Pirate Latitudes

by Michael Crichton

The Caribbean, 1665. Port Royal, Jamaica is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses. For Captain Charles Hunter, there’s a living to be made, and gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking.

Word in port is that the galleon El Trinidad is awaiting repairs in a nearby, heavily fortified, harbor. Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy island and commandeer El Trinidad, along with its fortune in 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 . . .

With all the suspense that readers have come to expect from one of the best-loved authors of all time, Pirate Latitudes is an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates in the New World, a classic story of treasure and betrayal.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Pirates, Thriller, Historical, Fantasy

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 24, 2009

About the author

John Michael Crichton was an American author, screenwriter, and filmmaker whose prolific career left an indelible mark on popular culture and speculative fiction. Raised on Long Island, he displayed a precocious talent for writing, publishing an article in The New York Times at sixteen. Initially enrolling at Harvard as an English major, he switched to biological anthropology after discovering a preference for scientific study over literature. He graduated summa cum laude and received a fellowship to lecture in anthropology at Cambridge. Later attending Harvard Medical School, he earned his MD but chose not to practice, dedicating himself to writing instead. His medical background profoundly influenced his novels, providing authentic scientific and technical underpinnings that became a hallmark of his work. Crichton began writing under pseudonyms, producing suspenseful thrillers as John Lange, including Odds On, Scratch One, and Easy Go, and as Jeffrey Hudson with A Case of Need, earning him an Edgar Award. His first major success under his own name, The Andromeda Strain, established his signature blend of scientific authenticity, tension, and exploration of technological hazards, leading to its film adaptation. Over his career, he wrote 25 novels, including The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The Lost World, Airframe, Timeline, Prey, State of Fear, and Next, several adapted into major films, with four additional works published posthumously. Crichton also made significant contributions to film and television. He wrote and directed Westworld, pioneering the use of 2D computer-generated imagery, and later directed Coma, The First Great Train Robbery, Looker, and Runaway. He created the influential medical drama ER, which he executive produced and developed with Steven Spielberg, achieving critical and commercial success. Many of his novels, most famously Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, became cultural phenomena, combining imaginative adventure with grounded scientific speculation, often exploring humanity’s overreach in genetics, biotechnology, and complex systems. His literary style was notable for integrating meticulous scientific detail, suspense, and moral cautionary themes. His works frequently addressed the failure of complex systems—biological, technological, or organizational—demonstrating the unpredictable consequences of human hubris. Employing techniques such as first-person narratives, false documents, fictionalized scientific reports, and assembling expert teams to tackle crises, Crichton created immersive stories appealing to both popular and scholarly audiences. His exploration of genetics, paleontology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence revealed both fascination and caution about humanity’s technological ambitions, while his early non-fiction, such as Five Patients and Electronic Life, reflected his scientific insight and forward-thinking approach to computers and programming. Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, Crichton experienced social isolation in adolescence and later pursued meditation and consultations with psychics, cultivating a lifelong interest in human consciousness and alternative experiences. A workaholic, he approached writing with disciplined ritualistic methodology, often retreating entirely to complete a novel in six or seven weeks. He was married five times, fathered two children, and maintained a wide-ranging collection of 20th-century American art. Crichton engaged in political and scientific discourse, particularly regarding global warming, where he was an outspoken skeptic and testified before the U.S. Senate. He contributed significantly to the discussion of intellectual property, technology, and environmental policy, coining concepts such as the Gell-Mann amnesia effect. Throughout his life, he received numerous awards, including Edgar Awards, a Peabody Award for ER, an Aca

Reviews

[murph · Rating 1 out of 5]

"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 first drafts - the prefunctory description of the sword battle between the hero and his nemesis - or the bland recitation of Cpt. Hunter collecting on his debts near the finale.

A lot is thrown into the mix: Privateers! Galleons! Cannibals! Saucy wenches! Even a pointless encounter with a sea monster! But forcing your readers to eat everything on the pirate buffet doesn't make for a good meal. I suspect Mr. Crichton knew this book was due for a major rewrite - but his publishers knew the Crichton name would only sell for a short time longer.

