Customer Reviews

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

"In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." Five centuries later, Orson Scott Card wrote a novella titled 'Atlantis'. The connection is 'Pastwatch: the Redemption of Christopher Columbus', perhaps the finest alternate history novel yet written. In 1996's 'Pastwatch', Card weaves his compelling take on Atlantis into a still more compelling picture of Cristobal Colon and his place in our history. Along this entertaining ride we also find slavery, human sacrifice and a post-nuclear society's great moral dilemma.

For in spite of the historical overtones, 'Pastwatch' is about time travel. Future historians lay the blame for their ruined planet at the foot of global evils such as slavery. While appreciating the complex causality of our world, their technology lets them zoom in on Columbus's expansion of Europe's cultural boundaries as crucial. If he could be dissuaded from his momentous voyage, the Pastwatchers consider, we should surely erase slavery from our troubled past. 'Pastwatch' tells the story of their struggle with new data and with conscience; satisfactorily, it also tells us how, why and what they conclude.

Card writes so competently that his storytelling never interferes with the story. The result is an emotionally transformative experience, but also an insightful one. Civilized values are laid on the table so expertly that the reader can only take them to heart. To read 'Pastwatch' is to catalogue great virtues of humanity, whom Card redeems alongside Columbus. Let us, like the Pastwatchers, work to keep redemption within the pages of great books.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it late last night. I don't know the story of Columbus well enough, or even the Columbus myth well enough, to know how accurate Card's history was. I can't speak to that. But the character he created was a man so on fire for God, so committed to acting rightly, so passionate in pursuit of the vision he felt God had given him- and yet malleable and teachable. I read this, thinking, I desire that same passion for the purposes that God has set for me. And, in reading this book, I feel like I have caught some of that spirit.

So often, in science fiction, the author sacrifices character development, themes, and even plot, for the sake of playing with futuristic machines and technology. Card does not. All the characters are rich, three-dimensional, taking turns you wouldn't expect. He spends great time on each character, delving into their lives, to explain what they did and why, and who they are and how they effect others. The plot likewise is worthy of O'Henry, and the very concept ingenious. This is one further error that Card avoids- so many SciFi writers are all concept, but can't put the concept to paper in a gripping story. Here the plot is intimately connected to the characters, for it is plots within plots, with themes throughout of trying to understand why people act the way they do, and what it is (within their own history, and the history going back many generations) that causes them to act. For all the evil Columbus did, or initated (truly, a great amount), here, we see a real man, flawed, like any man; heroic, like some men- and what he could have been.

But Card's biggest success is perhaps his philosophical musings. Which is why it's light on the scientific methodology- you'll never hear here how it's possible to view the past or go to the past, about wormholes or quantum mechanices or anything like this as you do in Crichton's Timeline. Indeed, the history and science here are rather ridiculous, making it clear that some sort of technologically advanced native peoples (in the sense of modern technology) could never have existed in meso-America in anything else but a work of fiction.

But this isn't a book of philosophy that drags to read through like Callenbach's Ecotopia. It's philosophy interwoven through the plot. Not just the "what-ifs" that always come up within the alternative history genre, but questioning of the nature of Christ, and the Gospel, and how it is meant to be practiced, and how it has been practiced. What if those first European explorers in the New World had practiced the Gospel they preached? What kind of world would we live in today? What then does it mean to act with mercy, to act with charity, to prefer another's needs to oneself, to be a servant of all? What is truly the best way to change the world? Card answers this by showing that we can only teach through learning. And that passion is an answer, but it's not the end of the answer, until you learn humility, and love towards the least.

Pastwatch is the best book I've read in a long time and I can't stop thinking about it. What makes it interesting is the dilemma of a future society altering ancient history. If the future society makes a small change the past, they will never have existed. Typically, history books itemize dry and boring facts about people, places, and dates. Card's descriptions of Noah and Christopher Columbus are so detailed, the story becomes plausible.

