The Outlaw Sea is a maritime non-fiction, true crime novel written by William Langewische. It was first published on July 30, 2002. Langewische is an American author and journalist who also worked as an airplane pilot. He also works at the Vanity Fair Magazine. He wrote many impressive essays and news reports.
Langewische's novel talks about the sea, with its dangers and outlaws. He includes mysteries, pirates, sinking boats, Al Qaeda involvement, and many more real facts that opens the eyes of many readers to the reality of oceans. Langewische stresses the paradox that the sea contains freedom, yet it contains crime and hidden problems. He writes the novel with wonderful details and includes all the chaos, crime and mystery in a well crafted book.
William Langewische said that he got the idea of the book gradually and slowly. It began to develop since he was 18 years old, working in a night cargo, flying airplanes. He said in an interview: "I became aware at about your age (18years) that there was this discrepancy between the way the world is supposed to work if it's well regulate and the way the world really works if you're sitting in a cockpit over the rocky mountains and on the December nights". He also stated that he visited some of the countries mentioned in the story while writing about them.
The Outlaw Sea received a 3.8 out of a 5 stars review on Goodreads, and most of the reviewrs wrote very positive comments about the book. One of the readers wrote: "The Outlaw Sea" is a real page-turner about a wild, lawless frontier that affects all of us. With so much of the raw materials of civilization shipped by freighter -- machinery, vehicles, food, oil -- you'd think shipping would be more closely regulated and better protected. But the author shows us how it's in the best interests of those who own the shipping lanes for there NOT to be much regulation." The National Sea Grant Law Center also wrote on its website about the novel: "The Outlaw Sea is a frightening glimpse into the anarchic world of international shipping". Publishers Weekly finally wrote:"Equal parts incisive political harangue and lyrical reflection on the timelessness of the sea, this book brilliantly illuminates a system the world economy depends upon, but will not take responsibility for." The novel won the Lettre Ulysses Award in 2005.
Langewische's novel is recommended to all marine lovers and people who want to extend their knowledge on the ocean world, and what really happens there. The Outlaw Sea proves that the ocean life is not just a vast, empty place with no action.
