On Stranger Tides

For the past couple of years, I've been re-reading all the earlier Tim Powers novels -- the yarns that got me hooked on his writing in the first place. He has a way of interweaving tidbits of "real" history with fantasy and mythology, resulting in a "secret history" novel that can have you questioning what's *really* real. In this one, John Chandagnac, son of an itinerant French puppeteer, most recently a bookkeeper in London, discovers that his late father's brother is a wealthy merchant in Port-au-Prince because he embezzled the elder brother's inheritance. John intends to journey to Haiti, get his late father's money back, and see his crooked uncle hang. And the transatlantic voyage is made more enjoyable by meeting young Beth Hurwood and her father, a one-armed Oxford don. But then life takes a turn. The merchant vessel is waylaid by pirates -- and Hurwood turns out to be in league with them. John is pressed into the pirate crew, is renamed "Jack Shandy," and discovers why Blackbeard twisted smoldering slow-match in his hair and beard. Then the plot really starts to move, with pirates who make everyday use of voodoo (now virtually extinct in the Old World), and a quest for the Fountain of Youth, and a quest to rescue Beth from her father's evil designs, and a renewed quest to even the score with his uncle Sebastian. The last third of the book is narrated at a dead run, as everything comes together and explanations are made for some of the story's more puzzling earlier events. And Jack's skill as a puppeteer comes in very useful indeed. This is one of Powers's best.

For some absolutely bizarre reason some person gave this book to my grandfather (whose favorite book is Popular Science) thinking that he might like it. So that explains how I wound up with this novel, which I had actually been seeking out for some time. And it turns out to be an awful fun read, not as consistently dazzling as The Anubis Gates or Last Call, but definitely falling into the solid entertainment catagory. Powers turns back to the clock to the time of the pirates, and into that pot throws voodoo magic, zombies, sorcerers and the Fountain of Youth. His plotting remains are deft as ever, although everything feels relatively straightforward this time, most of the major twists you can see at least a portion of them coming from somewhere, there isn't a huge amount of complexity going on and overall it's probably safe to say not a lot really happens. But even Powers on auto-pilot has much to offer and his depiction of the pirate community is great fun and the introduction of the fantasy elements never feels forced or contrived, the journey to the Fountain of Youth is one of the book's creepiest and most magical moments. And even though there's not a huge amount going on, Powers keeps the action coming and moves things along swiftly enough that at least you're rarely bored, even if you're being more entertained than amazed. To date, Powers hasn't written a bad book and he still has tons more imagination than most of his writing peers so that his novels are at the very worst merely interesting instead of jaw droppingly good. That's the case here, you'll find the book a pleasant enough time but it certainly doesn't rank with his best work. Still, it's great fun and who said being merely entertaining was bad? This should be next on the list after you've whetted your appetite with The Anubis Gates or Last Call. You won't be disappointed.

My friend Dean and I regard Tim Powers as one of today's best writers that hardly anyone knows. We can only hope loyal readers such as ourselves using forums such as this one can get the word of Mr. Powers vast talents out to the masses!!Interestingly enough, though this is one of Mr. Powers' earlier works, it's the one I waited the longest to read. No apparent reason, but I wish I wouldn't have waited so long. It fits right in with the author's penchant for offbeat plots. In the past, Mr. Powers has written about ghost hunters, gamblers with a sense of the occult, and other eccentricities. "On Stranger Tides" introduces us to the world of Caribbean pirates with a bent for the occult. It is not as dark as other Tim Powers novels, but is every bit as powerful and entertaining.The story takes place in the early 18th century and is a confabulation. That is, it is a work of fiction that includes in its cast, actual, historical personages who lived during the time. In this book, one-time Bahamian governor Woodes Rogers, infamous pirates Stede Bonnet and Edward Thatch a.k.a. Blackbeard, Colonel William Rhett, the Receiver General of the Carolina Province, and a wildly anachronistic Juan Ponce de Leon, cross paths, and sometimes swords with the unlikely buccaneer, Jack Shandy, Phil Davies, the pirate with a heart of gold, and Benjamin Hurwood, a one-time Oxford don gone insane with grief over the death of his wife Margaret. As always, Mr. Powers' research and attention to detail shine through as we are given lessons in history, geography, and voodoo while we follow the romps of the picaresque heroes of this book. Yes, the pirates are the heroes. . .Which brings me to one of my favorite characters of the book, Jack Shandy, who was born John Chandagnac, spent time touring Europe with his father as Shakespearean puppeteers, became an accountant when his father died, and, finally, became the most unlikely pirate captain to sail the seven seas. Forced to run afoul of the law in order to protect the beautiful, yet innocent, Beth Hurwood from the evil machinations of her deranged father, Shandy espouses the philosophical side of this novel. Jack means to remain a law-abiding citizen, but, when given the chance, he seems to always make the legally-wrong-yet-morally-right choice. In that sense, Jack's plight rivals that of Scott Crane in Mr. Powers' excellent "Last Call". Mr. Powers captures the essence of the less-than-pure hero as well as anyone writing today. In his world, Everyman can shine, even if his intentions are not always pure and noble.My only gripe, if I can call it that, is that, like in his other novels, Mr. Powers delves into a level of esoteria and detail that only a historian or shaman can appreciate. It's almost like he's telling his readers that, no matter how much they know, he knows a little more. But, that's a small price to pay for the chance to enjoy some of the most innovative fiction being written today. If you've ne

Sure, "Treasure Island" is the best pirate story of all time -- but it's by a narrow, narrow margin. While Stevenson was a heck of a fantasy writer -- check out his "Bottle Imp" if you doubt it -- Tim Powers is perhaps the best fantasy writer most fans have never heard of.And in typical Powers fashion, in "On Stranger Tides," he tosses in everything he thinks he might need in a pirate novel -- historical figures, naval action, a noble man in a bad situation, voodoo, jungles and so on -- and a few things only he would think to link to the rest and comes up with another hit, and my favorite Powers novel.The action here careens back and forth across the Caribbean and if Powers isn't wrestling crazy ideas to the ground as he does in "The Stress of Her Regard" or "The Anubis Gates," it's only because, this time around, the play's the thing.This is a book I loan out to all of my sea-loving friends, knowing that they'll devour it and hand it back to me, more battered than ever, but it's a book I can't keep to myself. Now, if only a hardbound edition would come out, so that I have a chance at actually having a copy in decent condition.This is a "grab it if you see it" buy for fans of fantasy, pirates or wild adventure stories. "On Stranger Tides" is a dynamite novel by one of the best genre authors working today.