Conquistador

Stirling, S.M. Conquistador. New York: Putnam, 2003.

What if Columbus had never reached North America?  What if white man never touched these shores? How would our continent be different? Stirling explores this concept in his novel as one man in California discovers a portal in his basement.  This portal opens to a North America that has never been touched by settlers.  This portal is soon used to the best advantage: those who enter the portal live lives of oppulence beyond the gate, only returning to "the real world" to do business or gather supplies.  They carefully guard the secret of the gate, knowing the consequences of discovery would be significant.

This book is a fascinating page-turner.  I truly enjoyed the entire story and found the ending to be both surprising and satisfying.