Pity. I was hungry for a good pirate yarn. This wasn't it.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have seen many reviews critical of this book, but I thought it was a great adventure with interesting characters and twists. Perhaps people are critical of the fact that this is unlike Crichton's other titles, but much like Eaters of the Dead and The Great Train Robbery; it is great, well researched historical fiction. (Note: between Latitudes, Eaters, and Train Robbery, I liked this one the best)

[Sr3yas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Welcome to a brand new episode of 'Late night show with Books'. Our guest for today is.......... Pirate Latitudes!!!!!

PL: Hrrrrrrrr

S: PL, how do you feel about being out here in the world? Most of the people believe you were not supposed to see light at all.

PL: Gods blood! Who are these rats? but...Well, Sreyas, there is some truth in it. I have been working with Mr.Crichton for more than three decades on this story. Alas, We were nowhere near a serviceable tale. And with Crichton's death, all hopes were lost for me.

S: But then, you were 'found'.

PL: Yes, someone poked around and found me. They released me to the world to bring back sizable booty for them.

S: Haha, because you are a pirate.

PL: [Takes the sword out] The politically correct term is Privateer.

S: Uh, my sincere apologies, PL. [Awkward pause] So the total amount of pages is just over 300?

PL: Aye, and it is divided into six parts.

S: Oh, can you tell us more about these parts and what it contains?

PL: The first part introduces the characters and direction of the story. The story opens in English settlement of Jamaica in the year of 1665. The Governor of that settlement finds out about Spanish Galleon containing valuable treasures staying in island fortress of Matanceros. The Governor summons Capt. Charles Hunter, a privateer, and hires him to raid the impenetrable fortress. He agrees for a price and sets out to recruit a team.

S: Oh, Like The Great Train Robbery. You get an impossible task, a great planner, and a dedicated team.

PL: Aye, and what a team it was. We got a French assassin, Gunpowder specialist with three fingers missing, a woman pirate who cross dresses as a man, a helmsman who is also a barber-surgeon and a huge black man who..

S: Let me guess, he acts as the muscle.

PL: Aye, and he is mute.

S: What?

PL: and he is very superstitious.

S: That's a terrible team!

PL: Oh, shut your hole. Anyways, our heroes set sail on ship Cassandra at the end of part one.

S: Sounds like an intriguing story. Well, tha..

PL: In part two, the ship gets chased by a mysterious black ship.

S: Nice!

PL: In part three, our crew enters the Island of Matanceros.

S: This is really interesting. I love the fact that this was inspired by true events! Sounds very realistic and..

PL: At the end of part three, the crew glimpses a KRAKEN.

S: A what?

PL: In part four, the crew fights for their life, there are canons, plans, hurricanes, a hint of witchcraft.

S: Huh?

PL: IN PART FIVE WE HAVE HURRICANE, CANNIBALS, POISON DARTS, KRAKEN ATTACK.

S: Kinda overstuffed, isn't it?

PL: IN LAST PART, WE HAVE BETRAYAL, JUDGMENT, REVENGE, SHARKS,

S: WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?

PL: BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT PIRATES DO!

S: I THOUGHT IT WAS ABOUT PRIVATEERS.

PL: IT SAYS PIRATES IN THE GODAMN TITLE, YOU DUMBASS.

S: THIS IS A STUPID BOOK.

PL: [Cocks the gun] WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?

S: How the hell did you get that thing through security? You know what, let's just cool down. Deep breathes, deeeeep breaths. Now tell me what you felt at the end of your journey.

PL: It started out just fine, but after we crossed seas, it became a journey to hell itself. When it all ended, I was relieved. Needless to say, I won't be taking this ride again.

S: Hey, That's exactly how I felt about this dumb book.

PL: [Cocks the gun and shoots Sreyas in his face]
.
.
.
.
Sreyas's Ghost: Totally worth it.

[A.E. Chandler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most every pirate cliche you can think of in a paint by numbers plot with conflicts that are solved half a page later, and female characters that are essentially neither female nor characters, but sex dolls. (To be fair, the male characters weren’t really characters, either.) Some straightforward research was done, but not enough to present all of the facts accurately in context. Reads like that first novel someone might write when they decide to try writing novels, but that disappears into the bottom desk drawer forever once they figure out what they’re doing. I feel bad for Crichton, that this was taken and published posthumously.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think anybody did this kind of action/thriller thing better than Michael Crichton. I do see that 16 years after his death there is a new Crichton/James Patterson-finished book about a volcano disaster just out in June 2024.

