Lost Republic — Paul B. Thompson

It began on a sunlit day in Cherbourg, France. In 2055, the future has arrived and the past is departing as the last steamship in the world prepares to cross the Atlantic on its final voyage. Alongside, a great, glittering solar powered vessel sails, too -- a beautiful ship filled with beautiful people. On board the steamer are eight teens -- some dreamers, some desperate -- for whom the last voyage of the S.S. SIR GUY CARLTON is only a step on a longer journey. Soon the ship is far out at sea and every layer of modern technology fails. Each teen must rely on their own special skills to survive -- but where? What is the strange island in the Atlantic, where no island exists? Who are the men, speaking in an ancient tongue, who capture the survivors of the stricken ship? With every breath a new mystery appears, and the desperate dreamers of the CARLTON must find a way to escape the Lost Republic.