Titanic 2020

Titanic 2020 #1

by Colin Bateman

Everyone said the original Titanic was unsinkable. Shows how much they knew.

Everyone says the new Titanic is unsinkable. But there are worse things than drowning as stowaway Jimmy Armstrong and rich girl Claire quickly find out.

With a mysterious, incurable disease rapidly infecting the population, being at sea seems the safest place to be...

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Adventure, Childrens

352 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 2007

About the author

Colin Bateman was a journalist in Northern Ireland before becoming a full-time writer. His first novel, Divorcing Jack, won the Betty Trask Prize, and all his novels have been critically acclaimed. He wrote the screenplays for the feature films of Divorcing Jack, Crossmaheart and Wild About Harry. He lives in Northern Ireland with his family.

Reviews

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's a little dated, but how could i pass up the opportunity to read a book abt a global pandemic in 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic in 2020

CWs: gore, death in a pandemic, murder

[Matthew Goode Ⓥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an enjoyable read to an extent (it's hard to go wrong with a global disaster story), but flawed. One point that really spoiled it for me involved the main character calling another one "gay", in the attracted to the same-sex sense, and as an insult, implying "sissiness" (which was implied to make one as less of a person). This is not the message I'd like my children to learn. There were some interesting parts, but there was an uneasy combining of light-hearted humour, and what should have been extremes horrors. The ending was particularly strange, with a bit of a let down deus ex machina, and a strange "laugh it off" scene with a dog and an old woman. If you let your kids read it, make sure you discuss the themes after. A

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in Donegal over the summer ( I got it in the charity shop in Donegal) Loved it. A cute wee boy book. Was great to read when I was working on my tan. Loved that it was an Irish lad

[Oksana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny and cool start

[Criticalmick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My own young aspiring author liked all the adventuresome parts. I enjoyed Mr. Bateman's classic humor. A winner with us both!

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories of the Titanic have always intrigued me. The subject of Titanic 2020 was published in Great Britain in 2007, but the action occurs in 2020. A new and even greater version of the original Titanic has been built and is waiting for its maiden voyage from Belfast, Ireland to Miami, Florida. Jimmy Armstrong, a head strong teenager is part of a class that is set to tour the ship. Only Jimmy gets in trouble waiting to board by nearly crashing the school bus into the sea and punching a fellow classmate in the nose. After he is expelled, he feels that he deserves a tour and sneaks aboard on the eve of the departure. As he explores the ship in the darkness, eats food from the cabins' bars and drink champagne, he falls asleep in the owner's cabins. Early the next morning he realizes he is at sea. After dodging his hunters for a few days, he is recognized by the ship's journalist who is ill and on his farewell voyage for the company. He blackmails him into helping to write the ship's newsletter. Soon he encounters Clair Stanford, the ship owner's spoiled and self confident daughter. The two reach a tenuous truce and begin to publish the paper. Meanwhile in California an earthquake has caused the release of toxins which will become known as the Red Death. Much like the events in the real pandemic of 2020 people panic. There is no protection against the illness. Claire and Jimmy grow up very quickly.
I joined a book challenge in which I will read 50 books in 50 different categories. This one fulfilled the requirement: a book set in 2020 but published prior to 2020. I had no idea what to expect from this book. It is classified as young adult/ fantasy, which aren't my favorite genres. The two teenage heroes of the story were believable. Colin Bateman, the author, has a great imagination. I strongly suggest reading it.

[Urdestan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first impression: I found this in a library. So as of the time of this writing, I've been reading this in the year 2020, which is the same year that this book takes place in, it somehow predicted the COVID-19 outbreak indirectly. I'm not sure if it is spoilers or not, but the back cover does show that there is some viral outbreak or something like that? So it might be interesting to read this at a time where the book is set since it kind of predicts an outbreak on that year but it isn't all world-ending fortunately as this one, but I'll read it to see if its good or not.

Is it good? Well, I think it is pretty mundane but it is an interesting read at a time where as of this writing, there is a huge pandemic.

Though it is targeted at a younger audience (so I might slide it off a little) and I will say some of the specifics that are pretty much questioning to me: Why would people need to print their own issue related to news of the Red Death (or Plague) onboard roughly one decade onward since this book was published. I'm not versed at cruises in any shape or form, but I have never seen a cruise ship or equivalent to have their own newspaper circulating, not even on a daily basis. Maybe I read too fast, took it seriously or haven't experienced it, but it just kinds of jars me that newspapers are being printed in a ship.

