The Tales of Alvin Maker

Book one inThe Tales of Alvin Makerseries,Seventh Son(1987)

The Tales of Alvin Makeris a series of sixalternate historyfantasynovels written by American novelistOrson Scott Card,published from 1987 to 2003, with one more planned. They explore the experiences of a young man, Alvin Miller, who realizes he has incredible powers for creating and shaping things around him.

Overview

The stories take place on theAmericanfrontierin the early 19th century, a fantasy setting based on early Americanfolkloreandsuperstitionin a world in which folk magic actually works and manifests differently by race. ManyCaucasiancharacters have a limitedsupernaturalability, or “knack,” to do some task nearly perfectly,Native Americansmanifest nature magic, and people ofAfricanancestry can workvoodoo.

The stories involve a number of historical events and figures but are as a creation ofalternate history.The primary divergence is the survival ofOliver Cromwellfrom the illness that killed him in reality since a physician secretly has a magical healing knack (Cromwell considered such knacks evilwitchcraft). TheColonial United Statesis divided in the books into a number of separate nations, including a smallerUnited States,whose capital isPhiladelphiaand largest city is aDutch-settled but increasingly-English-speakingNew Amsterdam.The series displays much stronger Native American influence in its culture and society betweenNew EnglandandVirginiathat extends westwards toOhio.(New England is a colony of aRepublican Englandin which theEnglish Restorationnever occurred thanks to Cromwell’s survival.) A monarchy on the southern portion of theEastern Seaboard(the real-worldCarolinas,Georgia,etc.), known as the "Crown Colonies," was founded by theHouse of Stuartin exile. An autonomous region, known as "Apalachee," is centered on theAppalachian Mountains.Canadaremains controlled byFrance,andFloridaand Nueva Barcelona (the real-worldLouisiana) are colonized by Spain. The real-worldMexicois an indigenous empire but faces the prospect of war from the United States and fromEuropeanpowers. In addition, many historical figures are presented ascaricaturesor bear only superficial resemblance to their historical life.

Some historical figures are also accorded knacks, such asBenjamin Franklin(appearing only briefly but being repeatedly mentioned), who is said to have been a Maker, andNapoleon,who has the abilities to make others adore and obey him and to see others' great ambitions.

Famous Native American figures includeTecumseh,who is called "Ta Kumsaw" in the books, and his brotherTensquatawais also featured, as "Tenskwa Tawa." The characters in the book display features that are similar to those of both real-life famous Native Americans. The famousBattle of Tippecanoein which both brothers were involved occurs in the second book,Red Prophet,but its outcome is different from the historic one.

Works

Books

• Seventh Son(1987) - Locus Award winner, 1988;Hugo and World Fantasy Awards nominee, 1988
• Red Prophet(1988) - Nebula Award nominee, 1988;Locus Award winner, 1989;Hugo Award nominee, 1989
• Prentice Alvin(1989) - Nebula Award nominee, 1989;Locus Award winner, 1990;Hugo Award nominee, 1990
• Alvin Journeyman(1995) - Locus Award winner, 1996
• Heartfire(1998) - Locus Award nominee, 1999
• The Crystal City(2003)
• Master Alvin(in progress)

Short works

• "Hatrack River" - Novelette, published in Asimovs Magazine (Aug, 1986)
• "Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow"- poem, published inMaps in a Mirror(1990)
• "Grinning Man" - short story, published inLegends(1998)
• "The Yazoo Queen" - short story, published inLegends II(2003)
• "Alvin and the Apple Tree" - short story, published inDead Man's Hand(2014)
• "Naysayers" - short story, published inNational Review(November 19, 2015 issue)

Other works

• Red Prophet: The Tales Of Alvin Maker- a comic book series
• Alvin Maker Game- aMMORPG- that was in development in 2005, but never published

Characters

Alvin Miller

Alvin Miller, theseventh son of a seventh son,discovers that his knack far surpasses that of everyone else. He can change both living and nonliving matter simply by force of will and so has the title "Maker." This power comes at a cost, however, since Alvin feels a great responsibility to use his power for good, and there are also forces that actively seek his death.

