Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding. A superb work.
Review: Very stunning book. Outstanding. It's hard to describe past that without going past the 1,000 word limit, but I'll try... Card presents a very well-researched opinion about what might have happened had Christopher Columbus sailed West in search of the Orient. Having read other books that Card wrote in science fiction (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, etc...), I expected a clearly defined hero with starships and guns and Christopher Columbus thrown in the mix somewhere. But what I discovered was a wonderful work of art, intertwining a new perspective of Columus that I had never seen before with the story of scientists in the future watching the past and deciding whether to alter the past and change Columbus's voyage, leave it alone, or to stop it altogether. The book also provides insights on the Aztecs and surrounding cultures around the time of Columbus's voyage, and the book has a very interesting interpretation of the Atlantis story and Noah (of Noah's Ark). Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone, large or small, old or young, conservative or liberal (it's VERY balanced in terms of the opinion of the author). An outstanding piece of literature by a wonderful author.
Rating:
Summary: Crucial Figure in History Does an About Face -- Twice
Review: One of the most celebrated and controversial figures in history, Christopher Columbus is now the fulcrum in Card's novel. Card, using his gift for presenting the sweep of time in 200 pages, has dissected the early influences on Columbus -- and in so doing reveals the motivations and politics of the man and his time. The premise of Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus is that history may be altered to prevent disasterous outcomes -- but only by destroying the existing timeline and everyone in it. This is no Norton or Heinlein multiple-concurrent-realities scenario with no consequences for the protagonist. These people pay the price for changing their past. Despite this restriction and his attention to historical accuracy, Card delivers a strong plot, excellent characterizations, and his usual profound (some may say pedantic) philosophy. This book compares favorably to Hogan's novel Thrice Upon a Time and the short story "Firewatch"; it's not Ender's Game, but certainly on my top 30 list for its genre.
Rating: 
Summary: a bit on the eh side
Review: Card's revision of history in this book is fairly engaging -- I certainly didn't quit reading before the end -- but I found it ultimately unsatisfying. The SF premise is essentially a combination of two concepts from Asimovian works (Card is known to be a fan of Asimov, so this isn't surprising): viewing the past (from Asimov's short story "The Dead Past"), which leads to a team of workers whose mission is to intervene subtly in the past to be sure things turn out well (from Asimov's novel "The End of Eternity"). Card focuses on Columbus' mission in this matter with the underlying premises that (a) the cultural and technological naivete of the North American/Caribbean population led to their undoing and near-extinction by the predatory Europeans and subsequent North American slavery and (b) three people, armed with modern tech and knowledge of the past, sent back in time, could change all that, bringing the North American population up to speed with Europe in one generation, thus preparing North American against the European incursiona and radically altering the future. All of this is purportedly made possible by the future Earth's voting on a mass scale to write itself out of existence because, despite their technology and diagnostic powers, they've screwed up the planet so badly it's become untenable for human existence inside one generation and... somehow... they're only just realizing it (!) and can't fix it before dying out. I'm sorry to say I simply can't accept these concepts. And I dislike the degree to which Card implies again and again that the world's population should be Christian, that it would be better if it were entirely Christian, which I see as a direct consequence of the fact that he is Mormon. There are also technical aspects to this book I didn't care for, such as the threadbare detailing of physical and cultural surroundings. In this book as many others he's written in the last ten years, Card is so intent on rolling out his plot and dialogue that he often floats from scene to scene without giving the reader much to go on visually. The result is that, particularly in the second half, the reader has no real concept of the world of the story. Virtually all the scenes involving Queen Isabella are abstract, for instance; we don't even know what she looks like, let alone the room in which her scenes take place, let alone Spain in a larger sense. What we do get is a shifty third-person omniscient perspective in which Card might drop into her head for three sentences, never to return, which feels unbalanced and peculiar.
Rating: 
Summary: Great questions, good characters
Review: This book is an interesting blend of historical and science fiction, but what I will remember about it longest are the moral questions it raises. Which are the true Christians, those who have been baptized, or those who respect all others and turn the other cheek when insulted? How can you make a democratic decision to revise history when so many of the participants are already dead? I'm a new reader of Orson Scott Card's work, since I have only read Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead before this book. I did expect Card's character development here to be a bit more even. Columbus was interesting, and so was Diko, but the others were a bit flat. For instance, the contrast between the Christian motivations of Columbus, which Card portrays as grounded in the treatment of his father when Columbus was a child, and the Muslim motivations of Kemal, which aren't grounded much at all, leaves me hanging. Similarly, Diko's ambiguities regarding the role of Pastwatchers are much more convincing than her mother Tajiri's one-noted insistence on democratic decision-making. I think the uneven character development is why the book is slow at the beginning. But it's definitely worth plowing through the beginning in order to get to all the interesting dilemmas raised later on. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to friends, even if they don't normally enjoy science fiction. Pastwatch is an engaging read, but not escapist, because of the great questions it poses.
Rating:
Summary: Your Past Is Watching You
Review: The beginning is a little sluggish, I'll admit. Honestly I found the bits with Columbus before the timejump a little slow, because I was so intent on reading about Hassan and Diko and family. His characters were believeable, though Kemal could have used a little fleshing out, and being asked to believe that Hunahpu was going to be a major character, not to mention a love interest for Diko with so little insight into his character was a little odd, especially for Card. But the story was well written, and mostly fast paced. The dialogue was believable but intelligent. The setting was well constructed. The most difficult part of this novel for Card to handle I would guess would have been the time observation and travel, and this was done very well. Very good book, but Card's usually excellent characterization, his main strength, was a tad uneven this time around. An overall excellent read, but use your imagination to fill in the gaps.
