|
Pirate Latitudes: A Novel | 
| Author: Michael Crichton
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book
List Price: $27.99
Buy New: $13.60
as of 11/28/2009 01:22 CST details
You Save: $14.39 (51%)
New (45) Used (12) Collectible (4) from $13.60
Seller: vrprice72
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 21
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0061929379
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780061929373
ASIN: 0061929379
Publication Date: December 1, 2009 (In 3 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
From one of the best-loved authors of all time comes an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates in the New World, a classic story of treasure and betrayal. The Caribbean, 1665. A remote colony of the English Crown, the island of Jamaica holds out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, its capital, is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses. In this steamy climate there's a living to be made, a living that can end swiftly by disease—or by dagger. For Captain Charles Hunter, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking, and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it. Word in port is that the galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in a nearby harbor. Heavily fortified, the impregnable harbor is guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of the Spanish king himself. With backing from a powerful ally, Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy outpost and commandeer El Trinidad, along with its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloodiest tales of island legend, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he even sets foot on foreign shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry stand between him and the treasure. . . . Pirate Latitudes is Michael Crichton at his best: a rollicking adventure tale pulsing with relentless action, crackling atmosphere, and heart-pounding suspense.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
Entertaining, a quick read November 28, 2009
L. Waits (Houston, TX)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was the first book I pre-ordered for my Kindle, so of course it'll have a warm place in my heart. I chose it based on previous Michael Crichton books that I have read and enjoyed.
Having said that, as other reviewers have noted, it doesn't have the same research as Jurassic Park, or some of the medical books, however I found the story of the Privateer Hunter and the Port Royal, Jamaica an entertaining story and got caught up quickly in the adventure.
I reminded me slightly of Monsoon by Wilbur Smith Monsoon (Courtney Family Adventures) (which is a fantsatic book!)
Ths story moves quickly and is easy to follow.
I've read several Michael Critchon books, and this won't be my favorite (that's Jurassic Park: Jurassic Park, but it is one I'd recommend!
A little gem of a read! November 27, 2009
Richard Clark (Hollywood. CA)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I have always been a big fan of Michael Crichton, and was sad to learn of his passing. I have read all of his books and have always found them to be page turners. His writing skills are probably not given due credit because of the commercial fiction genres he worked. This pirate book, set in 1665 Caribbean, is probably not what most of his fans are used to reading from this author (though Crichton was no stranger to historical fiction, I still consider "The Great Train Robbery" his best Novel). The reader is taken to the far removed Port Royal, a lone British colony holding out against the mighty Spanish empire. The town is home to some unlikely and unsavory characters, a place of sin and vice, and a good place to call home if you are looking to steal some Spanish gold; the Brits don't mind Pirates as long as they are hunting Spanish Gold! There is danger and death a plenty but there is also a chance for a man to get rich if he has the audacity and ruthlessness to back up his play. Captain Charles Hunter is just such a man and there is a Spanish Galleon hiding in a nearby harbor while undergoing repairs. But the harbor is under heavy guard led by the ruthless Cazell--hand picked by the King of Spain himself. Hunter gathers a ragtag crew of cutthroats to go after the Spanish galleon, supposedly full of Spanish gold. This is a raucous and fun read that I can see going to the big screen soon! I just hope there are a few more gems like this that Mr. Crichton has hidden away....
 Shiver Me Timbers! November 26, 2009
Brad Baker (Atherton, Ca United States)
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
Harper Publishing is the proud owner of Caribbean gold, and also the late Michael Crichton's "Pirate Latitudes". Crichton died of cancer in Los Angeles, in November, 2008. But his lap-top revealed a complete, unpublished work. "Pirate Latitudes" is a swashbuckling pirate thriller, an exciting story that reads like a film treatment, jumping from one cinema cliffhanger moment to the next. It starts slow, but picks up quickly, and never lets you go. "Pirate Latitudes" begins in 1665, in a "miserable, overcrowded, cutthoat-infested town": Port Royal, a British settlement on the tip of Jamaica. English pirates operate at-will, but are also subject to seizure, and by default, hanging(daily) at the end of High Street. The hero, Charles Hunter, is captain of the Cassandra, and a pirate himself, and also known to women as a handsome "bastard". A Spanish galleon has arrived at a nearby island, and Hunter can't resist it's noble prize, a large cache of "Spanish Gold". Hunter assembles a hand-picked team to make the assualt: Don Diego, an explosives expert, Mr. Enders, the surgeon, Lazue, the transvestite markswoman, Bassa, the Moor, and finally Sanson, a Frenchman, the "most ruthless killer in the Caribbean". This crew, sixty in all, will attack the island of Matanceros(Spanish for "slaughter"), and brave 30-foot walls to pry the gold away from 500 Spanish soldiers led by Cazalla, a large brutish man who chokes victims on their own testicles, or lets hungy rats chew their faces. Hunter and his crew face sword fights in burning buildings, crossbow attacks on sinking ships, sea monsters, cannibals, hurricanes, and a series of half-dressed saucy wenches, who's comments include: "What will you vagabonds have with me. I presume I am in the clutches of pirates..". Steven Spielberg has already purchased the rights to an upcoming movie. It won't be a theme-ride. Port Royal, in Kingston Harbor, Jamaica, once dubbed "the wickedest city in the world", was an actual pirate stronghold. Awash with grog-inns and bawdy houses, it nearly collapsed and violently sank in an earthquake in 1692. A fire in 1703, and a hurricane in 1722 hastened Port Royal's further decline. Today, you can visit Port Royal, at the tip of Jamaica, though the farthest reaches southward(and the city streets) are literally underwater. Internet whispers tell us that yet another manuscript liess hidden in the recesses of Crichton's workstation. Hmmm. Really. Give me a break. Michael Crichton's not really dead at all...
 Page Turner November 26, 2009
Amarilis Massanet
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I don't agree with the reviewers who wrote that this book is not a page turner. I could not put it down from page 1.
Hey, mate November 25, 2009
Eric B (USA)
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
Not at all what we all remember from Crichton, but this is a fun romp through pirate land. Not going to turn pages all night long, but you will turn them to conclusion. We all miss Michael, and this one is just for fun.
I also loved Ben Baglio's historical sequel I'll Be Seeing You to his bestseller A String of Pearls
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
|
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
| |