Alvin must discover how to use his abilities, apply them for good, and struggle to survive. Along the way, he is helped by a number of people who have knacks that are not as strong, but they see in Alvin a way to use their wisdom and abilities to contribute to a greater good. Some people try to misguide him or exploit his abilities for their own purposes.

Alvin Miller is Card's reimagining ofJoseph Smith,founder of theLatter Day Saint movement.

Alternate history characters

• William Blake(as the major character Taleswapper)
• William Henry Harrison
• Andrew Jackson
• Napoleon Bonaparte
• Marquis de La Fayette
• Daniel Webster
• Denmark Vesey
• John Adams
• Abraham Lincoln
• Honoré de Balzac
• John James Audubon
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Tecumseh(as Ta Kumsaw)
• Tensquatawa(as Lolla-Wossiky/Tenskwa Tawa)
• Stephen F. Austin
• James Bowie

Mentioned characters

These are characters who are mentioned but do not appear.

• Oliver Cromwell:His survival from the illness that killed him in reality because his physician, unknown to Cromwell, had a magical “knack” for healing and so themonarchywas not restored, which drastically altered the subsequent history of both Great Britain and British North America. That is the key divergence point of this alternative history.
• Benjamin Franklin:He is described as a "wizard" and also as a possible "maker" himself (he appears briefly inSeventh Sonas "Old Ben" ).
• George Washington:He is described as "Lord Potomac," who served under the British crown but surrendered his army and was subsequentlybeheadedfortreasonin the series's alternate version of theAmerican Revolution.
• Thomas Jefferson:He serves as the firstPresident of the United Statesin this timeline.
• John Quincy Adams:He serves asGovernor of Massachusettsduring the events ofHeartfire.

The Unmaker

The Unmakeris a supernatural force that breaks apart matter and aims to destroy and consume everything and everyone. Essentially, the Unmaker isentropyas a conscious and destructive entity. Aside from opposing all life, the Unmaker is the particular nemesis of Alvin Miller, who is a Maker of exceptional power and prodigious creativity and enriches life by constructing both objects and social bridges. That threatens and thwarts the Unmaker, which repeatedly attempts to do away with Alvin, at first by inducing accidents at Alvin's childhood, especially by drowning since eroding water has a natural affinity to it, and later by influencing people to challenge and repudiate him.

To make something is to oppose the Unmaker, but a point often made is that is futile. By natural law, the Unmaker can tear down faster than any man can build. On the other hand, making cares nothing about natural law. As Taleswapper reveals to a seven-year-old Alvin, the creation of what is known as the Crystal City could defeat and even destroy the Unmaker. That becomes Alvin's mission in life.

The Unmaker is usually undetectable to most people, but Alvin can detect its attention as a shimmering around his field of vision. It manifests when it needs to tempt people into war and destruction and then takes the most effective shape. A priest would see an avenging angel, a slave-owner would see a great overseer, etc. It does not appear to those who destroy willingly since they serve its cause already.

Themes

Mormonism

Alvin has some characteristics similar toJoseph Smith,the founder ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Card is a member of this denomination, which is known informally asMormons.Some of the events inSeventh Sonare similar to stories about Smith's childhood. Alvin has visions of creating a Crystal City, which is similar to the church settlement ofNauvoo, Illinois.Alvin has had premonitions that he may die after building the Crystal City, which suggestsSmith's deathinCarthage, Illinois.Alvin was also the name of Smith'seldest brother.

Race

Racealso plays a large part in the stories, particularly in how culture shapes the abilities that people of different groups develop. "Whites"have knacks or cultivated skills that appear to be derived from the folklore and traditions ofColonial AmericaandWestern Europe."Reds"align themselves with the rhythms ofnaturebut also usebloodto perform some of their magic. "Blacks"channel their skills into creating objects of power like in the practices ofvoodoo.

Conflict

A recurring theme of the books is the conflict between creators and destroyers. Alvin is a Maker and confronts the Unmaker.

See also

• List of works by Orson Scott Card
• Orson Scott Card

External links

• The official Orson Scott Card website