There is some controversy over this pirate book as it was “found” after his death. He’d evidently worked on it 4 years. Was it not in shape to be published? Is it bad? I don’t think so. It’s not DNA replicated dinosaurs, sci fi, or medical speculation. The historical research on pirates and Caribbean history is impressive. Characters are not really his strong suit. Everyone is a stereotype but that didn’t hurt the film Pirates of the Caribbean, did it? Crichton throws in everything—macho captains, dirty dog traitors, hurricanes, armaments, sailing tricks, sketchy women and much more. It might have gone on a little too long but was lots of fun.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A swashbuckling tale of privateers inevitably destined for the silver screen!

Crichton's posthumously published tale opens in 1665 Port Royal, Jamaica - the Caribbean equivalent of the cut-throat, brutal, lawless midwest in 18th century USA where "might was right" and the fastest shooter had his way. Pirate Latitudes revolves around Captain Hunter, an English pirate by any name, but more euphemistically called a "privateer" by the English authorities in order to minimize likely diplomatic dust-ups between King Charles II of England and King Philip of Spain who are nominally at peace with one another under a recent and very tenuous treaty. Hunter's objective is a rich Spanish galleon loaded with gold harboured in a bay on the isle of Matanceros (meaning "slaughter" in Spanish) under the watchful eyes of Cazalla, the psychopathic commander of the local fort considered to be absolutely impregnable. To attempt this particular act of piracy is considered by all and sundry to be the lunatic act of a sailor bent on suicide!

The story is almost breathless in its pacing and page-turning ferocity ... naval battles, executions, swordplay, hot and heavy, bodice-ripping womanizing, heroics, impossible rescues and feats of derring-do, double-crosses, diplomatic skulduggery, 17th century politics, fierce tropical storms, shipwrecks, cannibals and even a ferocious attack by an undersea kraken.

But, even as all this action is happening, Crichton manages to drop some true pearls of atmosphere in the development of the 17th century background - international politics; the pragmatic recognition of the subtle distinction between "privateering" and "piracy"; the techniques of manning and sailing a schooner; the exquisite intricacies of aiming, firing and reloading a cannon on a moving warship with the intention of hitting a moving target; the lawlessness of a British colonial outpost ostensibly under colonial rule but far removed from the immediate laws of London and King Charles II's government and much, much more. Far from detracting from the story, these expository essays or sidebars flesh out the world in which Captain Hunter lives. Indeed, the lend a definite air of realism to a story which might otherwise fall over the edge of the cliff of being pure outlandish Hollywood!

Pure fun and highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
This novel showed the historical reality of pirate life, rather than the myths and legends we normally see in fiction. At first, I was disappointed by this choice, but then the narrative pulled me into the story and I got hooked. Even if you don't normally read historical adventure stories (which I don't), you may still want to read this one. This ended up being a great swashbuckling adventure by the end.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pirates! Huzzah! What could possibly ruin a rollicking, randy, riotous pirate adventure?...Plenty.

Crichton died before this was published and in all likelihood he wasn't finished with it. I would like to think that if he'd lived he would have worked on this more, rounded out the characters, twisted up the plot a bit, and run it through the edit mill a few times before handing it off to the publisher. I mean there are some passages towards the end that are on the very edge of not making any sense.

I picked this book up on a lark, having never read Crichton before, but having a love of pirate adventures. The adventure part was alright. It's how the two star rating was obtained. However, this probably shouldn't have seen the light of day.

[Maria Clara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seguramente, en otro tiempo, me habría gustado más que ahora. Es una buena historia de piratas y el autor sabe muy bien cómo enganchar al lector, pero en cuanto al papel de la mujer en la novela...

[P. Lundburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scanning the reviews of this fantastic pirate novel, I'm a bit stunned at how many low ratings there are. Two important things for those reviewers to bear in mind: 1) this is way outside Crichton's normal 'genre,' and so readers will look askance at this venture into uncharted waters (couldn't resist the pun!), and 2) the book was found on Crichton's computer after he died, so it may well be that he wasn't finished with it.