I'm not really much of a fan of science fiction (I've only ever read one other sci fi novel and that's Lewis Shiner's "Glimpses," which is nothing like this) but I picked up this book because Orson Scott Card is a well respected cult figure, I found it on sale and the title sounded really interesting. Plus, despite my normal aversion towards sci-fi, I always like time travel stories (probably due to watching "Back to the Future" over and over when I was a kid) and I liked the way that was used in here.

The first half of the book mostly has the characters observing the past through thier TruSite machines which is intercut with segments from Christopher Columbus' own life. One of the things that I liked about the book was how Card made Columbus into a sympathetic human character instead of just treating him as a heroic figure. This book is actually a far better study of Columbus than either of the two critcally panned 1992 biopics "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery" and "1492: Conquest of Paradise." At times, though, I found the writing, especially here in the first part of the novel, to be a bit too heavy handed and complex. There are a few segments where Card gets way too bogged down in detail and this slowed me down considerably during the midsection of the book.

The second half of the novel, though, is fast paced and entertaining as three of the characters actually travel back in time to try and change the course of history. Here we get even more insights into the life of Columbus and although the whole "time traveller from the future is thought to be a God" is a bit of a sci-fi cliche, it is handled very well here.

So while I still haven't exactly been converted to a hardcore science fiction fan, I would reccomend this book to fans of fantasy, historical fiction and anyone who is interested in the subject of Columbus.

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus is as good a piece of psycho-history as has been written. The main plot of this story - undoing the damage unwittingly wrought by Christopher Columbus - enlightens the reader about pieces of history that remain largely unexamined in a nation that celebrates Columbus Day as if CC himself were the first native. The evaluation of the actions leading up to Columbus' (largely accidental) journey to America, their repercussions and alternatives, stands with the strongest philosophical explorations of Card's best novels. Pastwatch is not particularly concerned with the development of any characters but Columbus, and even he is a little distant, but it is a rare instance where characterization is secondary yet competently executed. The only flaw (in my opinion) is two-thirds of they way through the novel when the time-travelers of the book, determined to help Columbus do it right, act on the majority wish of the planet's population against its more immediate well-being. Sadly, that most of the world is self-sacrificing may never be believable. As an examination of the seldom-told early history of Europeans in America, Pastwatch is an entertaining way to learn some disturbing truths that all Americans should know. As a work of fiction, Pastwatch examines the themes of responsibility, character and faith better than most non-fiction books focusing on those subjects. I highly recommend this book to any fan of science fiction, history or ethics. I can't say that about anyone but Card.

This is probably one of my favorite Card books. Card is an experienced Sci-fi writer, and his abilities shine through in this book. The fundamental invention that makes this book possible is a device that allows people in the future to look back at people in time. It can't change or affect them, but it can watch them and observe them. What a great invention! No more crime with that tool - you know who did it every time. Anyway, they look back and observe Christopher Columbus and his voyage. Then, because of the condition of the future world, decide they need to change his voyage. They are able to travel one-way through time and a few of them do so to dramatically alter the history of the world. It's a great look at Columbus - Card has really done his research, as well as a fascinating look at what life in pre-Columbus America might have been like. The characters, technology, and storyline are all very good. I am very much looking forward to the next Pastwatch book. I hope you like this one.

Not being American, I just know the accepted historical fact, "In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue". It has never had an impact on my life, which probably should feel more impacted by my country's own "discoverer", Captain James Cook, than it does. I put "discoverer" in quotes because like America, Australia was always there; ships had been banging into both of them for years, but no-one had bothered to claim them on behalf of European powers before them. Anyway, I just picked this book up because Orson Scott Card wrote it and that was good enough for me. I didn't even realise Columbus needed redemption. Boy, was I wrong.

The thing that struck me most in this story was how precarious life on Earth is. One guy takes it into his head to sail west, and unlike any others that may have preceded him, completely changes history. It's ironic that the great civilizations of the Americas could be brought to their knees by measles and influenza, but in the end, they got some retribution, because Columbus's people took syphilis back with them to Europe. Card's idea of people from the future backstepping in time to halt these plagues, thus changing the balance of power, is simple and ingenious. (Once you get into this speculation thing, it's hard to stop. There is some evidence emerging in Australia that perhaps the Portuguese could have had a claim on this country long before the British - this country could so easily have been another Brazil! Taking that speculation a personal step further, if that was so, my German ancestors probably wouldn't have migrated here 160 years ago, and my folks might have died as kids in WW2.)

