“Would John Thomas Rourke be able to survive?” This question ran across the top cover of Total War, first of The Survivalist Series. When I first read Total War, I became a fan; twelve years later, I became Jerry’s friend and now strive to keep his legends alive and moving in the direction he wanted.
Rourke, and Paul Rubenstein, his sidekick and partner, became more real than not to me. I knew them through Jerry. If you are familiar with John Thomas Rourke, The Survivalist, you know he is a weapons expert, trained as a medical doctor, and a survivalist specialist. Jerry Ahern created Rourke and the other characters launching The Survivalist Series in 1981. Rourke always had an answer, a plan, an action step… not many of us can say we have those skills.
With Jerry’s passing, I’ve been blessed to work with his wife, Sharon, to resurrect the new adventures of the Rourke clan The Survivalist Series. However, I felt there was a missing part to their story; it was something I toyed with for six months and could not quite figure out how to do it. Then it hit me: let Paul Rubenstein tell the story but from his own unique point of view. Sharon insisted that it truly be Paul’s book and she held me to that course as it developed.
The Everyman Series, as part of The Rourke Chronicles, is told by Paul who describes himself in the beginning as “a twenty-eight year old virgin from New York, a quiet journalist and semi-practicing Jewish boy who had never fired anything bigger than a cap gun.” But he was trainable, and Rourke helped him to move from “nerd” a fully competent man, without losing his humanity in the process.
That was a story in itself, because if Paul could do it, every man could. The question became if the world ended, how did Paul Rubenstein survive? Everyman is an amalgamation of bits and pieces of others, none of us are born ready for the world. But when that world thrusts us into danger, dread and almost certain death; there are only two choices: live or die.
But living or dying is just part of the equation; can we keep our humanity in the process? Can we grow to the occasion or will we be swept away by the maelstrom? Jerry broke the mold for the post-apocalyptic novel in 1981; today our world seems to be reflecting the dangers of those days so long ago. The aspect of survival in troubling times is as real today as when Jerry launched the series.
The question now reads: “If the end of the world came, could you survive?” Tune into my blog, I’ll be sharing more about EVERYMAN, a story of growth, friendship, valor and courage.