daltysmilth Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I've wanted to read the book On Stranger Tides for years, originally just because it was an inspiration for Monkey Island, but especially now since it's the inspiration for the new Pirates Of The Caribbean movie, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere locally. So has anyone here read it? Is it any good? Is it worth ordering online? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Udvarnoky Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 It's great, and its tie-in with the movie has led to it enjoying a reissue on mass-market paperback two weeks ago. Don't know if that helps you depending on where you live, but it's definitely widely available and cheap. Incidentally, I'm betting the similarities to the Disney film aren't going to be much greater than those with the Monkey Island games... the impression I get is that after choosing to use Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth as integral story elements, the studio optioned Powers' novel just to avoid a potential legal ruckus. The Pirates' screenwriters have actually been citing On Stranger Tides as an influence on the series since the first installment, so there's a part of me that's thinking this is just an explicit curtsy to the book for what the series owes it in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroms Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 The new cover is also much better than the crappy one with the map, though nothing beats the 1987 edition with the skull pirate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admonisher Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I have the 2008 Trade Hardcover Edition from Subterranean Press, which reproduces the original James Gurney cover art. It's a beautiful-looking book ... but more importantly, it's an INCREDIBLE read. Dark fantasy at its finest, and Powers' prose is just superb. Read it any way you can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward van Helgen Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Great book, it's got pirates, the fountain of youth, blackbeard and MOJO... What else do you need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThunderPeel2001 Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 One good thing about the new film is that the book is now widely available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fealiks Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I've wanted to read this book for years, but I never could. I recently got a copy of the new reissue (although the cover is different to the one Jason mentioned, and it seems like all of Powers' books have been given this same treatment recently, at least in the UK), and I'm just over halfway through. It's obvious that the movie isn't really going to be based on the book, aside from including the fountain of youth and Blackbeard, with integral characters such as Davies, Hurwood, Friend, etc., apparently left out of the movie. I'd have liked to see a straight adaptation of the book, though, if only to see how PoTC fans reacted to the Dragonball Z style air-based face-off between Hurwood and Friend. In all seriousness, though, I honestly don't think a straight adaptation of the book would have worked very well for PoTC, which now has a perfectly good life of its own without having to guiltily pay its respects to On Stranger Tides or Monkey Island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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