Rating:
Summary: Great premise, Mediocre execution
Review: Orson Scott Card has a talent for finding interesting stories to tell and for filling them with profound thoughts. His most famous works, the "Ender's Game" series, were clear evidence of this. In "Pastwatch: The Redemption..." he has again explored a simple yet thought-provoking question: if we have the ability to change the past, could we truly reshape history, and should we even try?
Card also exploits his ability to create robust, complex characters, giving Christopher Columbus, an already fascinating historical character, a deep and believable personality, as well as creating a few purely fictional characters with all the life and complexity that Card's fans have come to expect in his works.
However, this book never came to life and captured my imagination the way many of Card's other stories have. The plot was a bit thinner, the motives were less compelling, and in general, there was just a bit lacking that kept the book from coming together to be as marvelous as some other Card novels. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to think through another Card story, but if you haven't already, try the Ender saga first, and come back to "Pastwatch" if you find that you truly love Card's writing.
Rating:
Summary: The Redemption of Orson Scott Card
Review: I admit that I've been a big fan of Card for many years, but have been disappointed by the last few books I had read. This one, in my opinion, redeems him. Highly original, never predictable, Pastwatch takes us where we've never been before. No science fiction cliches or super talented heroes, this novel is more a combination of mystery novel and history novel. The planet Earth can no longer support life. The greatest minds and highest technology cannot provide an answer. The only option left is to change the past. But how? The chance remains high, that any change you make could only cause more suffering in the history of the world. And in usual Card fashion, Orson surrounds his characters with moral traps in which they must make hard choices with terrifying consequences. All this tension slowly building up until the final climax. If you're a long time science fiction reader like me, who has grown tired of reading the same old Sci Fi themes over and over again, you'll find this novel unique, refreshing and hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Whatever it is, it's great
Review: "Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus", like its titular character, could be called a lot of different things. It could be called a biography, or a history book, or historical speculation, or an alternate history, or a science fiction novel. It contains all of those elements, melding them into one coherent and powerful story. The story revolves around Christopher Columbus, of course, and the idea that he was a "fulcrum of history". Card depicts him as an undeniably great man who was nonetheless human, with as many flaws as virtues. It's interesting, then, that Columbus is what makes the first two thirds of the book a bit of a chore. Card intersperses a nearly biographical account of Columbus's life up until the point of his voyage to the New World with a growing story about the discoveries of Pastwatch, an organization initially created to study the past and now being used to change it. The problem is that while these stories are interrelated, they don't have much direct effect upon each other until late in the book. And because there's little to no tension of "what happens next?" in the Columbus storyline until late in the novel, his sections tend to drag down the story of Pastwatch itself. But because Card's prose is so easy to read and because the ideas presented in the Pastwatch sections are so intriguing, the novel still moves at a reasonable pace. Once the two storylines join, however, it's difficult to put the book down until you've reached the last powerful page. Which presents the second problem. Card, in my opinion, did not spend enough time on this section. He wraps up a lot of events in one chapter, without taking us through what would have undoubtedly been an interesting part of the narrative. This fits with the sweeping, historical feel, but it detracts from the power of the conclusion and leaves us with a little less of what would certainly have been a delectable journey. One has to wonder whether this was an intentional choice, or whether he for some reason felt pressed for time, or worse, wanted to keep the novel to a certain length? Regardless, the end is still powerful. It's the kind of conclusion that sends chills up your spine, and you're left satisfied that you've been informed, entertained, and most of all, made to think. Orson Scott Card is one of the finest science fiction authors alive today. Even still, like any writer, he's had his ups and downs. "Pastwatch" is one of his ups.
Rating:
Summary: Great premise, Mediocre execution
Review: Orson Scott Card has a talent for finding interesting stories to tell and for filling them with profound thoughts. His most famous works, the "Ender's Game" series, were clear evidence of this. In "Pastwatch: The Redemption..." he has again explored a simple yet thought-provoking question: if we have the ability to change the past, could we truly reshape history, and should we even try?
Card also exploits his ability to create robust, complex characters, giving Christopher Columbus, an already fascinating historical character, a deep and believable personality, as well as creating a few purely fictional characters with all the life and complexity that Card's fans have come to expect in his works.
However, this book never came to life and captured my imagination the way many of Card's other stories have. The plot was a bit thinner, the motives were less compelling, and in general, there was just a bit lacking that kept the book from coming together to be as marvelous as some other Card novels. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to think through another Card story, but if you haven't already, try the Ender saga first, and come back to "Pastwatch" if you find that you truly love Card's writing.
Rating:
Summary: An Instant Classic!
Review: Card shows brilliance and great insight in a futuristic tale that has a group of researchers studying history by having a viewer into the literal events of the past. With their own reality in danger of crumbling, they try to pinpoint an event in the past that could have changed everything and made their world better. They agree that if they can stop Columbus from beginning the New World exploration/conquering, their own future reality would be a lot better. They determine that their viewing machine also has time travel abilities and they make plans to visit the past to change the present for the "better." Card has done an amazing amount of research into the life of Columbus and tells Columbus' tale almost like a novel, in the tradition of such classics as I Claudius and Quo Vadis. Additionally, Card presents plausible explanations for Atlantis and the Noah stories. A good mixing of science fiction and history.
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