'Pirate Latitudes' by Michael Crichton - Book Review

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton was found as a manuscript among his belongings after his untimely death. It is a pirate yarn in the tradition of Treasure Island. While not "typical Crichton," it is a good story that shows his skills as a writer.

Pirate Latitudes is a fast paced pirate romp in the 17th century Caribbean. An English privateer ship sets off on a seemingly impossible attempt to steal a Spanish treasure galleon that is anchored in a superbly defended Spanish isle. Many common elements of pirate stories are included such as gold, death, action, treachery, deceit, torture, cannibals, sea monsters, lust, and lawlessness. It stands above most of the genre though. Characters are memorable and generally don’t fall into a simplistic good guy/bad guy narrative. The naval imagery and terminology are detailed and feel real. Unfortunately the book feels incomplete. It is far shorter than the typical Crichton novel and some sections end rather suddenly. Crichton did not bring the book to a publisher during his lifetime so we can only speculate on what might have been added and changed.

Recent Crichton novels have often had overt political messages. Even his less politically controversial novels generally involve extensive research and are full of technical language. This novel is far less technical and certainly less political than his recent books. So to some it may not feel a fitting end to Crichton’s career. Remember, though, we don’t read Crichton for science or politics, we mainly read Crichton for his storytelling. Pirate Latitudes is a fine yarn and a fitting end for the ultimate storyteller.