Last month I was privileged to receive an advanced copy of Apocalypse Five by Stacey Rourke, it was a hugely enjoyable read and left me thinking about who I would want to see in that role – I then got to thinking about who the author would visualise, so I reached out to Stacey to ask this very question, the results – well, see for yourself in this fantastic guest post!

When Gaynor Smith first approached me about doing a blog spot of who I would put on my own Apocalypse Five team, my mind instantly began buzzing and clicking with possibilities. For a team designed to be earth’s last line of defense against looming catastrophe, who would I want acting as champions to man-kind? In the first draft of my list, I found many Marvel characters added into the mix. Anyone else see the fatal flaw there? Recently, Thanos proved that particular group can be whipped out with a snap of the fingers. Maybe they aren’t the best choice. Back to the drawing board for me. To make this a little more challenging, I decided to make all my picks from literary works. What better way to celebrate the launch of a new book, than by showing love to other amazing titles?

That being the case, let’s roll up our sleeves and really break this down. The security of the planet just might depend on it … (It totally doesn’t, but thanks for playing along.)

Okay—cracks knuckles—let’s get started!

We need a strong team leader, someone people will clamor to rally behind. They need to have unmatched strength of character, a self-sacrificing mentality, and an iron-clad will to fight for the greater good. I appoint to this role a young lady that knows a little something about being the face of a revolution—Katniss Everdeen.

Team lead in place, we need someone in charge of security. They need to be an expert in weaponry, security, and surveillance. Sharp-shooting skills being an added bonus. Who do I think would be an ideal fit? Jason Bourne. Even when the dude doesn’t know who he is, his training is embedded in his DNA. He would do whatever it took to keep the team safe.

So, what happens when a hostile lands a lucky shot? Or someone gets harmed in a simulation? We need a first rate healer in our group. I nominate Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser from the Outlander series. Having started as a war-time nurse, and going on to become a surgeon, her travels through time have educated her on how to find healing properties from her surroundings to best treat her patients.

Wherever the grid takes them, the team will need someone with a first rate knowledge of botany—to know what can be eaten, and what could turn them inside out. This person needs mechanical skills, a creative mind, and unparalleled problem-solving skills.   My selection? Mark Watney from The Martian. A guy that can find his way back from Mars by himself would be a huge asset to the crew.

Four strong individuals at the prime of their game. Who do we add as their fifth, to complete the unit? This one is going to seem a little far-fetched, so go with me on this. Everdeen, Bourne, Beauchamp, and Watney are all strong, self-sufficient people. What we need is a heart of the group, to rally them all together. Someone strong in spirit, but weak in stature or strength. This character will bind them as a unit. Their presence will make it mandatory for the A5 to work together towards their mutual goal—which in large part will become keeping their more vulnerable counterpart safe. When things get rough, and differing opinions make them want to go it alone, they will stay … for him. With this in mind, I select Auggie from the book Wander to be the glue that basically holds the team together. The safety of that boy, will become their driving force. Failure will no longer be an option.

There you have it, my picks for our A5 team. Now, they are loading into their pods and beginning their countdown to launch. That means there is only one thing left to say …

Good luck, and have a pleasant apocalypse.

Hope you all loved that as much as I did, amazing choices and some of which are favourite characters of mine too. Others I need to check out and add to my tbr (which is about to topple and crush me!)  Apocalypse 5 is released today and you can check out my review here and find it at amazon by following this link