Haven't done a book review for the blog in a while, not since the dark days of 2022 and that William Gibson trilogy I endured. Instead here's some assorted thoughts on a book I just finished, 1987's On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. Expanded and revised from the review I posted recently on Amazon and Goodreads, all ill-judged opinions are my own.
The short version: It's a rollicking yarn full of pirates, ghouls, dark magic and bloodshed, I really enjoyed it, thanks for coming!
Ok then, so it's a page turner full of personality and pace that plays out across the high seas and into the murkiest corners of the supernatural. Nefarious schemes abound, pernicious villains ply their trade and throughout there is a refreshing sense of familiar material getting a less than familiar treatment from it's author. It's very much regarded as a standard bearer of the 'supernatural pirates' genre and I can believe it. There's an admirable sense of commitment to the fantastical events unfolding on these pages that doesn't feel the need to wink at the reader or break the fourth wall and it's all the better for it. Man takes boat trip, boat gets purloined by pirates, pirates embark on a scheme involving dark forces and fateful drama and all that is within the first few chapters. Pacey is the word but not overwhelmingly so.
A healthy infusion of actual pirate history makes the cut here as well. Blending into the narrative here with such larger than life figures as Blackbeard and company casting some very large shadows over the events within. It's hardly a scholarly treatment of the subject but there is enough here to help this tale keep it's feet to the ground throughout the madness that follows. There is a distinct air of finality to the proceedings as the very real end of the age of piracy comes to bear upon these characters and the use of real history nicely reinforces that where it comes up.
By and large though the reality steps aside for the story and quite the effort is made in this regard. There is some decent and varied characterisation. It's not all standard pirate archetypes although there are plenty of those if that's what you be seeking. A pleasant, romantic sense of place and time is nicely conveyed here too with more than just a faint hint of coconuts and rum wafting within the warm tropical breeze. The writing really has a vibrancy to it that brings the content to life, all blue skies and palm trees amongst the violence, the undead and the odd cutlass thrust straight through the gut.
As mentioned above there is also copious doses of the supernatural here too. It's all pretty evocative and grisly in turn but to it's credit it never feels forced. No small amount of effort has been devoted to making it feel as grounded as possible, there is a method to the madness and a sense of an infernal alchemy being played out throughout the tale. There's is a tangible if fantastical basis to the sinister deeds coming to fruition here but it rarely feels like a convenient plot device pulled out of thin air to meet the dilemma of the moment.
On the flip side, this book might feel a little overly familiar to anyone reading it in 2023. After all it was superceded by a whole raft of popular culture over the last few decades, certain Caribbean pirates know what I mean there. If you happen to be wondering why one of those films was named after a pirate book you probably have never read well now I hope its apparent. Notwithstanding that though, I think this is well worth a read for fans of pulpy pirate fiction. It's a lively and engaging tale well told and a solid recommendation from myself.
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