Let's start by recognizing what a stud Michael Crichton was. Dude was responsible for Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Disclosure, and ER for God's sake. He sold over 150 million books! That being said, when they found the complete manuscript for Pirate Latitudes: A Novel in his files after his death, maybe they should have given him the benefit of the doubt and left it there.
Now don't get me wrong, it’s not a bad read. It moves pretty quickly and has some sex and a healthy dose of violence. The problem is that it is somewhat formulaic and contrived. You find yourself saying 'Come on, like that would work' after several of the pirates' adventures. Seriously, he’s a pirate, not Superman. I think I had to finally call a 20 when our heroes, while battling a kraken (giant squid) in the middle of the ocean, jumped overboard from their moving vessel on purpose, landed on the beast (which conveniently held still at a depth of about a foot), and stabbed it repeatedly until it swam away, at which point they were hauled back onto the ship by ropes thrown over the side. I know you have to suspend your disbelief occasionally to enjoy, shall we say, the nuances of a story, but you shouldn't have to be drunk and/or stoned at the same time.
If you enjoy pirate history and read everything that comes out, by all means buy this book. If not, save your money and buy one of the other pirate books I will review later.
Nats
