Heartfire: The Tales of Alvin Maker, Volume V

by Orson Scott Card

Book Overview

The bestselling Orson Scott Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series continues with Heartfire

Peggy is a Torch, able to see the fire burning in each person's heart. She can follow the paths of each person's future, and know each person's most intimate secrets. From the moment of Alvin Maker's birth, when the Unmaker first strove to kill him, she has protected him.

Now they are married, and Peggy is a part of Alvin's heart...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812509242
• ISBN13: 9780812509243
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.7" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

This can't be the end!

I feel like Romeo, crying to OSC, "Oh, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?" And he/Juliet replies, all innocent, "What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?" To which I reply, "Book VI!!"Unlike most readers of Orson Scott Card, I found myself in the odd (and, I suppose, somewhat enviable) position of having a week of free time and discovering the Alvin Maker series with five books in it. So, for the last eight days, I have literally been living in his alternate America. I was utterly captivated by the books: "Seventh Son," "Red Prophet," "Prentice Alvin," "Alvin Journeyman," and now "Heartfire." I read them so quickly and so close together that I can't really review them as separate books; this is sort-of my review of the whole series (up to this point).In this version of America, there are three separate countries on the east coast (New England, Appalachee, and the US), plus the Crown Colonies of the south that are still tied to England. Almost everyone has some sort of supernatural "knack." Alvin, the main character, is the seventh son of a seventh son and the most powerful man anyone's seen in a long time. He's on a quest to build Utopia -- the "Crystal City" -- but he doesn't know how he's going to do that (and perhaps OSC doesn't either). While the first two books were mostly about the Red-White conflict, the next three have been about the Black-White conflict -- specifically, abolitionists against the supporters of slavery. The next book will probably involve the Civil War, as Peggy (Alvin's wife, a "torch" who can see possible futures in people's "heartfires") was unable to prevent it.Any reader who hasn't read the first four books will be hopelessly confused, so don't even bother -- go read the first four! In book five, while I liked knowing what was going on and getting to know Calvin, Verily, and Peggy better, I did miss some of the old friends (like Takum-Sa, Taleswapper, and the Vigor Church folks). I can't call into question the wisdom of plot choice, as some other reviewers have, because I assume Card still has a handle on where he's going (we can only hope); although I wasn't quite sure why Alvin had to go to jail again. Perhaps a subtle reminder that people don't like what they can't defeat. I found the Camelot storyline to be quite interesting, and I thought that this book had the series' best dialogue. Toward the end, it seemed like Alvin was invincible; I'm glad for Calvin's spark of redemption (I hope it will stick), and I enjoyed the scenes of Alvin's triumph, but...I think he has enough disciples now. Get us to the Crystal City, and do it soon!(As a sidenote, I think that questioning Card's intelligence because of his choice of religion is uncalled-for. I think that most religions seem ridiculous to those who don't believe in them.)

Great book

This was an excellent book. Why? Well, mostly I liked it because of the alternative history. I'm interested in history, and it's fun to read an alternative with some of the same people. The story is good, of course, (I wouldn't give the book 5 stars if the story wasn't good) but not great. Same with the characters. Good, not great. If you've ever read Ender's Game (and if you haven't, read it now) you probably fell in love with Ender. That doesn't happen in this book. So, if you're interested in history, you'll like this book far more then if you don't.

Another fine entry in the cult of Card

This is an extremely enjoyable entry into the Alvin Maker series. It's short on plot, and a little glib, but is an easy read.I just wonder about two things. The first is the loose ends. How did Calvin and Alvin part ways? Where and who is Taleswapper? How did the group manage to smuggle two Black men from Charleston to Philadelphia? What is happening with Tecumseh (Tecum-shaw)?Second, I am curious to see how far Card will push the Mormon history angle in this series. For those of you who may not know, Card is loosely basing Alvin Smith on Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon church. If Card is true to Joseph Smith's biography, Alvin is going to die in Carthage City after getting shot by an angry mob. Will Card do it? I don't think so, but I would like to find out.

Great- but

I love Card's style, and this series is excellent in most ways, but it does worry me that it is starting to turn into more and more of an alternative history of Mormonism. card is a Mormon, and Alvin Smith is his version of Joseph Smith - and its starting to show.I am distressed when a man as intelligent and talented as Card cannot break free of a creed so downright loopy as Mormonism - a religion with a fairly unpleasant history and which is based on a story which is off the wall even by religious standards. (magic seer stones, an extra biblical book written on gold tablets, the lost tribe of Israel living in the USA - yeah, sure).I still love his books though - it just worries be this is going to deteriorate into something it wasn't at the start.

Card's powerful descripitons had me glued to the book

In the fifth book of the Alvin Maker series, Card successfully blends emotion, comedy and drama. Mr. Card's dramatization of witch hunts and slave owners kept me glued to the book. This book isn't just a fight between two brothers. It's a metaphor for the struggle of good and evil. All of the characters are fully developed with unique personalities. READ THIS BOOK!