In the brilliant finale to the "Memory of Fire" trilogy, Galeano brings his fictionalized history of Latin America up to 1984, the year he ended his exile from his native Uruguay. With its unilateral, largely ironic perspective on the key socio-political events of the 20th centurythe Mexican and Cuban revolutions, the Somosa-Sandinista conflictand on such looming factors as Yankee imperialism, Indian persecution, and political oppresion, the book underscores the author's Marxist sympathies. In a subtle, unobtrusive style, cleanly and aptly translated, Galeano deeply impresses and transfigures the reader. A likely collection staple, but impotent without its earlier siblings.