I started reading Pirate Freedom the other day, and it's very different from most books I've read. Despite this (or perhaps due to it), I find it both interesting and engaging. I'm not even half way through the book yet, but can't wait to pick it back up.
It's about Chris, a priest, who somehow finds himself transported back in time from his monastery in Cuba to the heyday of pirates in the Caribbean ocean. Chris finds himself becoming a pirate, and tries to reconcile it with his faith he grew up with. It's written backwards, as a memoir after he returns, although (so far) the method of transport through time is not explained. The book seems to have plenty of action and is excellently researched and written.
I highly recommend it, even though I'm not even finished with it yet. I find myself wanting to read other books by Gene Wolfe, although this is the first I've read of his works.