This is a book review for the short novel "The Wreck of the Titan", published 1898 and republished 1912 after the crash of the Titanic.
"Futility"/"The Wreck of the Titan"
Author: Morgan Robertson
Language Read: English
Published: 1898/1912
Genre: Short Story, Fiction, Adventure
Finished reading this book: Summer 2020
Plot
A mariner named Rowland is on duty when he realizes his lost love is on the ship. Between trying to be able to talk to the woman he loves and trying to stand up for what's right while working (they hit a smaller ship and destroyed it without helping the other ship), Rowland struggles to keep everything together. When the ship they are on (Titan) hits an iceberg, he happens to be near his ex lover's child and he saves her from the wreck. After a while, the child and Rowland are rescued and brought back to civilization. Rowland must then face legalities regarding the ship and insurance adjusters before he can help the child get back to her mother.
What will become of Rowland? What will become of the child?
Review
2/5 - Honestly, I was very excited to read this tale because many have said that this was a prediction for the disaster that the Titanic faced in 1912. The ships are similar (Titan versus Titanic, "unsinkable", full steam ahead, minor issues during the trip, etc) which makes this story eerie for those that understand what happened to the Titanic. Of course, this story is a short story and does not go into detail about the crash nor what happened to the passengers/crew of the ship. In the end, Rowland explaining how they had hit a smaller ship while at sea threatened to ruin the owners of the Titan because of financial toll that they had towards the ruined smaller ship. Rowland does get to be reunited with the child but we are not told about how the mother felt towards him nor if their relationship was rekindled. (It was sad to hear that it took a while for the sailor to get recognition for what he did for the child during the tragedy. There is no epilogue about what happens after he is called to their house, so the story ends without full closure.)
In my personal opinion, the story could have been made longer even while staying a short novel / novella. They glazed over much of the post-accident details about the child and the insurance adjusters. The details just weren't there or, if they were, were lacking. It is an interesting read but needs more (in my honest opinion). I haven't read the other tales that came with the story, as I had purchased the book from ebay, but I have no interest right now in trying out those stories.
Will I continue to look for information or opinion on what happened to the Titanic? Of course because it is very interesting to me. Would I suggest this tale? Not really unless you're very interested in stories that lack details. However, I did like that the book had comparisons with the actual Titanic crash. That was very informative.
Thanks for reading my review! More to come eventually.
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