• On Stranger Tides

  • By: Tim Powers
  • Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
  • Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (924 ratings)

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On Stranger Tides  By  cover art

On Stranger Tides

By: Tim Powers
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
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Publisher's summary

The basis for the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean film.

On Stranger Tides follows the exploits of John 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 Youth. Chandagnac, newly dubbed “Jack Shandy”, must stop the evil plot and save Beth Hurwood.

©2006 Tim Powers (P)2010 Blackstone Audio

Critic reviews

“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)
“Powers writes action and adventure that Indiana Jones could only dream of....Keeps you reading for the joy of it.” ( Washington Post)

What listeners say about On Stranger Tides

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I have waited for this audiobook for years!

I have waited for this audiobook for years! This book is without a doubt the most entertaining fiction that I have ever read! Tim Powers has been cheated in my opinion because his books have not been available to the audio public and they are not advertised as they could considering Disney bought the rights to this one for the next "Pirates of the caribean" movie. But His agent said Tim Powers now has 4-5 of his books in the works to be put to audio as we speak. So spread the word and enjoy like I have in this wonderful entertainment like few can write!!!

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This Swashbuckler Will Steal Your Heart

Tim Powers is one of the best writers in the genre. Which genre you ask? That is not easy to answer. I am primarily a fan of Science Fiction and consider him to be an SF writer. And if you consider SF to be whatever SF readers read, then that is what it is. The Lord of the Rings was first discovered by SF readers and made popular by the SF community. Now, Tim Powers is usually considered a Fantasy writer. And in this book you will find swords and sorcery, but the work of Powers has more of the feel of horror than anything else. All I can tell you with certainty is that his books all have fantastically convoluted plots that weave in and out of different genre stereotypes effortlessly. This novel is one of his best and in it you will find bizarre situations only possible in fiction yet that are populated by characters who react in a manner that feels real.

What you will not find in this 1987 book, other than the Fountain of Youth, is much commonality with the Pirates of the Caribbean movie of the same name. I think that Disney had long ago pirated the basic ideas from this novel in the earlier movies in the series and finally thought they owed Tim Powers a tip of the hat to that fact and put paid to that debt by giving the fourth movie in the franchise the title from this book.

Bronson Pinchot performs this book like a swashbuckler with a patch over one eye, a peg leg and a parrot on his shoulder. He gives every character a voice that is not only instantly distinguishable from the other characters, but gives them a voice that is perfectly suited to their personality. This is one of those audiobooks that I could recommend based on the strength of the narration performance alone; the fact that this is a fine novel to boot makes this a truly grand listening experience.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Pirates, Voodoo, Zombies, Puppets, and History

Great story. Great writer. I've been regularly requesting the works of Tim Powers ever since I joined Audible a couple of years ago and I'm very pleased that his books are starting to surface here. The fourth installment of The Pirates Of The Caribbean will be based on this book. I'm glad because it may bring attention to a very awesome story teller. I'm worried because they may well screw up one of my favorite stories.

As for this reading..... Bronson Pinchot does not suck but he is no George Guidall.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Need More of These

Powers always combines an excellent level originality with a strongly disciplined writing style, and this book is well read. I enjoyed it a lot.

Blackstone has other Powers titles. Whty Audio hasn't procured them escapes me.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely Stunned

There's nothing about this audio title that isn't amazing. I loved the story, although I'm afraid the new "Pirates" movie will end up giving it a bad name. What really blew my mind though was when I learned, at the very tail end of the recording, that BALKI narrated it!

The whole time I was listening I would tell anyone listening how great the reader was. How amazingly he did, not only accents, but speech impediments. How the French, regional English, and Caribbean voices were each separate and distinct.

I couldn't be more impressed with Mr Pinchot's abilities and am currently downloading another book narrated by him.

The book is fantastic, the narrator makes it perfect.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great book, not impressed with the reader

Maybe it is because I just listened to a novel read by David Suchet. (He is the Master of voices!) I thought Pinchot voiced the different characters fairly well, it was his reciting of the narrative that was uninspired. He sounded like he was bored most of the time. Maybe it's just me. Great book though.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My Favorite Book of all time.

Would you consider the audio edition of On Stranger Tides to be better than the print version?

Nothing can replace the magic of the written word - but this is a fine and exciting reading.

What was one of the most memorable moments of On Stranger Tides?

Power's amazing imagination, mixing pirates and magic. a shame Disney ruined this classic, and one of the best of all Pirate tales!

Which character – as performed by Bronson Pinchot – was your favorite?

Jack-Shandy - well read, anmd acted.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I love the destruction of Point Royal - the history of Black Beard - brilliant!

Any additional comments?

If you wished the Disney "Pirates of the Caribbean" Films were better, I urge you not to be put off by the weak confusing plots of these shoddy written films (yes 1st to last they have all taken from this book) - listen to this wonderful, magical, and perhaps, one of the best of all pirate adventures ever written. A True pirate Treasure!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A must listen for Powers or Pirates fans

Pinchot may not be an ideal reader for such a complex story or with the senses of passionate followers of Powers, but I think he handles the story admirably. Weaving reality, speculation and imagination into very enjoyable listen.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A+ Pirate Adventure!

I think this is one of the best Caribbean pirate novels I've read so far. That is to say it was fantastic, historically detailed, and realistic somehow even through all the voodoo magic coursing through the pages.

I say pages figuratively, because I listened to the audio version, which was absolutely tops. The narrator tackled all the different voices and accents with aplomb, thank you very much Bronson Pinchot!

Jack Shandy is an excellent accidental hero, and the lengths he goes through to rescue Beth are really quite epic. The tale is filled with tips of the hat to historical figures besides Black Beard: Ponce de Leon, Anne Bonny, etc. And the way he describes magic--and bear with me on this--is the way I think it would be if it were indeed real. No easy feat to write.

This book is pure and great fun!

Supposedly this is the book disney's Pirates of the Caribbean 4 was based on. Loosely. Very loosely. For if they'd actually followed the plot of this book #4 wouldn't have been such a raging disappointment to us die hard POTC fans. However, I think you can definitely see Tim Powers' influence in POTC 2 and 3, which is interesting looking back on.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Nice book

What made the experience of listening to On Stranger Tides the most enjoyable?

Bronson Pinchot did a great job. Voices and accents were top notch

What does Bronson Pinchot bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Accents and tempo. Spot on.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Sure

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2 people found this helpful