Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom

When I was a kid, I read Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides, and loved its mix of pirates and magic. When the Pirates of the Caribbean movies came out, I became a huge fan for the same reasons. I wanted more stories along those lines, so when this tie-in novel (the first Pirates of the Caribbean novel not aimed at grade school readers) came along, I couldn't wait to read it. Unlike many tie-in novels, it's a substantial read, at over 650 pages. It's also satisfying, without feeling overlong or superfluous. It tells the story of young Jack Sparrow at a couple of turning points in his life. In it, A.C. Crispin captures the feel of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the voice of Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow, without directly copying stuff from the movies. What makes this novel interesting to me is the focus on Sparrow himself. In the movies, he's entertaining, but the sort of character who can't grow or develop or change. The movies are about his adventures, but they aren't about him. This novel gives fans a unique opportunity to see Jack develop into the man we see on the screen. It wouldn't necessarily make a good Pirates movie, because it deviates too far from that formula. But as a novel, it makes a good supplement. My one real complaint is that Crispin alludes to numerous events in Jack's childhood which really should be as important as the stuff we actually do see in the book. I have to guess that these events are depicted in the juvenile chapter books that have already been published. That's fine, but those books are mostly out of print now, and also aimed at a different audience than this novel. So it would have been nice, as an older reader, to get some more detail in this book. Overall, this is a surprisingly well-written tie-in novel, and one I very willingly recommend to fans of the movie series. I don't want to see a series of Jack Sparrow adventure novels; those are the stories the movies should tell, and just doing more in books would take the specialness away from both. But as a one-off story fleshing out the background of Jack Sparrow, this is pretty cool.

miss crispin did a magnificent job on this book :) She captured the voices of everyone perfectly and the richness of details was amazing! It felt like I was right there with Jack & everyone throughout all their adventures, found myself missing everyone soon as I finished the last page *hugs book to chest* i can see myself reading this many more times in the future (i also plan buying this as birthday/christmas gifts). The first meeting of Jack/Barbossa was different than I expected but it was interesting... loved having a little more insight into Hector (maybe disney will commission his backstory as well... i would buy it) I didn't care for Cutler Beckett in POTC but I wanted to strangle him even more in the book... i had a little sympathy for him in a flashback scene but it was ripped away not very long after... miss crispin did an excellent job fleshing him out and giving him more depth. Teague is a bit of bastard haha, but he's an intriguing person... wouldn't want to be on his bad side haha. the novel answers alot of questions I had about Jack but still leaves a few I'm hoping Disney will answer one day. Miss Crispin's writing sucks you right in and doesn't let go, I found it very hard to put it down. Highly recommend this book! :) many kudos to Anne Crispin, hope they tap you for the next 'Pirates' book (if there will be one down the road) In my opinion, i would love for disney to adapt this into a feature film (I could see Jordana Brewster as Esmeralda, what do you think?)

Ann Crispin has, in this book, taken on an almost impossible task: capturing Johnny Depp's unique character on paper. If she falls a hair short, it's likely because 100% success in that task really is impossible. (Full disclosure: Ann is a friend of mine.) But she comes very close, and she tells a ripping good adventure yarn in the process. When we meet young Jack Sparrow, he has some of his trademark idiosyncracies, but he's making his way as an honest, even principled officer in the merchant trade. He's a pirate who ran away fom piracy under a death sentence from his fellows. Jack has no problem with the pirate's life of armed robbery. However, he has one core value (although I was not clear on exactly how it was instilled in him). That value is the unwillingness to see anyone unjustly imprisoned or enslaved, and that gets him in trouble with both pirates and "honest" people. When he tries going straight, he initially finds that he likes living the captain's life without the constant fear of a noose. However, Cutler Beckett (who Crispin manages to make a three-dimensional if still villianous character) is going to teach Jack that the "honest" life can require compromising himself until he yearns for the freedom of the pirate's way. All this is explored in a world of magical trappings, a hidden island, two beautiful women who love Jack, a fabled lost treasure, and a rich portrait of life on a sailing ship of Jack's era. There are swordfights, rescues, and displays of Jack's ability to improvise his way out of almost - almost - any situation. There are some comic moments, such as a servant in Beckett's home explaining the newly fashionable concept of a "bath" to the puzzled pirate and Jack's attempt to mount a rescue on horseback when he has only the vaguest idea how to ride. We meet most of the characters from the first (and, as far as I'm concerned, only) Pirates movie, and its events flow naturally out of the deal Jack makes with dark forces to save himself from death at Beckett's hands and set himself up once more in the pirating trade. The Price of Freedom is not a flawless novel (it could have been a bit shorter, for one thing), but it's a very good introduction to the POTC universe. If you like the movies (or even some of them), this novel won't disappoint you.

I am a massive fan of Pirates of the Caribbean and I have been waiting to read this book for a very long time. And I can proudly say it did not disappoint. This book really fleshes out the character of Jack Sparrow, and shows what drives him. It details Jack working under the East India Trading Company, but also has flashbacks to events five years earlier, back when Jack was a pirate. This book is the main reason Jack is the person he is when we see him in the movies. And we also see the beginning of the tense relationship between him and Cutler Beckett. There’s so much more I want to say, but I don’t want those spoil it. PLEASE read this book if you are a Pirates fan. It will blow your mind.

This book is everything I hoped it would be. Jack Sparrow's early history, as depicted in this book, dovetails seamlessly with the lore of the movies. This book allows us to learn what makes Captain Jack Sparrow tick. And it's a lot of fun.

Books condition is good

A. C. Crispin has written a salty yarn for adult fans of Captain Jack Sparrow. The story contains new characters that Jack interacts with as well as a few familiar in the movies. The overall story is captivating, and the descriptions of sword fights and battles at sea between ships are very well written. Crispin doesn't quite have witty Jack's "voice", but then who can outdo Johnny Depp for banter?

I have read the other reviews and think some must be reading a different book. I loved the book. I did not feel it was a 'long' book at all. Took me 6 days reading to finish it with only reading a few hours a night. I found it to be a fast read book as I call it. I stayed up reading way to late a few of the nights I got so involved in it. I am glad this book was written and there is now an explanation as to how Jack got to be how he is and about other people and events in the POTC series. Someone critiqued it saying it had 'borrowed heavily from the POTC movie'. I hate using the term 'duh' but duh, I am sure the author had to follow Disney guidelines and keep it as close to the characters they already had created or it would not have been a prequel. To me the book blended in nicely with POTC movies. I also did not think the price for it was to much. It is a nicely made book.

Fills in all the background information for Pirates of the Carribean. It captures the characters personalities and strang actions really well.

Dieses Werk ist ein Muss für FdK-Fans. Man bekommt eine Menge Zusatzinformationen und der Charakter des legendären Captain Jack Sparrow wird deutlicher. Außerdem versteht man endlich die Beziehung zwischen Cutler Beckett und Jack besser, deren Verlauf in FdK 2 und 3 nur leicht angehaucht wird. Richtig interessant und sehr gut um sein Englisch etwas aufzubessern. Die Sprache ist nicht besonders schwer gehalten und wenn man ein paar Wörter ab und zu nachschaut kann man auf jeden Fall etwas lernen und vielleicht auch das ein oder andere Mal über den Schreibstil des Autors lächeln.

So glad I found this as it has been out of print for a while. Of all the Pirates of the Caribbean spin offs this reads the most authentic.

Wer Interesse hat, mehr über die Vorgeschichte von Captain Jack Sparrow zu erfahren wird dieses Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Natürlich ist dies keine hochtrabende Literatur, aber so ist es auch nicht gedacht. Es ist spannend geschrieben und man kann gut der Story folgen, obwohl manche Zeit- und Gedankensprünge manchmal schwer nachzuvollziehen sind. Eine perfekte Ergänzung zu den POTC-Filmen von Disney, denn der Inhalt dieses Buches kommt in keinem der Filme vor und ein Muss für Captain Jack Sparrow-Fans!

If you like pirate adventures, this is just perfect with a touch of the Pirates of the Caribeans' humour. Loved it!