The Characters

The people who carry the story — from ordinary lives to extraordinary choices.

Book 1: Tribe & Family

Core

Bret Gordon

Bret Gordon is the main character of the Reason book series. A civilian with early onset parkinson’s, with minor symptoms beginning to surface. He took it upon himself to train as a modern day minuteman. Bret felt that he had to prepare himself for what may come to America due to China and Russia’s movement of their respective chess pieces on the geopolitical stage. He’s been involved in training of some sort from martial arts, Native living skills, to firearms and tactical movement and patrolling throughout the years leading up to the events in the Reason book series.

Jen Gordon

Jen Gordon is a travel nurse caught at the wrong place at the worst possible time as the country begins to fracture. Intelligent, compassionate, and stubbornly independent, she is driven by a deep sense of duty to help others even as the world around her turns increasingly violent. Separated from Bret early in the collapse, Jen is forced to survive on her own, navigating chaos, betrayal, and moral compromise while trying to hold onto her humanity. Her choices — often guided by empathy rather than caution — shape not only her fate, but the course of the war unfolding around her.

Greg McDonnel

Greg McDonnel is a former Unit operator, retired Police Officer and long-time friend of Bret’s who has spent years preparing for a collapse he hoped would never come. Pragmatic, disciplined, and relentlessly focused on protecting his people, Greg becomes a central figure in the emerging militia resistance as the government falters and foreign forces move in. While Bret represents the reluctant civilian forced into war, Greg is the man who saw it coming — and now must live with the burden of leadership, the cost of hard decisions, and the line between survival and becoming the very thing he’s fighting against

John “J.J.” Jameson

John “J.J.” Jameson is the leader of the Free American Liberation Front, a man forged by years of service and a quiet understanding of what happens when institutions fail. Calm, deliberate, and deeply pragmatic, J.J. does not seek power, but accepts responsibility when no one else will. He values discipline, preparation, and loyalty, yet understands that leadership in a fractured world means carrying the weight of decisions that cannot be undone. As the collapse accelerates and lines of authority dissolve, J.J. becomes a stabilizing force — not because he promises victory, but because he understands the cost of survival and refuses to lie about it.

Ryan Gordon

Ryan Gordon is Bret and Jen’s oldest son, a capable adult shaped by discipline, loyalty, and the quiet weight of responsibility long before the world collapses. At twenty-eight, a Staff Sergeant in the Army Reserves, he’s steady, observant, and far more dangerous than he lets on — a man who doesn’t seek attention but doesn’t hesitate when action is required. Where Bret is forced into leadership and Greg carries the burden of preparation, Ryan operates with clarity, absorbing hard lessons without complaint. As the conflict deepens, Ryan becomes a bridge between generations — not learning how to survive, but deciding what kind of man he will be in a world that no longer offers easy choices.

Ash & Skye Gordon

Skye and Ash are more than companions — they are constants in a world where almost everything else is stripped away. Loyal, alert, and instinctively protective, the dogs serve as early warning, emotional grounding, and silent witnesses to the choices made around them. Together, they embody a quieter truth of the collapse: that loyalty does not need words, and some bonds remain unbroken even as the world burns.

Supporting

Sergeant Kowalski

J.J.’s right hand man. He’s disciplined professional whose calm under fire steadies those around him.

Mike “Jasper” Johnson

A capable fighter carrying a past he doesn’t advertise.

Marcus Galeno

A seasoned operator who understands war for what it is, not what it’s supposed to be.

Jimmy Harding

Bret’s nephew. Reliable when it counts. Never quits.

Tim Guthry

Long time friend and manager of Jimmy’s tactical store and training business. Someone you’d want covering your six.

Lieutenant Mei Lin

Caught between survival and allegiance as lines blur.

Dianna RN

Intelligent and observant, navigating danger with measured resolve.

Rebecca “Becky” RN

Resilient and resourceful in the face of mounting chaos.

Threats/Antagonists

The Colonel

The Colonel is a calculating and ruthless enemy commander whose patience is as dangerous as his brutality. Methodical and deeply personal in his pursuit of enemies, he represents the cold, deliberate face of the invading force. Unlike chaotic violence, the Colonel brings intent — and once he sets his sights on a target, he does not let go

Jamul

Jamul is a leader of one of the many Jihadist cells working alongside the communist Chinese.

Sanchez

Member of the PLA “Blue Falcon scouts.

Sergeant Chen Wei

The Colonel’s nephew, who has his own fire-team.

Book 2: Tribulations

Core

Bret Gordon

Bret Gordon is the main character of the Reason book series. A civilian with early onset parkinson’s. Now a member of Greg McDonnel’s EAFA militia with growing leadership responsibilities and wrestling with the cost.

Jen Gordon

Jen Gordon now an integral part of EAFA and member of her husband, Bret’s growing team, Team Tennessee. She wrestles with the necessity of picking up arms and the passion of rendering education and medical treatment to those in need.

Greg McDonnel

Greg McDonnel …coming soon

Ryan Gordon

Ryan Gordon is …coming soon.