''The Leonard Regime'' is a {{Dystopian}} novel by Alex Henderson published in 2013. It takes place in the near future where [[PresidentEvil President Leonard]] has taken over the United States. While [[TheBadGuyWins most submit under his rule]], [[LaResistance there are those]] that are still willing to fight. [[TheProtagonist Daniel Ruffino]] has spent most of his life in this world, and is now one of the people fighting to restore it. With a combination of [[ArsonMurderAndJayWalking strategy, violence, and burritos]], they might just prevail.

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!!Provides Examples Of:
* AfterActionHealingDrama: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] when Brandon is shot at. It turns out [[spoiler:he was only scratched on the arm and passed out from pure fright.]]
* ArtisticLicenseEconomics: Money has become a currency for use solely within the black market, making it even more valuble than before.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Ben is the most subtle of the group, but also the most dangerous.
* BigBad: President Leonard
* BigBadassBattleSequence: Everything leads to a huge battle on the coast of [[spoiler: Seattle.]]
* BigBrotherIsWatching: People across the country are tracked constantly.
* BlackAndGrayMorality: The heroes regularly kill soldiers and agents of the other side, even when unprovoked.
* BlackMarketProduce: Referenced several times throughout the book. The heroes have a regular supply of weapons and food, most of which would be a lot harder to come by.
* BriefAccentImitation: Daniel imitated Sam's British accent to discuss fish and chips.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Brandon has his weirder moments (sometimes to the point of everyone wondering why they let him stay), but he is still a very efficient soldier when the need arises.
* CallingYourBathroomBreaks: Brandon does this [[RunningGag regularly]] during any form of car ride, nearly to the point of [[OverlyLongGag absurdity]].
* CardboardPrison: The prisons national (known as DERSO Correctional Facilities) are run by idiots and have insufficient security. [[spoiler:There are not one, but two prison breaks during the course of the book.]]
* ChaoticStupid: Brandon's antics.
* ChemistryCanDoAnything: When Ben and Daniel are [[spoiler:breaking out of prison]], they stumble across a lab full of chemicals. Ben, knowing what the chemicals were, managed to create a mixture that could kill all of the guards when breathed in.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Brandon is found frequently oblivious to the most obvious things around him.
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: Everyone finds themselves in this position at some point, but Nick is the main person to fulfill this role.
* CommLinks: The characters carry around radios to communicate with each other.
* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: With his parents having died a few years ago, Daniel is able to go off and fight. It later turns out [[spoiler:his parents died after founding the same rebellion he is fighting for.]]
* CrapsackWorld
* DeathFromAbove: Bomber planes are used during the final battle.
* DemolitionsExpert: Ben has had training with explosives, and is the one trusted to use them when needed.
* DumbassHasAPoint: When Brandon delivers a speech in San Francisco.
* DumbIsGood: Nick and Brandon [[TeethClenchedTeamwork fighting]] is a common occurrence. Nick, the smarter of the two, is always the one to start the fight. Brandon, meanwhile, doesn't always realize a fight is even taking place.
* DysfunctionJunction: The entire team demonstrate their own flaws, from Brandon's inability to shut up to Daniel's tendency to spit out sarcastic comments.
* {{Dystopia}}
* {{EMP}}: It is mentioned that the west coast of the United States had been hit by an EMP attack during a previous war. It is functional by the time the story takes place.
* EnragedByIdiocy: Nick demonstrates this whenever Brandon says or does something stupid.
* FBIAgent: The Department of Economic Regulation and Social Order is the result of the FBI's merge with the IRS.
* FinalBattle: The entire rebellion fights for its survival in [[spoiler: Seattle]].
* {{Flanderization}}: Both Brandon's ignorance and Nick's rage towards it are flanderized throughout the book.
* TheFool: Brandon
* FugitiveArc: Much of the story is spent with the main characters being wanted. This ultimately escalates into all out war.
* GeniusBruiser: Ben is the typical genius bruiser.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: Ben is both the most intelligent member of the team and the most sophisticated.
* GoodIsNotSoft: True throughout the book. There are several characters who are entirely selfless, but regularly kill their enemies.
* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: The secret police force known as DERSO is supposed to be an elite organization of specially trained agents. In reality, they are often stupid, incompetent, or simply indifferent.
* TheHero: Daniel fits the mold of a traditional hero. He holds good morals and is overall rather balanced.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Madison]] veers her damaged plane into that of an enemy plane, saving everyone below from an air strike. Also played to a lesser but still significant scale when [[spoiler:Sam]] takes a bullet for Nick.
* HouseboatHero: Most of the rebellion, by the end of the book.
* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy
* InfiniteSupplies: The characters always have needed equipment, often illegal to possess. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] due to the ease of purchasing on the blackmarket and the government's inability to stop it.
