The Ashes Series in Order

About the Ashes series

Series Premise

In the near future (late 20th/early 21st century), the United States collapses after a devastating nuclear war initiated by the Soviet Union and other global powers. Civilization is destroyed, governments fall, and the country descends into anarchy, famine, disease, and roving bands of looters, gangs, cannibals, and warlords. Millions die in the initial blasts and fallout; survivors are left in a lawless wasteland of ruined cities, poisoned land, and constant violence. Into this chaos steps Ben Raines, a former Special Forces soldier, mercenary, and writer who has long prepared for societal collapse. Ben emerges as a charismatic, iron-willed leader who gathers survivors, forms a disciplined fighting force, and begins rebuilding civilization on his own terms—using military tactics, strict moral codes, and a vision of a new society based on individual liberty, personal responsibility, and armed self-defense. He declares the Rebel Army (also called the Southern United States or Rebel Forces) and wages war against bandits, rogue militias, foreign invaders (including surviving Soviet forces), mutant cannibals, and anyone who threatens his vision of freedom. Each book follows Ben and his growing army as they reclaim territory, rescue survivors, establish safe zones, and battle increasingly large-scale threats (foreign armies, dictators, cults, biological weapons). The series is less about small-scale survival and more about nation-rebuilding on a grand scale—Ben’s Rebels grow from a ragtag group into a powerful military force capable of defeating entire armies and establishing a new America.

Main Characters

Ben Raines: Central protagonist — former Special Forces soldier, mercenary, and writer. Mid-40s to 50s, tall, rugged, brilliant strategist, and uncompromising leader. Survives nuclear war, builds the Rebel Army, and becomes a near-mythic figure. Ruthless with enemies, honorable with allies, deeply patriotic, and driven by a vision of a free, self-reliant society.
- Ben’s inner circle / Rebel commanders (rotating):
- Cecil Jefferys — Black general, Ben’s closest friend and co-leader. Wise, steady, moral center.
- Ike McGowan — Explosives expert, gruff, loyal.
- Dan Gray — British ex-SAS, sniper, and tactician.
- James Riverson — Bodyguard, massive and silent.
- Dr. Chase — Physician, sarcastic, keeps Ben alive.
- Supporting/recurring: Various Rebel soldiers, women (occasional romantic interests, though romance is secondary), and rotating allies (survivors, other military leaders).
- Villains: Endless parade of antagonists—warlords, cannibal gangs, rogue military units, foreign invaders (Soviets, mercenaries), and later super-mutants or cult leaders.

Setting

A post-nuclear-war United States (late 20th/early 21st century) reduced to a radioactive, lawless wasteland. The initial blasts destroy major cities (Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago), poison farmland, and kill hundreds of millions. Survivors face fallout, starvation, disease, roving gangs, and warlords. Key locations evolve across the series:
- Early books: Southeast U.S. (Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee) — Ben’s initial stronghold.
- Mid-series: Western expansion (Montana, Wyoming, Idaho) — Ben establishes bases in the Rockies.
- Later books: Nationwide campaigns — reclaiming the Midwest, South, Southwest, and West Coast.
- Recurring settings: ruined cities, abandoned military bases, fortified compounds, rural strongholds, and battlefields across deserts, mountains, plains, and forests.

The landscape is bleak and unforgiving—scorched earth, poisoned rivers, mutant animals, radiation zones, and endless ruins. Technology is scavenged and decaying—working vehicles, guns, and radios are prized, while modern infrastructure has collapsed.

Tone & Themes

Hard-edged, brutal, and unapologetically patriotic—classic post-apocalyptic action pulp with a strong survivalist/right-wing ethos. The tone is grim, violent, and uncompromising: nuclear war, mass death, rape, torture, cannibalism, and endless combat are depicted graphically and without flinching. The writing is straightforward, fast-paced, and formulaic—short chapters, high body counts, clear good-vs-evil morality, and a relentless pace of battle after battle. Humor is minimal and dark (dry sarcasm, ironic observations), with little romance or levity. The series is empowering and cathartic for its audience: Ben Raines is an invincible force of justice who imposes order on chaos, punishes the wicked without mercy, and builds a society based on rugged individualism and armed freedom. It reflects 1980s–1990s survivalist fantasies—government has failed, only strong individuals can save civilization—and delivers visceral satisfaction through righteous violence and ultimate triumph.

The Last Mountain Man / Ashes series is a sprawling, brutal, and unapologetic post-apocalyptic Western epic—over 35 books of relentless action, righteous vengeance, and the rebuilding of civilization from the ashes of nuclear war. William W. Johnstone created in Ben Raines a towering figure of frontier justice: a lone survivor turned revolutionary leader who imposes order, punishes evil, and fights for freedom in a world gone mad. With its graphic violence, clear morality, high body counts, and unwavering patriotism, the series is pure pulp escapism—cathartic and empowering for readers who crave stories of strong men triumphing over chaos. Though formulaic and controversial in its politics, its enduring popularity proves its power as raw, visceral entertainment. A cornerstone of survivalist action fiction that continues to resonate with fans of the genre.