Spanish student Pedro Albarán arrives in Costa Rica in 1700, on the run from the Spanish Inquisition and constantly looking over his shoulder lest they catch up with him. Through Pedro's eyes we see the Spanish colonial project: the contemptuous treatment of the 'savage' blacks and Indians; the role of religion as a tool for colonisation and oppression; and the petty power plays of minor officials. Pedro shows us the financial, political and moral corruption of the search for paradise.

Pedro himself is somewhat unlikeable. He dislikes the local Indians because they are sly and underhand. His attitude to women leaves a lot to be desired. He considers the Indian women to have 'short and chunky legs, apparently without capacity for love or pleasure'. When he falls in love with a woman because of her shapely figure, his love is completely destroyed when he sees that her face is ugly. He spends much of his time gambling, drinking and leering at women. But then he feels the Inquisition start to close in and his life changes irrevocably.

In order to evade capture Pedro joins an expedition into the jungle, and the story suddenly takes a very different path into the Indian world of nature and magic. Pedro is accompanied by a prisoner, a couple of soldiers and two Indian women on what should have been a twenty day hike but turns into an epic journey both in terms of time and the changes that are wrought on Pedro's character.

Assault on Paradise is a tale of love, desire, violence and fear; it is a condemnation of colonialism, and an exploration of the nature of human and spiritual paradise. I don't think I've clearly understood the magical parts of Pedro's experiences and all that Lobo has to say about the search for paradise. But that's good. It means that I can go back to this intriguing book again.