"Only the head will take them down"

(Not-so) Subtle references

Throughout the Aftermath series, varying entities - from individuals and groups, to events and places - are referenced during the text. Whilst some of these are more obvious than others, it's difficult for anybody to notice them all, and so below is a by no means exhaustive list, noted in chronological order:

Aftermath I: The Dead Gathering

  • John Parker was originally called John Teller, a name taken from TV's Sons of Anarchy
  • The town of "Ashton" - found in chapters 2 and 3 - is actually the town of Woodbury, Minesota, a reference to Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead
  • The British Assault Pack, first introduced in chapter 2, is a reference to the game DayZ, in which said backpack is one best available options for carrying items
  • The song the bridge guard sings during Chapter 9 (Badfinger - Baby Blue), is a reference to the finale of AMC's Breaking Bad
  • The way in which the Toyota Hilux is described in Chapter 16 is a direct reference to its various appearances on TV's Top Gear UK
  • Chapter 17's title "Here is Clear Water" is the motto of the town of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, featured heavily throughout chapters 16-20
  • The list of names inscribed on the wall during Chapter 30 (Geoff, Jack, Ryan, Michael, Gavin, Jeremy and Trevor), are some of the cast of Rooster Teeth's Achievement Hunter, the logo of which is also described. The AH team continue to be featured in the second and third books

Aftermath II: Chicago Calling

  • The "speeder" in chapter 8 is named after a vehicle in the Grand Theft Auto game series
  • The character of Harvey is based on Harvey Specter, a high flying New York attorney in the TV series Suits, portrayed by actor Gabriel Macht. A reference to Gabriel's distinctive mole can be found in chapter 9
  • Signs reading "terminus" in chapter 9 were placed in homage to the terminus area of The Walking Dead universe
  • During chapters 11 & 12, the apartment layout, as well as those found inside it (including Howard's mother), are directly based off of Leanord & Sheldon's apartment in The Big Bang Theory
  • The popular line "Winter is coming" from HBO's Game of Thrones is mentioned in chapter 13
  • Use of the word "DRINK" in chapter 22 relates to the character of Jack Hackett (portrayed by Frank Kelly) from TV show Father Ted

Aftermath III: Road to Grissom

  • Devon is based off of Ryan McPartlin's character Devon Woodcombe in the NBC show Chuck
  • Chapter 9's Lukas Albu was named after the music artist Lukas Graham, whose music was playing at the time of writing in the character
  • The way in which John dual wields his weapons in chapter 11 is a reference to the Metal Gear Solid game franchise
  • The character of Jennifer is based off of actress Jennifer Lawrence
  • "Rust" is inspired by a True Detective character of the same name, portrayed by Matthew McConaughey, whose trademark catchphrase "Alright alright" is also featured
  • The military focused leader RP's name is an abbreviation for Robert Patrick, and is based specifically on his character Colonel Tom Ryan in the CBS show The Unit
  • The title of chapter 26 ("Love, loss and regret") was named after Liverpool band The Wombats' album "Love, Loss and Desperation"
  • Talk of leaving behind supplies in a "wartorn hellhole" in chapter 31 is a reference to the film Lord of War
  • "Michael" in chapter 32 is Rooster Teeth's Michael Jones
  • The stairs descending into the rear of the house in chapter 39 are based off of the stairs from the movie Home Alone

Trivia

Aftermath I: The Dead Gathering

  • Originally titled just Aftermath, the first novel was renamed to avoid confusion once the story was expanded into a trilogy
  • The new title comes from the original meaning of the word Milwaukee (a location with a prominnent role in the first book), which is "gathering place by the water"
  • The main protagonist of the series, "John", was unintentionally named after the author's brother. After the author's sister found this out (and complained), a character called "Hannah" was later named after her
  • Although the author of Aftermath is British, the American spelling of numerous words are used throughout the series, due to it being set in the USA
  • Throughout the first book, the risen dead are referred to as (Mar)Auders, Biters, (The) Undead, Walkers, Zeds and Zombies
  • The word "Zombie" is only used twice in the first book
  • The author - Duncan McArdle - has never visited any of the locations referenced in the Aftermath series, and so instead used Google's Street View to explore and follow all routes taken by the characters (you can see them for yourself on the Gallery page)
  • All buildings used in The Dead Gathering - with the exception of the Motel - are real buildings and are found exactly as they are described

Aftermath II: Chicago Calling

  • The first chapter - which features members of Rooster Teeth's Achievement Hunter - is named "thirty", after the chapter number they are first mentioned in The Dead Gathering
  • Chapter 8 is named after the colours found on the Shell and Mobil gas stations in Chicago that the chapter takes place at (see the Gallery page)
  • Chapter 23 is named "Discount" after the discount supermarket chain Aldi it is based upon (see the Gallery page)
  • John's response "Brock can't come to the phone right now..." in chapter 24 is based on the telephone answering message of the author's childhood home
  • Floor numbers of the car-park are never mentioned due to US-UK discrepencies for ground and first floors
  • A large portion of this book was written whilst listening to "The Mighty Rio Grande" by the band This Will Destroy You, after Rooster Teeth used the song as the backing for their tribute to the late Monty Oum
  • The initial draft of "Chicago Calling" was finished on the author's birthday
  • The skyline used on the book's cover is actually an edited version of San Diego, and features a car-park from Southport, a seaside town in the UK

Aftermath III: Road to Grissom

  • The way in which Danny falls in the first chapter is an exact description of a fall taken by the author's mother, who broke her wrist
  • Walgreens - the supermarket chain that WG is based on - was used due to its prevelance during a USA trip the author undertook during writing
  • In reality, seeing Milwaukee from Chicago would be impossible
  • The way in which Danny tails cars in chapter 12 is based upon the author's experience in the Grand Theft Auto game series
  • Chapter 37 "Run" was written before and after the author ran his first 10k
  • Liverpool, referenced in chapter 45, is the author's home city
  • The soldier known as L. M. Cread in the final chapter is an anagram of the author Duncan McArdle's surname