On Stranger Tides

This article is about the 1987 novel by Tim Powers. For the 2011 film, see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
On Stranger Tides
First edition cover.
AuthorTim Powers
Cover artistJames Gurney
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical fantasy
PublisherAce Books (Hardcover edition)
Publication date
November 1987
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages325
ISBN978-0-441-62683-0
OCLC15661924

On Stranger Tides is a 1987 historical fantasy supernatural novel by American writer Tim Powers. It was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel,[1] and placed second in the annual Locus poll for best fantasy novel.[2]

Set in the early 18th century, On Stranger Tides takes place during the Golden Age of Piracy, when puppeteer John Chandagnac sets out to reclaim an inheritance in Haiti and is waylaid by various buccaneers and pirates, only to become one himself. Now known as "Jack Shandy", Chandagnac encounters voodoo, zombies and the supernatural while on a quest for the fabled Fountain of Youth and rescues Englishwoman Beth Hurwood. Powers' novel features real historical figures like Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, Woodes Rogers, and Juan Ponce de León alongside fictional ones.

The book was also the inspiration for the Monkey Island video game series by LucasArts and the story for the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.[3]

  1. ^ "Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: 1988 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  2. ^ "Title: On Stranger Tides". www.isfdb.org.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference comingsoon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).