Ron Costello has a gift for writing under appreciated thrillers. Stephen King? No. But his books are credible accounts of adventures where readers can relate to the heroes involved, and often to the antagonists as well. Christopher Columbus is a case in point. He was mostly forgotten in history until my great grandfather, among many other Italian immigrants, campaigned for recognition of a Columbus Day holiday. His goal was to give other Italian immigrants a sense of pride in who they were as the America they immigrated to often mistreated them.
     Fast forward eight decades, and a new generation of advocates for the marginalized among society sees Columbus very differently; as a representative (indeed, the very archetype) of a European oppressor of Native American Culture. It is perhaps a comment on how successful the United States is at eliminating racism that a rallying figure for an oppressed minority can be transformed into the oppressor in just three generations.
     Most of today's advocates for social justice probably wouldn't see the issue that way, but then again, few Americans today have a real sense of history. And so Columbus has become something of a caricature. Hero, Villain? The real man is lost to history. But that doesn't prevent Costello from presenting a nuanced vision of Columbus. Yes he is something of an antagonist in this book.
     But not a two dimensional one. At once arrogant and confident, he is also operating in an historical period where these qualities are required, and where no amount of research can offset ignorance. But this book is not about Columbus. Nor should it be. Costello is writing instead about the marginalized people in history that it is easy for us to forget. His two central characters in the book are Pedro, the cabin boy (a figure known to history who was briefly asked to pilot one of the ships with severe consequences), and Higuamota, an important figure (Bloodwoman) among the Taino people. 
     And that leaves me with the greatest lesson of this book. A gifted writer, using solid historical sources, has tried to recreate a world that is lost forever to give voice to those no longer heard. And in the end, I am left with a sense of loss. Because I suspect the voices really are gone forever and with it much of our heritage. We are left with imposing our own vision on the past in an effort to make sense of it. Still, some of those visions make for compelling stories. This is one of them.