Pirate Latitudes - A Novel

Michael Crichton

Harper

2009

320 páginas

10h 40m

ISBN-10: 0061929379

Pirate Latitudes is an action adventure novel by Michael Crichton, concerning 17th century piracy in the Caribbean. HarperCollins published the book posthumously on November 26, 2009. The story stars the fictional privateer Captain Charles Hunter who, hired by Jamaica's governor Sir James Almont, plots to raid a Spanish galleon for its treasure: 'Jamaica in 1665 is a rough outpost of the English crown, a minor colony holding out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, Jamaica’s capital, a cut-throat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses, is devoid of London’s luxuries; life here can end swiftly with dysentery or a dagger in your back. But for Captain Charles Hunter it is a life that can also lead to riches, if he abides by the island’s code. In the name of His Majesty King Charles II of England, 'gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking! And law in the New World is made by those who take it into their hands. Word in port is that the Spanish treasure galleon 'El Trinidad', fresh from New Spain, is stalled in nearby Matanceros harbor awaiting repairs. Heavily fortified, the impregnable Spanish outpost is guarded by the blood-swiller Cazalla, a favorite commander of King Philip IV of Spain himself. With the governor's backing, Captain Hunter assembles a roughneck crew to infiltrate the enemy island and commandeer the galleon, along with its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloody legends of Matanceros suggest, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he finds himself on the island's shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry are all that stand between him and the treasure. With the help of his cunning crew, Hunter hijacks El Trinidad and escapes the deadly clutches of Cazalla, leaving plenty of carnage in his wake. But his troubles have just begun'. . .'
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_Latitudes
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“Crichton’s ultimate adventure.” —San Francisco Chronicle.
"Pirates Latitudes has the loot: Gore, sex, action. A lusty, rollicking 17th century adventure". —USA Today.
"Riveting.Great entertainment. The pages and minutes fly by". —Cleveland Plain.
"Dealer #1 New York Times bestselling author, the incomparable Michael Crichton (One of the great storytellers of our age —Newsday) takes to the high Caribbean seas for an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates, lost treasures, sword fights, duplicity, and hair-breadth escapes in the New World". —Bookseller Inventory.

[About the Author]: Michael Crichton's novels include Next, State of Fear, Prey, Timeline, Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain. He is also known as a filmmaker and the creator of ER (TV Series). One of the most popular writers in the world, he has sold over 150 million books, which have been translated into thirty-six languages; thirteen have been made into films. He remains the only writer to have had the number one book, movie, and TV show at the same time. Pirates Latitudes was discovered as a complete manuscript in his files after his death in 2008.

Michael Crichton received many prestigious awards and accolades over the course of his career: an Oscar, an Emmy, an Edgar and a Peabody, to name a few. Acknowledging the huge impact of Michael Crichton’s work through Jurassic Park and The Lost World, the scientific community designated a new species of dinosaur named after him called the Crichtonsaurus Bohlini, and he was called one of Hollywood’s Most Beautiful People by People Magazine! The awards and recognitions Michael Crichton received only begin to illustrate the impact he had in so many different areas of Entertainment's World, Science and Popular Culture.
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http://www.michaelcrichton.com/award-winner/

Resenhas (2)

1 (Ruim)

Pirate Latitudes é uma publicação póstuma e possui a característica comum das obras que normalmente passam por isso: é um rascunho.

A história segue os tipícos clichês de pirataria: um arrojado capitão em águas caribenhas entra num plano ilegal para roubar ouro espanhol. Soa divertido e para quem gosta desse tipo de história, o lugar-comum não é ruim. Mas, Crichton não teve tempo de editar o que significa que embora seja um calhamação de mais de trezentas páginas, o desenvolvimento foi insuficiente.

O interesse amoroso, a busca por vingança, o desastre no mal e o mapa do tesouro... nenhum deles empolga o suficiente porque não há clímax. É óbvio que o autor estava apenas se divertindo nesse primeiro momento e não havia ainda escolhido qual seria o ponto-de-virada.

Vale a pena lembrar que Crichton foi um dos autores mais adaptados para o cinema e é possível ver isso mesmo nesse livro, onde há momentos que poderiam facilmente ir para a tela grande.

Recomendo aos fãs do autor por puro sentimentalismo.