He's in the twilight of his life, but a geriatric gerbil's daring escape from Fort McMurray will live on in the annals of Canadian literature.

Thunder the Great has landed his very own book deal.

"A tragic fire, and then a gerbil gets a book deal? I thought it was kind of crazy," said Thunder's owner, Julie Lodge.

"I thought it was a bit of a joke at first, but I guess not. The whole thing is in motion right now. It's the most random thing."

When the raging wildfire started moving toward her Abasand home five weeks ago, Lodge's first concern was her beloved pet.

"When I started evacuating, he's the first thing I took," Lodge said during a Monday interview on CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.

But as Lodge made her way toward the gridlocked highway, away from the smoke spewing cinders and ash into her neighbourhood, her rental car began to run dangerously low on gas.

Lodge worried that if she abandoned the car to the flames, she would be stuck with the bill.

That's when a stranger in shining chrome armour came to the rescue.

A man in a bright red Camaro offered to take Thunder to safety, until Lodge could stash the rental car far from the flames.

And while Lodge was in "sheer panic" as she loaded her beloved pet into the sleek sports car, Thunder evidently enjoyed the ride.

"He was spinning in his wheel, and just hanging out," Lodge said. "He wasn't fazed by it at all. He kind of liked it."

Thunder's escape hit another snag at the airport. Apparently gerbils are on the no-fly list.

Instead of leaving the animal behind, Lodge piled Thunder into the front seat, once again, and drove him all the way to British Columbia.

'He's a little bit of superstar now'

Within days, Thunder's story made the rounds on social media.

A few weeks later, Lodge got a message from Gavin Will, the publisher of Boulder Publications.

He wanted to make Thunder the focus of a children's book about the wildfire, a storyline intended to help kids cope with the disaster.

"A lot of children will relate in some way," Lodge said. "My gerbil went through the escape just like them, and ends up with a new cage, a new home, in a new place, just like so many kids who were displaced."

While most children's books take years to complete, "Saving Thunder the Great: True Story of a Gerbil's Escape from the Fort McMurray Wildfire" is being fast tracked for publication this fall. Part of the proceeds will go to the relief effort.

Lodge has no doubt the tale will be well-received when it hits bookstore shelves this October.

"Prior to these fires, Fort McMurray was never really cast in a positive light, nobody ever looked for the good things about that place, so it makes you see something positive about Fort McMurray, even if it is just a story about a gerbil."

Lodge never imagined her rodent would reach such heights. To be frank, she's surprised he's still alive.

"I thought this little guy would have been gone long ago. I've never had a gerbil that lived beyond three years old.

"And this gerbil ... he's four years old and still going."

After the book deal, and the daring escape, Thunder is living out his golden years in the lap of luxury.

"I upgraded his cage, since he's a little bit of superstar now. And I bought him some gourmet gerbil food and treats. He's livin' it up."

"He's had quite the life, for a gerbil."