| | |  | | Home » Pirate Latitudes: A Novel | | | | | | | Description: | | 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. . . . | | | Features: | |
• First Edition Hardcover Fiction
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Michael Crichton | | Roughcut:
| 320 pages | | Publisher:
| Harper | | Publication Date:
| November 24, 2009 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0061929379 | | Product Length:
| 9.26 inches | | Product Width:
| 6.42 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.18 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.06 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.4 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.3 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.9 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 442 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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310 of 330 found the following review helpful:
 Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum....Nov 25, 2009
By M. Jacobsen
"I am not young enough to know everything."
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.
246 of 270 found the following review helpful:
 Pirate-y.Nov 24, 2009
By Nicole Del Sesto
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.
83 of 89 found the following review helpful:
For all your pirate needs...Nov 25, 2009
By E. Heard
Michael Crichton's "Pirate Latitudes" is everything you're looking for in a pirate adventure. It doesn't necessarily do anything new with the genre, but it will satisfy those who found the popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" films too over-the-top and cartoony.
This (relatively short) novel tells the story of pirate (he prefers "privateer") Charles Hunter and his crew of super-pirates as they embark on a quest for the ultimate prize-- a Spanish treasure galleon. I say "super-pirates" because each of his crew does one or two things extraordinarily well, creating a sort of "who's who" of pirate archetypes. You have the stealth assassin, Sanson, who kills entire ship crews without making a sound. Then there is Bassa, the giant Moor who seems inspired by Fezzik from "The Princess Bride" and who kills with his bare hands. There is Lazue, the quintessential female pirate, who goes about as a man unless it suits her to use her feminine attributes and whose eyes are capable of spotting even the most camouflaged of reefs. There is Enders, the dependable helmsman, who can sail even the bulkiest of ships through the eye of a needle. And finally Don Diego aka "The Jew", the crafty munitions expert, who does something with rat innards you will not believe.
Other pirate tale staples appear as well: cannibals, damsels in distress, storms at sea, and sea monsters. The inclusion of the sea monster surprised me, given Crichton's realistic account of 17th century pirate life up to that point. While my initial reaction was to scoff, I soon found myself going with the idea. Crichton was a man of science, and you get the impression that he is acknowledging the possibility that perhaps the strange stories of sea monsters told by the old seafarers of the past may have had some truth to them. I won't go into too much detail about the monster, but its presence in the story is handled well. The sea monster scene is not particularly original, but it's hard not to smile while reading it. Yes, we've seen it before, but it's still fun to go over again with a new set of characters and circumstances.
"Pirate Latitudes" doesn't really hit its stride until about halfway through. From there on it is difficult to put down. The publisher's description of the book is incomplete (probably intentionally so). Yes, Captain Hunter and his motley crew are indeed embarking on a dangerous mission to cut out a Spanish treasure galleon from a nigh unconquerable port, but that is only half the story. I will not give away any more, but will instead allow you to discover the rest for yourself as I did.
As you read though the novel, you get the impression that this was something Crichton was writing merely for his own enjoyment. It was well-publicized that the completed manuscript was discovered after the author's death. We'll never know what he intended to do with it. Perhaps he never intended to publish it at all. While this may sound ludicrous to non-writers, I suspect this is the case. Many prolific authors have completed manuscripts tucked away that they wrote just for the pleasure of writing, and "Pirate Latitudes" seems to be one of those. Perhaps it was something he picked away at while trying to stave off writer's block for something else he was working on. Even if this novel was never intended to see the light of day, I am glad his family decided to go ahead and let us have a look at it.
"Pirate Latitudes" delivers everything you'd ever want from a pirate story, and also gives a fairly accurate historical portrayal of 17th century pirates, particularly the violent lives they lead. This book will likely not receive any awards, nor will it impress many literary critics, but it is not attempting to do so. It is well-worth reading if you enjoy fast-paced action adventure, particularly of the cutlass-wielding, piratey variety.
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 A final gift from Micahel CrichtonDec 14, 2009
By Christian J. Ingebretsen
I'm guessing that Michael Crichton never knew what a gift "Pirates Latitude" would be. We've all enjoyed his gifts before. Personally, I admired "Great Train Robbery" and "Eaters of the Dead" for historical fictions with great accuracy; "Sphere" and "Terminal Man" for their terrifying glimpses into the human mind; "Jurassic Park" for a better understanding of the genetic age we are entering; "State of Fear" for calling the media, junk science and popular causes out on the carpet.
I've seen others criticize this book for not having that typical "Crichton feel", and on some levels, I would agree. Had Crichton only written books like "Pirates Latitude" he would never have become one of the world's most popular writers. People fell in love with Crichton for his attention to detail, for his insistence that facts and
truth be presented as nothing other than what they are. Had cancer not robbed him of a chance to see "Pirates Latitude" published, I believe Crichton would have done what he does best. He would have added that detail, thus robbing us of this final gift. This bare-bones manuscript is a testimony to something I took for granted: details, facts, figures, and ethics aside, Crichton was an extraordinary writer! It's a great story: funny, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, fast-paced and brash in one paragraph, quiet and elegant in the next. And unless by some fate there is another desk with a manuscript to be discovered, it is the last work of his I will read anew. I will miss
him.
Sorry for turning this into a Eulogy of sorts...but since I've already crossed that line, I think I'll close with a quote from "The Lost World": "You smell the salt in the air? You feel the sunlight on your skin? You see all of us together? That's real. Life is wonderful. It's a gift to be alive, to see the sun and breathe the air. And there isn't really anything else." Rest well, Mr. Crichton. You've earned it.
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 Yo Ho HumJan 04, 2010
By Dana A. Hess
This pirate tale in its published form would (I believe) be an embarassment to Michael Crichton. As many others have commented, the story is choppy and there's next to no character development. Maybe there's a reason he had left it in his files. Perhaps he was going to go back and flesh in the characters and storyline.
The central plotline (such as it is) involves raiding a Spanish stronghold to capture a galleon filled with treasure. This is accomplished early on with very little detail or excitement. In another instance, the pirates are threatened by blood-thirsty savages... who make a half-hearted attempt to kill Captain Hunter and his crew and then apparently just give up and disapear! Also,one of the givens in most action-oriented thrillers is the villain who does something evil early on. You know that he/she is going to get his/her just desserts by the end of the story, and you look forward to it. In this tale, Hunter comes home to Port Royal after several disjointed (and disappointing) adventures and discovers something dastardly has happened while he was away. But, not to worry, the whole thing is sorted out in no time... and with little or no imagination.
I've been a fan of Michael Crichton's since reading The Andromeda Strain as a young boy. This just isn't in the same class as the rest of his works, although I will admit there was some fun to it. My advice: If you feel you must buy this book, wait 'til it comes out in the $7.99 paperback. Or, better yet, borrow it from the library or a friend.
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