Titanic 2020 Books in Order

The Titanic 2020 books imagine a near future where a brand new luxury liner, built in Belfast and named Titanic in honour of the original, sets sail into a world that is falling apart. The series centres on Jimmy Armstrong, a thirteen year old who sneaks aboard the ship on a dare and ends up as an accidental stowaway just as a deadly global plague tightens its grip.

In Titanic 2020 Jimmy misses the official school tour of the ship and decides to take his own look that night, only for the liner to leave port while he is still aboard. Caught by the crew, he is spared a lifeboat back to shore and ordered to work off his passage on the ship's newspaper, the Titanic Times. As the ship cruises from Belfast toward Miami and the Caribbean, news of an incurable disease called the Red Death spreads, riots flare on land and the Titanic becomes both a symbol of hope and a tempting target.

Jimmy teams up with Claire, the spoilt but sharp daughter of the billionaire owner, and Scoop, the paper's grizzled editor. Between them they chase stories, dodge authority and gradually understand that the wider world is sliding into chaos even as the passengers demand cocktails and cabaret. The mix of disaster set pieces and newsroom hustle gives the first book the feel of a blockbuster film told from a teenager's eye level.

The sequel, Titanic 2020: Cannibal City, picks up after catastrophe has struck on land. Much of the population has been wiped out and order has broken down. Jimmy and Claire become separated from the ship while ashore on a story and Jimmy is forced to travel down a devastated coastline in the hope of rejoining the Titanic at its next port. Along the way he encounters desperate survivors, makes uneasy alliances and sees just how far people will go to stay alive.

Although the series is pitched at older children and younger teens, Bateman does not soften the stakes too much. There are real threats, real losses and a constant tension between the Titanic as a bubble of privilege and the wrecked world outside. At the same time the books are full of brisk dialogue, set piece escapes and the kind of unlikely friendships that make catastrophe bearable.

For readers who enjoy big canvas adventure and like the idea of a modern Titanic story that goes somewhere very different from the famous film, this two book series offers a tight, satisfying journey.