When it comes to speculative fiction, not many people come near Orson Scott Card. He manages to turn a distant historical figure into a man of passion and courage, mixed with a healthy dose of obsession. He gives us some idea of what the cultures of the Americas could have been like before their decimation. The Prentice Alvin books proved he is one of the masters of "alternate history" (another is Howard Waldrop - try his "Them Bones", unfortunately out of print, for another intriguing alternate American history).

Unlike some other reviewers, I don't have a problem with the lack of explanation of how future technology works - if Card knew that, maybe he could invent some of the things he's written about and really get things moving. Think of it this way: try to explain Amazon.com to an Amazonian tribesman - he probably has never seen a book, let alone tried to buy one on-line! I can accept that technology to view past events could be available, particularly if I'm going to accept the possibility of actually going there. I recently read a book by Robert Silverberg where travel agents of the distant future arrange trips so that their clients can travel back in time to view great events and catastrophes of the past, just for fun! And even that was based on a much earlier book.

Orson Scott Card ranks right up near the top of my favourite writers. Whatever his topic, it is always handled with the compassion and spirituality his personal faith has given him, but which he doesn't overtly preach at us. Somehow, after reading his work, even a cynic like me can feel better for having a brush with his faith and his hope for mankind.

Harlan Ellison always maintains he writes "speculative fiction," not science fiction or fantasy. Certainly his term of choice applies to Orson Scott Card's effort in this volume. In our generation the undeification of Christopher Columbus has come a long way and he has become a whipping boy for a lot of intellectual efforts. Card places his character at the center of one of the most provocative "what if" books I have ever read.

This book is useful in history classes, not because of its accuracy but because it raises questions useful to students of the past. Columbus as "hero" or "devil" is a pertinent discussion for it leads to the evaluation of other historical figures as well. More importantly it drives home the idea of actions have consequences, which are amply touched upon in the book. From slavery to syphilis, from colonization to chocolate, there are issues worth considering. Even the subplots are useful to class discussion. Card's narrative reveals the "real Noah," which truly extends the idea of mythic figures pretty far back in human history. There is usually a kernel of truth in any mythic narrative and trying to discover it or figure it out can lead to spirited class discussions.

Card is imminently readable, and has long been one of the favorite authors of students in my experience. There are collections of "What If" books around that can provide other examples, but "Pastwatch" is at the heart of the so many issues important to the study of history that it is at the top of the list in its utility. Besides, it is a good yarn with the expected Card characterizations in which intellectual effort is as passionate as romance.

Far in the future, earth's population has been ravaged by war, drought, famine and plague. But the survivors have learned their lesson. Efforts are expended to replant the rain forests, reclaim the deserts, save the species that remain. No one goes hungry or uneducated.

A few scientists use machines to delve into the past, trying to understand how humanity reached such a pass. These are the focus of Card's "Pastwatch" One, Tagiri, highly sensitive to the suffering of others, sees the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus and the enslavement and slaughter of the indigenous people, as the major significant event.

Discovering the strange vision that committed Columbus to his course she and her team begin to wonder if it's possible to change history - even though they know that change will not guarantee a better world and will cancel their own.

Card explores his themes through alternate narratives - Columbus' world and Tagiri's. The future is the more intriguing, especially as Tagiri's team learns the past has already been disrupted, with disastrous results. It takes a while for the Pastwatchers to jump back to Columbus' era but Card is one of Sci-Fi's best writers (winner of both the Nebula and Hugo Awards) and he keeps the pace moving.

A well-developed story with real characters and plenty of the paradoxes and moral dilemmas that make sci-fi more than space opera.

Orson Scott Card has more range than any sci-fi writer working today. No one else could have written both the Ender series and "Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus." I love this book because of its uniqueness within the author's writings. It's not outer space, or fantasy, it's almost mainstream fiction. He tackles the age-old sci-fi time-travel dilemma of altering the past in a way I don't think I've seen elsewhere.