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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
This series is crazy and crazy good. It is historical fantasy/sci-fi. Loosely, but undeniably, based on Mormon history and the founding of America, including Native American and slavery conflicts . My biggest critique is how bad the bad is--very disturbingly bad. But the good is also gloriously good.
I read this on a whim in Moscow about six years ago, when I didn't have many English language books around. The story stuck with me, so I decided to reread it despite my dislike for Orson Scott Card as a person. I enjoyed it quite a bit - it's mostly well-written, with just a few missteps in characterization and dialogue. The version of early American history Card creates is interesting, seems relatively thorough, and is revealed slowly throughout the book. I'd like to continue reading the series to find out more about it. I knocked it down a star because while there are some important female characters, I wish that the book didn't largely play into the paradigm that the important stories belong only to men (why even have seven daughters, if most of them are just there to participate in a weird collective personality that revolves solely around shrieking at each other and antagonizing the boys? why are the knacks men have described in detail, while women's knacks are just... "women's knacks"?).
The philosophy of this book is strange. There is a definite good and evil force, but the church that claims to be a source of good has been possessed by the dark side, and the regular folk, "superstitious" witches, are the ones who get the way the world works. How one knows which side is good, and which is evil seems ambiguous (at least from the point of view of the characters).
I can see how this could be a parallel reality to Mormon Christian history/theology, like C.S. Lewis' Narnia is parallel to Protestant Christian theology. The preacher (representing Christianity, should be a guide) seems irredeemably lost, and everything points to Alvin as this savior of a sort.
There are some rules which are similar to Christian theology, or Zoroastrianism~
There is a Maker, there is an Unmaker (is it an entity or a force?)
There is a Devil, an enemy of the Maker (most definitely an entity)
There are angels ("shining man")
There is magic/miracles (science and reason seem to be the enemy, or is it pride?)
I enjoyed the Ender series so much I wanted to start another of OSC's series. So far, I'm interested. Religion makes good sci fi! I like the idea of an alternate reality in our history with characters (founding fathers etc) that we are familiar with. I am a little disappointed in the good/evil dichotomy, and some shallowness in the few "bad guys". I wonder: Is there redemption? Do his characters change and grow or do they stay the same?
I can see how this could be a parallel reality to Mormon Christian history/theology, like C.S. Lewis' Narnia is parallel to Protestant Christian theology. The preacher (representing Christianity, should be a guide) seems irredeemably lost, and everything points to Alvin as this savior of a sort.
There are some rules which are similar to Christian theology, or Zoroastrianism~
There is a Maker, there is an Unmaker (is it an entity or a force?)
There is a Devil, an enemy of the Maker (most definitely an entity)
There are angels ("shining man")
There is magic/miracles (science and reason seem to be the enemy, or is it pride?)
I enjoyed the Ender series so much I wanted to start another of OSC's series. So far, I'm interested. Religion makes good sci fi! I like the idea of an alternate reality in our history with characters (founding fathers etc) that we are familiar with. I am a little disappointed in the good/evil dichotomy, and some shallowness in the few "bad guys". I wonder: Is there redemption? Do his characters change and grow or do they stay the same?
This review is for a 2nd (3rd?) reading in Dec. 2020.
What it's about: The Miller family is on their way west to settle a piece of land when their fourteenth child decides it's time to arrive. But there are forces at work who do not want the child to arrive, and the Miller family finds sorrow in what should be a moment of joy.
But the Millers live in a world where magic is not gone. And as they settle into the life of pioneers on the fringes of the North American settlements, there are many things afoot that will challenge beliefs and raise questions. The ties of family are strong; but so are the ties of religion. The Miller family must navigate dangerous waters if they hope to fulfill their dreams.
What I thought: This book does a good job of raising questions about organized religion and the sometimes rigid beliefs held by some of the devout. It also has a very intriguing system of magic, and an interesting application of it in a colonial America that never fully threw off the yolk of the British.
Card is very good at creating worlds where righteous people end up in conflict with good people trying to do the right thing. He's also good at presenting multiple points of view to the reader in a way that makes each character feel lived-in and real, which makes his worlds also come to life.