On that last point, I agree with some reviewers that the book lapses into being slow in places. Again, perhaps these were sections Crichton intended to revise (and let's not forget that the book would never have made it to print without the publisher's editors getting a go-round at it... yes, they have now that it was found and published, but not with the benefit of the back-and-forth that happens between authors and editors), but even so, I think even the slow sections contribute to the story. Characterization is very difficult to do in the midst of action, so most writers do most of that in what could be called "slow sections" of a book. Nonetheless, it is fair to level criticism at these slow parts.

In terms of the story itself, it's a fantastic story about a Spanish, gold-bearing ship in the 1660s that is holed up in a garrisoned Spanish island port. The protagonist commandeers the vessel and a new set of fast-moving adventure segments begins. Not that the bulk of the book was void of adventure prior to that--it wasn't. I love the characterization Crichton builds, and that is the one part of this story that I would say DOES fit with standard Crichton: the way he builds his characters with attention to their history as well as (without being too overt about it) their psyche.

On the whole, this is a great book. For pirate story lovers, this is a must-read. For Crichton fans, it is a must-read. For the average reader . . . well, you can do a lot worse, I can assure you of that.

[Metodi Markov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Чудесен пиратски роман!

Чете се бързо, героите са добре изградени, а приключенията им приковават към текста вниманието на читателя. Приятното развлечение е гарантирано!

Крайтън явно може да пише добре за каквото си поиска. Има някои кусури книгата, но няма да ѝ гоня гарез за това. 😉

Моята оценка - 3,5*.

[Xabi1990 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Crichton no suele decepcionarme
Tampoco es que sea maravilloso pero te mantiene pegado al libro con saber cómo discurre la historia, aunque preveas “final feliz”.

Con este ya van 8 libros leídos del autor y se mantiene en un saludable 7/10.

Este va de corsarios/piratas. La cosa se sitúa en Port Royal (Jamaica) en 1665. Principal puerto inglés en un caribe que era prioritariamente controlado por los buques españoles. El protagonista es un capitán corsario, Charles Hunter, que se embarca en el asalto a una isla muy bien defendida de donde quiere llevarse un barco español cargado de tesoros. Los españoles son los “malos” y sanguinarios de la historia, claro.

Y eso, que es una de piratas en la que están todos los elementos comunes: piratas, asaltos, luchas a espada, batallas y persecuciones entre barcos, barreras de coral, chicas alegres, el caribe, el gobernador corrupto…¡joder, si hasta hay monstruo marino con tentáculos!

Nada nuevo pero muy ameno de leer. Suena a lugares comunes, a Julio Verne, a Salgari, a Stevenson, a Figueroa…

Por si tenéis curiosidad por novelas de piratas he encontrado esto por la red (en abretelibro):

De autores clasicos tienes
Aventuras del capitan Singlenton de Daniel Defoe,
De Emilio Salgari El corsario negro, Yolanda la hija del corsario negro, La venganza del corsario negro, La reina de los caribes, Los tigres de Mompracem y alguna mas.
Tambien clasicos La isla del tesoro de Stevenson
El pirata de Walter Scott.
El medico de los piratas de Carmen Boullosa
la magnifica Historias de piratas de Arthur Conan Doyle.
La taza de oro de J. Steinbeck, debe estar en el índice.

De escritores mas que conocidos:
Vazquez Figueroa Bocanegra, Piratas y Negreros, siempre muy amenas.
Lobas de mar de Zoe Valdes.
Tambien de mujeres pirata Piratica de Tanith Lee, La reina de los piratas de Miguel M. Astrain.

Más: El libro de los piratas de Howard Pyle que narra varias historias de piratas
La venganza de los Jaso de Mikel G Telleria
La tripulacion del panico de Pau Joan Hernandez
Moro de rey de Pau Faner
El galeote de Argel de Bartolome Benasar
El galeon de Manila de Manuel Lozano Leyva,
El anillo del principe de Bjorne Reuter

El cazador de piratas de Richard Zacks
El halcon del mar de Sabatini
Yo que maté de melancolia al pirata Francis Drake de Gonzalo Moure.

En sagas tienes la serie de Richard Bolitho de Alexander Kent y la Saga del pirata Mediasuela de Mikel Alvira.

Saludos, banda.

[Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I greatly enjoyed Crichton's Timeline and Jurassic Park (though I have yet to review the latter), I hoped to find a work of similar quality in this posthumous novel, though I knew that its ratings here on Goodreads varied widely. As usual, my reaction is my own; and as is sometimes the case, it falls somewhere between the extremes.

