TITANIC: RELATIVE FATE

by V.C. King

Titan's Sister is about to set sail on her maiden voyage from a harbor in northern Florida. But just as the ship's brash young owner begins the sequence to launch, a sudden, unexplainable accident takes the life of one of the crew. Not long afterward, shipbuilder Abram Harwood watches in horror as the dock, on which the massive hull rests, catches fire, soon turning the area into a raging inferno. Against his own reasoning, Harwood slowly comes to the realization that a chain of unusual and dangerous events has begun that could launch his beautiful new ship straight into harm's way. In Relative Fate we meet Titan's Sister, the sister of the doomed Titanic. Built as a modernized replica of the legendary vessel, Titan's Sister is a wonder to behold. Yet Harwood begins to question whether there is more than just a physical resemblance between the two ships. Intrepid detective Melika Jones joins the ship's virgin voyage to investigate the strange accidents surrounding Titan's Sister.Yet, instead of solving the mystery, Jones and Harwood are faced with a new nightmare once Titan's Sister is finally at sea, and they begin to wonder if she awaits the same fate as the Titanic.

232 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2009

About the author

I am pleased to announce that the second edition of Titanic: Relative Fate is now available. Titanic: Relative Fate has been recommended by Titanic societies around the world. Millvina Dean, Titanic's last survivor was kind enough to write me a note saying that Titanic: Relative Fate, "is very well written and most interesting." Millvina passed away in 2009. But she remains an international treasure. She was 97.

I am an engineer in addition to a writer. I have a penchant for research, allowing Titanic to come alive today with authentic characters and a believable, plausible plot. I live in Eastern Canada with my husband and my dog.

From ForeWord Clarion Reviews...

“King’s knowledge of ships, and the Titanic in particular, is impressive, as is her flair for creating a literary atmosphere capable of drawing the reader into both her story and the underlying tragedy of the Titanic. Titanic: Relative Fate will interest anyone with even a passing interest in the legendary ship and the tragedy that befell her. The novel is thought-provoking and engrossing, with a stirring poignancy drawn from a tragedy of our past"

“Titanic: Relative Fate is a wonderful read with a stunning conclusion that will raise goose bumps!”—Armchair Interviews

“Impossible to put down. Well-written, set brilliantly in context, the atmosphere of the present and the past woven together with great skill. A super read!”—Belfast Titanic Society

Amazon.com
Chapters
Barnes & Noble

Also available at Titanic Branson and Orlando’s Titanic The Experience, the two largest Titanic attractions in the United States.


A Staff Pick at the Amherst, New York Barnes & Noble and a Star, Publisher’s and Editor’s Choice Novel, a mark of editorial and design quality.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had so many flaws, I don’t know where to actually begin. It’s becoming the “thing” to do now, where every story that can be written about the Titanic, has been. Authors are still churning out the same tired old stories and mugs like me, keep buying them. So they’ve taken to thrown in other world creatures - zombies, vampires - and if they don’t want to write about those, they go down the Fifty Shades/BDSM path.

The author in this instance has decided to reimagine the story, with a “sister” ship to the Titanic being launched at some point after her fatal voyage. Not the Olympic you understand. The very well thought out, “Titan’s Sister”. Things go wrong from the beginning. All the same experiences that the Titanic had, happen on this new ship.

There’s always some millionaire/billionaire/trillionaire out there, with too much money, who floats the idea of building a replica of the Titanic and launching it on the anniversary, taking the same route, blah blah blah. (I’m sure Richard Branson will have already put his name down.) So this isn’t totally a brand new idea.

Unfortunately, the author cannot string together a coherent storyline. She had WAY too many ideas and what you end up with, is a mishmash of different ideas, tied together with the thinnest possible string, referencing the original Titanic. It just does not work. And you will end up screaming at Melika, when gosh darn it, she just can’t damn remember why this piece of information is so important.

At one point, I really thought the author was going to go down the Fifty Shades route and having the main characters start flinging off their clothes and having wild, rampant sex on the deck of the Titanic. (I’m positive it’s already been done.) Apart from a couple of chaste peeks down her blouse (conveniently just covering her nipples. Because that’s how all tops are cut, am I right, girls?) this goes no further.

