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5th out of 252 books
—
297 voters
Pirate Latitudes
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...more
Hardcover, 312 pages
Published
November 24th 2009
by Harper
(first published 2009)
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"If only I'd have encrypted my hard drive...."
You have to think Michael Crichton's ghost is mouthing those words.
Written in 2006 and published only after being digitally pried from the late author's cold, dead computer - Pirate Latitudes comes across as a vanity project never intended to see the light of day.
I'm sure it was great fun to write, but Crichton's attempt to inject research into worn out pirate clichés falls far short of a good story. Several parts of the story read as if they were f...more
You have to think Michael Crichton's ghost is mouthing those words.
Written in 2006 and published only after being digitally pried from the late author's cold, dead computer - Pirate Latitudes comes across as a vanity project never intended to see the light of day.
I'm sure it was great fun to write, but Crichton's attempt to inject research into worn out pirate clichés falls far short of a good story. Several parts of the story read as if they were f...more
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First off, I have to say this is only my second Crichton novel. I read Jurassic Park back when the movie came out but haven't felt like reading anything else by him since. That being said, I enjoyed Pirate Latitudes. The novel does have its shortcomings but you have to wonder if this is because it wasn't truly finished. It's hard to say. This book was found on Crichton's computer after his death so it's possible that this wasn't the intended finished product. I liked it though and I'm curious to...more
I was so happy to hear they were publishing this book. Crichton's death was so sudden and unexpected I literally mourned the untold stories we lost with his passing.
Told as something of a more "realistic", less "Disney" Pirates of the Carribean, Crichton weaves the tale of Captain Charles Hunter's greatest raid of a Spanish treasure ship. From the first chapter, we are placed in the adventure and it ends up being a quick, fun ride.
The story was pure Chrichton, well told, detailed, obviously well...more
Told as something of a more "realistic", less "Disney" Pirates of the Carribean, Crichton weaves the tale of Captain Charles Hunter's greatest raid of a Spanish treasure ship. From the first chapter, we are placed in the adventure and it ends up being a quick, fun ride.
The story was pure Chrichton, well told, detailed, obviously well...more
I had been looking forward to Pirate Latitudes ever since I'd learned of its existence. Michael Crichton knows (or knew, I suppose) how to craft an exciting novel. Crichton however peaked with Timeline, one of his best books, grounded in an historical setting. That's what I had been expeting to get with Pirate Latitudes. Unfortunately I was mistaken.
Pirate Latitudes is the story of Charles Hunter, privateer, and his crew of misfits as they attempt to take the Spanish galleon El Trinidad. The pre...more
Pirate Latitudes is the story of Charles Hunter, privateer, and his crew of misfits as they attempt to take the Spanish galleon El Trinidad. The pre...more
Another great novel from Michael Crichton. The voice of the narrator and the dialogue are extremely realistic, containing such a rich flavor of verbiage of the times that you can't help but get into this story.
The hook of the plot keeps you wondering and turning pages.
The hook of the plot keeps you wondering and turning pages.
This is not the way for a talented writer to go out. If Chrichton had lived and had the time to revise, edit, etc., I'm sure this would have been much better.
I understand the manuscript for this was found in Crichton's papers after his death, so it may not have been as edited and polished as the majority of his work. That said, I absolutely loved it. There were a few spots where the story was not as finely crafted as I've come to expect from Crichton, but the characters and the story both riveted me from the beginning.
We've had a lot of romanticizing (Disneyification) of pirates these past few years; it's nice to find a well-written novel that sets a...more
We've had a lot of romanticizing (Disneyification) of pirates these past few years; it's nice to find a well-written novel that sets a...more
Schnelles, flottes Abenteuer
Crichtons Manuskript, geschrieben wohl irgendwann in der Mitte der 1990er Jahre, findet nun posthum den Weg zum Leser. Stellenweise packend und mit sehr forschem Tempo geschrieben merkt man zwar an vielen Stellen, dass eine Überarbeitung dem Buch recht gut getan hätte, doch insgesamt wartet der Text mit einer durchaus ansprechenden und sympathischen Geschichte ohne übermäßigen Tiefgang auf.
