The winner of the
M.M. Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction, announced in June 2015 at the
Historical Novel Society Conference in Denver, and a finalist for the People’s
Book Prize to be announced in April 2016, Lusitania
R.E.X is an historical account of the sinking of the Lusitania replete with spies and secret societies, super weapons,
millionaires and martyrs. After being struck by a single torpedo on May 7th
1915, the Lusitania sank in only
eighteen minutes. Passengers such as Alfred Vanderbilt, one of the wealthiest
men in the world, ignored warnings from the German embassy, confident the
fastest ship in the world could outrun enemy submarines. Since the time of her
sinking, the Lusitania has been
wrapped in mystery and intrigue. Experts continue to debate the cause of the
second explosion that sealed her fate after the torpedo struck. Imperial
Germany immediately claimed she was loaded with explosives destined for the
front. Lusitania R.E.X weaves a tale
around disputed facts to create a plausible explanation of some of the
mysteries surrounding her sinking.
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| Greg Taylor |
Greg's passion for
research has led him to develop first-hand relationships with the descendants
of some of the characters in the book, including the 11th Duke of Marlborough
and Alfred G Vanderbilt III. He was drawn to the tale of Lusitania because he was fascinated by the cataclysm of elegant
Edwardian society caused by the brutal warfare the industrial success of that
society made possible. His passion for research and discovery has taken him to
the numerous historical sites that appear in the book. Undergraduate studies in
history at Williams College in Massachusetts and the University of Durham,
England, are reflected in the book. Greg attended the School of Management at
Yale University where he lives one block from The Tomb of Skull and Bones.
London has been Greg's home since 2000, and he has divided his investment
banking and asset management career between New York and London.
Mike Uretsky, Professor at the New York University Stern School of
Business, was contacted specifically to vet Lusitania R.E.X for the
M.M. Bennetts award. Mike is a specialist and adviser to governments on
international energy policy. His area of expertise provides him with an
in-depth view of the part private capital has in the past and continues to play
in international affairs. He highly recommended the book’s accuracy in that
field and compared it as a whole to a well-conducted symphony.
Jim Bencivenga, a retired book critic at The Christian Science Monitor, wrote of Lusitania R.E.X:
"Were it not of American origin, 'Lusitania R.E.X', by Greg Taylor, is a
candidate for a BBC Masterpiece series.
"Most enjoyable are descriptions and details of the luxury ship itself.
From boilers to horse stables to elevators to paneled suites puts me on board,
freeing the imagination with the rhythm of ocean swells and throbbing engines
(several decks below, certainly not from Alfred Vanderbilt's suite).
"War on land, in the air, or at sea is deadly business. World War I trench
warfare and U boat war (novel and ever so 'ungentlemanly') with the potential
for rocket combat as explored in this novel, does indeed set the tone for the
modern age.
"Combine political intrigue among British and European aristocrats, the
fabulously wealthy American elite, members of a secret Yale society and you
have a superlative historical account about the best and worst in human beings.
"Archibald MacLeish tops my list of fascinating characters inhabiting the
pages of 'Lusitania R.E.X'. Individuals do make a difference, historical
differences. Taylor exploits the Newport crowd, the Skull and Bones crowd. He
characterizes an era. Irish and German espionage (I have a German grandfather
and an Irish grandmother whom I now understand much better), suffocating
conditions in diesel powered U-boats, sex drives above and below the waves,
inform this notorious crime at sea.
"The relevant lesson I take from 'Lusitania R.E.X' is how easy it is for
people and nations to stumble into war. The US and India just signed a ten-year
naval pact to balance the rise of China in the South China sea (in the annals
of war the phrase 'balance of power' should bring dread).
"What misstep off a nameless atoll on or below the waters near the
Philippines awaits its destiny. Torpedo tubes from a diesel sub, again, could
down a ship and initiate a devastating nuclear war."
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| Greg signing aboard |
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2 comments:
sounds fascinating
Since it is a winner of the M.M. Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction and deals with the Lusitania this book is a book, that I definitely want to read. Thank you for the fantastic giveaway.
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