Seventh Son (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 1) (Alvin Maker, 1)

Read the whole series!

I originally bought this book because I’m a huge Iron Maiden fan, and wanted to see how the song relates to the book. What I found was an amazing story that has lead me to reading book after book in the seventh son saga. Taking place in a fictional America, around the revolutionary war, we follow Alvin the 7th son and his struggles. We start to see his powers and how he starts to hone in on them. A fun read, and trust me, after you finish, your curiosity as to what happens to Alvin and everyone around him, will cause you to dive into this series.

This first book in the Alvin Maker series blew my mind. Here is a type of fantasy which I've always loved but almost never gotten: our folklore, our myths and legends made real within our own world. Orson Scott Card is one of the best fantasy writers of our time, and this book is the prime example why: it isn't formula fiction. Much of it isn't even fiction - you may learn something! As with all my reviews, the good and bad of this novel: Good: 1) I found myself loving the characters one minute, as well as fearing them a little. Always under the surface of this world that is so much like our own colonial period, there is the presence of danger from the unmaker. I spent the entire book dreading the turning of the page. 2) The frontier America that Card portrays is believable and vivid. I don't get enough of this - we learn about the earth, its peoples, a history much like our own...but with a twist. Its a lot of fun. 3) The magic system is engrossing because its literally our own magic system: backwoods hexes and charms, mountain cures and chants. I remember growing up and going to a Mennonite church as a child and hearing sermons preaching to the "womenfolk" not to be messing around with hexes. So in a sense, I had a little bit of a connection to this book that I'll never have to something like the Lord of the Rings. 4) One thing that I loved about the characters was the way in which they interacted. They did so realistically. They didn't always like each other, or respect, or trust, and we got to see it all. The good guys weren't all good, and the bad guys weren't all bad. 5) When the author did jump to another point of view it was interesting. I'm no fan of jumping points of view, but it was used sparingly here and productively. Bad points: 1) I wish I'd had more time to coast with the characters. I wish the book was longer and I could coast a little without impending danger from the Unmaker, the various bringers of danger in the story. I like a happy tale, and this was a little unnerving. 2) I sort of wish that the reverend was more of a sympathetic character. I know, I know, if Card needed my help he'd have asked for it, but I somewhat liked the reverend, despite his pig-headedness. I hope he turns around later. I don't have much that I can say that's bad about this 5-star book. I recommend you read it - highly.

Sci-fi lovers who like Card because of his Ender books may be a little frustrated by the change of pace here, but Card is a master story teller, and this book is one of his most intimate, beautiful works. It's a story about a boy named Alvin Maker, who has extraordinary, perhaps even religious, capabilities. The saga of Alvin Maker is uplifting and powerful, set in a far different America in the time of cowboys and Indians. In some ways, Alvin (surprise) resembles Ender Wiggin. Definitely a must for Card fans and lovers of fantasy fiction.

I enjoyed Seventh Son and would recommend it to anyone. It takes place in the colonial era of America, but there are many differences. For one, the old monarchs of England rule in the south after Oliver Cromwell took over, there is no United States of America, and most of what we consider colonial America is split into different countries. Also, many people seem to have some sort of magic or "knack." Here enters Alvin Miller, who is the seventh son of a seventh son, making him twice blessed. He was gifted with the possibility of becoming a Maker, someone who can make things out of thin air. The book is about Alvin as he grows from his birth and goes through the attempts on his life by what can only be called evil itself. Mostly he doesn't notice them because he has an unseen protector in the form of Peggy who was present at his birth.I think this book is good because it puts the presence of magic in a place we already know-our past. It makes the possibility of magic seem more likely because it includes people from our history. One such person was Benjamin Franklin, who great scientific works made many people think he was a Maker. Another was Thomas Jefferson, a politician in the country of Apalachee. The list goes on. The way Card ties real people into his work of fiction lends their credibility to his book and its events. Everybody wants to believe that magic exists, and this book brings out that feeling in its readers, igniting the hope that there is real magic, even if its only things always knowing a lie, or being able to charm people into agreeing with you, or other such "knacks" that people have.Also, like many other great stories, Seventh Son is a story about Good vs. Evil, Light vs. Dark, Creator vs. Destroyer. One such story known worldwide is Star Wars. People are attracted to that age-old struggle because it is completely universal. They talk of days when supernatural things occurred regularly, and have the same fight against evils of the world. Everybody can relate to stories such as these because they all want to live in a better world. because the better world doesn't exist here, we all like to hear or read or see stories where we see people fighting for, and achieving, that goal.If you are a science fiction/fantasy fan, I highly recommend this book to you. It is a short read, and it has a great story line. If you aren't a sci-fi/fantasy fan, i still recommend this book to you, and pretty much for the same reasons. If you like it, than I urge you to read the rest of the series, which continues on with Alvin's life and have the same motif as Seventh Son.

Seventh Son is set in the early 1800s--a tale of "a magical America that might have been." In this world, hexes and spells work. Alvin Miller Jr. is the seventh son of a seventh son, a very magical birth indeed. Alvin is no ordinary child--all his life, he has had a "knack" for making things (hence the name of the series, Alvin Maker). When a Presbyterian preacher from Scotland builds a church near the Miller homestead, things turn worse for young Alvin. The preacher alienates Alvin Sr. immediately, preaching that hexes and the like don't work and are just foolishness. The preacher, Philadelphia Thrower, is told by a Visitor that he must turn Alvin to God's way before he is fourteen years old. Thrower seems to hate Alvin, constantly trying to 'reform' the mischievous boy, making Sundays a nightmare. Then a wanderer named Taleswapper comes to town...This is a really great book! I loved it, and I can't wait to read the next one. Once you pick it up, you can't put it down! Orson Scott Card is a wonderful writer. I've *never* been disappointed by one of his books. Seventh Son is a superb (did I spell that right?) novel!

This book was very gripping and well-written. Card captures much of the pioneering spirit and language of early 19th century America. For me, the most interesting aspect was the conflict of Christianity and folk-magic: you are never sure which one you should be going for (at least for me, as a Christian.) The exact nature of the "Unmaker" is left a mystery, a hook to get us to read the other books, and that is okay, but I wish Card would delve into the Unmaker just a little bit more.