By Orson Scott Card

Rating: 4 out of 5
Three Word Review: Columbus changes everything.

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

And changed the world as we know it.

At least that’s how future researchers of the Pastwatch organization see it. This futuristic novel by the author of the classic Ender’s Game is a simultaneous look at the past and the man who led the Spanish discovery of the New World.

Slow and deliberate, the story is rich with believable historical details. Written almost like a work of nonfiction, Pastwatch is another classic along the lines of the Enders series.

The names are complicated and hard to follow sometimes, but the characters are diverse in development as they are in ethnicity.

It’s obvious how much research Card put into the story, but more impressive is the creativity on display as he begins to twist history to hypotheticals.

The plot revolves around these far-removed observers who view the past on a screen and closely study the tremendous effect Columbus’ discovery had on civilization. The more they learn of this singular impact, they seek to find a way to reverse its negative ramifications.

The premise may be far-fetched and the message may border on being overly didactic, but the book is still an enjoyable read that does an interesting job of blurring the line between history and science fiction.