Crichton, of course, was best known for his science fiction. Here, he branches out into historical fiction, in a tale that doesn't really have any SF elements at all. (Some readers might assume that the references to a "kraken" are an exception to this; but the description makes it clear that the creature envisioned is actually a giant squid, a marine animal that really does exist, and is thought to be the source of a good deal of pre-modern "sea monster" lore.) But his time-travel novel Timeline also has a mostly historical setting, and (though I haven't read it myself) his Eaters of the Dead, despite having an SF element, is also set in a historical milieu. So this isn't a total departure from the rest of his work; and it exhibits the same obvious concern for meticulously detailed factual research, and the same zest for gripping, high-intensity action that's evident in the other Crichton works I've read. In those respects, it doesn't disappoint. Some reviewers complain that protagonist Capt. Hunter faces too many varied and successive dangerous challenges for the plot to be "realistic." But we're dealing here with an action novel; jeopardy and derring-do is what it's about, and from that perspective, it isn't a defect that it has a lot of it. The characterizations are vivid, and the 17th-century Caribbean setting is very well realized.

Obviously, this is pirate fiction (a sub-genre of historical fiction I haven't read much else of, except for Treasure Island, though I have a few other pirate novels on my to-read shelf). So by definition, this is focused on characters who attack and forcibly plunder other people's ships. To be sure, Charles Hunter and others of his ilk are particular about drawing a distinction between themselves and "pirates" --if you call them that, you may get challenged to a duel! They stress the fact that they're "privateers;" they don't prey on the ships of their fellow Englishmen, only on those of the national enemy, the Spanish. (To be sure, in 1665, England and Spain are nominally at "peace," which creates interesting legal difficulties for privateers; but in practice, in the Caribbean the agents of both countries prey on each other's shipping with as much abandon as they would in a declared war.) To be fair, privateer captains and crews might think of themselves as fighting the enemy in a war, not as seagoing outlaws. And even novels dealing directly with pirates as such aren't necessarily morally nihilistic; light shines most clearly against darkness, so dark moral environments often serve to bring out the goodness of decent characters who inhabit them.

For me, though, the main problem here is that light is largely nonexistent in the darkness that Crichton creates. Like Stevenson, he definitely does NOT romanticize piracy; on the contrary, he depicts both the physical and moral grunginess of the "Pirate Latitudes" with a remorseless realism that isn't necessarily a bad thing. But unlike Stevenson's cast of characters, none of those introduced here are really very likeable; self-interest, greed, and lust are pretty much everybody's main motivations for behavior, from the governor of Jamaica on down to his lowly serving maid, and much respect for human life would be as uncommon an attitude as genuine belief in Santa Claus. We're very much in the same uniformly dark and morally pessimistic landscape of classical noir; Port Royal has more in common with Sam Spade's San Francisco than the passing of nearly three centuries would make you think. Yes, Hunter thinks he has a certain "honor," some characters are far more evil than others (the psychopath Cazalla being the worst), and some have legitimate grievances and tragic formative circumstances that we can sympathize with. We can root for Hunter and his crew, given their opponents' villainy, and even give some of them a degree of respect. But in general, this isn't a novel that has a very positive "moral tendency," or an optimistic or positive message. That differs from the other Crichton novels I've read, which have a real moral vision. An added criticism would be that all females here, from professional prostitutes to married upper-class socialites, are pictured as sexually promiscuous and insatiable. This isn't "realism," any more than an imaginary universe where nobody's genuinely good is realistic; rather, it's pretty much a fantasy concocted by males (of whatever age) who are mature enough physically to have sexual desire, but not mature enough psychologically to control it responsibly. Finally, there are also several places where sloppy editing is evident, or cases where characters know or do something that Crichton wants them to for plot purposes, but realistically wouldn't, IMO. (And while a person can hide underwater for a long time by breathing through a hollow reed placed in the mouth, he/she would first have to be in a place where there would actually be access to a reed.)

Bad language here isn't any worse or more abundant than you'd expect, given the type of milieu these people inhabit; and while there's a fair amount of sex, it isn't explicit. Violence here is pervasive, though, and frequently pretty graphic; if this were a movie (and it's reportedly been optioned for one), it would definitely be rated R on that account.

