On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers
 

So, while I am waiting for my copy of this book to arrive (move faster, Amazon) , I was wondering how many people have read this, the original inspiration of Monkey Island according to Ron Gilbert (and also mentioned as an inspiration for the upcoming Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island)...

Have you read it? Did you enjoy it?

Read it and enjoyed it really a lot! Suggested reading for all MI fans :)

(4/4 stars in my anobii library)

I read it last week. It really is great book, very engrossing, much more serious in tone than I was expecting. It reads much more as historical fiction than fantasy. The swamp sequence is just stunning

Darn it... why doesn't Romania import good books!?!?!

I'm on my second reading of it now. (The first time was about 2 years ago or so). It's a great book, and you can definitely see a lot of the influences of Monkey Island, but Treasure Island will always be my favorite in the pirate genre.


Lorn

I have read it too.. Its a great book. There are definite themes similar to Monkey Island but I think people expecting a goofy story would be sort of disappointed. But people looking for a great Pirate story with a touch of magic this book is fantastic.

Some other Pirate books I can recommend for the Monkey Island fan are

The Pirates! in and adventure with scientists, and sequels
by Gideon Defoe

The Pyrates, by George Fraser

Peter and the Star Catchers, and its sequels by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, its a "childrens novel" but its pure fun.

I'm constantly reading this book. It's very good! Piratey and voodooy - very Monkey Island. You can really tell where the inspiration comes from.

Although one problem, I always picture the scenes in the book in SMI style with Shandy as Guybrush. It's weird - anyone else do that?

you guys makes me want to order that book but i'm flat broke.
I hate you all :mad:

No I picture Shandy as someone like Clive owen. Seems smart but gets pretty tough if pushed.

I literally bought my copy used from Amazon for $0.25 and shipping some time ago.... Now it seems that the book is priced really high on amazon and ebay... glad I bought it when I did.

Well, finally got my copy yesterday, so I will try to start reading it during the weekend...

Confession: I was semi-indifferent about Tim Powers despite all the wonderful things I'd heard about Declare. This novel may very well persuade me otherwise. The excerpt I read from Last Call a couple days ago wasn't exactly a deterrent, either.

So thank you, thread, for making me aware of this book's existence! :D

I got it off www.bookfinder.com - awesome website- for like $3.00 and shipping. I haven't read it yet, bought a few weeks ago when I heard it inspired Monkey Island.

I ordered mine as soon as Ron wrote about it on his grumpygamer blog. Really good book and dark! Can definitely see some comparrisons between the Monkey island games and the book.

exciting! I will definitely try to find this!

Any one got any more good piratey-book recommendations to pass the time until Chapter 2? Apart from Treasure Island, I haven't read much pirate-fiction.

I am currently reading Micheal Crichton's posthumous novel Pirate Latitudes... Reading it makes me sad that he has passed away and will not be giving us anymore fantastic books.. the guy was a brilliantly entertaining author.

So far its great...
the novel has a trailer LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lJ5Fe_vHF8

Oh and I read that Speilberg has bought the rights for a film adaptation... should be good.

What's Pirate Latitudes about? Apart from pirates. And latitudes.

Also: the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie will be called On Stranger Tides and follow the basic plot of the book, which was expected after the way At World's End ended. I'm interested in seeing a movie adaptation of my favorite book, but I'm not quite so excited about seeing the characters replaced with characters from the PotC franchise.

Its about a Privateer Captain planning and executing raid on a Spanish stronghold rumored to have in its bay a Spanish treasure galleon holding a treasure of unimaginable wealth...

I am still reading the beginning so he is just now trying to get a crew together...

I always forget to get my hands on a copy and now I REALLY NEED to

because Disney bought the rights to the book.
D:

I don't read a lot of pirate fiction. I do own like over ten historical books on the subject though.

I've been wanting to read it. I can't find it in bookstores, but I'm still checking second hand bookshops whenever I can...

I was very, very disappointed in Pirate Latitutdes.

I'm relatively certain it was still in the first or possibly second draft. Threads are set up that never go anywhere, and characters are introduced who seem to be important but aren't.

The whole thing just reads unfinished and flat.

After reading Pirate Latitudes, I wanted to wash the taste out of my mouth, so I finally broke down and ordered Flint and Silver off of Amazon. (By John Drake).

Treasure Island is a particular favorite of mine - I make it a point to reread it every year.

I've read just about every prequel and sequel to Treasure Island written...(with the exception of Porto Bello Good, which I've yet to get to).

I held off on picking up Flint and Silver for a year or so...every review that I'd read mentioned that it was a very adult novel (for both violence and adult themes), and I wasn't confident that it would mesh with the original novel.

After Pirate Latitudes, I knew I needed something better...so I ordered it.

I never should have waited.

For the first time, I feel that a worthy addition to Treasure Island has been written. I've enjoyed most of the other prequels and sequels, and filed them away as "alternate universe" stories, but never really part of the official canon.

Flint and Silver *feels* like Robert Louis Stevenson to me, even if the novel is MUCH more adult than Treasure Island was.

Some adaptations or additions try so hard to imitate the characters, that it's obvious that they're aping. The words coming out of Long Johns mouth in this novel FEEL like Long John.

(It also has the benefit of being the first in a trilogy of prequels!)

Even so, I've been reading this novel slowly...I want to savor every page.

So...sorry for the threadjack...but for those looking for additional GOOD pirate literature, you can't go wrong with either On Stranger Tides or Flint and Silver. If it were me, I'd leave Pirate Latitudes on the shelf.


Lorn