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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Don't judge this based on the Pirates of the Caribbean movie - that took a few ideas from the book but didn't capture anything of what made this book so great.
I think this is his second-best book (after Anubis Gates) - note that being only his second-best still makes it better than almost anything else out there.
I think this is his second-best book (after Anubis Gates) - note that being only his second-best still makes it better than almost anything else out there.
Est-ce que vous savez comment on rend les histoires de pirates plus chouettes ? On fait comme l'auteur (ou comme pirates des Caraïbes) et on ajoute des zombies, du vaudou, de la magie, et de l'horreur mêlée.
On va donc dans ce roman s'attacher à un jeune anglais venu demander justice dans les caraïbes, mais qui suite à un ensemble de coïncidences fortuites va se retrouver embrigadé dans un équipage de pirates.
Il n'y fera initialement pas très bonne impression, avant que de se révéler un homme d'honneur face à des personnages tous plus menaçants les uns que les autres, Barbe-Noire en tête.
Bon, évidement, c'est le genre de bouquins auxquels je vois de bons côtés.
D'abord, [a:Tim powers|8835|Tim Powers|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1373471978p2/8835.jpg] sait parfaitement comment attacher à l'histoire "réelle" une histoire secrète, dans laquelle le surnaturel est une force avec laquelle il faut - plus ou moins - compter.
Ensuite, je suis toujours satisfait quand un roman parle de mer et de bateaux d'une façon correcte. Et c'est le cas ici.
Enfin, le récit s'appuie sur la structure classique du héros sauvant sson amour d'un destin trop horrible pour être nommé. La même trame que, par exemple, [b:Daemone|11418145|Daemone|Thomas Day|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328676334s/11418145.jpg|16351156], bien que le style en soit très différent.
Toutefois, comme toujours avec [a:Powers|3140334|Kevin Powers|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1402585455p2/3140334.jpg], j'ai l'impression confuse que ce roman ne m'est pas vraiment destiné. En effet, comme dans chacun de ses autres livres, j'ai la sensation dérangeante de regarder ce qui se passe dans un monde bien plus profond, bien plus complexe, que le mien : les gens y ont de splans rudement bien établis, négocient avec les forces du destion d'une façon qui m'échappe totallement, et globalement me paraissent auréolés d'une espèce d'aura héroïque qui leur permet de passer outre les difficultés de la vie réelle par un tour de passe-passe d'ordre ... littéraire. Pour le dire autrement, j'ai l'impression que l'auteur cache derrière une langue soutenue et un vocabulaire occulte des intrigues qui, en fin de compte, ne tiennent pas vraiment la route. J'en veux pour preuve (et c'est UN SPOILER) la fin du roman : lorsque le héros ou plutôt sa copine, tue Barbe-Noire, j'ai vraiment eu l'impression, d'abord d'une espèce d'aura magique, puis d'avoir clairement assisté à une incarnation de Deus Ex machina sous la forme du fantôme de sa mère revenu lui dicter comme tuer le pirate.
Pour ce genre de raisons, je ne suis pas vraiment sûr que ce soit une lecture destiné à d'autres lecteurs que les fans de littérature maritime avec supplément de zombies.
On va donc dans ce roman s'attacher à un jeune anglais venu demander justice dans les caraïbes, mais qui suite à un ensemble de coïncidences fortuites va se retrouver embrigadé dans un équipage de pirates.
Il n'y fera initialement pas très bonne impression, avant que de se révéler un homme d'honneur face à des personnages tous plus menaçants les uns que les autres, Barbe-Noire en tête.
Bon, évidement, c'est le genre de bouquins auxquels je vois de bons côtés.
D'abord, [a:Tim powers|8835|Tim Powers|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1373471978p2/8835.jpg] sait parfaitement comment attacher à l'histoire "réelle" une histoire secrète, dans laquelle le surnaturel est une force avec laquelle il faut - plus ou moins - compter.
Ensuite, je suis toujours satisfait quand un roman parle de mer et de bateaux d'une façon correcte. Et c'est le cas ici.
