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15th out of 122 books
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Seventh Son (Tales of Alvin Maker #1)
From the author of Ender's Game, an unforgettable story about young Alvin Maker: the seventh son of a seventh son. Born into an alternative frontier America where life is hard and folk magic is real, Alvin is gifted with the power. He must learn to use his gift wisely. But dark forces are arrayed against Alvin, and only a young girl with second sight can protect him.
Paperback, 241 pages
Published
June 15th 1993
by Tor Fantasy
(first published 1987)
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James M. Madsen, M.D.
rated it
Rather than discuss each of the books in the Tales of Alvin Maker series separately, I'll use this review for all of them. They present an alternate-history account of a nineteenth-century America in which magic is a potent force. Although it might not be evident to nonmormons, this series is a thinly veiled fictional adaptation of the life of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith (just as his Homecoming Saga is a similarly thinly veiled science-fiction version of the story of the first part of the Book...more
I'm re-reading this book now and, is it just me or does it seem like OSC could actually WRITE BETTER back then?
He doesn't write like this anymore. Now his books are the conservative lecturing version of the Anita Blake serious where instead of sex scenes after sex scenes you get characters nagging about morality and marriage.
Also, why do folks insist on being so dang cruel to kids? Hitting them with hazel rods and smacking then and such? I don't get that.
What I also...more
He doesn't write like this anymore. Now his books are the conservative lecturing version of the Anita Blake serious where instead of sex scenes after sex scenes you get characters nagging about morality and marriage.
Also, why do folks insist on being so dang cruel to kids? Hitting them with hazel rods and smacking then and such? I don't get that.
What I also...more
I started reading this to some of my kids. So far, it has been really good. There was not any of the Card vulgarity that is present in some of his other books. Some of that did come into the 3rd book in the series, but it was done tastefully if I remember properly.
This book was a great read for the kids, and they enjoyed it. One of my kids guessed that it was a parallel to Joseph Smith's life, but it's so minimal that it's hard to notice if you're not specifically looking for it. ...more
This book was a great read for the kids, and they enjoyed it. One of my kids guessed that it was a parallel to Joseph Smith's life, but it's so minimal that it's hard to notice if you're not specifically looking for it. ...more
I flew through this. Immensely interesting, this is a brilliantly imagined piece of alternate history quasi-fantasy. Convoluted genre? Yes, but Card just keeps proving to me what a compelling storyteller he is. Don't expect unicorns and magical swords (thankfully), but try it and you'll find a realistic take on folk magic mixed with an alternate story of the birth of our nation that complement each other beautifully and seamlessly. Loved it.
Alvin Miller, Jr is the seventh son of a seventh son. He's born into an alternate version of 19th Century America--one in which the Revolutionary War hasn't happened and where folk magic is a strong, powerful and very real force.
Alvin is a maker, a strong and potentially powerful force in the world. And he's got an equally strong, unrelenting enemy, the Unmaker who stop at nothing to ensure Alvin doesn't grow up and into his power. Much of the novel looks at the efforts the Un...more
Alvin is a maker, a strong and potentially powerful force in the world. And he's got an equally strong, unrelenting enemy, the Unmaker who stop at nothing to ensure Alvin doesn't grow up and into his power. Much of the novel looks at the efforts the Un...more
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This was the first book I ever read by Orson Scott Card. I instantly fell in love with his writing style and storytelling ability. I couldn't put the book down. I was totally sucked in. The whole concept of a fantasy novel based on early American history where folk magic is real is a very original and appealing idea in fantasy fiction. It makes this novel and it's sequels among the most original fantasy novels I've ever read. I totally identified with the main character Alvin and came to deeply ...more
This is a classic fantasy novel written by a epic writer. Orson Scott Card has always been one of the stronger writers in sci-fi and fantasy.
This story introduces us to a world that is different than ours. A past that changed and was different than our history. The Indians have taken back their lands west of the Might Mississippi. The South is now called Camelot.
The basis is that magic is still part of the world but in a small portion. Those old wives tales about the Sev...more
This story introduces us to a world that is different than ours. A past that changed and was different than our history. The Indians have taken back their lands west of the Might Mississippi. The South is now called Camelot.
The basis is that magic is still part of the world but in a small portion. Those old wives tales about the Sev...more
Deb
added it
in an alternate version of the united states just after the revolution, a family moving west faces tragedy when the mother goes into labor as they are trying to ford a flooded stream. the oldest son dies, but not before the newest son is born, making hime the seventh son of a seventh son, which everyone knows means he must have a powerful magical gift. which indeed he does seem to have, as well as some sort of protection against the bizarre accidents that keep happening to him.[return]the alte...more
The "Alvin Maker" series was my second contact with O.S. Card after the "Ender" series, and I'm delighted to say it's different and it's still good. :) It was an interesting mix of history, religion, magic and insights into human morals and what motivates our actions. The magic is treated very "practically", like an extra talent that you need to work on to develop, and thankfully it doesn't take over the book while still being an important part of it. The one negati...more
The first of the Alvin Maker books. Card is a great storyteller and I certainly enjoy his stories. This alternate history/fantasy was based somewhat on Joseph Smith's life. There are six books current books in the series, with the seventh and last one still to come.