I completely lost the whole thread of the “storyline” (was there ever one?) about three quarters do the way through and I’m still not confident how it ended. A very lacklustre ending, with zero imagination. I won’t ruin it for you ... but actually I will. NOTHING HAPPENS.

This book should never have seen the light of day.

[Julie Failla Earhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engineer turned author V. C. King mixes fact and fiction with past and present in her debut novel, Titanic: Relative Fate.
Set in contemporary times, shipbuilder Bruce Janus is a Titanic fanatic. He has built his novelty cruise ship, “Titan’s Sister,” with all the modern amenities, but the hull resembles the majestic Titanic, the unsinkable ocean liner that sank in 1912. Titan does have enough lifeboats, although to lend authenticity to the experience, the ones easily seen by passengers are stenciled with “Titanic.”
Many people oppose Janus’s plans. It’s creepy and blasphemous. Readers only see some of the outcry from the public who pickets the ship on launch day. It would have been nice to see more of this, but that’s okay. Still, Titan will sail completely-sold out, so who cares.
T he novel opens on launch day, in northern Florida (versus England). Titan’s route is to make the voyage Titanic never made---from west to east. Blake Tellemann, the shipyard’s superintendent, hasn’t yet made it to the yard, but that doesn’t stop Janus. Against the advice of the ship’s lead welder, Abram Harwood, Janus goes through with the launch. The cold weather creates a hitch, and the ship’s bow is stuck in the slipway.
As Harwood searches for Blake, he sees three men dressed in early-19th century clothing. Sure that Janus has hired actors, Abram tries to ignore them but can never locate either of the men that he saw when Blake is found dead beneath the anchor, Abram begins to wonder if creating a Titanic look-alike was such a good idea. And who could those strangely dressed men be?
Before the passengers board, a raging fire almost destroys the ship. The fire, which seems to have its origins in Abram’s tent, makes detective Melika Jones suspicious. Readers are given a great story about the fire, but it seems that Titan is almost destroyed one day and begins her maiden voyage the next week.
Once Titan’s Sister set sail, eerie things begin to happen; things that connect the ship to Titanic and its ultimate fate. Will she go down too? King gives Titanic enthusiasts a wonderful read and provides a stunning conclusion that will raise goose bumps!
Review originally appeared on www.armchairinterviews.com

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story based around a new ship modeled on the original Titanic design.

You follow the character Abraham who worked on the build of the new liner, and how events unfold from the launching to the maiden voyage with an erie link to the Titanic.
I could go on, but I don't want to spoil the story for others.

As someone who has been interested in the Titanic since the age of 10, I really like the way in which the author has written in the book, demonstrating in-depth knowledge of the original ocean liner, and the tradegy that followed.

I would certainly recommend the book to any one interested in the Titanic, and I will certainly be reading it again!

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some time, I've been on a hunt for a well-written self-published book.

Here it is.

In nearly all ways, "Titanic: Relative Fate" is indistinguishable from any novel published by mainstream houses. Strong, believable characters and an original story, combined with truly good writing and editing, results in a book that's enjoyable to read.

Its drawback is that it's about Titanic, which means most publishers are not interested in it. Perhaps the niche is too small. This is too bad, because there are many of us who enjoy reading about it. I'm glad V.C. King went ahead and put this out on her own.

I couldn't find any other books by this author. I hope she writes more.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like anything that has to do with RMS Titanic. I enjoyed the mystery story of this one and the likable characters. I was pleased with myself that I was able to identify the 3 apparitions of Thomas Andrews, Edward J. Smith and J. Bruce Ismay as soon as they appeared on the scene. The parallel stories of Titanic and Titan's Sister was just added spice. I read the end of the book in a rush, so will probably need to go back and reread, as I missed what Titan's Sister hit prior to sinking.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been a good book. I got turned off by the rough language at the beginning, and lack of description of the characters. I felt like I did not know who these characters were that I was listening to.