Der Überfall eines englischen Freibeuters auf eine spanische Inselfestung: Viel...more
Crichtons Manuskript, geschrieben wohl irgendwann in der Mitte der 1990er Jahre, findet nun posthum den Weg zum Leser. Stellenweise packend und mit sehr forschem Tempo geschrieben merkt man zwar an vielen Stellen, dass eine Überarbeitung dem Buch recht gut getan hätte, doch insgesamt wartet der Text mit einer durchaus ansprechenden und sympathischen Geschichte ohne übermäßigen Tiefgang auf.
Der Überfall eines englischen Freibeuters auf eine spanische Inselfestung: Viel...more
From Booklist
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Starred Review Crichton, who died in 2008, was known primarily for such high-tech thrillers as Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain. This new novel, found in manuscript form among his papers, will come as a bit of a surprise to many of his fans. It is, of all things, a pirate novel. Set in 1665, it tells the story of Captain Charles Hunter, a privateer who’s hired by the governor of Jamaica’s Port Royal to steal a Spanish galleon and its cargo of gold treasure. Don’t expect to s
Over Christmas break this year, my whole family was in bed with the flu for four days straight. As well as a getting healthy dose of extra sleep, this also allowed me to do some just for fun reading. I had bought this book cheap when Borders went out of business, and pulled it off an unread book pile in the garage. It took just over 48 hours for me to read from cover to cover. Michael Crichton has become one of my favorite authors of late. The final book he published while he was alive, Next, fu...more
I happened upon this book at the vacation condo my family was renting over the holidays and instantly was swept into the story. I have always loved the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series and this book instantly dropped me back into that world. I have been to Pirate exhibits at museums and things before and I never really understood the concept of Privateering until I read this book.
*Spoiler*
Overall I was very surprised because I thought the climax of this book would be about trying to captur...more
*Spoiler*
Overall I was very surprised because I thought the climax of this book would be about trying to captur...more
After the post-humous abortion that was "Micro," I went into this work with some trepidation. I was praying for the Michael Crichton I love, and thank God, I got it.
Pirate Latitudes is everything I want in a Crichton novel: careful research, fascinating ideas and facts, historical accuracy (well, to an extent), flat characters, and rousing adventure. The guy was never really a literary artist per se, but he could tell a great story. Here, he does just that, and fans will surely not be disappoint...more
Pirate Latitudes is everything I want in a Crichton novel: careful research, fascinating ideas and facts, historical accuracy (well, to an extent), flat characters, and rousing adventure. The guy was never really a literary artist per se, but he could tell a great story. Here, he does just that, and fans will surely not be disappoint...more
Unlike Crichton's other books, "Pirate Latitudes" is pure flight of fancy. It's as though he said to himself, "You know what, I have cancer. I've written a lot of books of minor literary merit but tat have discussed important social and technological topics, including nanotechnology, global warming, genetic engineering, bacteria from outer space, and gorillas. But what I really want to write about is pirates! Yarrgh, matey!" Kudos, Mr. Crichton, for indulging yourself. Would that your family had...more
I am always suspicious when these "unpublished works" suddenly appear after a popular writer's death. Half-written stuff that other authors finished, okay. But when full manuscripts suddenly "appear" I figure one of two things is going on. 1. Some family member decided to try their own hand at writing without risking rejection from an editor. 2. The author write it, looked at it and said "wow, that sucks" and stuck it away somewhere, unable to trash their work but knowing darn well it wasn't up...more
Pirate Latitudes is the story of a privateer named Hunter, a resident of the Jamaica colony in the era of England's expansion. Jamaica is a very dangerous place to be, as illustrated very well by the introduction- men wreak havoc on the city, going from bar to bar, women gain income from mainly one... Service, and the few children there just try to avoid getting in the way. The beginning of this book starts us out with the current Governor of the Jamaica colony, starting a routine day with a rou...more
Pirate Latitudes is the first Michael Crichton book I've read in ages, but there was a time when he was among my favorite authors. Maybe it was the fact that I love a good pirate yarn, or maybe it was the novelty of a previously unknown manuscript being discovered after his death, but I decided to check this out.
Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed. Full of stock characters, this was very much a Plot novel (with a capital 'P') and yet I didn't feel like it had the depth of plot that I remembe...more
Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed. Full of stock characters, this was very much a Plot novel (with a capital 'P') and yet I didn't feel like it had the depth of plot that I remembe...more
First and foremost let me say that this was the first book I have read in probably over 10 years.
This book comes with a mixed review. The reason I say that is because Pirate Latitudes was an unpublished work by Mr. Crichton and was only published after his death. So it is very difficult to know how much of the story was left unfinished---so we'll go with what we have. The book centers around a privateer named Charles Hunter who plans an attack on a Spanish Island controlled by King Philip in th...more
This book comes with a mixed review. The reason I say that is because Pirate Latitudes was an unpublished work by Mr. Crichton and was only published after his death. So it is very difficult to know how much of the story was left unfinished---so we'll go with what we have. The book centers around a privateer named Charles Hunter who plans an attack on a Spanish Island controlled by King Philip in th...more
This was a rip-roaring, no-holds-barred rollicking adventure and I loved every minute of it! If charming pirates, high-seas adventure, dastardly intrigue, bawdy humour, deliciously evil blackguards, saucy wenches, horrifying sea monsters, and, of course, purloined treasure sound exciting to you, then Pirate Latitudes is the book for you!
There is some violence and it's a little on the graphic side, but there's nothing here that should shock you if you keep in mind this is a book about pirates. I...more
There is some violence and it's a little on the graphic side, but there's nothing here that should shock you if you keep in mind this is a book about pirates. I...more
Published posthumously, Pirate Latitudes was discovered as a complete manuscript on Crichton's computer after his death. For years Crichton had alluded to a project about Jamaica and the Caribbean, and from all indications, Pirate Latitudes is that project. Over the years I have developed a great interest in pirates, particularly the pirates of the Spanish Main---the old Caribbean of the 17th century. Pirate Latitudesis a rousing pirate tale based on a composite of historical characters Crichton...more
L'estate, per me, è il tempo di lasciarsi andare finalmente a letture di puro piacere. E il piacere si chiama Michael Crichton. Non più per molto, purtroppo. In questi giorni ho divorato i suoi due inediti postumi, Micro e Pirate Latitudes; difficile che ne spuntino altri. Questa storia di pirati (ma sarebbe meglio dire di corsari) ha suscitato nei critici e nei lettori reazioni contrastanti, ma non lasciatevi ingannare: è godimento puro. Non è fanta-tecnologia, come quella cui Crichton ci ha ne...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This is the first Michael Crichton book I've read, and possibly the last is it's a posthumous publication (he died in 2008). I found it fascinating with some gripping and tense passages, but an oddly unsatisfying ending despite the success of the hero's enterprise. It's like eating meringue, pleasing during the act but it doesn't satisfy for long and afterwards you realise you've eaten empty calories.
Set in the Caribbean in 1665, the hero of the tale, Captain Charles Hunter sets of from Port Roy...more
Set in the Caribbean in 1665, the hero of the tale, Captain Charles Hunter sets of from Port Roy...more
A lovely book, in my opinion. I haven't read any other books by this author so I cannot comment on the writing and plotting in contrast to his other works. I only know that I liked this book tremendously. It was a rather light adventure with some action here and there, fun villains (Cazalla <3) and bad pirates. I found the atmosphere of the whole thing and the frankness of the descriptions (life was dirty, especially on ships) really good. I loved it.
The main protagonist is meh at times. He's...more
The main protagonist is meh at times. He's...more
Comprei este livro numa promoção manhosa. 10€ e ainda oferece um baralho de cartas, porreiro. Ainda para mais o nome do autor não me era desconhecido, muito pelo contrário, depois é que percebi que era por ser o criador do Serviço de Urgências e do Parque Jurássico.
