Yazoo Queen

In the afterward, Card acknowledges that Yazoo Queen is "chapter 0" of Crystal City. He wasn't kidding. When I first read Crystal City, it seemed as if I'd some how missed a chapter with some earlier events. Well, here they are.

In this story, Alvin and Arthur Stewart are taking a riverboat down the Mississippi to Nueva Barcelona (New Orleans). On the boat, they run in to Jim Bowie (who is portrayed as an amiable thug.) They catch a poorly-built raft drifting out in the river and go to rescue it. The raft is piloted by Abraham Lincoln (portrayed as an honest buffoon that everyone just can't help to like.) After they get him back and tie the raft to the riverboat, a group of slaves use the raft to sneak off to their freedom.

This story is a fun read that has fun weaving historical figures and places in to a fantasy narrative. However, it is best read in the sequence of Alvin Maker books (before Crystal City).

The Grinning Man

The Grinning Man is set in the Alvin Maker universe of fantasy frontier America. In this world, supernatural "knacks" are common and the politics are a little different than what we learned in history.

In this story, Alvin Maker and his sidekick Arthur Stewart run in to Davey Crocket "grinning" down a bear. Crocket does not take too kindly to them invading his turf. However, Alvin uses his "maker" skills to bend his gun and chase him away. They later visit a town where they find themselves unwelcome due to word Crocket was spreading. Eventually a miller takes them in. However, they find he is cheating his customers. Alvin and Arthur begin to set things right as Davey returns now essentially as a servant to the bear. (Alvin had used his "making" skill to help cause that outcome.) Eventually the miller runs off as his corrupt ways were found the town is happy and the bear gets elected to congress (with Davey as his interpreter.)

The story is fairly light and a fun diversion in the Alvin Maker universe. It could probably stand alone outside, but many of the inside jokes would be missed. The ending (with the bear as an elected official) is a little over the top. All told, it makes a nice addition to one of Card's best series.

Crystal City: Tales of Alvin Maker VI

Crystal City neetly ties up many of the threads of the Alvin Maker series - then opens a number of new threads. The Alvin Maker series also seems to be closely related with some of Card's other book series.

Like Card's Homecoming saga, this is based loosely on Mormon history. In this case, many key events in Alvin's life are based on those of Joseph Smith. In Crystal City, Alvin leads a group of "outcasts" out of exile to build a "tabernacle" on some swampland on the Mississippi. (This seems a lot like Smith leading Mormons from Missouri to Nauvoo, Illinois and building a temple there.) There is also the constant fear that Alvin will die if he goes to jail in Carthage City. (Smith was killed in Carthage.) It makes me wonder which character will turn out to be the "Brigham Young" character that leads the people to Utah. (Perhaps his lawyer friend? or possibly his adopted brother-in-law?)


However, despite borrowing some key events from Joseph Smith's life, Alvin's life is much more than a fictionalized version of the Mormon prophet's life. The greatest difference is the vastly different America that he inhabits. "Knacks" and special abilities are relatively common. The states and countries are different. Alvin is not founding a religion, but engaging in a similar bold task of "making". He also has significant roles in the establishment of a "red" nation and the abolition of slavery. Alvin's family relationship is significantly different than Smith's.

The family relationships are, however, very similar to those in Card's Ender's Game series. You could just about swap out Alvin with Ender and not notice a difference. Ender's brother Peter and Alvin's brother Calvin also seem to have very similar personalities, while Alvin's wife and Ender's sister Valentine could also be swapped. Even Alvin's pals and Ender's pals seem similar. It's almost as if the author took the same characters and plucked them down in a different setting and watched how they turned out.

Historical figures suffer a somewhat similar fate. Abraham Lincoln is portrayed glowingly as a down-on-his-luck entrepreneur that everybody loves. Jim Bowie is not treated so nicely - portrayed as a mean ruffian. Steve Austin's portrayal is somewhat sympathetic - though he gets his heart ripped out in Mexico before a volcano destroys the whole city.

The open threads at the end leave open a final book in the series. In the afterward to one book, Card mentions that there will only be one more book - and a likely long one. However, Card seems to have lost interest in this series, so it may be a long while.

Heartfire: Tales of Alvin Maker V

The fifth book in the Alvin Maker series has two main arcs. The first centers around Alvin and his gang in "New England" where they attempt to save people accused of witchery. The second covers Alvin's brother Calvin in "Camelot" aka Charleston South Carolina, where King Author sets in exile in the "Crown Colonies") The courtroom

The roles of the historical figures are the most intriguing part of the book. John Calhoun makes a brief appearance as an anti-black southern firebrand. John Adams, however, is a pure thinking jurist who uses his intellectual powers to correct the evils in New England.

The most intriguing pseudo-historical portrayals were of Frenchmen. Audubon was portrayed as an extremely talented French painter who had to kill his animals to paint them. He later joins Alvin's "group" where Alvin's friend, Author Stewart, stops birds for him to paint (so he doesn't have to kill them.)

Balzac, on the other hand, met up with Calvin in France. He is portrayed at once as both a "head in the clouds" dreamer, and a down-to-earth pragmatist. At first, he appears to be a major creep. Even when Calvin is doing evil, Balzac can still be his friend. However, Balzac is simply 'studying' humanity as work for his novels.

