Tim Powers works a wondrous alchemy through his stories. He takes the familiar, known world, applies to it the philosopher's stone of his unique vision, and returns it to us utterly transformed - fascinating and fresh. In `On Stranger Tides', he has taken the familiar story of Blackbeard and his pirates and reshaped it into a compelling tale of eldritch magick. Blackbeard as a fierce warrior may be a tired tale often told, but Blackbeard as a fierce warrior and powerful voodoo sorcerer reshapes the familiar story into something new and strange, and impossible to put down.

Puppeteer turned pirate, Jack Shandy is a likable and fairly standard protagonist who, though down on his luck, is less flawed than the average Power's hero. While taking passage to the West Indies to try and claim a stolen birthright, he meets a charming young woman, his ship is attacked by pirates, and he is shanghaied into their ranks. He is drawn into a bizarre occult plot involving an obsessed and unbalanced Oxford don (the girl's father), and Captain Edward Thatch (Blackbeard), who we find is a powerful Voodoo shaman as well as a formidable pirate. As is usually the case with Power's plots, the history and the unique twists that he gives to it blend seamlessly into a thrilling tale.

I would rate `On Stranger Tides' right behind `Last Call' as one of Power's best works. The plot is fascinating and fast moving, the characters compelling, and the sense of an eerie otherness that is one of Power's trademarks is spot on. Trust me; you won't be able to put this one down until you finish the last sentence - highly recommended.

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Jack Shandy, a former puppeteer, falls into piracy and in love with a victim/daughter of a crazed philosopher-turned voodoo expert who want to turn her into his dead wife. Jack, still grieving over his beloved dead father, is on a revenge quest. As he falls in and out of this quest, in and out of a noble life and that of a pirate, his character grows and matures. The story is full of complex and disgustingly and creatively clever spells and magic that mix that past and present, the dead and living. The landscape and spells are quite fascinating. The pirate characters are ambiguous and selfish creatures, but they seem to have some sort of a code of their own. Jack fulfills the old pirate themes of being the noble scoundrel. Through piracy, he is able to be a romantic hero. A great, refreshingly different read, very Gothic and Romantic. Grade: A-

My reactions to the book?

Seems like the author had some good ideas but didn't execute them fully. I found his writing cumbersome and the use of the main character's last name didn't feel right. It reminded me of the LAWRENCE OF ARABIA script where three characters had similar names beginning with Bs.

Confusing. My point on the last name was that it was too foreign so I always felt myself becoming disoriented.

OVERALL GRADE: 3 out of 5 stars (3.5 for ideas even if not fully executed; 2.5 for overall pacing and flow of words)

IDEAS: B+
EXECUTION OF IDEAS: B-
DIALOGUE: B
PLOTTING: C+
FLOW: C+
CONCEPT: A-
CHARACTERS: B

This book inspired the popular MONKEY ISLAND video game series made by one of George Lucas' company.

Tim Powers is one of the best writers in speculative fiction ever, but I think he bores easily. Each book is in a totally different world view. Except that everything that could be is. I always wish he would write more stories in each world but no. No trilogies here.
This is the consummate pirate book. A tale of the end days of piracy in the Carribean with vodun and magic thrown into the mix. With the absolutely great concept that magic is a resource that can be exhausted in time.
Like all of his stories there is a feeling of being in a dream out of control. I kept feeling that there was always something more; something I could almost see. . .but never quite. Everything is major, world changing events portend and the characters are fully realized and strong in will and intensity. Intensity is the pace to the end. What a great story, but then pretty much everything Mr Powers writes is that. Get it, read it, enjoy!