A final note: despite the realistic-sounding details of the short Epilogue, that explains what eventually happened to the various surviving characters, none of the Epilogue is factual. Hunter and all of the other characters are fictional creations, and the plot isn't directly based on any real events.

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not worth buying, it's not worth reading. Thankfully, it's a fast skim. I picked this up from the library, but it really was a waste of the library's money too. Perhaps certain readers, such as teen boys, may enjoy the action, but experienced readers will feel reading this book is similar to eating cardboard.

What's wrong with it? It's a bad 1950's pirate movie, with actors who are mechanized store manikins, paper and paste special effects, stock film footage, bad dialogue, characters who have one line, cheap used costumes, washed out black and white film, and toys in a bathtub sea battles. Be warned though, if you want to bother with the book anyway, it has lots of blood and gore and rape, quick and meaningless, the blood being painted on and the blown off heads rolling like tumbleweeds.

However, I now have a candidate for the most unbelievable badly written character - Robert Hacklett. He is perfect for the story that starts, 'It was a dark and stormy night.....'.

[Pappy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Day one of 2025 and I have completed my 1st book. And I absolutely loved it! I have not read a lot of M. Crichton’s books, but this one was great. Completely unputdownable… I’m not sure why it only has a 3.5 but I was very impressed.

[Kandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 Caribbean, 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 researched, but the beginning left something to be desired. Usually, with his books, I can quickly choose a character to root for as well as one to hate. The plot of this book didn't suffer, but the little character quirks and ticks I've come to love him for were missing. I hope this was because he wasn't quite finished.

I've never written a novel, so don't know if this is possible, but the "Crichton character magic" showed up on page 187, chapter 27, Monkey Bay. The entire flavor became richer, more detailed, exciting. Is it possible he had already fine-tuned the second half of the book and was planning on doing the same to the first half? It seemed that way.

Had he lived, I bet this could have been a five-star book. The story itself was worthy of it now, but the lack in the first half was worth a star less for me. I will miss him.

[Rusty · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Grace Wheeler · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 10%. Sex with the 14/15 year old was too much. Crichton seemed to normalize this treatment by calling the child a woman and making her character mature far beyond her years. Gross.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars for Pirate Latitudes (audiobook) by Michael Crichton read by John Bedford Lloyd.

This was quite an adventure. Lots to fighting and strategizing. Women to save and treasure to steal. It was a fun story.

[Arah-Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome to the good ship Cassandra! She will take you on exhilarating adventure on the high seas of the Carribean, looking for unknown treasures on a Spanish war ship. You will meet her Captain and come to know his ways and why he finds himself surrounded by a crew of unforgetable characters that you are going to love getting to know. And know them you will. This is great stuff that just keeps happening page after page.
I guess in the end, it is what is missing from this story that I just cannot stop thinking about. Port Royal and all it's people, not to mention Mantanceros and what surely must have transpired there. These stories, sadly remain untold and their characters are summarilly dismissed. I do so wish I could have gotten to know them and the events that occurred while the Cassandra was at sea.
That folks would have been a truly great book! Such remains our loss.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avast ye scurvy dogs! Drop anchor and show a leg! They say dead men tell no tales but crush me barnacles if Crichton ain't smartly delivered a rollickin' adventure tale o' privateerin' on th' high Caribbean seas...well, fer a landlubber, that be. Aye, th' plot be careenin' about like a drunken tailed imp at times but it ain't enough t' scuttle th' ship, me lads. Don ye eyepatches and hooks, swill yer grog, 'n make way fer salty seadogs 'n shiny dubloons! All together now: ARRRRR!

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

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, the protagonist is swashbuckling (I've used that word twice in two book reviews now) privateer Captain Hunter. At this point you may be asking yourself what the difference is between a pirate and a privateer. Turns out pirates are honest about their plundering, privateers do it under the guise of official cover.

You know why I loved this book? Because I didn't have to think. There's no theme. There's no moral. There's nothing but a good old fashioned adventure story. Cannons. Swordfights. Explosions. Escapes. Huricanes. Hell, there's even a damsel in distress. In deference to his avowed profession as a novelist, Crichton obliges the reader with a nod towards a plot twist, though if it were a snowboard trick it would barely be a 180. Fast forward to the end: impossible mission completed, loot secured, damsel liberated (if you know what I mean), and bad guys dead.

