The Tales of Alvin Maker is a series of novels by
Orson Scott CardOrson Scott Card
is an American author, critic, public speaker and conservative political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction...
that revolve around the experiences of a young man, Alvin Miller, who discovers he has incredible powers for creating and shaping things around him. It takes place in an
alternate historyAlternate history or alternative history is a subgenre of literary fiction, though it often uses the tropes of science fiction and historical fiction that is set in a world in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. It is sometimes abbreviated AH. Another...
of the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
frontierA frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary.-Colonial North America:In the earliest days of European settlement of the Atlantic coast, the frontier was essentially any part of the forested interior of the continent beyond the fringe of existing...
in the early 19th century, to some extent based on early American
folkloreFolklore is the body of expressive culture, including stories, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions of that culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which...
and
superstitionSuperstition is a credulous belief or notion, not based on reason, knowledge, or experience. The word is often used pejoratively to refer to folk beliefs deemed irrational. This leads to some superstitions being called "old wives' tales"...
.
Summary
In Card's world, many people have a limited
supernaturalThe term supernatural or supranatural pertains to an order of existence beyond the scientifically visible universe. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are spells and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others...
ability, or "knack" to do some task to almost perfection. Alvin Miller, who is the
seventh son of a seventh sonThe seventh son of a seventh son is a concept from folklore regarding special powers given to, or held by, such a son. The seventh son must come from an unbroken line with no female children born between, and be, in turn, born to such a seventh son...
, discovers that his knack far surpasses those of everyone else. In particular, he can change both living and nonliving matter simply by force of will (hence the title "Maker"). This power comes at a cost, however; not only does Alvin feel a great responsibility to use his power for good, but there are forces that actively seek his demise.
Alvin must discover how to use his abilities, and how to apply them for good, all the while struggling to survive. Along the way, he is helped by a number of people whose knacks are not as strong, but who see in Alvin a way to use their wisdom and abilities to contribute to a greater good. There are also those who try to misguide him or exploit his abilities for their own purposes.
The stories involve a number of historical events and figures. However, history takes a number of different turns from the real world. What was historically Colonial America is divided into a number of separate countries, including a smaller United States, with much stronger American Indian influence in its culture and society, between
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
and
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
and extending westwards to
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
(New England itself is still a colony of a republican
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where the
RestorationThe English Restoration, often shortened to the Restoration, began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Commonwealth of England that followed the English Civil War...
never occurred), and a monarchy on the Eastern seaboard founded by the
House of StuartThe House of Stuart, also known as the House of Stewart, is an important European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century. Their direct ancestors had held the title High Steward of Scotland since the...
in exile. In addition, many of the historical figures are either
caricatureA caricature can refer to a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness...
s or bear only superficial resemblance to their real world equivalents. Some of the historical figures are also accorded knacks, such as
Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, soldier, and diplomat...
(not a character, but repeatedly mentioned), who is said to have been a Maker, and Napoleon, who has the ability to make others adore and obey him, and to see others' great ambitions. Famous Red Indian Figures include
TecumsehTecumseh also Tecumtha or Tekamthi, was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy that opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
who is called Ta Kumsaw in the books. His brother Tensquatawa is also featured, as Tenskwa Tawa. The characters in the book display features similar to the two famous Reds, and the famous battle of
TippecanoeTippecanoe may refer to several places or things in the United States:* The 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe in Indiana* A nickname for U.S. President William Henry Harrison from his role in the battle...
which involves both brothers is also a part of the book, although it doesn't happen like the real battle.
Race also plays a large part in the stories, particularly in the way that culture shapes the abilities that people of different groups develop.
WhitesThe term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the indigenous populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, West Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia...
have knacks or cultivated skills that we might recognize from the folklore and traditions of colonial America and
western EuropeWestern Europe is the collection of countries in the westernmost region of Europe, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a cultural entity—the region lying west of Central Europe...
. "
RedsThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples...
