Pastwatch

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not Orson Scott Card good
Review: Futuristic setting: check, Highly Intelligent Protagonist: Check, Religious Undertones: Check, Historical References: Check, sounds like "Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus" turns out to be typical Orson Scott Card fanfare. In many ways, it is, for better or for worse. The premise is fantastically interesting, "if you had the chance to change the past, would you do it with full knowledge of what can happen?" This is a brilliant stroke from Card, not only putting the characters in a predicament, but having the reader decide for him/herself what they would do if they were in the same situation. This pulls the reader directly into the story, with him or her anxious to see if Tagiri does what they would have done. Sadly, this can only carry the reader's interest for so long.
If you are an avid fan of Card's famous "Ender Wiggin Saga," like myself, then you will find that this is eerily similar to what you have encountered before. The first thing I thought of was, "here we go again." In the first few moments, when Tagiri was introduced, I began to notice that she was exactly like Ender. She was exceptionally smart, chosen for her abilities, and she was as clever as anyone you could encounter. The only problem I have with this is that, every other character in the story is like that. This becomes a nuisance when everyone spouts clever comebacks and refers to historical references in every single argument. It may be deeply philosophical, but it's just about as fun as watching a slow motion chess match.
Another trait that is typical of Scott Card's writings, are introductions of new characters. I think it's great how he can create an entire background for each and every character, and by exploring each character's past, the reader can understand the reasoning of each character. There are also bad parts about this; when introducing Kemal, he writes an entire chapter about his Atlantis project. This is an entire chapter describing how he observed weather patterns for years. Never have I had a better nap in my life.
This book has a great premise, which is more than enough to get the reader interested in reading the book. However, with lack of substance is not enough to get one through it. For some it's an enlightening and thought provoking experience, and for others it might be just the trick to cure that insomnia.

Rating:
Summary: Passion & Purity
Review: 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, as Card sets up the theme early one of trying to understand why people act the way they do, and what is it, 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 deal of it), 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 themes, 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. This also isn't a book of only 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.

Rating:
Summary: Provocative, challenging, fun--but admittedly unrealistic
Review: Card is famous for weaving fascinating metaphysical and philosophical questions into page-turning narratives. He strikes again with "Pastwatch," a time-travel novel that imagines how the world might be different if we could make small changes to significant historical events. We've all considered how much better our lives might be if, when we were younger, we knew what we know now. Card applies this idea on a macrocosmic scale, imagining what the world would be like if we could introduce twentieth-century sensibilities into the minds of sixteenth-century people.

In a not-too-distant future, the survivors of a near-apocalypse develop a technology that allows them to observe the past and to record historical events for posterity. Tagiri, her daughter Diko, and several friends and coworkers become obsessed with Columbus's voyage to America. While acknowledging his genius as an individual, they deplore the unintended (and intended) consequences: genocide, slavery, ecological destruction. After realizing that it is possible to convey information to the past, they attempt to stymie Columbus's success.

If you're expecting a work of historical fiction, "Pastwatch" isn't a book for you. While Card's fictional characters consider and discard a number of obvious objections to each historical speculation, readers can still find fault with certain specifics of Card's historical, scientific, and anthropological assumptions. The Atlantis myth, for example, is supported by evidence that has been thoroughly discounted by Rhys Carpenter and other historians.

It's equally implausible that a resurgent Tlaxcalan empire could have invaded and conquered Europe if Columbus hadn't traveled to America first. While considering this idea, the novel's heroes compare the epidemics that wiped out Native Americans to the occasional plagues that visited Europe. Noting that "not one nation in Europe fell because of these plagues," they determine that an American empire would have been able to survive as well. But the two situations are not remotely comparable: Europe had the luxury of dealing with one disease at a time, while several major epidemics struck America simultaneously and obliterated as much as 80% of the population (and entire communities). Furthermore, an invading army hit by such devastation would hardly be in any shape to conquer overseas territories.

Yet Card doesn't really get bogged down with all the "what ifs." He's much more interested in "if only..." I don't think he's expecting his readers to believe as much as he's challenging us to think. His novel compares civilization's evil elements (e.g., New World human sacrifice versus Old World slavery) and imagines what the world would be like if, for instance, Christians had behaved as their theology suggests. While neither preachy nor "politically correct," this is in fact a deeply religious novel. Like the best works of science fiction, "Pastwatch" considers some difficult human questions and wraps them in an electrifying story.

Rating:
Summary: Typically intelligent fiction from Card.
Review: Lots of contemporary writers can regard themselves as successful writers of fiction. Few can regard themselves as writers of truly *intelligent* fiction. Orson Scott Card is certainly in this elite category, and his novel "Pastwatch" serves to show why.

