Seventh Son

Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 1

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Scott Brick, Gabrielle de Cuir, Stephen Hoye

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of the award-winning Ender's Game comes the unforgettable story of young Alvin Maker, the seventh son of a seventh son.

Born into an alternative frontier America, where life is hard and folk magic is real, Alvin is gifted with power, but he must learn to use his gift wisely. Dark forces are arrayed against Alvin, and only a young girl with second sight can protect him.

Don't miss the sequel to this book, Red Prophet.

©1987 Orson Scott Card (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

• Locus Award, 1988

"A tribute to the art of storytelling, this is highly recommended." (Library Journal)
"Seventh Son begins what may be a significant recasting in fantasy terms of the tall tale of America." (Washington Post Book World)
"A consistently gripping tale featuring solid historical research and a keen understanding of religious experience. Another major effort by a world-class talent. Highly recommended." (Booklist)

The only word I can think of ... "Meh"

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would not recommend this book. I am a fan of Cards writing usually, but this time I felt like I wasn't so much listening to a completed story as listening to the writers notes instead. There was no flow to this story at all, everything felt choppy and disoriented - as tho card kept realizing he'd forgotten to add important elements into the tale and so just plopped them in whenever it came to mind.

Any additional comments?

I will say that the story had huge potential! Sadly I didn't enjoy it enough to bother moving on to the next book in the series... Perhaps it gets better. The narrators did a beautiful job of attempting to bring the characters to life.
Tho it's sad to say this story, tho not a complete waste of time, gave nothing to make it memorable.

Oddly simplistic, yet utterly charming

Characters are seemingly one-dimensional, the plot is obscenely one-directional, and yet I absolutely love this book.

Favorite Orson Scott Card series

I read this series years ago, and have always loves it! I was excited when I saw this come up in my suggestions. The narration is excellent. Highly recommend!

You’ll laugh until your sides hurt!

The actors are all great, and Alvin’s attitude is the best it could be. It’s all I could expect of a 10-year-oldWhen the world rests on his shoulders. Buyer beware, there is a bit of a spoiler at the end of Orson Scott card’s commentary at the end of the audiobook! But it was a good listen, overall.

Really enjoyable

Had such fun with this book. New, original, fascinating, thoughtful, I have my favorite characters and wish Card would not limit the tale. Let it take on it's own life

lots of religion but a great story

loved the multiple actors, they really captured my interest. the story was a bit religion heavy for me but i enjoyed the fantasy aspects of it.

what a different take on the old as time 7 of 7

I almost feel sorry for the priest. If you every want to wonder how much naively young priest can be that wants to believe. just give this a listen.

An American Fantasy Rooted in History

It started out realty slow, giving a whole new meaning to "character development." However, by the Fifth Chapter the intertwined plot lines began to develop, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

my favorite Orson Scott card book

While I realize that most Card fans prefer his speculations on the future, I find this alternate history of the past to have more humor than any of the card books that I have read. Some of the ideas like making/unmaking versus God/the devil hold interesting insights, for me at least, on faith and self-delusion. I have seen some criticism of the characters as poorly done, but I was irresistibly drawn to many of them. The Miller family interactions can be appealing, revealing, and/or smile inducing. Card's inserted, quick description of why the people from the 'middle colonies' have knacks (they were all shunted together by Puritans and roundheads) is both simplistic and believable. This is just a world that I enjoy delving into.

Great story, though meandering, and fair narration

This story deserves 4.5 stars in my view and the narration around a 3.5 or 4. Although I love Scott Brick, he trips over the early Americans' diction in this book, and the rest of the narrators have a surprisingly hard time consistently using accents.

The story, however, is fabulous overall. It does meander quite a bit more than Ender's Game and some of Card's other texts; for instance, Card launches into an unexpected diatribe on Ben Franklin's "Americanization" of "Americans" for what seems like 20 minutes, and this diatribe has nothing to do with the story, as far as I can tell. And religious fervor seems to be a subject of contention in the book, or at least the battle between religion, science, and magic. But if you like these subjects and Card's other books, you will probably find this story compelling.

Also compelling are Alvin Maker and the cast of characters who surround him. They really make this book, though it is the story of Alvin and his power to "make" things whole that makes me want to read the second book in this series.