Em Território Pirata foi um livro descoberto, e consequentemente publicado postumamente, e acho que só essa razão terá compensado a sua publicação. Agora também percebo o porquê da oferta do baralho de cartas, foi para o livro vir emb...more
Em Território Pirata foi um livro descoberto, e consequentemente publicado postumamente, e acho que só essa razão terá compensado a sua publicação. Agora também percebo o porquê da oferta do baralho de cartas, foi para o livro vir emb...more
First, did you know that Michael Crichton is dead?!? This is the first of two books published posthumously, the second being Micro.
I've read a little Michael Crichton in the past - Sphere was wondeful, Prey was OK, Timeline was intriguing but ultimately corny. I have no idea what lead me to pick up Pirate Lattitudes, but it was fun. It is a strong entry in the Pirates versus Ninjas debate, and lends a much needed blow for the Pirates.
Set in the Carribean (primarily Jamaica) in the mid 1600's,...more
I've read a little Michael Crichton in the past - Sphere was wondeful, Prey was OK, Timeline was intriguing but ultimately corny. I have no idea what lead me to pick up Pirate Lattitudes, but it was fun. It is a strong entry in the Pirates versus Ninjas debate, and lends a much needed blow for the Pirates.
Set in the Carribean (primarily Jamaica) in the mid 1600's,...more
The year is 1665 and a Spanish treasure ship sits alone in a fortified Caribbean cove. It is as if the fates have placed it there, for only one man has the skill and daring to try to capture it: Captain Charles Hunter, a Puritan-born scholar from Boston turned Caribbean privateer. He gathers a crew like no other, a far-sighted female pirate, a mute Moor, a French assassin, an English barber-surgeon, and a Sephardic Jew skilled in explosives. Together they set out from Jamaica on an epic adventur...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The good parts of this book are the historic details. The bad parts are pretty much everything else. The worst parts are the ridiculous characters and their dialog. I have literally read fan fiction better than this book. The characters are the unholy bastard children of the Super Friends and Captain Blood. If one or two of the main characters had been "special", the book would have been much better. If only one or two amazing things had happened during the adventure, the book would have been mu...more
Following my post about my favourite Crichton books, there was no way I was going to miss his last one. It’s pretty different to his normal technological stories, but he does cover plenty of genres so I think I’m going to have to stop pigeon-holing his work in my head.
The story is good, although I always worry when a book starts with a long list of characters, setting up the group for the rest of the pages. I am always concerned I’ll never remember them all, but of course, a good writer makes th...more
The story is good, although I always worry when a book starts with a long list of characters, setting up the group for the rest of the pages. I am always concerned I’ll never remember them all, but of course, a good writer makes th...more
At barely 300 pages, Pirate Latitudes is a quick read that will remind Michael Crichton fans of The Great Train Robbery – except with pirates instead of Victorian-era thieves.
Set in 1665, Pirate Latitudes involves a team of privateers, each with unique talents, who are hired to capture a treasure-laden galleon from an island fortress ruled by a brutal Spanish commander. The novel’s protagonist is Captain Charles Hunter, a Harvard educated privateer from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but it’s hi...more
Set in 1665, Pirate Latitudes involves a team of privateers, each with unique talents, who are hired to capture a treasure-laden galleon from an island fortress ruled by a brutal Spanish commander. The novel’s protagonist is Captain Charles Hunter, a Harvard educated privateer from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but it’s hi...more
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| Books like this??? | 8 | 90 | Dec 08, 2012 07:01am | |
| Book freaks: Pirate Latitudes | 27 | 56 | Jul 10, 2012 01:32pm | |
| Need help to load a Kindle | 4 | 24 | Dec 05, 2011 12:34pm |
Michael Crichton was an American author, film producer, film director, and television producer. His books sold over 150 million copies world wide, and among his best-known works were techno-thriller novels, films and television programs. His works were usually based on the action genre and heavily feature technology. Many of his future history novels had medical or scientific underpinnings, reflec...more
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“I do so think well of a man who dies with finesse.”
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