Title: Seventh Son

Author: Orson Scott Card

Series: Tales of Alvin Maker #1

Genre: Alternate History and Fantasy

Pages: 256 Pages (Paperback)

Original Publication Date: 1987

Overall Rating:
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Summary from Goodreads

One of the most original and enchanting fantasy series continuing today is Orson Scott Card’s Tales of Alvin Maker. Set in an alternate frontier America, the Tales of Alvin Maker begins with Seventh Son. Here we meet the young Alvin Miller, the seventh son of a seventh son. Alvin is a Maker and is destined to create a positive new future for America. But to do so he must defeat an ancient enemy, the Unmaker, whose dark magic and deadly plots constantly threaten Alvin’s existence. Not only is Orson Scott Card one of the most popular science fiction novelists alive, he is also one of the strongest and purest voices in American fantasy.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed the book and I can’t wait to read the sequels to see what happens to the main character, Alvin Miller Jr.

I really want to do the book justice, so I’m going to attempt an actual book review. In the Seventh Son, Orson Scott Card creates an alternate America in the early 19th century where folk magic works and with tension between the settlers who believe in folk magic and the Christian churches and members within the settler’s communities.

Alvin’s the seventh son of a seventh son, which to my discovery has been a concept in folklore for quite a while. The seventh son of a seventh son usually is given special powers, in which special powers are inborn simply because of the child’s birth order. Because Alvin’s a seventh son of a seventh son and has special powers, there are forces that want to destroy him and keep him from reaching his full potential. (This force also manipulates early Christian believers in trying to destroy Alvin because they believe he’s possessed by the Devil’s spirit because he can use magic.)

The Seventh Son follows Alvin’s life from his birth until he’s ten years old. Because of the types of “knacks” Alvin has, he discovers he’s a Maker. A Maker is one who creates things and has the ability to change both living and nonliving matter simply by force of will. With this power, Alvin discovers at a very young age that he can use his “knack” to inflict harm and is repulsed by his mistake. He vows to only use his “knacks” for good, which he finds is easier said than done because of the force that wants to destroy him.

So far, there are five sequels with another one on the way. The five sequels are now on my reading list.