who appears from the south carrying fuel for her M1 Abrams tank. Needs Frank’s help getting to safety and she helps him defend his subdivision at the same time.
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From ‘Elsewhere’
LTC Zeke Hendrickson. Pilot who parachutes into the subdivision.
D the drone operator. ???
Prisoner from the ship. ???