Review: I didn't think it Possible, but...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 7, 2013
Gran De Daddyhas been replaced by a NEW favorite character - Annie!In truth, it is extremely difficult for me to pick which one of the many well thought out characters is the best described in all of Mr. McDonald's books, but I have long been thinking of the one in Gran De Daddy, and since it has been a LONG time past that I read that book, I have to continue to say he is one of the BEST 'heros' in any book I have read. He is the "John Wayne" of apocalyptic worlds, and THAT, fellow readers, is saying something Big!But, now - there is ANNIE! I would suppose that Annie is a descendant of Gran De Daddy's; yes, somehow, it would make sense to me for her to have come from his line of family. <grin> (This is something *I* added, in my mind, to the reading of this book, it does not say as much in this book... When I read Terry McDonald's books, I imagine them all to be connected, only I can not 'quite' grasp 'how', so I allow myself some leniency to have a vivid imagination while engrossed in my reading experiences.)Annie is a wonderful young girl, growing up in a world without the modern 'conveniences' of 'today', several years after the change happens (the 'change' being the end of the world as we (currently) know it). Forced by a situation not of her making, nor of her family's, she finds herself alone, with her mother kidnapped by the brutes who killed off every man and child in her caravan, a caravan on it's way to a place where like-minded, 'decent folk' are living in a world without any modern conveniences, a place pronounced by most as "Heaven"... The brutes took only the women who were of an age old enough to rape, killing everyone else Annie had ever known. Annie's only saving grace was the fact that she had always shown a tendency to want to be around her grandfather, and in doing so, had learned a bit about survival, and shooting guns, etc.In this Most Wonderful Book, Mr. McDonald took me, the reader, into a place where I was able to see Native American folklore mingled with something I had to look up, Nanobots. The nanobots FIT into this story, perfectly, giving a plausible explanation for a another young girl's ('Yum', one of her many nicknames) behavior.So, for the price of this book, a reader gets not just One heroine, but in actuality, two. In fact, this book speaks volumes about the  ability of women to survive, not 'just' survive, but to thrive in situations that are far removed from positive, and to turn those situations around to be advantageous for all 'good people' concerned.Without a shadow of doubt, I recommend this book to all mature audiences who enjoy reading about Sci Fi, and in particular, Apocalyptic adventures. I have found Apocalyptic adventure stories to be my new favorite among books, and Mr. McDonald to be my favorite author.This book is, also, by far his best edited book, with very few typos or grammar mistakes.  I do not know if he is getting better at editing, or if he has found someone to help along those lines, but either way, he has done nothing but improve with each book I have read, although the first book I read (Gran De Daddy), until now, had been my favorite. Terry McDonald most assuredly has a story teller's heart, and I am grateful he has found a way t share those stories with the world at large. He gives me things to THINK about, and, in spite of all the violence in the post modern worlds he writes of, he gives my heart a glow of happiness when I read of his heros and heroines persevering.If you Try this book, you WILL enjoy it, and then -  I highly recommend that you also try Gran de Daddy, and,Was well asTHE TRASHMAN. Those will make you want to read ALL the rest, too. Terry McDonald has a way with words, and you will never be disappointed when you read his stories!