The Tossed Salad

Michael Crichton, the man who wrote books like ‘The Great Train Robbery’, ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘Congo’ and others, would have loved to see the acclaim that his novel, Pirate Latitudes is receiving worldwide. This novel was found on one of his computers after his death and got published posthumously by HarperCollins on November 24, 2009. Pirate Latitudes is an adventure tale demonstrating the versatility and raw storytelling power of this master of suspense and will surely generate tremendous reader interest and media coverage.

An irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates in the New World, it is a classic story of treasure and betrayal. Pirate Latitudes, set in the Caribbean in 1665, is about an imperious pirate named Captain Edward Hunter, who plots a piracy with the governor of Jamaica, to capture a Spanish galleons loaded with treasure. ‘Gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it’ as goes the saying. The heavily fortified Spanish galleon El Trinidad, awaiting repairs is guarded by the bloodthirsty ‘Cazalla’, a precious commander of King Philip IV of Spain. The plot revolves around how Hunter leads a team of ruffians into the enemy island, hijacks El Trinidad, takes the treasure, the imminent battle with the Spanish infantry and finally, how he escapes the deadly clutches of Cazalla. The rapid-fire adventure is salted generously with sex and violence. But despite all this, the danger just begins.

It is a very well researched and detailed book, providing solid facts on navigation and the lives of pirates. But, we all know that you don’t buy a Crichton book for the dramatic realism. It’s supposed to be disposable fun- a book that sits out front in bookstores and attracts readers with the author’s name printed larger than the title. The book starts slow, but it doesn’t take long for Crichton to have the reader turning pages at breakneck speed.

The book manages to be entertaining, but it seems the text version of an unmade film. In parts, it loses the levels of suspense that it builds up with elements not characteristic of books of this genre. Maybe that is why Steven Spielberg, a fan of Crichton’s work, is adapting the novel to film, with Reliance Big Entertainment and DreamWorks Studios as producers.

In all, there’s a lot of pirating packed into 320 fast-moving pages. We’re not looking for realism, of course, but all the nick-of-time escapes and rescues, test belief. The characters are engaging and the plot is tight. This wasn’t meant to be “deep” reading. Instead, it’s a fun read with enough details to make you feel a part of the plot. Personally, I didn’t put it down until I turned the last page. “Pirate Latitudes” is a definite recommendation to those who still have a spirit of adventure and want it reflected in the pages of a book.

Rohini Kejriwal

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[image courtesy: http://wikipedia.com]

Author: Rohini Kejriwal
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Is a student from Rishi Valley School, currently doing her Bachelors of Media Studies from Symbiosis. In her spare time, she enjoys writing about anything under the Sun, doing photography, listening to music, reading, playing sports, and watching movies.