[Женя · Rating 4 out of 5]

Наконец-то я ее прочитала!
Дело не в том, что читалось тяжело, а в том - что довольно давно хотела прочитать эту книгу.
Ну что сказать, не настолько она хороша, как говорят. Просто слишком детская.
Мальчик тайно пробирается на корабль "Новый Титаник" и уплывает с ним в круиз (но мне как-то не понятно зачем порожняком плыть из Англии в Америку, чтобы только там набрать пассажиров?) Его находят и он начинает отрабатывать свой хлеб, помогая создавать корабельную газету.
А в это время где-то в США, двое парнишек пробрались во двор секретной лаборатории (ха-ха-ха, что же это за секретность такая) и разбили склянки, случайно!!! выпавшие из окна секретной!!! лаборатории))) И в мире началась эпидемия!
Но на Титанике идет загрузка пассажиров и круз начинается. Увы, эпидемия не обошла и корабли. Половина отдыхающих умерла, в портах - пустота, но Show Must Go On!!! И вот они приплывают в очередной порт, там на них нападают местные бандиты, они от них убегают и случайно знакомятся со знахаркой, которая придумала противоядие. И т.д. и т.п.
Единственное утешение - открытый финал.

[☆Dani☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated this book when I half-read it back when I was a kid, even though I loved the Titanic, it was just boring and not my kind of thing at all. It randomly came into my head a few seconds ago, and then I was like, wait, it had 2020 in the title, and then I searched for it on Goodreads and read that there's a deadly pandemic going on in 2020, and now I'm just like nope, not a chance will I ever in my life touch this book again. It's suddenly gone dark.

Like I couldn't even finish the book properly when I was younger. Half-skimmed it, didn't care about it at all, realized that Claire changes hair colour randomly for no reason halfway through, and I realized that the author didn't really care about the book either. So whatever. Now I'm thinking though, if Morgan Robertson half-predicted the sinking of the Titanic, maybe Colin Bateman half-predicted Covid-19. Maybe that was the real purpose of this book, a warning.

We should have been prepared.

[Nancy I · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable Young Adult novel which, because of the current COVID-19 situation, may be a bit depressing to some. I did nor find it so. The copyright date is 1988 and who would have thought Bateman would draw such parallels between what is plaguing the globe right now and the plague he devised to attack the world? Bateman does a good job of hooking the reader from the beginning and he moves right along from there. We are intrigued by this new ship as well as some of the characters, i.e., Jimmy Armstrong, Scoop, and Claire Standford, to name a few. Of course his Red Plague that circles the planet is another thing all together and one wonders how he will rid the ship of it. All the hurdles Jimmy and Claire overcome (and in some instances climb over) are, in many cases, way beyond the capabilities of thirteen year olds, but that doesn't distract and may indeed make it more appealing to the young adult reader.

[Simbjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 Sterne 🌟
Sehr spannendes und unterhaltsames Buch, das gerade aufgrund der derzeitigen Corona Pandemie sehr zu empfehlen ist. Es ist erstaunlich welche Parallelen es zwischen diesem Buch und der Realität im Jahr 2020/2021 gibt. Ansonsten sind die Charaktere sehr vielseitig und man fiebert in jeder Situation mit ihnen mit, und auch die Geschichte bleibt durchgehend spannend. Schade dass Band zwei bisher nicht auf Deutsch erschienen ist. Trotzdem eine gutes Buch für zwischendurch, welches man schnell durchgelesen hat.

[Chris H. B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro recomendado a partir de los 12 años, pero sin duda creo que deberíamos pararnos para hojear o bien para leerlo en su totalidad, la historia te atrapa rápido y por ello mismo es súper rápido de leer a pesar de sus más de 300 páginas. Una historia para chicos y grandes, una historia en un barco y por ende en el mar, se conocen varios lugares y eso sin duda ejercita la imaginación de quien lee el libro.

[Emorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite books and is so good I've recommended it to anyone who'll listen. The narrative is brilliant with characters that are explored in-depth, especially Claire who is absolutely not just the spoiled rich girl she lets on to be. Although I didn't like that they ended up together-ish, I still really enjoyed the book!