Enfin, le récit s'appuie sur la structure classique du héros sauvant sson amour d'un destin trop horrible pour être nommé. La même trame que, par exemple, [b:Daemone|11418145|Daemone|Thomas Day|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328676334s/11418145.jpg|16351156], bien que le style en soit très différent.
Toutefois, comme toujours avec [a:Powers|3140334|Kevin Powers|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1402585455p2/3140334.jpg], j'ai l'impression confuse que ce roman ne m'est pas vraiment destiné. En effet, comme dans chacun de ses autres livres, j'ai la sensation dérangeante de regarder ce qui se passe dans un monde bien plus profond, bien plus complexe, que le mien : les gens y ont de splans rudement bien établis, négocient avec les forces du destion d'une façon qui m'échappe totallement, et globalement me paraissent auréolés d'une espèce d'aura héroïque qui leur permet de passer outre les difficultés de la vie réelle par un tour de passe-passe d'ordre ... littéraire. Pour le dire autrement, j'ai l'impression que l'auteur cache derrière une langue soutenue et un vocabulaire occulte des intrigues qui, en fin de compte, ne tiennent pas vraiment la route. J'en veux pour preuve (et c'est UN SPOILER) la fin du roman : lorsque le héros ou plutôt sa copine, tue Barbe-Noire, j'ai vraiment eu l'impression, d'abord d'une espèce d'aura magique, puis d'avoir clairement assisté à une incarnation de Deus Ex machina sous la forme du fantôme de sa mère revenu lui dicter comme tuer le pirate.
Pour ce genre de raisons, je ne suis pas vraiment sûr que ce soit une lecture destiné à d'autres lecteurs que les fans de littérature maritime avec supplément de zombies.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Zombie pirates.
http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2014/comments_02/on_stranger_tides.html
http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2014/comments_02/on_stranger_tides.html
Ahoy, me hearties. This be a grand adventure fer any pirate! We follow Jack Shandy as he be taken captive aboard the Jenny...he be fightin' the bocors, the zombies, and the dreaded Blackbeard, as well as savin' t'love of his life, Elizabeth. Lots o'rum to be had, swords t'be fought, and zombies t'kill in this harrowing tale of t'Fountain o'Youth and the strange tides that be....
Synopsis:
A retired oxford don is out to resurrect his dead wife using the voodoo magic with which the Caribbean islands are rife. But all magic comes at a cost, and the ancient powers of the new world, that are now being discovered by Europeans, require blood to be satiated. The widower teams up with a band of pirates, among them Blackbeard himself, to achieve his goals, setting the scene for sea battles, backstabbing, murder, magic, and a lot of rum.
Impressions:
Another fantastic book by Tim Powers. This one has the flavor of a Neil Gaiman novel, with fast-paced action that rarely lags throughout the book. What impresses me most about Powers (so far) is the amount of work he puts into researching the historical setting of his books. On show in Stranger Tides is his seemingly endless knowledge about the seafaring vessels of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Stranger Tides, however, is a bit less detailed than his novel Declare. John Chandagnac, the main character of Stranger Tides, has a compelling journey from the naivety of youth to the cynical life of a pirate, but the other characters aren’t nearly as fleshed out. Beth Hurwood, the novel’s damsel in distress, is the least compelling thing about the book. She has zero personality, and the eventual love that blossoms between her and John feels completely forced, the culture of the 18th century notwithstanding.
But despite it’s flaws, the book delivers a highly enjoyable tale that works on multiple levels. Near the beginning, the reader is immediately introduced to a world of magic, but as you progress, the underpinnings of this world are slowly revealed, and it’s this subtlety of plot that, to me, sets Powers apart from the rest.
A retired oxford don is out to resurrect his dead wife using the voodoo magic with which the Caribbean islands are rife. But all magic comes at a cost, and the ancient powers of the new world, that are now being discovered by Europeans, require blood to be satiated. The widower teams up with a band of pirates, among them Blackbeard himself, to achieve his goals, setting the scene for sea battles, backstabbing, murder, magic, and a lot of rum.
