Pirate Latitudes: A Novel

by Michael Crichton

Overview

In this New York Times bestselling novel, master of suspense Michael Crichton delivers an irresistible tale 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 a galleon, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in a nearby harbor....

Pirate Latitudes is Michael Crichton at his best: a rollicking adventure tale pulsing with relentless action, crackling atmosphere, and heart-pounding suspense.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062428875
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/26/2016
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	138,242
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Michael Crichton (1942-2008) was the author of the bestselling novels The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Jurassic Park, Sphere, Disclosure, Prey, State of Fear, Next and Dragon Teeth, among many others. His books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, have been translated into forty languages, and have provided the basis for fifteen feature films. He wrote and directed Westworld, The Great Train Robbery, Runaway, Looker, Coma and created the hit television series ER. Crichton remains the only writer to have a number one book, movie, and TV show in the same year.

Daniel H. Wilson is a Cherokee citizen and author of the New York Times bestselling Robopocalypse and its sequel Robogenesis, as well as ten other books. He recently wrote the Earth 2: Society comic book series for DC Comics. Wilson earned a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as master's degrees in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. He has published over a dozen scientific papers and holds four patents. Wilson lives in Portland, Oregon.

Hometown:

Los Angeles, California

Date of Birth:

October 23, 1942

Date of Death:

November 4, 2008

Place of Birth:

Chicago, Illinois

Place of Death:

Los Angeles, California

Education:

B.A.. in Anthropology, Harvard University, 1964; M.D., Harvard Medical School, 1969

Website:

http://www.michaelcrichton.net/

Interviews

A Special Tribute from Lynn Nesbit
For over 40 years Michael Crichton was not only my client but also a wonderful friend whose wry wit and laser intelligence made him incomparable. We met when I was a very, very young agent and he was a student at Harvard Medical School -- and had just written his first John Lange thriller. An older male friend decided he would take Michael in hand and introduce him to the most powerful agents in New York -- of whom I was not one -- and was trotting him around to all the agencies. I got to meet him only because I worked at an agency with an important television agent, and I could see that this older gentleman was not at all happy to have him meet this young woman. But Michael came back again and we had a long conversation, and he said, "Let's grow up in the business together." Which we did. And we had a long run.

We are lucky to have, in addition to the incredible backlist of the groundbreaking books -- The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, Disclosure, to name just a few -- this incredible rollicking romp, Pirate Latitudes, to remember him by.

Editorial Reviews

Unabashed fun.” — Cameron Martin, New York Times

“Offers unexpected turns and plenty of yo ho ho’s.” — Richard Eisenberg, People (3 out of 4 stars)

“It’s not an ironic pirate novel. It’s not a pirate novel with a secret gimmick. It’s simply an entertaining tale filled with crafty privateers, despicable villains, treasure hoards, double crosses and a sea monster. Go figure.” — Michael Berry, San Francisco Chronicle

“A lusty, rollicking 17th century adventure…. History as entertainment…. Crichton has done his homework.” — Bob Minzesheimer, USA Today

“The plot sucks you in like the giant kraken monster that nearly sinks our hero’s galleon.” — Benjamin Svetsky, Entertainment Weekly

From the Publisher

A lusty, rollicking 17th century adventure…. History as entertainment…. Crichton has done his homework.

Bob Minzesheimer

Crichton's last novel, found in his files as a complete manuscript after his death in 2008, is unabashed fun.
—The New York Times

Cameron Martin

This hilariously exciting book already reads like a film treatment, jumping from one cinematic, doom-filled episode to the next as it cuts its bloody way through the encyclopedia of piracy from "Ahoy" to "Yo-ho-ho"…As in any Crichton novel, all of this breakneck adventure is decorated with little bits of historical and technical instruction that float down like parrot feathers here and there…Crichton always had a perfect sense of how much (or how little) background most readers really wanted. He may stop a moment to explain the jury system required by Parliament in 1612 or the predictive nature of waves, but then he's quick to shout, "Hoist anchor! Lively with the lines!" and we're off again. If you're on the lookout for some light adventure…thar she blows!
—The Washington Post

Ron Charles

In Crichton’s posthumously published novel, Capt. Charles Hunter leads a lovable gang of pirates in a raid on a Spanish ship loaded with gold off the coast of Jamaica. Hunter’s determination must contend with a host of rapacious cannibals, hurricanes, sea monsters, simmering mutiny, and capture by sadistic Spaniards. Crichton draws on every pirate cliché in the book, refreshing and reanimating them with heady atmosphere, crackling dialogue, and an endearing hero—all of which are brought to life by John Bedford Lloyd, who excels at accents and colorful personalities. Lloyd’s deep and controlled voice projects energy and excitement, and steers clear of caricature. A Harper hardcover. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

The plot sucks you in like the giant kraken monster that nearly sinks our hero’s galleon.

Benjamin Svetsky

Offers unexpected turns and plenty of yo ho ho’s.

Richard Eisenberg

It’s not an ironic pirate novel. It’s not a pirate novel with a secret gimmick. It’s simply an entertaining tale filled with crafty privateers, despicable villains, treasure hoards, double crosses and a sea monster. Go figure.

Michael Berry