I've been listening to this on during my commutes, and I find it reviting. After the first couple chapters, I couldn't help thinking that this would be great material to adapt for a Dogs in the Vineyard game.
Settlers on a frontier, with folk-magic and religous fundamentalism, and richly-textured characters.
I borrowed this audiobook from Listen Up! Vermont, and this production features several different voice actors narrating chapters with focus on different characters to...more
Settlers on a frontier, with folk-magic and religous fundamentalism, and richly-textured characters.
I borrowed this audiobook from Listen Up! Vermont, and this production features several different voice actors narrating chapters with focus on different characters to...more
Orson Scott Card and I may part ways on some political issues, but his writing is still marvelous. I adore the Ender series, and loved the Alvin Maker one as well. This is the first book in the series, starting with the birth of the seventh son of a seventh son in an Alternative America.
From BArnes and Noble Editors
One of the most original and enchanting fantasy series continuing today is Orson Scott Card's Tales of Alvin Maker. Set in an alternate frontier America, the ...more
From BArnes and Noble Editors
One of the most original and enchanting fantasy series continuing today is Orson Scott Card's Tales of Alvin Maker. Set in an alternate frontier America, the ...more
Seventh Son is the first book in a series, but you wouldn't know it from the plotline. Whereas many first-of-a-series books are almost entirely exposition, Seventh Son has rising action and a climax! Only an incomplete resolution hints at more to come. There is no cliffhanger, fortunately, only a slightly insidious "to be continued" atmosphere that makes one want to pick up the next book but does not cause frustrated nerd-rage if the bookstore is closed for the weekend.
Card d...more
Card d...more
This was different. I had read one of the books from this series years ago and it had fascinated me. I got motivated to search out the first in the series...I'm curious enough to want to know what happens next.
Card has created a, well, I guess a parallel world to our own. In Seventh Son, pioneers are settling in Hio and I can't tell if America exists or if it's just Americans. There are seven states...one of which is the Irrakwa---Ben-the Maker-Franklin wouldn't let the other six ...more
Card has created a, well, I guess a parallel world to our own. In Seventh Son, pioneers are settling in Hio and I can't tell if America exists or if it's just Americans. There are seven states...one of which is the Irrakwa---Ben-the Maker-Franklin wouldn't let the other six ...more
This was the second book I read by Orson Scott Card, but the first fantasy by him. I've read four in this series so far and I have to say I that in my mind, this series should be much more popular among LDS adults than the twilight series - it blows me away how many people have never heard of it! His creativity is amazing, his writing is so inspiring (I love how he uses 3rd person - it's so close it's almost 1st person - best of both worlds!), he has deeper principles, ideas and allusions imbe...more
Old review from 2006
What I've read of Orson Scott Card has ranged from brilliant (Ender) to plodding (Shadow), so I figured I'd try some of his non-Ender material. This series tells an alternate history of the U.S., in which, among other things, the Iroquois posess their own state in the Union (most of NY), George Washington fought for the Brits (until heroically refusing to do so and suffering execution), and some people have magic powers. Magic powers? Yes. Pyrokinesis, prognos...more
What I've read of Orson Scott Card has ranged from brilliant (Ender) to plodding (Shadow), so I figured I'd try some of his non-Ender material. This series tells an alternate history of the U.S., in which, among other things, the Iroquois posess their own state in the Union (most of NY), George Washington fought for the Brits (until heroically refusing to do so and suffering execution), and some people have magic powers. Magic powers? Yes. Pyrokinesis, prognos...more
**Spoilers, not much though**
Nothing about this book really wow’d me or stood out enough for me to say “here friend, you’d love this book,” The selling feature of this book to me was that it was written by Orson Scott Card, which only makes the fact that it didn’t do anything for me all the more disappointing. I loved the Ender Series he wrote. I normally pick up any book by him I can find but living in my small town the book store isn’t normally stocked with much of anything but End...more
Nothing about this book really wow’d me or stood out enough for me to say “here friend, you’d love this book,” The selling feature of this book to me was that it was written by Orson Scott Card, which only makes the fact that it didn’t do anything for me all the more disappointing. I loved the Ender Series he wrote. I normally pick up any book by him I can find but living in my small town the book store isn’t normally stocked with much of anything but End...more
Stephen
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
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4.5 stars. Fresh, original fantasy using the United States of the 19th century as its backdrop. This creation of a truly "American" fantasy novel was truly original and I thought made it a cut above a lot of cookie cutter fantasy stories.
