On Stranger Tides
 

I finally snagged a copy of the reprinted edition via Amazon and read it. Great stuff. Loved the Vodun aspects (it turns out GK1 was much truer to the nature of voodoo as actually practiced than MI1 was; the centrally important idea of calling upon Loa for help and the role of blood in magic are prominent in Sins of the Fathers, but pretty much absent in MI1).

The Shandy-Blackbeard-Beth triangle is interesting, and clearly the inspiration for Guybrush-LeChuck-Elaine, although Beth is much more of a damsel-in-distress than Elaine ever was.

Spoiler:

It's very cool how Powers does stick to historical accuracy for Blackbeard's demise (right down to including the actual dialogue exchanged with Lt. Maynard) but uses Vodun to let his hero have a chance for a final confrontation with the dreaded pirate.

So what do the other people on this board think about the book?

I never heard of it, although I should probably pick it up. Would like to see what else compares to MI :D

My local bookshop has no record of its existence. I hate bookstore employees, one of the lowest forms of life. I usually have to spell Raymond Chandler's name for them; they then comment that he's old and if I'm lucky direct me to a ghetto labelled mystery where he's forced to endure Dan Brown's company. When searching for the book on my own I can't find a pirate section, so it's possible the reprint doesn't apply to Australia.

You should be able to buy it online; that's the only way I found of obtaining a copy myself. My local Borders doesn't carry it either, at least.

It's probably hideously expensive, given that Amazon has no Australian affiliate, but I'm not sure if there's any other way. This reprint certainly seems to have been low-key to say the least.