Titanic 2012 by Bill Walker

Best-selling mystery novelist Trevor Hughes has no idea that attending his twentieth reunion at Harvard will forever change his life. Persuaded to go by his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Dr. Julia Magnusson, he meets up with three old friends: Solly Rubens, a self-made Wall Street millionaire; Ken Faust, a successful software entrepreneur; and Harlan Astor, New York real estate tycoon and the glue that holds their circle together. That afternoon, over drinks at the Harvard Club, Harlan drops his bombshell: He is doing what James Cameron did not -- he is rebuilding the Titanic, and sailing the ship on the hundredth anniversary to honor those who died, including his great-grandfather, John Jacob Astor IV. Only Trevor is intrigued by Harlan's audacity. Touched by his friend's interest and concern, Harlan invites him on the maiden voyage to serve as the official chronicler. On April 10, 2012, Trevor journeys to Southampton and, along with the hundreds of handpicked passengers, boards the Titanic. He is awed by the immensity of the ship and the feelings that well up in him. His friend has made his grand dream a reality. During the journey, armed with his iPod Touch and a miniature wireless camera hidden in his glasses, Trevor interviews both passengers and crew, eager to learn the reasons why they chose to sail on the reborn ship. Nearly every one of them claims to have been profoundly affected by Cameron's film, wanting to recapture the magic for themselves. And some of them are dying -- their last wish to be on the maiden voyage of the new Titanic. Trevor is touched that his friend has allowed these people to come aboard, and is unprepared when he meets Madeleine Regehr, a beautiful, free-spirited woman who resists his entreaties to be interviewed, intriguing Trevor all the more. Slowly, and inexorably, Maddy draws him out of his shell, allowing him to love deeply and completely, for the very first time in his life. But Trevor soon discovers a darker purpose for the voyage, a purpose that threatens to destroy him and the woman he loves. In a race against time that pits friend against friend, Trevor must stop the unstoppable or risk a horrific replay of history...

I GIVE THIS BOOK: 2 Stars


MY THOUGHTS:
I didn't like Titanic 2012. I hate to give books a bad rating, but to me this book wasn't enjoyable and I couldn't get into it. The story jumps back and forth in time, starting three weeks after the voyage. So after I read the first few pages, I knew that something bad happens, but never did I expect the story to be so depressing. Also, there didn't seem to be a real purpose to the story, I knew really early on what the surprise ending was going to be and the story doesn't go much further than that. So I feel that I could have stopped reading it when I assumed the ending and I wouldn't have missed much at all.

The real purpose of the voyage was SO obvious to me, and I couldn't believe that Trevor took SO long to figure it out. I figured it out so early in the story, that the story seemed very boring. By the time Trevor discovers the true purpose of the voyage, I was like "FINALLY! It took you long enough!".


There is a LOT of swearing in this book, almost all of them religious ones, and I found that very offensive. However, since this isn't a Christian novel and wasn't advertised as one, I didn't let this affect my rating of the book (had I let it affect my rating, I would have given the story only one star). I am only mentioning it for those who would also find this offensive.


There is a lot of references to the Titanic movie and since I have only seen it once and really wasn't that impressed by it, I found all the praise for it annoying. I mean really does everybody, everywhere LOVE the movie THAT much? I personally know only a few people that loved the movie and a lot of people that didn't like it that much, so it seemed extreme to me.


Overall, I mean if you LOVED the movie Titanic, don't mind swearing in your books and a sad story, you may like this book. Otherwise, if you are just looking for a novel about the Titanic, I would suggest you look elsewhere.


***I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.***

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Interview with Bill Walker, author of Titanic 2012:

Bill, welcome to Hardcover Feedback! Would you tell us a little about yourself?

I grew up in a small town in Connecticut, but really feel that my hometown is Boston.  I lived there for over fifteen years, starting when I went to college.  My wife and I moved out to LA in 1990, and while neither one of us misses the snow, there is a certain sense of history that is lacking in Los Angeles.  In my time out here, I've worked as a freelance Story Analyst for studios and production companies then segued into graphic design, for which I'm completely self-taught.  I specialize in book design and readers can check out my work at: www.billwalkerdesigns.com.


Do you have any writing habits that people might find unusual?

Not sure I would call my writing habits unusual.  Then again, my wife might have another opinion on that ;-)  When I'm in the midst of a project, I'm in what I call "Story Mode."  Basically that means I'm "on" all the time in the sense that I'm always thinking about the story and trying different scenarios in my mind with the characters.  So, if you see me sitting at a party staring off into space. That's why.


Do you have a favorite character or one that is especially close to your heart? 

I would say my favorite character in TITANIC 2012 has to be Harlan Astor, the man who rebuilds the Titanic.  I created him to be charismatic and devil-may-care, but also a man with a will of steel and a heart of gold.  The really interesting thing about that character is that I was unconsciously channeling Harlan Ellison, the legendary Science Fiction writer, when I was writing him and I didn't realize this until long after the novel was published.  I like to think Mr. Ellison got more of a kick from reading it because of that.


If you were throwing a dinner party and you could invite five people (fictional or real, dead or alive) who would you invite?

I would invite Jimi Hendrix, Marilyn Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth and Clint Eastwood.  I think the conversation around that dinner table would be quite unforgettable.


If you had the opportunity to go anywhere you wanted, at anytime in history, where would you go and why?

I've always been a bit of an assassination buff, especially with regard to Lincoln's and Kennedy's.  It would be fascinating to bear witness to those two events.  If I had to choose only one it would be Kennedy's as that would be the one to have a really good video camera to record the event and to try and solve the enduring mysteries surrounding that day.  That's assuming one is not allowed to alter events as they happened.  So, who knows, maybe there was another shooter?


What are you currently working on?

Right now, I'm in screenplay mode.  I'm developing a project about John Wilkes Booth with my screenwriting partner and we're very excited about it.


Where can people connect with you online?

Readers can find me at www.billwalkernovels.com.  I also have a Facebook page, too.


Thanks you so much Bill for being on Hardcover Feedback!

Thank you so much for having me.