What I Am Reading - Pirate Latitudes

Pirate Latitudes

Michael Crichton

Read it in paperback, 400 pages, easy to read.

January 2013's OLT book club's first selection to bring in the new year.  An interesting new release considering that Mr. Crichton is no longer with us, rest in peace good literary fellow.  Apparently this was found, completed, on his hard drive after he had passed away and luckily enough published.

Mr. Crichton of course being a fellow of immense popularity has produced favorites such as Sphere, Jurassic Park, the Andromeda Strain, and quite a few others.  Also accomplished as a screenwriter and director and speech giver.  He was so successful with his works that he has been awarded the Edgar Allan Poe award multiple times, the American Medical Award, a Peabody, an Emmy, and even has a dinosaur named after him.  If you are wondering, it's an Ankylosaur named Crichtonsaurus Bohlini.  Oh what excitement to have a dinosaur named after you!

Pirate Latitudes opens much like the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean and reads a lot like that as well.  The novel pulls back the curtain on the daily workings of Port Royal, a small British outpost in the Caribbean when privateering is at its height and we enter the scene following Sir James Almont the governor of Port Royal as he prepares and attends an execution.  When the new secretary arrives for Almont after the execution, he also brings news of an exciting target and Almont enlists Captain Hunter to execute on this lush opportunity.  Hunter is a clever Captain who understands the complicated workings of the Port Royal economy and the convoluted terms  in which privateering exists.  More importantly, Hunter knows a whole list of villainous individuals that can accomplish any task.

It was a fun easy read and a great way for out book club to role in the new year, so how did it fair?

-Potential Spoilers-

Overall the book was well received and everyone felt it was an easy quick read.  The majority of the club consumed it well before the deadline which is always a good sign, furthermore, this book is the only book that saw every member able to complete, go us.  Ended up being a great pick to roll in the first of the year, especially after our disappointing December selection in which no one completed, including the selectee.  Usually when we do this I see people’s favorite moments as others least favorite moments.  This usually tells me that maybe the pick was off for some members while better for others, at least with this one we didn’t see a lot of that.  Everyone ended up coming out of the congregation pretty happy and ready for the next read.

Some of the more notable events that transpired for people included a Kraken, Hunters victory, scaling a mountain, and a memorable naval battle.

OLT uses a ten point scale, one being dismal and ten being amazing:

Th3ee: 6/10

Hylen: 7/10

Dust: 7/10

Tom: 6/10

AndyCoug: 6/10

Gee: 6/10

Dave: 5/10

SS: 6/10

Anteater: 6/10

ELeach: 6/10

Average OLT score for Pirate Latitudes: 6.1