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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fun story. Nothing too complex here but worth a read if you’re looking for a quick and magical pirate adventure.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The definitive treatment of cursed pirates. You can definitely see how this laid the ground for the Curse of Monkey Island and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies—those do a more comedic take on the material: this book plays it straight.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The writing is fine and powers deftly manages to weave his magical plot elements into the real world events referenced in the story.
The story itself is really 3-4 stories that could have all been books on their own had Powers had a mind to serialize things a bit more. I appreciate the tight focus but I felt like I read more than one climax to the story.
The magic itself was a little hard to follow. Maybe if I knew a bit more voodoo history and mythology some things would be more apparent.
The story itself is really 3-4 stories that could have all been books on their own had Powers had a mind to serialize things a bit more. I appreciate the tight focus but I felt like I read more than one climax to the story.
The magic itself was a little hard to follow. Maybe if I knew a bit more voodoo history and mythology some things would be more apparent.
The story was fun, but I found the narrative to be disjointed which made it difficult to really get into.
This book has been sitting on my TBR list since July 2017. I guess it was time for me to finally getting around to reading it.
Pirates, ghosts, bokors, zombies. There is so much to like about this book. I enjoyed every minute of this book. Tim Power is now an author on my radar.
Pirates, ghosts, bokors, zombies. There is so much to like about this book. I enjoyed every minute of this book. Tim Power is now an author on my radar.
Three word review: Unf, so good!
As I have come to expect from Powers, OST deftly blends historical fact and supernatural elements. He has also clearly done his homework on the mechanics of sailing, voodoo and fencing.
John Chandagnac's journey from itinerant puppeteer to notorious pirate Jack Shandy would be entertaining in itself. In addition, the story of Hurwoods adds a creepily supernatural element to the whole affair.
The introduction of several historical pirates, including John Bonny, Blackbeard (Ed Thatch) and Stede Bonnet adds a feeling of verisimilitude to the whole affair. The uniting thread of a quest to harness the still-strong mystical forces of the New World (for multiple different reasons) is creepily well done.
Unfortunately, the story is missing any female characters with agency. Beth Hurwood does her best whenever she is able, but by the time the story begins, she's wrapped up tight in a web of family obligation, drugs and enchantment. This means that she spends most of the novel as the Damsel in Distress for Jack to quest after. Pirate Ann Bonny appears, but doesn't actually do much.
Definitely a good read.
As I have come to expect from Powers, OST deftly blends historical fact and supernatural elements. He has also clearly done his homework on the mechanics of sailing, voodoo and fencing.
John Chandagnac's journey from itinerant puppeteer to notorious pirate Jack Shandy would be entertaining in itself. In addition, the story of Hurwoods adds a creepily supernatural element to the whole affair.
The introduction of several historical pirates, including John Bonny, Blackbeard (Ed Thatch) and Stede Bonnet adds a feeling of verisimilitude to the whole affair. The uniting thread of a quest to harness the still-strong mystical forces of the New World (for multiple different reasons) is creepily well done.
Unfortunately, the story is missing any female characters with agency. Beth Hurwood does her best whenever she is able, but by the time the story begins, she's wrapped up tight in a web of family obligation, drugs and enchantment. This means that she spends most of the novel as the Damsel in Distress for Jack to quest after. Pirate Ann Bonny appears, but doesn't actually do much.
Definitely a good read.
Possibly one of the best pirate/fantasy books of recent years. Tim Powers brings this one home with a great plot and strong characterizations.
The premise was great but the execution was lacking. The writing style was clunky.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No