On the surface, the novel consists of two separate story-lines, one set in the past, the other in the future. The story-line of the past recounts the life of Christopher Columbus, describing his passion for success, and then secondly how he translates this passion into an unwavering desire to sail west after seeing a vision from God. The story-line of the future recounts the activities of "Pastwatch", an operation in a post-modern world that has developed technology such as the TempoView and TruSite machines which enables them to view events of the past. Key members of Pastwatch are Hassan, Tagiri, and their daughter Diko. These two story-lines merge when the participants of the Pastwatch project discover that they can have the potential to change the past, and so also change the present and the future. "We can reach back and make it better."

It's at this point that the novel progresses from a work of fiction to a work of intelligent fiction. The world in which the Pastwatch researchers live is on the verge of destruction and ruin with the collapse of civilization inevitable, and their discovery places them with a very significant moral and philosophical decision that mankind must make: Do they have a moral responsibility to change their past, and so delete their own existence and history, in the hope of creating a better alternate history? Will a plan to stop Columbus from returning to Spain after his discovery of America successfully achieve such a noble goal? In the process of discussing these issues, Card raises many profound questions about the state of mankind, and philosophical questions about how the redemption of mankind can be achieved. The need for redemption lies in the corrupt state of the world: "The world would not have needed resurrecting if it had never been killed." Columbus seems to be a key turning point in history in the relationship between the cultures of America and Europe, and stopping him "might be worth undoing this age of healing on the firm chance of making it unnecessary" - rather than cure the patient, it would cure the disease! But will the plan work, or will the alternate history be worse? "We don't want to stop Columbus if by doing so we'd make the world worse" This of course raises its own fascinating questions for anthropology and history: what were the effects of Columbus voyage and the subsequent colonization on the shape of the world? There's a twist when the Pastwatch team uncovers the startling possibility that their own history may itself be an alternate history...

As a result, although ostensibly about Columbus, the novel actually works with the deeper themes of a fallen world and its redemption. Columbus must be redeemed and saved from setting the human race on a fatal road, and it is the Pastwatch researchers who must play god and redeem mankind by returning to the past "If we're going to be gods, then I think we have a duty to come up with a better solution than the people who pray to us." With this scheme, man can be his own saviour, because as a result of man's intervention "There will be a new earth" Card sees the answer to the world's problem being a form of Christianity. Not only must Columbus be redeemed, but so must the whole world. Card's answer to this is: make them true Christians. It is when the characters act in a truly Christian manner, that the evils of slavery and abuse can be prevented - and so the final world is actually a form of Christian utopia.

After these intensely interesting philosophical and moral questions have been discussed at length (probably the highlight of the novel), Card has three characters go back in time to do the deed: Hanahpu, Diko, and Kemal. Even though the time travel concept is fascinating, this part of the novel is somewhat less successful, as the interaction between various cultures in alternate histories becomes rather confusing. Some familiarity with Columbus and the history of early America would go a long way to alleviating this difficulty, and this could be more of a failing on my part as a reader than a weakness of Card.

But these are minor quibbles - it's really the philosophy and psychology that's at the foreground, and the time travel is really just a literary device to deal with more important questions about history and humanity. One of Card's gifts is that he understands people. Science fiction may be the genre, but within this genre he demonstrates a very good understanding of humanity, and this book too is ultimately a book about humanity. Tagiri's extensive study of Columbus' life working backwards from effects to causes is very insightful in showing the importance of motivations that underly human conduct. The characterization of Columbus is superb. And there are many small gems throughout that show Card's deep understanding of people.

It's speculative fiction and an alternate history of the highest calibre - a great story about time travel, good characterization, but more importantly raising deep questions about history and humanity, and especially about the impact of Columbus on America and our world. Alongside the story, it's worth reading for the throught-provoking philosophy alone. I may not agree with the way Card thinks about everything, but he sure makes me think, and enjoy doing so, and that's the hallmark of a great writer! Thumbs up to a terrific book! -GODLY GADFLY

Rating:
Summary: Alternate History for Deep Thinkers
Review: In this very insightful novel, Orson Scott Card takes the old "don't-alter-the-future" theme of standard time travel stories to a stunning new humanistic level. In the process he creates a powerhouse of the alternate history (AH) genre, and the strongest examination of the possible ethical issues behind time travel that you have probably ever seen. The start of the tale actually shows a future Earth where humanity is just barely limping along at the edge of extinction, as the result of millennia of war and environmental devastation. A group called Pastwatch studies the past through remote viewing in order to learn about what went wrong. The supremely noble (a little too noble) members of the project decide to develop a time machine to alter a key moment of human history - the landing of Columbus in the new world - in the hope of creating an alternate history that would have far less suffering and destruction.

