Pirate Latitudes: A Novel | Michael Crichton

Pirate Latitudes: A Novel | Michael Crichton | A Pirate by Any Other Name

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	Pirate Latitudes: A Novel Michael Crichton Harper, 2009 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 237 reviews view larger image
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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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Aye, matey!

I loved this book. It's the first Crichton book I've read. I've avoided them because I've never really cared for the movies based on his books, or ER. (*gasp* right?) :)

I had trouble putting the book down from the very first chapter. I was even reading at work on my breaks.

The characters are well developed, the story not overly described and while it may have been far fetched at times - I think that added to the magic of the book.

I highly recommend this if you like action, adventure & a bit of humor in your books.

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A Pirate by Any Other Name

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies have got nothing on the adventures that take place in Michael Crichton's post mortem book, Pirate Latitudes. Port Royal in 1600s Jamaica is full of debauchery and villainy; the perfect setting for a fascinating tale about the exploits of English privateer Captain Charles Hunter, a brave man, revered by both his crew and the people of Port Royal.
There is nothing in the first few chapters to indicate that a first-rate pirate tale will be told, but stick with it. You are introduced to Port Royal and its English governor, Sir James Almont, as he performs his morning `toilet' of teeth cleaning and natural, although poisonous, cosmetics to give him that fashionable pale look that men of his rank strive for. These intimate details, and a little sex, will carry you through to when the real story begins.
While Almont is inspecting a new servant girl, she innocently talks about a ship she has seen on her way to the Jamaican Colony. The Spanish ship is in the guarded harbor of a sadistic fort commander named Cazalla. Thinking that the ship quite probably contains treasure, Almont enlists Hunter to capture it.
Hunter must quickly prepare his ship for the journey to the island fortress. Expecting the quest to last not more than a few days, he takes only enough provisions that are necessary and hires a crew. Hunter is an experienced privateer and surrounds himself with competent crew members that have unique skills. Lazue, a woman pretending to be a man, uses her sharp vision to guide the ship to safe harbor and to seek out approaching enemies. Sanson, as untrustworthy as you can get, thinks nothing of murdering sleeping Spanish soldiers to free his fellow members from captivity. Hunter carefully selects the rest of his crew members for the unique talents that will make the quest to capture the Spanish ship successful.
It is while preparations are being made that we learn of a second motive for this trip, one shared by Hunter's ammunition expert--familial revenge against the sadistic Cazalla. Driven by his quest for gold and personal revenge, Hunter is determined to capture the Spanish ship and bring it back to Port Royal. Unlike pirates; the mission is to bring back the treasure to the Crown.
Thrilling and entertaining to the end, I was immersed in each dangerous situation. Hunter must face enemy soldiers, terrible tropical storms, and mythological creatures before he and his crew reach home. Through each chapter, Hunter and most of his crew manage to survive, only to find that the adventure is not yet ended when they reach home.
Crichton uses a historically true background of 1600s English colonies to weave a fascinating tale. Pirate Latitudes is a non-stop, gripping adventure yarn. Worth reading? Aye.

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Probably a more realistic pirate story.

A quick read and a good book over all. Not a bad story and has a more realistic view of pirates and life during that time period. Usually Michael Crichton is good with details anyways. However, as Michael Crichton's books goes, it not one of his best. I probably should have waited for the paperback. I would recommend the book though, but not pay the big bucks for the hardcover.

Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me...

Pirate Latitudes is a pirate adventure tale set in 17th Century colonial Jamaica. Back home in Europe, which is being ravaged by the plague, the kingdoms of King Charles and King Phillip are officially (at least on the paper such treaties are written) at peace. However, on the wild waters of the Caribbean, lightly armed English Merchant ships are still constantly being seized, plundered and sunk (after all of the men have been killed and the women raped) by Spanish warships while Spanish Merchant ships are meeting the same fate at the hands of English commandeered pirate vessels.

The finished manuscript was discovered and published after the author's death in 2008, which begs the question: Did Dr. Crichton actually want this book submitted for publishing? (Part of me would like to think he took a vacation to Jamaica on year, decided it would make a good tax write-off, and so called it research.) I'd be curious to know exactly when Crichton wrote this novel (probably something we'll never know). I would guess earlier in his career, as the writing seems somewhat immature compared to his later novels.

Not being a connoisseur of pirate novels, I'm not really in a position to state how this one fares with others of the genre. It seems to have a little of everything for everybody: murder, sex, thievery, swashbuckling sword fights, intrigue (political, bureaucratic back stabbing and otherwise), cunning, a trial (of sorts), battles on land, battles at sea, hurricanes, encounters with blood-thirsty cannibals and a mythical sea monster (Kraken).

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