Impressions:
Another fantastic book by Tim Powers. This one has the flavor of a Neil Gaiman novel, with fast-paced action that rarely lags throughout the book. What impresses me most about Powers (so far) is the amount of work he puts into researching the historical setting of his books. On show in Stranger Tides is his seemingly endless knowledge about the seafaring vessels of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Stranger Tides, however, is a bit less detailed than his novel Declare. John Chandagnac, the main character of Stranger Tides, has a compelling journey from the naivety of youth to the cynical life of a pirate, but the other characters aren’t nearly as fleshed out. Beth Hurwood, the novel’s damsel in distress, is the least compelling thing about the book. She has zero personality, and the eventual love that blossoms between her and John feels completely forced, the culture of the 18th century notwithstanding.
But despite it’s flaws, the book delivers a highly enjoyable tale that works on multiple levels. Near the beginning, the reader is immediately introduced to a world of magic, but as you progress, the underpinnings of this world are slowly revealed, and it’s this subtlety of plot that, to me, sets Powers apart from the rest.
adventurous
DNF. Racism and sexism. I didn't notice the pub date until after I decided not to finish it. But there's no reason for sexism and racism and general asshole-ery to take up any more space in my brain than they already do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Slavery
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was recommended by a panel member at Gen Con for a good example of how to weave fiction between the spaces in real history. I must say it does that rather well. I normally have issues with historical fiction that actually uses real people, but I don't know that much about piracy in this era and it's written well enough that I didn't have too much trouble going along with it. This book was recommended as an introduction to Tim Powers, and I might try a few more of his books if I can find them. He's not too popular in the Louisville library system, strangely enough.
(P.S. This book has nothing specifically to do with The Pirates of the Caribbean. It came well before. If anything, the movies stole quite a bit of the book's plot as well as the title.)
(P.S. This book has nothing specifically to do with The Pirates of the Caribbean. It came well before. If anything, the movies stole quite a bit of the book's plot as well as the title.)
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is very well-written and excellently structured; it's an inventive story and the language and imagery are evocative. The plotline itself - in equal parts intentionally predictable and shocking - was what kept me reading. Aside from the premise and the writing, I wholly did not like this book.
There was no relationship development – these characters simply feel this way about each other and that's that. The deepest relationship is between Shandy and his late father, who isn't present in the story. The story is about Shandy's rescue of Beth, yet their relationship doesn't really go beyond "you are woman, I am man." The depiction of women in general is unkind at best, harmful at worst. There were also a number of significant story elements I simply dislike reading about – stolen agency, parental neglect, incestuous undertones, etc.
I love the concept of mystisizing real historical events, but the execution here left much to be desired.
There was no relationship development – these characters simply feel this way about each other and that's that. The deepest relationship is between Shandy and his late father, who isn't present in the story. The story is about Shandy's rescue of Beth, yet their relationship doesn't really go beyond "you are woman, I am man." The depiction of women in general is unkind at best, harmful at worst. There were also a number of significant story elements I simply dislike reading about – stolen agency, parental neglect, incestuous undertones, etc.
I love the concept of mystisizing real historical events, but the execution here left much to be desired.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Fatphobia, Incest, Sexism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping
Minor: Cursing, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death of parent
Regarding incest: The main plot thread is about a man attempting to evict his daughter's spirit from her body so he can replace it with his dead wife's spirit. This isn't portrayed as a sexual desire for his daughter, but there is a clear conflation between the two women. Another villain has memories of making sexual advances on his mother in his past and at one point magically grooms the same daughter as a stand-in for a simulacrum for a mother who won't reject his advances.
Regarding sexual assault: Throughout the first half of the book, a villain openly lusts after and controls the main female character, at one point kidnapping her. Though he does not get the opportunity to rape her, he does sexually assault her in a briefly detailed scene, and he often magically controls her physically against her will. Despite the cast being pirates, rape is otherwise only ever mentioned in abstract passing.
Regarding self harm and suicide: Characters often self-harm to draw blood necessary for the magic system of the story. The few suicides are mostly enacted through intentionally losing battles, so as to avoid a "worse" demise due to magic.
Racism and sexism is "of the time" – not explicit nor egregious, but definitely included, addressing both Black and Indigenous peoples.