Product Description

From one of the best-loved authors of all time comes an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates in the New World, a classic story of treasure and betrayal.

The Caribbean, 1665. A remote colony of the English Crown, the island of Jamaica holds out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, its capital, is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses.

In this steamy climate there's a living to be made, a living that can end swiftly by disease—or by dagger. For Captain Charles Hunter, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking, and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it.

Word in port is that the galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in a nearby harbor. Heavily fortified, the impregnable harbor is guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of the Spanish king himself. With backing from a powerful ally, Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy outpost and commandeer El Trinidad, along with its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloodiest tales of island legend, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he even sets foot on foreign shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry stand between him and the treasure. . . .

Pirate Latitudes is Michael Crichton at his best: a rollicking adventure tale pulsing with relentless action, crackling atmosphere, and heart-pounding suspense.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19 in Books
• Published on: 2009-12-01
• Released on: 2009-11-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

About the Author

Michael Crichton's novels include Next, State of Fear, Prey, Timeline, Jurassic Park, and The Andromeda Strain. He is also known as a filmmaker and the creator of ER. One of the most popular writers in the world, he has sold over 150 million books, which have been translated into thirty-six languages; thirteen have been made into films. He remains the only writer to have had the number one book, movie, and TV show at the same time. Pirate Latitudes was discovered as a complete manuscript in his files after his death in 2008.

Customer Reviews

Pirate-y.
It's impossible to know whether Crichton intended this book to be published, or if he wrote it for fun. Considering it was written in 2006, and discovered on his hard drive after his death, it feels like maybe he wasn't rushing it off to his agent for publication.

It's not Crichton in peak form, that's for sure.

While the book is entertaining enough, it's missing what I love most about Crichton ... the research, the education, the intense build of excitement. It's a pirate story, and not a particularly original one ... It's got your storms, your cannibals, your sea monsters, and general pirate treachery. The first half of the book I felt it was unforgivable that they decided to publish this. But the second half was fun enough that I can see it, and of course Spielberg is already working on the movie.

I didn't love it, didn't hate it. I think, had Crichton been ready for publication it would have been better. Less flawed. But it was enjoyable enough, very fast paced and Amazon has a great deal on the hardcover so you almost can't go wrong.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum....
I miss Michael Crichton already and was so glad this book was found and published. It's probably not what you're used to when it comes to his medical/ethics thrillers, but can probably be categorized as historical fiction.

He sets the story in 17th century Port Royal, Jamaica, home to all the shady pirates and privateers of the Caribbean. A motley band of pirates head out to storm a Spanish fortress in the Caribbean and capture a ship of Spanish gold. Of course things go amiss and the resulting adventure is a sound one.

The characters are engaging and the plot is tight. This wasn't meant to be "deep" reading, instead it's a fun romp with enough period detail to make you feel as if you're right there with them....personally, I didn't put it down until I turned the last page. It was a fun read and makes me realize how much I'm going to miss this author.

A ripping good swachbuckling yarn. . .
Let me start off by saying this: 'Pirate Latitudes' is a very good novel. It is a book that reads quickly, is very entertaining, and works on several levels. No, this is not Crichton's finest work. But neither is it his worst.

I must take issue with the reviewers who are saying that this novel lacks Crichton's trademark research. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's just that here, in this book, it's done a little differently. Usually, Crichton will expound through lengthy explanations himself as the author of the story or he will pick a character (like Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park or John Kenner in State of Fear) who acts as his voice and gives long expository soliloquies on the topic at hand. In PL, we find much of the research to be contextual. Characters use nautical terms freely, but in such a way as to be deduced from the conversation. There is much to be learned about ships and seafaring, as well as the atmosphere and life in the 17th century Caribbean. It gets so detailed as to talk about the angle of the sun reflecting off of the water and how that effects perceptions of depth as well as trying to navigate through it. There is plenty of research to learn from here if you just look for it. It's just that it doesn't beat you over the head. Sometimes things are put in such a good context you may not even realize until later you picked up something new.

What we also see is classic Crichton character development. Yes, it is a band of pirates. But this is unlike any other band you will ever see. Without giving away any spoilers just let me say that Crichton finds ways to make each character unique and imbue them characteristics that allow each to stand out. He does such a good job of defining them that you'll not find yourself trying to remember who is who. But the broad spectrum of characters allows the story have a much greater depth.

The novel does have its faults. The biggest is that it feels like there was more to be written. While the overall story and the characters are well-developed, there are parts where scenes seem more like ideas to be revisited as opposed to being complete. Certain parts just start to get going and then dissipate just as quickly, not completely fulfilling their potential impact. Sometimes you will find yourself strapping in for an action sequence when, suddenly, it is resolved.

The book is shorter than most other Crichton books by about 100 pages, adding to the sense of incompleteness that I'm sure many Crichton fans felt. I couldn't have been the only one who picked the book up and have my first thought be "huh, this looks thinner than I expected it to."

But, all-in-all, the book is an excellent read. It is fun, fast, and will teach you a thing or two about life on the high seas. It is certainly a big step up from his last novel 'Next', which is my least favorite of Crichton's. While the untimely passing of Crichton means we'll never know what this book could have been, it is very good in its current form and I have no reservations that it was released. Any Crichton fan will enjoy, as will many others who just enjoy a nice, fun read.