Not a fan of Orson Scott Card science fiction. Probably the historical aspect rendered it more palatable to me...
This is a revisionist history - what would the world have been like if Columbus had not returned to Spain, if the Americas had another 50 years of progress before Europe arrived.
Well written, compelling characters, and a really good read. The only down side was how quickly it all wrapped up in the end. ( )

It's a pretty neat book if you like the alternate history genre. A fair bit of a departure from Orson Card's best known novel Ender's Game, but I actually think this is his most interesting book conceptually after Ender's game. He takes the premise (how would history have turned out if Christopher Columbus' discovery of America hadn't led to the wiping out of the American peoples) and weaves a fun story. The plot is a bit predictable, but that doesn't detract from a very enjoyable read. ( )

I have either one word or three to say about this book: Excellent, excellent, excellent! I was put off by the title at first: redeeming Christopher Columbus doesn't sound very fun or very worth while, but the book is truly fantastic. The premise is that researchers on the Pastwatch project use machines to view the past, until they realize that some people in the past are aware of their watching them. In a world that is dying from the sins of the previous generations, the researchers make the decision to attempt to change the past to create a better future. They decide that Columbus' discovery of the Americas is the point at which they can effect the greatest change. Soon, however, they discover that similar researchers in a previous future has also changed their past, resulting in the world that they now live in. They must make the decisions to create a better future than either of the previous ones, facing difficult choices and personally reshaping the fate of the world.

The book is very well written, even though you never get personally close to any of the characters. The entire thing is written on the level of the socio-political, ideological, and economic forces involved. It's an intriguing look at the forces that shape the world, while also being a fun and exciting sci-fi tale. One of the most engaging books I've read so far this year. Highly recommended. ( )

Orson Scott Card did a phenomenal job at integrating his plot and characters, who were well-developed, with a historical subplot of Christopher Columbus' life and voyage to and discovery of America. I enjoyed the Pastwatch concept and Card's science-fiction take on historical fiction. It definitely gave me a new light to view Columbus with, and I'd love to use Pastwatch. ( )

60% Science Fiction, 40% Historical Fiction, 100% Incredible. Card's skill as an author is readily apparent here as he makes you think about alternate futures and the trade-offs of small decisions and the resulting effects over hundreds of years. If you're a fan of anything Orson Scott Card has written, read this. ( )

I enjoyed Pastwatch a great deal, largely because of the observers and their catalogue of history. Whether intentional or not, Card set up Pastwatch as the ultimate example in philosophical history in that there are cycles of collapse, rejuvenation and, more to the point, a macro example of Hegelian philosophical history. In short, the actions that actions in history are the direct result of the mistakes made from an earlier time in a counter-revolution to correct those problems. ( )

This tale is set in the future, after the ecological damage of humanity has almost wiped us out. Earth is enjoying a resurrection as a now peaceful humanity is working to restore the planet's ecology. There have been many technological innovations, including a device that allows people to view the past. Many of the mysteries of history have been cleared up and many lost cultural works have been recovered. The lives of many people who had been left out of the history books are discovered and humanity is now in closer touch with its past than it ever has been before. Then one day, a pair of time viewers discover that an Arawak woman they are observing can see them! This discovery opens up the possibility that they can actually affect the past and raises the question, "Is it better to continue to heal a damaged planet or to go back and prevent the damage in the first place?" Mr. Card does an excellent job of telling the tale, as well as the complementary story of the man whom the Pastwatch crew have identified as pivotal to history, Christopher Columbus. Check it out.
--J. ( )

One of the few science fiction novels I have enjoyed. ( )

A fascinating take on the story of Columbus's invasion of the Americas. Well educated historical fiction mixed with sci-fi, this is a unique and amazing book. ( )

One of Card's best. I don't really feel there's much I can say about it without spoiling it. It's not perfect; I found the ending a bit disappointing, and only a few of the characters are likable. But if you could conceivably like a book about time travel or alternate history, you should read this. ( )

An interesting look at the true (?) impact of Christopher Columbus' voyages. ( )

This book is a real thinker. It posits the question: if you could really go back in time and change the past, would you? Constructed around a future hundreds of years ahead of our time, and the life of Christopher Columbus in the past, this book is both a science-fiction mind-bender and a thoughtful historical novel. The premise is that in the future, historians can use machines to look back in time and study any person they want. They fixate on Columbus as having been a key figure in propagating misery upon humankind, and aim to go back in time and change what he did... at a great cost to themselves.