Winner: Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (1988)
Winner: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature (1988)
Nominee: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1988)
Nominee: World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1988)
Winner: Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (1988)
Winner: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature (1988)
Nominee: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1988)
Nominee: World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1988)
From the thrilling, tragic opening chapters of this book, Orson Scott Card sucks up the reader into a world that seems awfully familiar, yet turns out to be a unique arena against which the writer can unleash his characters. ‘Seventh Son’ takes place in an alternative America around 1880, with most of its characteristics firmly in place for the reader to grab onto. There’s the wagonfolk, drifting across barren plains, the threat of the red Indians, on the hunt for white scalps and a deep-rooted...more
Peter
added it
Seventh Son: In this fantasy novel set in a 19th Century alternite universe version of America, Alvin is the seventh son of a seventh son, and in American folklore that means he has magic powers. He is guided by Taleswapper who knows what he is, and about the powers that are out to destroy him. I loved the setting, the America of a small town in the early 1800s, contemperary to Mark Twain's novels. But there are subtle changes, like the different names of the British King, and the fact that Ben ...more
This book is a clear, fantasy parallel of the life of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of Mormonism. If you know nothing of Joseph Smith's life, you might enjoy it as a uniquely American fantasy epic. If you are a Mormon, you will probably appreciate it even more.
But if you are like me, and know about Smith's life, but believe his church's message is false, you might find it a bit painful. I get the references, and they're very good, and overall this is certainly the most creative and a...more
But if you are like me, and know about Smith's life, but believe his church's message is false, you might find it a bit painful. I get the references, and they're very good, and overall this is certainly the most creative and a...more
Not being a fan of Card, I've avoided his books til now. I got this on a whim since I was feeling puny and wanted diversion. I'm finding the story alternatively annoying, entertaining, and thought provoking. The mingling of folk magic, religious dogma and rationalism prods some of my personal consternation and provokes reconsideration of my prejudices toward Card and the way he weaves history and theology of Mormonism and impressions of organized religion in general into this story. I find m...more
In an alternate version of the United States just after the Revolution, a family moving west faces tragedy when the mother goes into labor as they are trying to ford a flooded stream. The oldest son dies, but not before the newest son is born, making hime the seventh son of a seventh son, which everyone knows means he must have a powerful magical gift. Which indeed he does seem to have, as well as some sort of protection against the bizarre accidents that keep happening to him.[return]The alte...more
The Alvin Maker series belongs to an interesting genre. I would call it Alternate-History/Sci-fi/Fantasy/Quasi-Religious.
A knowledge of American History (post Revolutionary War era) and Mormon history makes the read a little more interesting. Card does a good job of taking historic events and spinning a yarn of fantasy out of them.
This first entry is a quick read and kept me entertained. My first impression was that the story was a little too wordy - it spans six volum...more
A knowledge of American History (post Revolutionary War era) and Mormon history makes the read a little more interesting. Card does a good job of taking historic events and spinning a yarn of fantasy out of them.
This first entry is a quick read and kept me entertained. My first impression was that the story was a little too wordy - it spans six volum...more
In the first book of Orson Scott Card's series, seventh son, The Tales of Avlin Maker, some people have a controlled supernatural ability. Alvin Miller, a seventh son of a seventh son, finds out that his supernatural ability is superior to those of anyone else's. People who are a seventh son of a seventh son are thought to be gifted with magical properties. He can change both living and nonliving matter simply by will . Alvin has to be careful, not only does Alvin feels responsibile to use his ...more
I generally don't read much fanasty, but I enjoyed the characters, suspense, and revised American history in Seventh Son. However, it is not a book I would recommend to others. Most of the fantasy books I have read leave out religion, but here the antagonists see magic abilities as superstition to be opposed "Christian" religion. In addition, good and bad powers are presented as equal, and it is unclear which is which. This book does not resolve that and even suggests that good and...more
I thought this was a good book. I was so engrossed by the subjects and themes explored in the book that, because it wasn't very long, I couldn't put it down. I found the alternative history aspect of this book to be very interesting, enjoyed the time/setting/landscape, and also enjoyed the characters. Overall, I liked thinking about kids and people who have special powers or talents in certain areas that are far superior to others, and could relate this to my everyday life. Different people h...more
Good series about late colonial America. Not all of the U.S. is discovered yet and it's the time where science and technology are starting to take over from folk lore, superstitions, and the old ways. Story of the young boy who is the 7th son of a 7th son and is the 13th child of his family giving him "all the knacks." Good read, which is always due to Orson Scott Card's writing ability.
I picked up this whole series (I think-5 books?) from the library book sale because I've enjoyed all the O.S.Card books I've read. I didn't even read the description. :p In this case, it's not exactly a subject I'm particularly interested in outside of learning in class: American pioneer history. So, it had that disadvantage to me. However, it seems to be set up as a type of possible fiction/magical past (and I've heard that this series had something to do with the founder of the Mormon religion...more
Set in an alternate history of early America, it was an interesting read, vivid characters. Alvin has powers for creating things, while his brothers has power of a lesser degree. This first book follows Alvin as he learns about himself and his powers.
Enjoyable, intriguing.
However, the series wanes as it goes further, and occurance I find in many series.
Enjoyable, intriguing.
However, the series wanes as it goes further, and occurance I find in many series.
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Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools.
Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy ser...more
More about Orson Scott Card...
Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy ser...more
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