Rating: 
Summary: Strange coincidence...
Review: According to http://www.im.gte.com/titanic/fof.html:
English writer Morgan Robertson wrote Futility, an imaginary account of a collision between a large
trans-Atlantic oceanliner and an iceberg on her maiden voyage to New York. He called his ship the
Titan. Did he cash in on the disaster? Hardly. Robertson published his book in 1898--14 years
before the Titanic sank. Robertson later wrote a book, Beyond the Spectrum, that described a future war fought with aircraft that carried
"sun bombs". Incredibly powerful, one bomb could destroy a city, erupting in a flash of light that blinds all who
look at it. The war begins in December, started by the Japanese with a sneak attack on Hawaii. . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Don't have,. Haven't read.
Review: All I can say is that I would like to invest in an original copy of this book. I have heard about it for years and didn't realize it had been reprinted. The Titanic disaster has fascinated me most of my life. When the film came out I knew all of the historical characters' names, ranks, positions within the ship, etc. I have a rather large collection of books about the ship and the events surrounding its demise. This book would be a neat little lagniappe for my library, but only if it were a first edition.
Rating:
Summary: oh so good
Review: An excellent prenomenatio
Rating: 
Summary: Little did the author know how right he was......
Review: An intriguing story, written 14 years before the Titanic disaster, about the world's largest ocean liner, the Titan, inadequately supplied with lifeboats, that sank after striking an iceberg. The story itself is only O.K., although the depiction of the greedy insurance agent that doesn't want to pay up for the wreck seems very true to life. Also has a somewhat drawn out and unromantic love story that one tires of, but it's a lot better than the cheesy love story from the recent Titanic flick. Not great literature, but fascinating from the point of view of future history and enough action to keep you interested.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!!! This book is incredible!!!
Review: As a "Titantic fanatic" I loved reading this book! If you believe in fate, coincidence, or premonitions this is the book for you... It took me FOREVER to find this book - thank you for reprinting it for the rest of us to enjoy. It's amazing how many creepy coincidences this book contains regarding the Titan and the Titanic. Using the original cover design was very cool too. We've shown the book to several of our "Titanic" obsessed friends who have ordered copies of their own.
Rating:
Summary: How could he be so psychic?
Review: Either this guy is psychic, or these stories were not written when they are said to have been. The story of the Titanic already was so amazing, so fantastic that it is easy to imagine that it may just be a story. Everything that happened with that ship was so perfectly fitting for a disaster on its maiden voyage, so good a story, that it actually was in "Futility". But I ask you, how could so many details be so acurately described, even the name of the ship(Titan)? It is truly amazing. And that is why I, or anyone, has reason to believe that this story possibly was not written 1896, but after the real disaster. Think about it- it is just as logical, even more so, that "Futility" was written afterwards. And I see no way to prove either way, really.
Rating:
Summary: Futility almost seems to foretell the titanic disaster.
Review: Futility is a story about a huge ocean liner called the "Titan" which was the largest and most luxurious ship in the world. The Titan hits an iceberg on its starboard side and sinks in the icy North Atlantic during the month of April. I wanted to read this story because it was believed by some that this story would foretell the sinking of the Titanic 14 years later. I found parts of the book to be interesting; but I had a hard time trying to follow all of the events without rereading some of the pages. At one point, I put the book down because it became a little boring at times. Overall, Futility is a good book to read, and no doubt was a good sea adventure in 1898! I cannot really say there is any similarities to the way the "Titan" sank compared to the Titanic disaster. I gave this book 4 stars, because Morgan Robertson spoke of important nautical terms (like the Titan's 19 watertight compartments, triple screw expansion,etc). These were on ocean liners of the late 1800's and early 1900's. Futility is not the best book I have ever read, but I think it was a pretty good one. It is hard not to try to compare the events unfolding in Futility and compare it to the events leading up to the sinking of Titanic; since the two events are similiar. It is a story that any Titanic enthusiast or historian must read!
Rating:
Summary: Futility almost seems to foretell the titanic disaster.
Review: Futility is a story about a huge ocean liner called the "Titan" which was the largest and most luxurious ship in the world. The Titan hits an iceberg on its starboard side and sinks in the icy North Atlantic during the month of April. I wanted to read this story because it was believed by some that this story would foretell the sinking of the Titanic 14 years later. I found parts of the book to be interesting; but I had a hard time trying to follow all of the events without rereading some of the pages. At one point, I put the book down because it became a little boring at times. Overall, Futility is a good book to read, and no doubt was a good sea adventure in 1898! I cannot really say there is any similarities to the way the "Titan" sank compared to the Titanic disaster. I gave this book 4 stars, because Morgan Robertson spoke of important nautical terms (like the Titan's 19 watertight compartments, triple screw expansion,etc). These were on ocean liners of the late 1800's and early 1900's. Futility is not the best book I have ever read, but I think it was a pretty good one. It is hard not to try to compare the events unfolding in Futility and compare it to the events leading up to the sinking of Titanic; since the two events are similiar. It is a story that any Titanic enthusiast or historian must read!
Rating:
Summary: The book is only a "Titanic curiosity"
Review: Futility or the Wreck of the Titan is definitely a book that deserves to be mentioned. However, many other books, documentaries, and so-called "historians" (e.g. Charles Pellegrino) have blown it out of porportion. Face it, it's a dry Victorian novel. Yes, I have to agree there are many coincidences -- number of passengers, collison with iceberg in April, the name of the ship. But they are JUST coincidences. Robertson was not only a WELL-KNOWN author in America and Britain, but a seaman who most likely kept up with all the shipping journals. It doesn't take much to predict what a ship might be like in the next 11 years. (construction of Titanic began about 1909)And when do icebergs begin to flow down to the middle latitudes? During the spring, of course, when it's warm. Also, most people never bring up the dissimilarities. For example, the Titan was on her third voyage, not maiden. She was heading toward England. The Titan had a hand full of survivors includin! ! g the captain and first officer versus the real ship, which lost over 1,500 people, including those two men. The people on the Titan experienced a haze or fog. The real people on the Titanic had a beautiful, though moonless night. Even so, only the beginning portion of the book is dedicated to the ship. Don't get me wrong, I do recommend reading the book as sort of a "Titanic curiosity". However, I do think some people will be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: The book is only a "Titanic curiosity"
Review: Futility or the Wreck of the Titan is definitely a book that deserves to be mentioned. However, many other books, documentaries, and so-called "historians" (e.g. Charles Pellegrino) have blown it out of porportion. Face it, it's a dry Victorian novel. Yes, I have to agree there are many coincidences -- number of passengers, collison with iceberg in April, the name of the ship. But they are JUST coincidences. Robertson was not only a WELL-KNOWN author in America and Britain, but a seaman who most likely kept up with all the shipping journals. It doesn't take much to predict what a ship might be like in the next 11 years. (construction of Titanic began about 1909)And when do icebergs begin to flow down to the middle latitudes? During the spring, of course, when it's warm. Also, most people never bring up the dissimilarities. For example, the Titan was on her third voyage, not maiden. She was heading toward England. The Titan had a hand full of survivors includin! ! g the captain and first officer versus the real ship, which lost over 1,500 people, including those two men. The people on the Titan experienced a haze or fog. The real people on the Titanic had a beautiful, though moonless night. Even so, only the beginning portion of the book is dedicated to the ship. Don't get me wrong, I do recommend reading the book as sort of a "Titanic curiosity". However, I do think some people will be disappointed.
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