It's fun. Read it.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 see how it's adapted for film, Spielberg grabbed up the rights before the book was even published!

I think the main problem I had was the lack of character development. It was hard for me to keep track of all the different pirates, sorry, privateers, and I completely forgot who the final villain was, vaguely remember him from the beginning. There's a lot of gruesome parts to the book that I think most people would have trouble with, but honestly didn't bother me, I think I'm just twisted. But there were some really creative ways that people were killed!

The story was pretty crazy and action-packed and it's one of those where you are on the edge of your seat wondering what's going to happen next or what else could possibly go wrong for Captain Hunter as his crew. It was a different type of novel than I normally read and it was a nice divergence for me. It also really makes me want to go back and try something else from Crichton.

All and all, a good final effort.

[Lovely Day · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFd at 9% at a sex scene that made me uncomfortable

[Bethany T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I ignored the critical reviews of this book because I really enjoyed reading this. After several pirate books that left me severely disappointed and searching for that rollicking high seas adventure, this really felt like a classic pirate tale. In 1665, the governor of Port Royal learns of a Spanish vessel sheltering at the bay of the Spanish-colonized island of Matanceros and realizes it must be a treasure-laden ship that was blown off course. He enlists Port Royal's infamous Capt. Charles Hunter to relieve the Spanish of their gold. On his six-week mission for riches and glory, Hunter encounters challenges from hurricanes to krakens to cannibals.

I like that some parts, like the kraken encounter, embrace old seafaring superstition and myths. I think some of the adventures do fall a bit flat and some situations are resolved with too much ease. The setup regarding the treasure and Cazalla, the Spaniard who commands the fortress of Matanceros, makes it seems like this will be the important part of the story. Cazalla is built up as the villain -- Hunter and one of his crew members, Don Diego, have grudges against him. However, the treasure is almost effortlessly captured and Cazalla even more effortlessly is out of the picture. But the little adventures that follow afterward are engaging. I think my favorite parts were just seeing the crew of the Cassandra in action. Lazue, the female marksman who was raised as a male from birth, was extremely interesting. I think crossdressing female pirates have become almost a trope in such books, but she stood out by being portrayed as more genderfluid, not just someone pretending in order to be part of the crew. The way she and helmsman Enders worked together to guide the captured ship El Trinidad out of danger was one of the best scenes. And the little revenge rampage in Port Royal in the final chapters was also kind of perfect.

Verdict
The best pirate novel I've read since "Treasure Island." I'm serious. If anyone knows of any good pirate novels, leave suggestions because right now my list of enjoyable books of this type is just those two.

So, who would enjoy this book?
I think anyone who doesn't have a certain expectation for what a Michael Crichton book "should" be will enjoy this. It seemed like the negative reviews were mostly by Crichton fans who felt this book didn't match the way his other books are written? Anyway, of course, any fans of pirate novels will love this book. It's a lot of fun.

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Lost manuscript?" My rear end. It's likelier that I wrote this.

If you're a fan of Michael Crichton and appreciate how he takes complicated science and makes it accessible and presented as an enthralling narrative, you'll avoid this book. It's transparently a shameless cash grab, designed to capitalize on his name and unique expertise and features none of the hallmarks of a classic Crichton story: pacing, detail, context, character development. Zilch.

Which is what I would have given this for a star rating if I could've. Seriously, buy this and give it to people you dislike.

[C-shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a thrilling adventure!! Arrgh, mateys: Pirates, booty (and booty calls!), monsters (both human and animal), non-stop action and intrigue. Thank you, thank you, to my Goodreads friend Matthew for encouraging me to read this. I loved it! Now my husband is reading and enjoying the adventure too.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it felt a little rushed, it was a good action adventure. That seemed well grounded in reality. There were a few plot points at the end that were easy to guess and yet it didn't fully detract from the experience.

[Martin Rondina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente novela de piratas, llena de acción y aventuras. Con un ritmo frenético que no te deja soltar las páginas. Me encantó!. Recomendada para aquellos que quieran entretenerse y volar su imaginacion a la vida del caribe.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not good, not bad, just meh.