In the end, Witchery laws are abolished and the south has inched closer to war over slavery, but not much has been done to advance the overall series arc.

Alvin Journeyman: Tales of Alvin Maker IV

The writing seems to get better with each installment of the Alvin Maker series. This one is played mostly as a courtroom drama. Peggy writes Alvin to tell him he should leave his hometown, or he may lose the choice. He is pig-headed about it, but finally leaves when a girl starts spreading rumors about him. He returns to the town where he was an apprentice blacksmith - only to be arrested on charges that he "stole" his golden plow from his master. He sits in jail, while all sorts of charges are leveled (many by an assistant lawyer - Daniel Webster.) He is eventually acquitted of all charges, and, anticlimactically marries Peggy at the end.

Meanwhile his brother Calvin has also left their hometown and voyaged off to the side of evil, and goes runs in to William Henry Harrison in New York and runs off to Europe to try to learn to be a leader from Napoleon. Calvin seems to be turning totally evil. However, some of his "evil" things end up helping Alvin (such as indirectly introducing Alvin to his British lawyer.) Things seem to be getting set up for Calvin to do something really bad before turning over to the side of good.

This book introduces a few more "historical figures" in slightly non-historical roles. While they add color to the story, they are not critical to the underlying human drama.

Prentice Alvin: Tales of Alvin Maker III

Prentice Alvin continues the tale of Alvin as he works as a blacksmith apprentice. While the second book in the series dealt with Alvin's relationship with the "red men", this book brings about his relationship with blacks. Alvin can sympathize with the slaves with the manner that his master is taking advantage of him. He is friends with a "half-black" boy that he thinks of as just a talented boy, regardless of the race. However, many people in the city, while against slavery, still see blacks as inferior.

Alvin also advances in the art of "making", creating a "living" golden plow. This plow is also the source of one of the main open threads at the end of the book. Other threads include Alvin's new "sidekick" (the "half-black" boy), as well as his potential love interest. (She had been in disguise as an old spinster teacher in hopes that he could develop a "love" for each other.

The book seems to be sympathetic towards violence, with no objection given to the death of two "slave seekers", one at the bare hands of Alvin. There is also a fight with some 'river rats', as Alvin pummels one that had a role in the previous book. (In this case, Alvin does show sympathy, using his powers to heal his broken legs.)

Red Prophet: Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 2

The Red Prophet could almost be described as historical fiction. William Henry Harrison, Tecumsa and Napolean play active rolls in the book. Andrew Jackson makes a cameo appearance, and many other key players in American history are referenced. However, the historical situation is not America of history, but an alternate version.

The "red men" are given a prime role in this book. They are seen as being one with nature, having the ability to summon animals to die for food, as well as performing a variety of other "supernatural" events. The "red men" suffer two great massacres on the battlefield. However, the victory that the "white men" obtain is hollow.

Some of the events in the first book are told as flashbacks, or from different viewpoints in this book. While reading the first book first would help with the understanding, its probably not required.

In this book, Alvin comes to a greater understanding of his role as a "maker" and the battle against the "unmaker". We still don't understand clearly what the unmaker is. However, we see that he does lots of unmaking.

We also see characters develop more fully. Alvin's family show that they have faults just like other people. Meanwhile, Alvin's brother-in-law goes full-circle, nearly destroying Alvin, but later being the one man working hard to prevent an Indian massacre.

William Henry Harrison is one of the true villains in the story. In this "alternate history" he has one man killed to obtain his whiskey barge. He later incites an Indian war to build himself up. He has Alvin's brother tortured and left for bed to further his war. However, in the end he suffers the greatest "cursing" and the virtual end of his political career.

The book uses elements similar to many other Card novels. A young boy is the hero, and he has "super powers" to always do what is right. Other people "go stupid" when they try to do things that will hurt the hero; along with a large amount of scientifically-explained "magic" and "true dreams".

Seventh Son: The Tales of Alvin Maker, Volume I

Seventh Son is clearly the initial book in a series. It sets up some characters and events, and then abruptly ends.

The book covers the birth and young childhood of Alvin Miller. He is born the seventh son of a seventh son - a birth position that gives special powers. And he seems to have those powers - though he is only starting to discover them.

The setting is an "alternate" early 19th century America. Some of the names mentioned (such as Ben Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson) are familiar. However, things are slightly different, with a small United States, a New Amsterdam, an 'Apalachia', and numerous other 'differences'. The "alternate America" is one of the more intriguing aspects of the book. However, it is not the central theme (and only seems to play a passive role.)

The more active differences have to do with "hexes" and religion. The characters are primarily Christian. However, they also have a variety of "supernatural powers" that they do not hold to be incongruous with the Christian faith. The local preacher, however, holds them all to be witchcraft. He is portrayed as a somewhat vain man with a strong desire to save souls - but also a desire to be known as a great soul saver. He provides one of the richer "foils" to the main characters in the book.

While this book does set up the basic background of the series, many of the events are repeated in the later books. It would not be much a problem to start with the second book in the series instead.