‘Pirate Latitudes’ (2009) an adventurous slice of history

Pirate Latitudes

It’s a sign of a prolific author when even death doesn’t stop them from putting out novels, and such was the case with Michael Crichton (1942-2008), whose posthumous output includes “Pirate Latitudes” (2009), “Micro” (2011) and “Dragon Teeth” (2017).

For some reason, I didn’t read “Pirate Latitudes” when it came out, perhaps thinking that Crichton didn’t intend for it to be released, since it was “discovered” on his computer rather than submitted by the author to his publisher.

A fun history lesson

And, indeed, this isn’t his deepest or most layered work, showing signs of being at least partially written early in his career. (Some statements from the author suggest he wrote at least some of the book in the 1970s.) That said, “Latitudes” is a fun way to learn about pirating – and general Western culture — in the 17th century Caribbean.


Book Review

“Pirate Latitudes” (2009)

Author: Michael Crichton

Genre: Historical fiction

Setting: Caribbean Sea, 17th century


Crichton starts by showing us the morning ablutions of Sir James Almont, the English governor of Jamaica. I like the way the author – functioning somewhat as a modern observer taking a peek into history – flatly states things we would now find absurd.

For example, toothpaste of the time consisted of powdered rabbit’s head, granate peel and peach blossom, and a finger was used rather than a toothbrush. I get the sense, too, that taking care of one’s teeth is a privilege of the upper class.

Later, we see the casualness with which death is treated (removing bodies from the streets is among the colonial soldiers’ morning routine, and Almont is annoyed that he has to attend a hanging because it’s miserably hot outside), as well as rape (the desirable young women of the colony, such as Anne Sharpe, take it as a fact of life).

Beliefs of the time

While he sometimes seems to deliver asides to the reader (a modern observer of the past conversing with a modern reader), Crichton certainly gives his characters the language and beliefs of the time. So among the pirates are “the Moor” and “the Jew.”

The main character turns out to be Captain Charles Hunter, who was born in the Massachusetts colony. He’s one of those pirates – excuse me, privateers (and the distinction is important, socially and politically) – who is insanely brutal by any modern standard but has enough of a code of honor to be a relative good guy in this story.

Word spreads to Hunter that there’s a Spanish galleon filled with treasure anchored in the bay of Matanceros. He gets permission from Almont to arrange an expedition to take the treasure. (Government-approved theft from a foreign ship is privateering, and the state gets a cut. Unapproved, it would be pirating, and the pirates would be hanged.)

I checked the maps in the front and back inside covers as I followed the journey of Hunter and his crew throughout the Caribbean, like with Preston and Child’s “The Lost Island,” only set in the past. I also got a slight hint of Timothy Zahn in the way Hunter – like “Star Wars” Legends’ Grand Admiral Thrawn — is able to anticipate what an enemy or Mother Nature might throw at him, and adjust accordingly.

Old-fashioned adventure

The overwhelming vibe, though, is adventure in an old-fashioned style, perhaps like “Huckleberry Finn,” but darker and aimed at adults. What makes me rate “Pirate Latitudes” lower than Crichton’s classics like “Jurassic Park” is that there aren’t any surprises in the plot.

For example, when Hunter’s ship is attacked by a giant squid, we get a typical seamen-versus-giant-squid fight. And when they must make it through a Spanish stronghold to get to the anchored galleon, the privateers plan it out, then do it exactly what they planned.

This is what gives me the “early in his career” vibe; it’s as if Crichton learned to add twists later in his career. But even if this is by definition a simpler form of writing, it’s pleasurable to read the “plan and execute” plotting; the tension is still there, because we don’t necessarily know the plan will go smoothly.

“Pirate Latitudes” is an adventure novel that makes learning fun. Although it’s fiction, we get a window into the culture and traditions of the time and place, and the precise steps by which high-seas thievery plays out.

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My rating: