Pastwatch cover art

Pastwatch

The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

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Pastwatch

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

 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. Science Fiction

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Critic reviews

"A bold and compassionate alternative history filled with believable historical and fictional characters." ( Library Journal)
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I enjoyed this book. A good use of historic events and fiction. I like the writing style and can compare this with books from Robert Harris which I also enjoyed

Well constructed

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A truly great work. How this hasn't become part of the cannon and required reading escapes me

Breathtaking in it's scope and ambition

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This book could be easily classified as 'philosophy' as well as science fiction.
The first half of the book deals with the philosophy of time travel and what would be the implications of people from the future travelling back in time to make a few subtle changes to present a disaster to humanity from occurring
In a modern example would ww2 have happened if Adolf Hitler's mother was murdered before she conceived/gave birth to Adolf?
If we had the technology would we be morally obliged to carry out the the murder
Also to carry similar interventions to sanitise the past so hopefully there would be a better future within the historic epoch and therefore a better present period for us today
An excellent book that challenges you to think.
My only criticism is that the end is quite weak and feels like 'a rushed add on' to complete the book.

Another excellent book by Scot Card

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was very engrossed by the story and how the different parts weaved together. recommend it to lovers of history, lovers of science/sci-fi and above all lovers of great storytelling.

great combination of history and sci-fi

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I like the story and the concept in the mix of historical and fictional characters, this is great if you have an interest in history. But there’s also a lot of moral issues to think about, another reason why the woke are trying to take away this particular authors right to publish apart from his political views. I happen to like free speech, so I greatly enjoyed it.

Interesting story about how to fix history

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An interesting novel showing world views of the 15 th century ina fascinating plot. Great

Good insight

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Not being one for sci-fi, I was wary of this, but loved OS Card's other standalone books.

It's actually really good! Pastwatch is an organisation in the future which looks back over time and charts the roots of various events. A group of workers decide to intervene with Christopher Colombus' famous voyage in order to save future earth.

Sci-Fi History Mash

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It was well told and good narrators. A fantastic and idealistic outcome. Compelling alternative history.

Imaginative Alternate History

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Pastwatch - a group of people who research and record history through the use of viewing machines who realise that intervention may be needed to help their future and improve the past. I don't know enough about history to know if this book is factually accurate, but importantly for what is a work of fiction, it *feels* accurate, it feels as if this is how things happened and so makes the future (past?) changes possible. I find it a haunting and beautiful book and at the end I always wish that this past was how things had been.

This has been one of my favourite books for a long time, but to hear it read by such an excellent cast just enhanced the experience. I used to skim some sections but with an audiobook you can't do that, you have to listen to it all and that is a good thing as those sections are much more interesting when read aloud in the different voices. The voice actors used for all of the Orson Scott Card audiobooks I have listened to so far (the entire Ender series) have done yet another fantastic job. It has now reached the stage that I don't just search for an author's books, I search for the readers too and would be willing to try new authors if they are doing the narration. My only quibble is that I'd like to know more about who reads each part, perhaps a line at the end from each reader stating their name would be nice as they deserve full credit for what they each do.

This sort of experience is why I joined Audible.

How history should have been.

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It was immersive and thought provoking. This is why we read science fiction, to discover alternate realities and imagine a better world!

Thought provoking

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