Play Audiobook Sample
On Stranger Tides Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.01) - 2,724 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
The novel that inspired Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
On Stranger Tides is Tim Powers’ great Disneyland ride through pirates, puppeteers, treasure, and thrill-a-minute action that carries on from the start. It follows the exploits of John “Jack Shandy” Chandagnac, who travels to the new world after the death of his puppeteer father to confront his uncle, who has apparently made off with the family fortune. During the voyage, he befriends Beth Hurwood and her father Benjamin Hurwood, an Oxford professor. Before they arrive at their destination, their ship is waylaid by Blackbeard and his band of pirates. With the help of the professor and his assistant, the captain is killed and Chandagnac is pressed into piracy and sorcery as Blackbeard searches for the Fountain of Lost Youth. Chandagnac, newly dubbed “Jack Shandy,” must stop the evil plot and save Beth.
Download and start listening now!
"A wonderfully crafted book. The usual intricacies of plot, strong doses of the supernatural appropriate for the time and place, an appealing hero whose unique skills as a puppeteer eventually come into play -- at a crucial moment, of course. A seamless mix of fact and fiction."
— John (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Powers writes in a clean, elegant style that illuminates without slowing down the tale. The story promises marvels and horrors, and delivers them all. You’ll love the characters, you’ll stay awake all night reading it, and when you finally do sleep, you’ll find this story playing through your dreams.”
— Orson Scott Card, from Hatrack.com -
“Immediately hooks you and drags you along in sympathy with one central character’s appalling misfortunes on the Spanish Main, [and] escalates from there to closing mega-thrills so determinedly spiced that your palate is left almost jaded.”
— David Lanford, author, editor, and critic -
“Tim Powers has further refertilized the Sabatini swashbuckler, [a] high seas adventure with sorcery and black magic.”
— Jack Adrian, author -
“World Fantasy Award-winner Powers demonstrates a precise control of complex narratives…This dark fantasy tale will appeal not just to pirate fans but also to anyone who appreciates Powers’ talent for blending the most unlikely elements into a brilliantly cohesive whole.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Awards
-
A 1988 World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel
-
A 1988 Locus Award Nominee
On Stranger Tides Listener Reviews
-
" I've been of fan of Tim Powers for many years. His novels are generally full-bodied fantasy romps, often with a few historical/mythical figures and event thrown in for good measure. This is a (sort of pirate) adventure with a difference (or two, or three, or...) featuring Blackbeard and his living beard among a cast of eclectic characters. TP always tells a good tale, and while this isn't his best, it's an enjoyable frolic. Better than 3 stars but not enough for 4 stars. "
— Joe, 2/20/2014 -
" I really wanted to like this book because its piratey. Unfortunately I didn't like any of the characters and thought most of the plot twists were unnecessary or confusing. "
— Kathryn, 1/22/2014 -
" magical, piratical adventures. Follows one man who is sucked into the world of pirates and magic against his will. Many of Powers ideas from The Anubis Gates are present here: reincarnation, destiny, magic. I really enjoyed this book. Maybe more so than The Anubis Gates. "
— Derrick, 12/24/2013 -
" A fun pirate adventure with that great Tim Powers twist. "
— Fil, 11/16/2013 -
" Fun. Fun. Fun. Powers is a writer who could have been among the literati but, thank God, chose to use his talents to write what would be considered pulp by most. This is a book of pirates, voodoo, zombies, revenge, and romance. It is the antidote to stuffiness. "
— Charlie, 11/9/2013 -
" Terrific book. Great adventure story. Read mostly on my trip to Costa Rica-- a perfect book to read on sandy beaches while sloths nap in palm fronds overhead. "
— Jeff, 10/25/2013 -
" The most entertaining book I have read and I have read around 120-150 books in the last 5 years! "
— Derek, 10/24/2013 -
" A good yarn. Loved the magic and the visit to the fountain. :) "
— Ben, 7/21/2013 -
—
KJW, 5/2/2013
-
" Another great Tim Powers adventure - custom built for the "pirates" collection. Easy reading though clearly well researched historical contexting. The ending was a bit damp and brief but otherwise thoroughly entertaining throughout. "
— Simon, 9/11/2012 -
" voodoo, pirates, zombies, tim powers. wonderful fun! in fact, i have zero desire to see the movie as i'm sure i'd spend the whole time saying, the inevitable, "the book was better." "
— Blake, 4/7/2012 -
" This was one of the best books I've ever read .. and totally not what I was expecting. I loved it! "
— Finn, 12/27/2011 -
" Good plot, good characters. Good book! "
— Hagoth, 5/4/2011 -
" I really wanted to like this book because its piratey. Unfortunately I didn't like any of the characters and thought most of the plot twists were unnecessary or confusing. "
— Kathryn, 4/26/2011 -
" This is one of my all-time favorite fantasy books. It's really time I dug out my copy and reread it. "
— J., 4/21/2011 -
" Reread this in anticipation of the POTC4 flick coming out this summer, to have it in my mind so i can see what parts they kept (likely not many) for the film "
— Rachel, 4/16/2011 -
" The best supernatural pirate novel ever written. can't wait to see what they do with the story in the new pirates movie "
— Erik, 3/27/2011 -
" Well, this could be author's quite weak work in terms of literary skill but I really liked combination of pirate romance and voodoo magic. Main characters are too stereotyped and that's why Philip Davies became my favourite.<br/> "
— Gwendolyn, 3/24/2011 -
" This was a wonderful read. The competing themes of love, revenge, magic and piracy set in the Caribbean made for a great story. I had a hard time putting it down. "
— doug, 3/6/2011 -
" (bought on 2/1/2011 online at Barnes and Noble via gift card from B&K) "
— 'stina, 2/17/2011 -
" Pirates of the Caribbean, Blackbeard, the Fountain of Youth, voodoo, and like all Tim Powers novels, action and mystery. Read it before the Disney-fied version comes out! "
— Glasscannon, 2/17/2011 -
" A fun little read. It'll be interesting to see just how much of this book makes it into the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. "
— Elton, 2/16/2011
About Tim Powers
Tim Powers is the author of numerous novels, including Last Call, Declare, Three Days to Never, and On Stranger Tides, the inspiration for the blockbuster film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz. He has received the Locus, World Fantasy, and Philip K. Dick awards. He lives in San Bernardino, California.
About Bronson Pinchot
Bronson Pinchot, Audible’s Narrator of the Year for 2010, has won Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Awards, AudioFile Earphones Awards, Audible’s Book of the Year Award, and Audie Awards for several audiobooks, including Matterhorn, Wise Blood, Occupied City, and The Learners. A magna cum laude graduate of Yale, he is an Emmy- and People’s Choice-nominated veteran of movies, television, and Broadway and West End shows. His performance of Malvolio in Twelfth Night was named the highlight of the entire two-year Kennedy Center Shakespeare Festival by the Washington Post. He attended the acting programs at Shakespeare & Company and Circle-in-the-Square, logged in well over 200 episodes of television, starred or costarred in a bouquet of films, plays, musicals, and Shakespeare on Broadway and in London, and developed a passion for Greek revival architecture.