Why I rated it like I did: I originally read this series back in the late 90s or early 2000s, riding a wave of love for Card's work. I still enjoy his prose, but his problematic stances on homosexuality in particular have complicated my enjoyment of his work. And revisiting this book has me rethinking by original 5 star rating. There's a lot of casual racism among the ostensibly progressive ideas Card is employing throughout this book. My impression is that it's supposed to be a mirror of the Colonial times in which it is set. However, in a more enlightened age, it's much more difficult for an author to claim that the racism of the story is simply a product of the time period in which it is set, particularly when that racism is not interrogated.
The story is interesting. I would not recommend it for younger readers who might accept the world presented without question. But older readers might find it enjoyable as a story while also questioning some of the ideas that are taken for granted within it.
What it's about: The Miller family is on their way west to settle a piece of land when their fourteenth child decides it's time to arrive. But there are forces at work who do not want the child to arrive, and the Miller family finds sorrow in what should be a moment of joy.
But the Millers live in a world where magic is not gone. And as they settle into the life of pioneers on the fringes of the North American settlements, there are many things afoot that will challenge beliefs and raise questions. The ties of family are strong; but so are the ties of religion. The Miller family must navigate dangerous waters if they hope to fulfill their dreams.
What I thought: This book does a good job of raising questions about organized religion and the sometimes rigid beliefs held by some of the devout. It also has a very intriguing system of magic, and an interesting application of it in a colonial America that never fully threw off the yolk of the British.
Card is very good at creating worlds where righteous people end up in conflict with good people trying to do the right thing. He's also good at presenting multiple points of view to the reader in a way that makes each character feel lived-in and real, which makes his worlds also come to life.
Why I rated it like I did: I originally read this series back in the late 90s or early 2000s, riding a wave of love for Card's work. I still enjoy his prose, but his problematic stances on homosexuality in particular have complicated my enjoyment of his work. And revisiting this book has me rethinking by original 5 star rating. There's a lot of casual racism among the ostensibly progressive ideas Card is employing throughout this book. My impression is that it's supposed to be a mirror of the Colonial times in which it is set. However, in a more enlightened age, it's much more difficult for an author to claim that the racism of the story is simply a product of the time period in which it is set, particularly when that racism is not interrogated.
The story is interesting. I would not recommend it for younger readers who might accept the world presented without question. But older readers might find it enjoyable as a story while also questioning some of the ideas that are taken for granted within it.
Aside from the magic and the obvious LDS theme this series is building up to, the point-of-divergence it's premised on (the Protectorate surviving in England, New England as Protectorate colonies, Cavaliers fleeing to the southern colonies) is a pretty good case of world-building.
The world if Seventh Son is fairly fascinating. It's set in early 1800s somewhere around what would have been Indiana or Ohio in our world, except in this world magic is real. It seems to be based on any number of folk magics turned real and powerful--but apparently only in the New World. Possibly because of that, American history hasn't gone quite as we remember it. The Iroquois nation became a state. Washing was executed as a traitor. Things aren't named quite as we know them, which at times gets annoying.
As the seventh son of a seventh son, Alvin Maker Jr is destined to be a Maker, a particularly powerful user of the story's magic. As such, he's apparently been hunted by a powerful evil being--the Unmaker--his entire life. He already has hints of that power, although he doesn't seem to completely realize it at first. Towards the end, he manages to heal what should have been a deadly injury.
On the downside, this is very obviously the first book of a series. Honestly, it looks like Card may have just cu the book in parts, since Seventh Son by itself doesn't really come to a climax, it just sort of ends at what would have been a section break in many other books. Such books generally annoy me, especially when they're the first of the series. This is no exception.
Overall, the world building sounds like it has a lot of potential, but the story itself was lacking. I'm curious enough to see how the next book is though, so there's that?
As the seventh son of a seventh son, Alvin Maker Jr is destined to be a Maker, a particularly powerful user of the story's magic. As such, he's apparently been hunted by a powerful evil being--the Unmaker--his entire life. He already has hints of that power, although he doesn't seem to completely realize it at first. Towards the end, he manages to heal what should have been a deadly injury.
On the downside, this is very obviously the first book of a series. Honestly, it looks like Card may have just cu the book in parts, since Seventh Son by itself doesn't really come to a climax, it just sort of ends at what would have been a section break in many other books. Such books generally annoy me, especially when they're the first of the series. This is no exception.
Overall, the world building sounds like it has a lot of potential, but the story itself was lacking. I'm curious enough to see how the next book is though, so there's that?
Best of the series. He doesn't get too long-winded in this one.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes