I would swear that I read a book back in 1995 that was the source

[hedgehog]

for the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I remember the love story and the undead pirates. I threw the book out several years ago in a fit of decluttering, and now I can't find any trace of it. Can anyone help out?

[Bridget Burke]

1. "On Stranger Tides" by Tim Powers

There were, indeed, some plot similarities.

www.amazon.com/Stranger-Tides-Tim-Powers/dp/1930235321/ref=ed_oe_p/104-6060729-8091140

Tim Powers is a wonderful writer. His "contemporary" fantasy is very fine & the historical stuff is even better.

[hedgehog]

2. That's it! How in the world did Disney make all that money on the movie without

paying any royalties!?!?!

[Orrex]

3. With respect...

How closely does this blurb match the actual plot of the book:

From the Back Cover
" ... Tim Powers is the apostle of gonzo history, and On Stranger Tides is as good as story-telling ever gets. He has found a way to bring together powerful Indian magic, black vodun, a British scientist driven mad with grief over his wife’s death, and Blackbeard himself, determined to live forever. Opposing them all is John Chandagnac, a one-time puppeteer who has come to the Caribbean to confront the uncle who cheated John’s father out of his rightful inheritance. Captured by pirates, John finds himself rechristened Jack Shandy; he also finds that his old skill as a puppeteer can save his life.

Because honestly, aside from the setting and the use of "Indian magic," it doesn't seem all that similar, beyond the general similarity to be expected of any fantastical pirate yarn set in the Caribbean. Even the theme of immortality is rather strikingly different; Blackbeard craves it, whereas Barbosa et al fought bitterly to be free of it.

" ... 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

Oh, boy. If it gets Orson's approval, then I really have to wonder about it...

Granted, these are impressions formed without having read the book, but it seems to me that while a vague similarity is present, it's not sufficient for Powers to sue Disney about it. Heck, the first five customer reviews don't even mention the Disney film, so the likeness can't be too overwhelming, can it?

[hedgehog]

4. It's been some years since I read it, but what I remembered

was a crew of pirates cursed to walk the earth as men during the day and skeletons in the moonlight, a search for a way to end the curse, the young man shanghaied by the pirates, the love interest and it seems to me a pirate captain who played both sides.

[Orrex]

5. Maybe you dreamed the whole thing up on your own?

If so, then maybe you should sue Disney!

$$ Ka-ching! $$

[hedgehog]

6. The movie came out in 2003. Several of those reviews predate the

movie. I'd be really surprised if they did connect the two, and really curious how they managed to do so!. It's not important anyways, I'm just glad to get my question answered when I couldn't figure out the book title!

[Orrex]

7. Facts, schmacts. Don't pester me with all this "reality" stuff!

If they can't analyze a film prior to its release, then who the heck needs them?

[intheflow]

8. Have you ever been on the "Pirates of the Carribean" ride

at any of the Disney parks? I was amazed by how much the first movie mirrored the ride (at least in Orlando). So much so that it felt to me like the ride with a weak plot interwoven to make it into a coherent script.

[Orsino]

9. I love that book...

...but I never would have made a connection to the Disney movie.

[Marie26]

10. Did anyone ever play "Monkey Island"?

They totally ripped the plot off of that game.