I found that the parts of the book describing how Columbus thought and acted sprang to life for me- I was really picturing what it was like to live in his time, how he came to set off on his famous voyage of discovery. But the future-time scenes left something to be desired; they focused so much on dialog and what was being done, I didn't get much sense of the characters' surroundings and several times got lost because I missed a small cue as to what was happening in the plot, hinted at in someone's conversation. By the time the book wound to a close, I was beginning to loose interest. It all wrapped up too quickly.

Card is a great writer about human relationships. There were lots of observations on marriage and the subtle balance of control between men and women (I'm thinking Queen Isabella and the King in particular). The issues of slavery, racism and how religion was used as an oppressive force are a very large presence in this book.

original review on Dog Ear Diary ( )

One of the better alternative history novels out there. Not as deep as "Years of Rice and Salt", but way better than any of the Alvin Maker series. Card is near the top of his form here. ( )

Excellent alternative history - what if Columbus never reached the americas? What if another group was responsible for influencing the timelines of history? What is people could view past events and effect them? Absolutely amazing concepts and characters. The What-If questions are answered and explored. ( )

This was a really good book. A great vacation book and nice to get a chance to read a book in just two days. Pastwatch is a time travel book, but in my opinion, the only time travel books worth their salt (and I really like time travel!) are books where you travel BACK in time, and Pastwatch suits. There is a lot of information about American history, notably about the discovery of American by Christopher Columbus, and a lot of info about Columbus -- almost "biographical". People of the future -- it's not clear how far in the future but not incredibly far, I think -- are able to use special machines to look at the past. They can look at everything, anything they want. People pick projects and do research and keep recordings of the parts of the past relevant for their projects. One of the projects is about human slavery and Tagiri, the head researcher, through her watching, discovers that it may be possible to go back and intervene in the past in order to improve the lot of humans in the world. Much of the book is spent with this project's researchers trying to figure out when the intervention would need to take place and if the benefits to humanity would indeed outweigh the obvious problem: i.e., that current existence would be snuffed out entirely, the protagonists in the book would now never have existed. Very interesting thought process and research methods. Lots of great information. Fascinating idea. My only complaint was that everything was tied up just too neatly at the end. And that the author makes the sort of wild assumption that just because humanity might not have slavery or human sacrifice anymore, they will also be better stewards of the world. Um, okay. ( )

This is one of my all time favorite books. I find the whole idea of one moment in time defining the future fasinating. Though it begins a little slow, it is well worth the read. I highly recommend this book to everyone. ( )

Read it for the account of Noah's flood in the first chapter, if for nothing else. It's a wonderful book, but soooooo very politically correct in its aims that it can be a little too "nice". But a great way of thinking how our world could be instead of what it is... ( )

Now this Card opus gets my superlatives -- it's a terrific story about how the invention of a viewer that allows scientists to look back in time ends up transforming the past, and the future. Brimming with cleverness, humanity and mindfulness (not to mention tight plotting), if they gave a Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, this book would deserve two years' worth.

An amazing combination of fact and fiction. The history of slavery and Christopher Columbus combine with a futuristic society who have learned to observe the past and a daring group who decide to change it. ( )

This began interestingly but lost steam when the characters seemed very unrealistic to me. Maybe if the book had illustrated how insanely bad the present-day world was that this group of people were totally at ease with destroying it (and themselves) and rewriting history. ( )

Rich historical detail, and a unique perspective on Columbus as a man, more than makes up for any flaws in the writing. I hope Card turns "Pastwatch" into a series. ( )

Interesting concept that had me going at first. However these are Mr. Card's poorest realized characterizations to date. Ultimately disappointed. ( )

Have you ever read a book that opens your mind to more world than you thought possible. This book gave me thoughts as wide as any I have had. Kept me blown away for weeks. ( )

I found this a bit slow in the beginning but it's not long before it had me gripped. A great combination of History & Sci-fi ( )