Pirate Latitudes, Michael Crichton

PIRATE LATITUDES

7/10/2018

"...From this vantage point atop the mainmast, she was able to see the color of the water many miles ahead, an intricate pattern of blues and greens of different intensities. In her mind, these registered as depths; she could read them as if they were a chart marked with surroundings."

— Michael Crichton, Pirate Latitudes

Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park and The Lost World, screenwriter of Twister and Westworld, director of The Great Train Robbery and Looker, sets his sights on the golden age of piracy in Pirate Latitudes. In it, we sail the Caribbean from England's Port Royal to Spain's military fort on Matanceros with a cutthroat team of privateers, each with a unique skillset and each hell-bent on using it for revenge to take a certain treasure galleon as a prize.

This is like the super-adult, gritty, historically-accurate version of Pirates of the Caribbean that I've been desperately looking for. The setting and energy of the times are established immediately, and the world-building details enhance the simple heist storyline. If you want to get lost for an afternoon and sail the high seas, battle a kraken, murder some corrupt government officials, run from cannibals, have a lagoon-side tryst, and try to steal a boatload of gold, then grab Pirate Latitudes. [JG]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Crichton (1942-2008) remains the only writer to have a number one book, movie, and TV show in the same year. His novels include Sphere, The Lost World, Eaters of the Dead, State of Fear, and Dragon Teeth among others. Collectively his works have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, been translated into thirty-eight languages, and provided the basis for fifteen films. He also directed the film versions of Westworld, The Great Train Robbery, and Looker.