Deathlands

Deathlands is a series of novels written by Christopher Lowder under the pseudonym Jack Adrian and published by Gold Eagle Publishing. The first novel, Pilgrimage to Hell, was published in 1986. This series of novels was written by Lowder until he became ill following his development of the plot and writing most of the book. Laurence James, under the pseudonym James Axler, then completed the series.
The series exists in both an episodic style and a series format. Some novels can be read as standalone works, while others are dependent on the previous release. There are also a few trilogies within the series.

Plot

On January 20, 2001, the climax of the Cold War turns the world into a postapocalyptic wasteland. The endgame began with a preemptive strike on Washington, DC. Underground nuclear bombs were detonated from within the basement of the Soviet embassy, by an elite group of Spetsnaz operatives, destroying the central command structure and political system of the United States. For an indefinite period of time, a nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union devastated both countries and, subsequently, the entire planet. All manner of genetic contagions were released, infecting the survivors of the firestorm with horrible illnesses. The remaining survivors lived harshly during a time of prolonged nuclear winter known as Skydark. The geography, climate, and ecosystems of the world changed dramatically. What was left of the United States came to be known as the Deathlands.
Nearly a century later, civilization began to reappear, albeit brutal, short lived, morally confused, and crazed from mutation. Between the many hot spots are small plague pits ruled by warlords who have no limits to establish their rule and expand their influence. These individuals are known as the Barons. Their rabble pits are known as villes and baronies. Civilization unknowingly resembles the Dark Ages. Trading resumes between the villes: jack, jolt or "joltsky", ammunition, and slaves are the primary forms of currency. Life is a strange mixture of ancient history and limited technology scavenged from the twentieth century. Military technology is the most prized possession, and success is often measured by the number of bullets one possesses. Ryan Cawdor leads a group across the Deathlands. Ryan has extremely secret knowledge of the 20th century — the understanding of hidden underground complexes, known as redoubts, that contains teleportation technology. He and his companions guard this knowledge with their lives. The technology is called MAT-TRANS.
Each novel typically begins with the companions arriving at a previously unknown redoubt via MAT-TRANS. If the situation is impossible or hostile, the companions can use the transporter's "last destination" feature to return to the sending point. If the redoubt is unknown, the companions usually explore in search of weapons and supplies, which they rarely come across. They occasionally get lucky and find a working shower or stored food, which they always use or take. The plot picks up speed once the characters leave the redoubt and explore the surrounding countryside. Frequently, the companions are apprehended or forced into a confrontation with the local barons. Each novel reveals a little about the characters' backgrounds and motivations, and the region in which they arrived.