* InsecuritySystem: Government facilities overall have lackluster security. There is little problem for the main characters to [[spoiler:break into a meeting of government officials and get out of prison two different times.]] However, it should be noted that some of them are trained to do exactly this, and they often manage to get their hands on necessary equipment.
* JackOfAllTrades: Ben has had extensive military and espionage training. He continuously demonstrates skills in a variety of different areas.
* {{Jerkass}}: Nick is regularly shouting at his own friends and arguing about everything. The warden from the Los Angeles DERSO Correctional Facility also possesses a jerkass personality.
* LaResistance: The reason everyone is fighting.
* TheLancer: Despite being the most experienced and capable, Ben prefers to be the lancer of the team.
* TheLeader: Nick is the de facto but usually unquestioned leader of the team.
* TheLoad: Brandon is a liability as much as a teammate.
* TheMedic: Ben's training has given him the opportunity to play medic multiple times. Madison is also mentioned to be capable in this area.
* MildlyMilitary: The heroes are basically part of an unofficial military.
* TheMole: Twice during the book. First it's [[spoiler: Tino]], and then [[spoiler: Seth]].
* MoleInCharge: The mole also happens to be [[spoiler:the second in command of the whole rebellion.]] Due to the secret nature of the organization, even he only knows so much.
* TheNapoleon: Oscar. He is described as "couldn't be taller than four feet", but was rather mean. This was not elaborated on, however, because [[spoiler:he died the very same chapter he was introduced.]]
* TheNicknamer: Nick, ironically enough.
* OddlyOvertrainedSecurity: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. DERSO is supposed to be the best, but they have simply taken over the jobs of average policemen.
* OnlySaneMan: Ben feels the consequences of this regularly. Combining the idiocy, rage, sarcasm, and sometimes downright annoyingness of his team, he is often grieving over his surroundings.
* PresidentEvil: President Leonard
* TheQuietOne: Ben does not speak often, but people usually listen when he does.
* RedHerringMole: [[spoiler:Oscar]] is at first suspected to be a mole.
* ReluctantWarrior: Discussed by the characters. Daniel in particular is at first uncomfortable about killing the enemy.
* RousingSpeech: Brandon's speech in San Francisco.
* RunningGag: Burritos are mentioned extensively, especially when relating to Brandon. Brandon also makes it very clear he [[CallingYourBathroomBreaks needs to use the bathroom]] any time they are in a car.
* ScreensAreCameras: Mentioned by Daniel when President Leonard contacts him through a video call.
* SecretPolice: DERSO is supposed to be the secret police force of the United States. However, they seem to do little more than the job of the normal police.
* SixthRanger: Though he appears about the same time as the "fifth" ranger, he still acts the role of the sixth ranger.
* SixthRangerTraitor: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] by Tristan. He is accused of being a sixth ranger traitor by Nick, but is eventually shown to be telling the truth about his loyalty.
* TheSmartGuy: Ben is the intellectual one of the group.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Madison is the only major female character.
* TheSneakyGuy: Ben is often planning things out far before anyone else. He is the one that goes ahead and takes note of everything.
* TheStoic: Ben rarely shows his emotions.
* SurveillanceStationSlacker: While in the car, Daniel notices one of the men assigned to a checkpoint is sleeping on the job. To make it worse, his partner is reading a book.
* TakingYouWithMe: When [[spoiler:Madison's]] plane is coming down, she crashes it into an enemy plane threatening to bomb the city, killing both of them.
* TankGoodness: When Daniel and Ben [[spoiler:break out of prison]], a tank is sent in to search for them. Then during the final battle in [[spoiler:Seattle]], Leonard's forces send a tank onto the streets.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Arguing is a regular part of the team's routine, even during combat.
* TiredOfRunning: Underlying throughout the whole story. Most specifically when the people of San Francisco rise up to fight.
* TookALevelInDumbass: When Brandon is first introduced, he comes off as mildly annoying and ignorant. By the end of the book, he is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.
* TrackingDevice: Tracking devices are mentioned to be in all cell phones and cars by the time the story takes place. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] when the heroes used old fashion phones and radios to avoid cell phones, and use custom built or official government vehicles to avoid tracked cars.
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The story takes place in the 2040s, but technology has not advanced quite as far as one would expect it to.
* UrbanWarfare: All of the fighting takes place in urban areas.
* TheWarHasJustBegun: Pointed out when Leonard threatens Daniel.
* TheWarRoom: By the end of the book, the main characters operate in a war room in the USS Paige Corral.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Several characters die shortly after being introduced, sometimes in the same chapter. Offenders include [[spoiler:Sam, Oscar, Tino, and Kendrick.]]
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