So THAT'S Why The Titanic Went Down

Next spring will be the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Yesterday, while browsing a favorite book blog, I learned that because of this upcoming anniversary there is currently a rash of Titanic-themed books for all ages being published. The blog I was reading gave glowing reviews to one book in particular, and so, as is my habit, I popped over to Goodreads to add it to my "to-read" list. I noticed while I was adding it that it was a part of a Goodreads book list with a bunch of these new Titanic books, and—because I've always had sort of a strange fascination with the sunken unsinkable ship—I decided to check the list out. I skimmed it quickly, pulling up extra tabs to look at all of the books with the most intriguing titles or covers.

The first one I read was for a recently-published novel called Destined. I started reading the book description. The beginning of the first sentence sounded interesting—rather than taking the usual "I was on the Titanic" line, this book appeared to have one character who was based in the here-and-now. "While flying across the Atlantic on the centennial anniversary of the Titanic's tragic maiden voyage, Apolline Greer..." I was interested enough to keep reading. Who was Apolline Greer, and what was she going to discover about that day nearly a hundred years ago?

The next line nearly made me choke on my own saliva. "Apolline Greer, last in a long line of vampire hunters..." Yes. You read that right. Vampire hunters. The book description goes on to detail a plot that involves time travel, body-swapping, vampire hunters and, of course, vampires themselves. All taking place on board the decks of the most famous ill-fated luxury ocean liner in history.

I scrolled down a little further and discovered that this book was published by either a vanity press or an extremely small press. Ah, I thought. That makes a little more sense; it's just one of those whacky fringe books that happens to have made a few peoples' radars. Right?

The next book I looked at had an equally enigmatic title: Fateful. This one was published by a well-known Young Adult press, and the first line reassured me that it was going to be a very typical Titanic story: "Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves..." Ah, I thought, I'm pretty sure I can guess the plotline already: the unhappy maid voyages to her new life on the Titanic, falls in love with some handsome fellow passenger (most likely far above her own station in life), and then spends the rest of her life mourning his heroic death after the ship goes down.

My suspicions were confirmed as I read more of the blurb: "Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly..." Right on schedule, I thought. The following sentence was a little different than what I was expecting, hinting at dark rumors swirling around the mysterious Alec, but so far the description was more or less what I'd expected. Then, right in the very end of the description, the punch line came:

"Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too." 

I just about fell over laughing. Okay, I realize that paranormal romance, werewolves, and vampires are the literary norm post-Twilight—but really? On the Titanic? Isn't there enough going on in that story already, without star-crossed supernatural lovers and thrilling werewolf chases across the decks?

When I read the reviews to Mahon (giggling the whole time), he said succinctly, "Well, I guess that's why the ship sank!"