Assault on Paradise - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Review
Pedro Albaran arrives in the Costa Rican city of Cartago a "cartoon of wretchedness," having fled the Spanish Inquisition with little more than the rags on his back. He finds the chaotic colonial city full of "gossipmongers, backbiters, and troublemakers"--but also a dizzying variety of women, "the color of molasses, of stewed quinces, of peaches in syrup...." Skeptical, suspicious of authority, with a decided weakness for the fairer sex, Albaran is a picaresque hero for the New World. This vividly imagined historical novel follows his misadventures among the colonial army, the Church, and the Mayan natives, as he dallies with women and witnesses the Mayan struggle against their colonial oppressors. Costa Rican author Tatiana Lobo vividly summons the sights and smells of the young nation in the early years of the 18th century, its idyllic setting as well as the squalor and brutality of its slave auctions. The title of the novel is a pretty fair indicator of this work's political intentions; Lobo obviously venerates Mayan culture and mythology, but in doing so she never loses sight of her immensely likeable rogue of a hero. The winner of the 1995 Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Prize, this novel uses Albaran as a springboard for an eloquent and moving indictment of the conquistadors and their bloodthirsty legacy.

Product Description
Fiction. Latino/a Studies. ASSAULT ON PARADISE vividly depicts the Conquistadores and the Church invading Central America, impoverishing one world to enrich another. In a fast-paced, bawdy, swashbuckling adventure set in Central America of the early 1700s, Costa Rican novelist Tatiana Lobo lays bare the dark legacy of that conflict. Through the story of Pedro Albaran, Lobo dramatizes the intrigues of politicians and the Inquisition and the bloody battles between the native people and the invaders. "Lobo... delineates Pedro's 'education' with scorching iron and brings her crowded story to a stunning, chilling conclusion"--Kirkus Reviews. Translated by Asa Katz.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars

Not bad .... but echoing sentiments expressed before... August 9, 1999
3 out of 7 found this review helpful

This is an interesting book; limited to one view of one episode in the development of this unusual part of the world; and a one-dimensional perspective on the Conquistadores; an already badrapped bunch at worst not too much fiercer than what they replaced; there's so few virgins in the world today, if the sacrificial practices in place prior to the Spanish occupation had survived into the present it would impose a critical crimp.

Which is not to overlook the Spaniards' own assassination rites in the form of the Inquisition -

so maybe it all balances out.

Paradise is under assault by Europeans again - and likewise Asians - ravaging the landscape under jungles of honeycomb hutch highrise, and loggers' seeming unending decimation of the rainforests. History repeating? Ongoing examples of human nature the spoiler, down through the ages...

It's likely that ASSAULT ON PARADISE accomplished a heightened focus of attention on Costa Rica. Perhaps A CAT'S FULL NINE, in its fusing of past and present - and its fantasy/fictional Perfect Crime gimmmick - will enlarge upon this effort.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent first novel from talented writer   July 12, 2000
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Tatiana Lobo's Assault on Paradise is a deftly crafted exploration of colonial Costa Rica. From Juan de las Alas, who defies the Church and gravity, to Pedro and the child Catarina, the characters have depth and personality. In a story that is engrossing and entertaining, the author sheds light not only on a forgotten corner of colonial Latin America but also on the place of women, Indians, and heretics within it.

3 out of 5 stars I could not get through this book   November 6, 2002
1 out of 3 found this review helpful

I selected this book because it was well reviewed and I wanted to "get to know" Costa Rica before I visited there. Unlike other historical novels I have read about other places before I travelled there, this one failed to give me a sense of place. In fact, I could not finish it.

2 out of 5 stars Mayan natives???   September 8, 2004
there were no mayan natives in Costa Rica. Many pre colonials like Bribri Boruca and others, but mayans? not a lot of records for that.

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