Pirate Latitudes: A Novel
by Michael Crichton
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michael CrichtonEdition: Roughcut
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-11-24
ISBN: 0061929379
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Harper
Product features:
- First Edition Hardcover Fiction
Book Reviews of Pirate Latitudes: A Novel
Book Review: Dead men CAN tell tales! Michael Crichton PROVES it! God rest his soul.
Summary: 5 Stars
I just have to say it again....("Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean" was wrong about a lot of things)
1.) Dead men CAN tell tales - enter Michael Crichton...the man passed away and he's still able to write an awesome swashbuckling tale as if it was written along side whatever scrip Disney may have gotten its hands on for their movie; and
2.) I understand that the Disney "Pirates" movie trilogy was meant for families as a whole. But the last 2 in the franchise did not measure up to the story telling of the first....the last 2 movies got weird.
People, reading this, are going to ask, "What does this have to do with Crichton's book?" All I can say is that Crichton covers everything EXCEPT a bunch of zombie pirates, a squid-faced Davy Jones, and Calypso.
BUUUT Crichton's story even has a Kraken in it - a more "real" version of what Disney "monsterfied"! The best thing about this book is the realism that is portrayed by not only the setting, the atmosphere, the locale, and the nautical speak - the most amazing thing is all of his attention to every detail that is covered from every aspect. I have not researched the historical details covered in the ending regarding how much of the author's tale, if any, are truth or merely fiction. Michael Crichton took that with him, after he lost his battle to Cancer.
So, what is there to say other than the countless other reviews that you have read on this site or others? Well, it is this - the book is one of those gems that you would have never guessed was a winner just sitting on a book shelf. Skeptics would dare compare or even contrast this work against that of the Disney movies. Yet, Disney's approach to the story-telling of pirates is lacking even in the most simple terms of having "heart". This book was written with so much care, that you the reader get wrapped up in the story. It doesn't feel like you are on the set of a music video with the a bunch of "hair band" classic rockers playing the characters. One can almost sense that this was something that the author held off on putting out there because he was afraid of being labeled the "copy cat". However, it is my opinion (and that opinion is supported by many) that his book stands on its own in terms of what it is - a winner in all aspects!
If you pick this book up, it starts out kind of mundane within Port Royal. I was not very thrilled with how slow it started for me, but it dawned on me about what Crichton was doing. In his own mind's eye, he was doing more than setting the tone as any author worth his salt tries to do - he wanted you to FEEL IT! In that almost "Doctor M.D." way of his (Crichton was a doctor) - he wanted to show how filth ridden and sodden things were at the time from both ship to shore, the time it took to do anything, or even something as day-to-day as telling time on the open sea. he covers so much detail so well, that he has you understanding the languishing pain of something as today's common-place "gout", to the now eradicated pox, or even to the simplest thing of tooth decay. All of those things mentioned and with so much more I've leave for you to discover, Crichton uses in his tapestry of imagery.
Crichton covers all his basis well in regards to how he penned this last manuscript, the characters speak as though they are talking in the 17th century. The nautical jargon is covered very well and with great realism. Even the differences between the Spaniard, English, French, and Danish equipment (ships, cannons, etc.) are covered in great detail without it becoming tedious for the reader to catch on or keep up. You feel as though you are following a fast paced block buster movie with all the "adult" themes that you'd expect from a pirates tale. Yes, there is a bit of gory violence in the battles/duels. There is a bit more talk of "sexual intercourse" (and is described in the way that 17th century viewed "it") HAH!, as opposed to the watered down "Scarlet/Elizabeth Swan" tease you get from Disney. With all that combined into one book, you have the makings of something so much more than just a story of adventure, intrigue, and suspense!
I cannot begin to describe to a person, who is picking up this book for the first time, how awesome it feels to follow along so engrossed in what they will be reading! It is fitting that this was the way that Michael Crichton finished his career and his life - with the creation of a WINNER! He is and was one of the BEST and most accomplished writers of our time. A Renaissance Man in life and in the written word. This is not fluff for anyone who has either not read a book of his...or who have been disappointed by previous works of his. Mind you, I am not fond of a great many Crichton works because of certain storylines. However, I can tell you that this is one of the most well crafted and meticulously edited gems found in a treasure trove that could have been lost forever. (The was a complete manuscript found in his files after Michael Crichton's death in 2008).
***side note: There is talks of a movie that is supposed to be done by Spielberg or his production company. If that be the case, I do hope that they put as much effort into preserving the quality of this story!***
Summary of Pirate Latitudes: A Novel
Jamaica in 1665 is a rough outpost of the English crown, a minor colony holding out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, Jamaica?s capital, a cut-throat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses, is devoid of London?s luxuries; life here can end swiftly with dysentery or a dagger in your back. But for Captain Edward Hunter it is a life that can also lead to riches, if he abides by the island?s code. In the name of His Majesty King Charles II of England, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking. And law in the New World is made by those who take it into their hands.
Word in port is that the Spanish treasure galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is stalled in nearby Matanceros harbor awaiting repairs. Heavily fortified, the impregnable Spanish outpost is guarded by the blood-swiller Cazalla, a favorite commander of King Philip IV himself. With the governor?s backing, Hunter assembles a roughneck crew to infiltrate the enemy island and commandeer the galleon, along with its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloody legends of Matanceros suggest, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he finds himself on the island?s shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry are all that stand between him and the treasure.
With the help of his cunning crew, Hunter hijacks El Trinidad and escapes the deadly clutches of Cazalla, leaving plenty of carnage in his wake. But his troubles have just begun. . . .
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