Card forgets to explain how this group could exercise such great technological power in a ruined economy, and the non-historical characters don't offer much believability. This includes their ridiculous levels of wisdom and nobility (mentioned above) and their tendency to speechify rather than converse like regular people. The historical characters are far more believable, as Card shows his very impressive grasp of historical trends and personalities. This especially goes for Columbus himself, whom Card transforms into the cultural hero of the new altered history rather than a shifty profiteer and exploiter. On the other hand, the results of the Pastwatch project are so rosy and politically correct that the book comes to a rather sugary close. However, the true strength of this novel is Card's very weighty examinations of the real ethical and humanist problems that will result from the concept of time travel, at a high intellectual level rarely seen in the SF and AH genres. [~doomsdayer520~]

Rating:
Summary: Changing the past to change the future
Review: If you could change any moment in history, would you do it even if it meant a one way trip to the past? This is the premis for Pastwatch. A group of scientists using a machine called Trusite II can go to any moment in time to watch the period. These group of scientists decide to change the voyage of Chistopher Colombis to protect the natives of the New World from the Spaniards.

Card deftly blends fact and fiction to write an engrossing story from both the scientists point of view as well as Colombis. Unlike many stories about accidental temporal time displacement, the characters intrude willfully. The only complaint I have is there aren't any unforseen consequences from the time displacement. It would have been very interesting if Card would have ended with a worse ending for the new world than he did because of unforseen problems. This is a very fast read and a nice job.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect
Review: I just can't say enough about this book. If you are an open-minded, philosophically-driven individual who loves history, this book is perfect alternate universe fare. It will challenge a lot of how you think about the world. Those that don't like it, I fear, represent the trouble with our culture. It's simply the best book that I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling alternate history of Western Hemisphere
Review: In the future, academics are able to view earth's past through machines called "pastwatch" and "trusite" that allow them to move forward and backward through people's lives. A group decides to intervene with Christopher Columbus, change the outcome of his journey, and thereby alter the history of life in the Western Hemisphere and even the entire world.

I thought this was a compelling narrative. The plot drew me in and kept me reading, but the challenges of altering the past also made me stop and consider the ramifications. Even if we could, is it ethical to alter history?

Positives:
I like the mix of history, science fiction, anthropology, religion and environmentalism. The character of Columbus is very dynamic, experiencing a hero's journey with peaks and valleys, and he comes out of it a changed man. He also comes across as three-dimensional, unlike most of the other characters in the story. The whole idea of pastwatch was fascinating, as well as the various histories of the peoples in Mexico/Yucatan, etc. Card must have done a lot of research, or his fictional histories are very convincing.

Criticisms:
We never really see the world of the future. Everyone is always looking at pastwatch, so it's as if they have no real lives. Relationships are given as summaries. There are no sensual details. Physical descriptions are minimal. The fact that the earth is nearly beyond repair is not revealed until over halfway through the book. The most glaring technical error is with point of view. We go from watching via pastwatch, to suddenly being part of the past, and then with a mix of third and first person narrative.

Great ideas, very interesting story, but I would have liked more depth and clearer point of view transitions.

Rating:
Summary: Good idea, poor writing
Review: This book is an excellent example of a stellar idea executed poorly. The idea alone is enough to propel you through to the end: How would the world be different if Columbus had never discovered America? The planet has been abused and overpopulated to the point of being uninhabitable. Desperate for solutions, a group of scientists and historians have begun searching the past for possible solutions to the present nightmare when their attention becomes focused on Columbus, and the impact his voyage has had on the development of mankind. Ingenious as this idea is, the book reads like a rough outline. Orson writes in a confused narrative voice that skips between random vantage points without warning or reason that screams of sloppiness. The first hundred pages are devoted to the research of the horrors of slavery, then switches gears suddenly to Columbus, then switches gears yet again to the Mexicana with no clear sense of transition and a barrage of half-hearted characters that lack distinction. Marriages, death, successes and failures are met with boredom and nonchalance - it is impossible to care for a rough outline of a person, which is all these characters manage to be. In the end, you're left with a tantalizing idea put through a literary meat grinder; the results are sloppy at best, and left me quite miffed that Orson didn't pump out a few revisions before submitting it for print.

Rating:
Summary: Just started reading but already transfixed.
Review: This bookw as reccomended to me by a close friend while we were comparing recent reads. So he lent me the book, and I flipped through it during English class.
I, myself, always judge a book by its' cover. I know, it's wrong, it's wrong, it's wrong. But I'm hopeless. Though I am almost certain that if my friend had not personally handed me this book in person I would have never read it on my own. The cover, plain and simple, is not appealing whatsoever. Large print title and the author's name, swirling colors and .... that's about it. Yeah, not appealing whatsoever.
But 2 pages into it and I was fixed. I'm 50 pages into it or so, and I absolutely love it. I spent all of last night with my eyes threatening to shut on their own. But I wanted to keep reading!
The author keeps a wonderful story that is easy to follow for such a complicated storyLINE. You start of with Cristobal Columbus, then in the next chapter end up with an African woman named Tagiri in the 23rd century. Though it may sound wonderfully confusing, it really is a charmer.

Hope I could help!