[Megan Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this when I was in primary school and re reading it now as an adult, it was just as exciting as I remembered. Maybe my love for it is part nostalgia but even so, I definitely reccomend, it’s a very exciting, funny, and dramatic read. And also kinda crazy how the author predicted a global pandemic in 2020 years and years before it even happened.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's weird reading a book set in 2020 that has a global pandemic in it in the current circumstances. Other than that, I liked it. Didn't like either of the main characters when they were introduced, but that changed as they got to know each other better.

[Lynne Lampard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book is classed as a young adult reader book... I really enjoyed it... the story had me gripped and I liked the comedy elements.

[morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

one hell of a book to read in the current climate, that's for sure

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Homomisia
Pandemic
Murder

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad.

This is YA book, so I have to note that I am well outside the intended age range so that might account for part of it.

I actually found myself a bit disappointed in the book. The storyline was good and well thought out, a new Titanic is being built and Belfast and Jimmy Armstrong whose great grandfather worked on the building of and died when the original Titanic sunk. After sneaking on board, he passes out and wakes up to find that the ship has left port. He stays on board just as a mysterious disease sweeps the planet wiping the population of the planet off the earth.

The writing style was fine, the story flowed well and was easy to read, I even liked Jimmy and Claire.

Whilst Jimmy and Claire worked on the on-board Newspaper, they looked up the events on the internet and found what was happening with the disease and how it was spreading, but for me in the end I started to feel short changed, because this was all we were getting, on the ship for a long time nothing happened and I started to feel I would much rather have had a book that was onshore amongst the disaster than these snippets of what happened!

As an example, Ty one of the passengers who boarded at Miami, gave a short story of what happened getting there, it might have been more interesting to have more of the passengers stories of how they got their whilst fighting through the disease ridden Miami.

Later once the ship reached it's ports etc things on board got more exciting and I enjoyed it when they sent people ashore for fuel and food, but for me overall I was a deflated and I felt it was almost an excuse by the author for less action because he was on the ship! The best chapter was the next to last one with the flesh eating dogs!

Maybe this was because it was a YA book and it was toned down, but I have read other YA books which were a lot stronger than this.

I didn't realise that there was a book two till I started and would possibly read it if I found but would not go out of my way for it.

That said, YA readers will probably enjoy it.

Average, 3 stars no more.

[amie-jay ensor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was gripping. There were so many difficulties throughout the book. Yet every single one, was overcome! I was really scared that Jimmy would be upset when Claire died, but then he found a cure! I loved being able to see Claire and Jimmys' relationship grow. At first they hated each other but then they kissed. However at the end they agreed they hated each other again! =S Confusing! I'm really glad that it got sorted out onboard =D. However i would like to know what happened to the rest of the world! I know the boat was fine but we don't know if everyone else got the cure too. I also want to know what happened with all the dogs'?! Overall I really loved reading this book!

[Ryan Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woaaah! Ever since I first picked up the book and notced its front cover, it immediatley spoke out 'Awsomeness' to me. I loved the writing style of this book. It was fun most of time and when it wanted to be serious, it really worked. The characters were awsome, the whole concept was awsome.I felt like it balanced the serious of the outbreak, and the Pedroza situation with the fun characters and the newspaper scenes. All these elements combined into this one book made for a enjoyable and gripping adventure.
I would bring this book to class, explain about it and people would be lining up to read it :)
IT WAS JUST AMAZING. I could picture every scene vividly. 5 STARS. YEAHH BOYY

[Book Jester · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the summer holiday book I read with my 8 year-old Titanic-crazy son. Admittedly, his Dad read some of it with him so there were chunks which I missed out but the bits I did read I really enjoyed. I think it was, in hindsight, a bit too advanced for an 8 year-old so some aspects definitely went over his head (or I edit-read if I noticed a bit that was a bit gory - like when they find a party island full of decaying bodies!). An enjoyable daft little yarn which would've made a great pandemic read.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, another great book

[Paty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy divertido!! Se debió de llamar las JimmyAventuras jaja.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it very interesting, it's got a bit of everything, post-apocalypse, romance, adventure, crime etc...

[Abdul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little read, especially for a young male, and a nice bit of Young Adult/teen fiction nostalgia. Think Eoin Colfier style humour and pace. Not the most air tight story ever and actually surprisingly dark, lots of sickness and death - but overall a great quick read.