The Redemption Of Christopher Columbus

Why is it that fundamentalists Christians who don't believe in things like caffeine and alcohol always have the most fantastic imaginations? Orson Scott Card, everyone's favorite Mormon (and trust me, I was tempted to leave the "r" out of that word, but I wasn't sure if everyone would have a sense of humor about it),  wrote the Pastwatch series, the first novel in the series focusing on Christopher Columbus, and a group of scientists who travel back to the 15th century to change European contact with the Americas. In this alternate history, sci-fi, dystopian and utopian novel (wow, he packed a lot of genres into the one story, didn't he?) Earth's resources are running out, scientists have developed a machine to watch and record past history. They discover the machine can send information to the past and decide to rewrite history to save humanity. Their focus is Columbus, whose actions led to mass genocide and ecological devastation. Three agents take a one way trip back to the 15th century to change Columbus' actions, and create a less aggressive timeline.  After pacifist intervention by the agents, Columbus returns to Spain, but only for peaceful trade and cultural exchanges. The ramifications of these changes mean this timeline's 20th century is now a utopia. Orson Scott Card writes an impressive novel which should be a favorite for anyone who is a history buff, science nerd, or dystopian freak.