" align themselves with the rhythms of
natureNature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
but also use
bloodBlood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells — such as nutrients and oxygen — and transports waste products away from those same cells....
to perform some of their magic. "
BlackAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...
s" channel their skills into creating objects of power, in a manner somewhat similar to the beliefs and practices of voodoo.
A recurring and main theme of the books is the conflict between Creators and Destroyers—namely, Making such as Alvin does, and Unmaking that he confronts.
The author used information of American folklore to create the world featured in these books.
Card, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, loosely based some events and themes in this series on the life of
Joseph SmithJoseph Smith, Jr. was the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, also known as Mormonism, and an important religious and political figure during the 1830s and 1840s...
, the founder of the religion. The series draws upon the
millennialThis article covers all forms of Christian and non-Christian Millennialism. You may be looking for the specific articles on Christian Premillennialism, Amillennialism or Postmillenialism....
traditions of the faith and includes many allusions to
LDSA Latter Day Saint is an adherent of the Latter Day Saint movement, a group of denominations tracing their heritage to the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. and the Church of Christ he organized in 1830...
doctrines and beliefs.
Books in the series
- Seventh Son (1987) - Locus Award winner, 1988; Hugo and World Fantasy Awards nominee, 1988
- Red Prophet
Red Prophet is an alternate history/fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card. It is the second book in Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series and is about Alvin Miller, the Seventh son of a seventh son...
(1988) - Nebula Award nominee, 1988; Locus Award winner, 1989; Hugo Award nominee, 1989
- Prentice Alvin
Prentice Alvin is an alternate history/fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card. It is the third book in Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series and is about Alvin Miller, the Seventh son of a seventh son...
(1989) - Nebula Award nominee, 1989; Locus Award winner, 1990; Hugo Award nominee, 1990
- Alvin Journeyman
Alvin Journeyman is an alternate history/fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card. It is the fourth book in Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series and is about Alvin Miller, the Seventh son of a seventh son. Alvin Journeyman won a Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1996.-Synopsis:Alvin is a Maker,...
(1995) - Locus Award winner, 1996
- Heartfire
Heartfire is an alternate history/fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card. It is the fifth book in Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series and is about Alvin Miller, the Seventh son of a seventh son...
(1998) - Locus Award nominee, 1999
- The Crystal City
The Crystal City is an alternate history/fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card. It is the sixth book in Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series and is about Alvin Miller, the Seventh son of a seventh son.-Plot summary:...
(2003)
- Master Alvin
Master Alvin is a yet-to-be-published alternate history/fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card. It is the seventh and final book in Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series and is about Alvin Miller, the Seventh son of a seventh son.-Plot summary:...
(forthcoming)
Short works in the series
- "Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow
"Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow" is a poem by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. Card originally published this poem in the August 1989 issue of Sunstone magazine. In "Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow" won first prize in the long serious poem...
" - poem, published in Maps in a MirrorMaps in a Mirror is a collection of short stories by Orson Scott Card. Like Card's novels, most of the stories have a science fiction or fantasy theme...
(1990)
- "The Grinning Man
"Grinning Man" is a fantasy short story by Orson Scott Card set in his The Tales of Alvin Maker series. It was published in the anthology Legends.-Plot summary:...
" - short story, published in LegendsLegends is a collection of "short novels" by a number of noteworthy fantasy authors, edited by Robert Silverberg. All the stories were original to the collection, and set in the authors' established fictional worlds...
(1998)
- "The Yazoo Queen
"The Yazoo Queen" is a fantasy short story by Orson Scott Card set in his The Tales of Alvin Maker series. It was published in the anthology Legends II.-Other publication:...
" - short story, published in Legends IILegends II: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy is a collection of short stories by a number of noteworthy fantasy authors, edited by Robert Silverberg. All the stories were original to the collection, and set in the authors' established fictional worlds...
(2003)
Other works
- Red Prophet: The Tales Of Alvin Maker
Red Prophet: The Tales of Alvin Maker is a twelve-issue comic book limited series by Orson Scott Card, based on The Tales of Alvin Maker series by author Orson Scott Card...
- a comic book series
- Alvin Maker Game - a MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of computer role-playing games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
- in development
External links