Pirate Latitudes

[Captain Blood]

Well, just back from a couple of weeks holiday, and having worked my way through a pile of paperbacks, I'd like to recommend to you Swashbuckling enthusiasts, 'Pirate Latitudes' by Michael Crichton (yes, he of 'Jurassic Park', 'Westworld', 'Rising Sun' and much other fame besides).
This is his last novel, published posthumously this year.
I did wonder if that meant it was a ghost-written job for the estate, milking the Crichton brand for all it's worth... But I don't think so.

All I can say is, it's a rip-roaring and well-written pirate adventure, well observed, with lots of lovely period detail, and some interesting, convincing characters.

After 'The Requiem Shark' (and 'Treasure Island', obviously), I think 'Pirate Latitudes' is probably the most enjoyable pirate story I've read. A real page-turner. Recommended 

[Bugsda]

Excellent! That's straight on to my to get list, as is The Requiem Shark which I've also never heard of.

Just read Empire of Blue Water by Stephan Talty so I'm feeling a bit Buccaneer at the moment 

[Lowtardog]

Yep read it a while back and it was pretty good, it was a manuscript someone else finished I hadnt realised he had died until I picked up the book

[Malamute]

Yep, have to agree, got it for my birthday earlier this year and it reignited my enthusiasm for pirates again. Must get around to painting some soon.

[Dr. The Viking]

Well, just back from a couple of weeks holiday, and having worked my way through a pile of paperbacks, I'd like to recommend to you Swashbuckling enthusiasts, 'Pirate Latitudes' by Michael Crichton (yes, he of 'Jurassic Park', 'Westworld', 'Rising Sun' and much other fame besides).
This is his last novel, published posthumously this year.
I did wonder if that meant it was a ghost-written job for the estate, milking the Crichton brand for all it's worth... But I don't think so.

I'm so intrigued by this that I'm going to order it!

Never would I have thought of Crichton doing pirates...

[brigadegames]

As I understand it was published after his death after being found unreleased.

It was good but the ending was too fast and lacked development IMO.

[maccioniath]

It was good but the ending was too fast and lacked development IMO.

isn't that true of most of Crichton's books, though? Jurassic Park, Congo, Andromeda Strain (I read Sphere too but can't remember much of it), even Rising Sun, they all just seemed to end abruptly. Almost like the author got a new idea and was in a hurry to finish the current story to start the new one.
Now, that being said, I like a good pirate yarn as much as the next guy, so I'll probably pick it up...

Who wrote 'The Requiem Shark'? I've never heard of it.

[Johnno]

I got it for Christmas from my wife...pretty good

Yep read it a while back and it was pretty good, it was a manuscript someone else finished I hadnt realised he had died until I picked up the book

I thought I was the only one.....

[Captain Blood]

Who wrote 'The Requiem Shark'? I've never heard of it.

Nicholas Griffin.

It's a novel about a member of Bartholomew Roberts' crew. Feels like what it might actually have been like (for real - rather than the Errol Flynn / Robert Newton / Johnny Depp version of 'the golden age' of piracy)...

Apparently there is some debate about whether Pirate Latitudes is pure Crichton.
Some claim it was a complete manuscript which he had just finished before his death, and had every intention of publishing.
Others say it was recovered from his effects as a part-manuscript he never intended to publish, and was finished off by a team of ghost writers...
Who knows the truth of it, but I'd say it feels like a pretty cohesive work, so I can well believe that it is all his.
The only slightly bum note is struck by the short episode with the Kraken, which feels like it might have been interpolated. Apart from that, the whole thing feels fairly authentic / serious...

Perhaps Michael Crichton just felt like trying his hand at an uncharacteristic genre to prove his versatility. Lots of writers do. 

Anyway, it's an exciting piratical read 

[richarDISNEY]

Wow.
Funny how the world goes around...

I just got this on audiobook so I can listen while I get a skeleton pirate crew going...

Glad to hear its pretty good.

Weird...