Pastwatch

The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Scott Brick, Christopher Cazenove, Gabrielle de Cuir, Arte Johnson, Moira Quirk, Stefan Rudnicki, Orson Scott Card

In a not-too-distant future that is not quite ours, there has been a major scientific breakthrough. It is a way to open windows into the past, permitting historical researchers to view, but not participate, in the events of the past.

In one of the most powerful and thought-provoking novels of his remarkable career, Orson Scott Card interweaves a compelling portrait of Christopher Columbus with the story of a future scientist who believes she can alter human history from a tragedy of bloodshed and brutality to a world filled with hope and healing.

©1996 Orson Scott Card (P)2005 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A bold and compassionate alternative history filled with believable historical and fictional characters." ( Library Journal)

I wish I could read it again for the first time

I bought this book because OSC had written it and I enjoy most of his work. The description was not compelling to me, but I pressed play. What a wonderful tale! The blending of history and SCIFI is as smooth and seamless as I've ever experience. The possibility of a present vastly different from our own is very compelling. It is a bold and panoramic landscape rendered to the detail of sand grains. Read it.

Future Tense Historical Hand Wringing

I enjoyed the book, when I finally finished it.

There was a great deal of earnest ethical debating, much of which I found to be tedious. It's like there was 85% prologue debate and 15% story and action.

As I said I did end up appreciating the book and its redemption.

Nice characters, but...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I like the point about slavery being better than human sacrifice. However, a population of hard working immigrants who valued freedom is what made America an innovative bastion of capitalism. Slavery couldn't have ended without capitalism to take its place. I doubt the immigrants would have come to America if they knew the land was occupied. Therefore Capitalism would have stalled and slavery would have returned.

an absolutely amazing story that is complete.

all the actions are natural and nothing is harm fostered in that doesn't feel like a natural progression.

Excellent and Hopeful

This book is so well written it almost seems prophetic. If you’re looking for a speculative, pre-apocalyptic, and ultimately optimistic story sprinkled with historical and non-historical fiction that broadens your horizons, then you will like this book as much as I did.