In a sense they were lucky, although few would consider themselves so. They were the tiny percentage of Americans who'd survived the blackout, although there was a good argument to be made it would have been easier to just give up. Most of the others did. The first few months had been the worst. Those who didn't already know how to do so had to learn to hunt, to fish, to defend themselves against the marauders and other evil doers. In the early days families lost touch with one another. Those who lived within shouting distance tended to band together. Those separated by any appreciable...

It's a troubling, yet also fulfilling time in Ranger Randy's life. The Ranger detachment loses another of their own. And it couldn't happen at a worse time, for Randy's still feeling guilt over his partner's death. And Tom's killers are still on the loose. The world is slowly adapting to life without machines. Most of the survivors are learning new skills. Most are helping one another, finally realizing that the key to survival is to work together. Still, an alarming number are simply giving up and taking the easy way out. Randy finally finds Sarah. And that helps a lot. But now that there's...