Main characters

Ryan Cawdor: In the novel, Cawdor is the youngest son of a powerful baron in Virginia. He first appeared in the novel Pilgrimage to Hell by Jack Adrian. His middle brother, Harvey, is responsible for the loss of Ryan's left eye after murdering Morgan, Ryan's eldest brother. Ryan's nephew, Nathan Freeman now controls the barony of Front Royal. Ryan was named after his great-grandfather, the original founder of Front Royal. He joined the Trader's convoy approximately ten years before the beginning of Pilgrimage to Hell, at the age of 21. Over the years, he climbed the ranks rapidly in Trader's convoy, soon becoming Trader's second-in-command. It was during this time that he met his best friend J.B. Dix, who joined Trader a little over a year later. Ryan is a master of many forms of combat, including knife fighting, and unarmed combat. He learned a great deal from both Trader and J.B. Ryan was portrayed by Vincent Spano in the Sci Fi Channel original movie version of Deathlands: Homeward Bound.
Krysty Wroth: In the novel, Wroth is a skilled and talented combatant and markswoman. She is a valued member of the companions' party for both her natural fighting abilities and her limited "feelie" abilities. She was initially introduced in the first book in the series, Pilgrimage to Hell in 1986, and it was in that book that she established a mutually monogamous romantic relationship with Ryan Cawdor. She is a mutant, though possessing a rare combination of beneficial mutant traits, unlike the myriad of mutilated and deformed "muties" the party comes across throughout their travels. Her most notable characteristic is her long red, semi-sentient animated hair as a result of her mutation.
John Barrymore Dix: In the novel, J.B. Dix, also known as The Armorer, has been Ryan Cawdor's closest friend and travelling companion since both men worked for and travelled with the Trader. He is a thin, wiry, tough man who wears wire-rimmed spectacles and a brown fedora. He is very quiet, never using four words when three will do. He is a living encyclopedia on weapons from pistols to tanks to missiles. He is also an explosives expert and decent hand-to-hand combatant, although only an average shot. He carries a large canvas satchel containing his explosives and other weapons at all times. Born in Cripple Creek, Colorado, he spent his early years exploring the local area and salvaging trade goods from abandoned dwellings and shelters. He developed severe claustrophobia in one such incident as he was trapped in a cave-in with a corpse for several days while exploring an old mine. After serving several years with the Trader he entered the MAT-TRANS with Ryan and his other companions. He began a romantic relationship with Dr. Mildred Wyeth. He has also learned that he has glaucoma and will eventually go blind.
Dean Cawdor: In the novel, Dean is the teenage son of Ryan Cawdor. Despite his youth he is a full member of the team of warrior survivors that comprise the primary characters. Dean is the result of an affair Ryan Cawdor had with Sharona Carson when Ryan was still traveling with his old mentor, the Trader. Dean's existence is first revealed in Time Nomads, and he first encounters the group in Seedling.
Jak Laurent: In the novel, Laurent is an albino distinguished in the books by his unusual syntax when speaking. Jak was introduced in the third book, Neutron Solstice. He is a young man, in his late teens, and is an extremely capable hunter and warrior. His signature weapons are his leaf bladed throwing knives, of which he has between 8 and 12 hidden on him at all times, and often uses them as thrown weapons or for melee when guns are inappropriate, and his.357 Colt Python revolver. He comes from the suburb of West Lowellton in Lafayette, Louisiana, where the group first meet him. At the time, he is leading a group of rebels against an extremely sadistic baron known as Tourment. When Ryan and the other's first met him, and saw just how skillful of a fighter and leader he is, they are surprised to find he is only 14 years old. He is later married to Christina Ballinger, and temporarily leaves the group to settle down in Latitude Zero, but tragedy strikes and his wife and daughter are savagely murdered, and he rejoins the group. In the Deathlands: Homeward Bound movie from the Sci-Fi Channel, his personality was altered to that of a "savage".
Dr. Mildred Winona Wyeth: In the novel, Wyeth is a stocky black woman, known for her corn-rowed hair and smart-ass comments to life in general. She is also a medical doctor from the twentieth century who was cryogenically frozen before the nuclear holocaust. After her introduction in the series she joined Ryan Cawdor and the other characters in roaming the Deathlands via the Redoubts. She has been romantically linked to J.B. Dix, one of the original characters of the series. Mildred is both a skilled physician and a person to contend with firearms-wise, having been an Olympic pistol champion before her cryonic freezing, she has the ability to shoot with a level that almost defies belief, notably hitting Stingwings, small fast terrors that are generally feared in Deathlands, as they attack the group while in flight.
Dr. Theophilus Algernon Tanner: In the novel, Tanner, also known as "Doc", was rescued by Ryan Cawdor and his people from the ville of Mocsin, where he was being kept captive by Jordan Teague, the ville's baron. Dr. Tanner speaks in a very strange, Victorian way. Physically, he is very tall and skinny. His face is deeply lined and framed by long gray hair. He has perfect teeth and speaks with a deep, rich voice which commands attention. He is a doctor of philosophy, as well as having studied ichthyology. Tanner was actually born on February 14, 1868, in South Strafford, Vermont. During a time traveling experiment by scientists, he was brought one hundred years into the future, to 1998. Since he proved to be a nuisance and kept trying to escape, the scientists pushed him a further one hundred years into the future, to the Deathlands. The time travel has put a strain on his body, and his memory has partly lapsed. His knowledge of pre-apocalypse redoubts proves invaluable to Ryan Cawdor and his team. He possesses knowledge of several other projects besides the one which "Time Trawled" him to the Deathlands time period, notably TITAN. There is a past drug-induced psychotic break whenever something brings that particular project to the forefront, and Doc fails to think clearly until the moment passes or he is distracted to another subject. Dr. Tanner was left out of the 2003 film Deathlands: Homeward Bound.
Trader: In the novel, there are many people in Deathlands who bear the title "trader", but only one who used it as his name. Trader is a legend all over Deathlands—a man known for fair deals, a distinct lack of mercy, and the largest and most powerful convoys anywhere. Trader was about 56 years of age at the time of his final appearance ; he had grizzled salt-and-pepper hair and a beard, a burly build, and a chronic cough from his radiation sickness. He carried a battered Armalite rifle, often using it as a crutch.