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A review by bittersweet_symphony
Alvin Journeyman by Orson Scott Card
4.0
The second time around, The Alvin Maker series remains one of the richest and, perhaps, most believable fantasy worlds I've spent time in.
I'm not typically that interested in court-room stories. Thankfully, book 4 doesn't spend too much time in the actual court proceedings involving Alvin "Maker" Smith against a host of suspicious allegations.
It's worth noting with each book in this series, that much of its inspiration mirrors that of the real-life events (and myths) surrounding the life of the American prophet of Mormonism—Joseph Smith.
A few of the parallels:
-Alvin being in possession of a gold object with supernatural properties (Joseph Smith with the Gold Plates that he found through guidance by an angel).
-Alvin is prosecuted for stealing gold from Makepeace Smith, a master blacksmith he apprenticed under (JS had a history as a treasure-seeker, who more or less deceived others about his abilities to dowse for gold, but never found gold).
-Alvin is charged with having "improper relations" with a young teenage girl while he's in his twenties (JS likely had sexual liaisons with Fanny Alger, a 15-year girl who lived in his home briefly and was plurally married or sealed to multiple girls in the teens.) As for Alvin, we learn that these allegations are the imaginings and dreams of a teenage girl's unrequited crush.
-Alvin's younger brother Calvin is his foil, a counterfeit "maker" who resents and conspires to overthrow his brother (JS had a brother named William who moved in and out of JS' inner circle, lusting after JS' power and mission as a prophet, capitalizing on it to his own selfish benefit).
-Mike Fink is a river ruffian with unrivaled physicality and superhuman strength that becomes Alvin's fiercely loyal bodyguard, willing to demonstrate his violence, in necessary, to advance Alvin's mission (Joseph Smith has Orrin Porter Rockwell, a childhood friend, who fulfilled this role throughout JS' life and continued to be the "Destroying Angel" in Deseret after Smith was killed).
-Alvin continues his efforts toward building the "Crystal City" which will be built on the edge of a vast river, a heavenly city of sorts (Smith gathered thousands of Mormons to Nauvoo, Illinois, a city on a bluff bending on the edge of the Mississippi River, Nauvoo being one of the largest and most romantic of cities in the West).
-While many people in America have "knacks" at the time, extra-natural or magical abilities, but there are unusually high coincidences of people with extraordinary knacks that happen to live in the two towns where Alvin grew up or apprenticed (Mormons talk much about the high frequency of truth-seekers and people with exceptional spiritual abilities living around the places where Joseph Smith grew up and gather Mormons).
-Verily Cooper is a well-educated lawyer who, upon hearing about Alvin's "makering abilities" from Calvin, leaves England and ventures to America to find Alvin to learn more about knacks from him. He eventually finds Alvin and becomes his devoted lawyer and close friend (Olivery Cowdery is a well-educated school teacher who travels to meet Joseph Smith after learning about Smith's special abilities and eventually become's Smith's right-hand man, also becoming a successful lawyer).
There are many more examples. Put simply, this series is doubly a joy for fantasy enthusiasts and students of Mormon studies.
There are two more books that have been written left in the series but I believe Orson Scott Card still plans to write the final volume. Looking forward to it.
Alvin Maker would make for a dynamite fantasy, folk magic tv series.
I'm not typically that interested in court-room stories. Thankfully, book 4 doesn't spend too much time in the actual court proceedings involving Alvin "Maker" Smith against a host of suspicious allegations.
It's worth noting with each book in this series, that much of its inspiration mirrors that of the real-life events (and myths) surrounding the life of the American prophet of Mormonism—Joseph Smith.
A few of the parallels:
-Alvin being in possession of a gold object with supernatural properties (Joseph Smith with the Gold Plates that he found through guidance by an angel).
-Alvin is prosecuted for stealing gold from Makepeace Smith, a master blacksmith he apprenticed under (JS had a history as a treasure-seeker, who more or less deceived others about his abilities to dowse for gold, but never found gold).
-Alvin is charged with having "improper relations" with a young teenage girl while he's in his twenties (JS likely had sexual liaisons with Fanny Alger, a 15-year girl who lived in his home briefly and was plurally married or sealed to multiple girls in the teens.) As for Alvin, we learn that these allegations are the imaginings and dreams of a teenage girl's unrequited crush.
-Alvin's younger brother Calvin is his foil, a counterfeit "maker" who resents and conspires to overthrow his brother (JS had a brother named William who moved in and out of JS' inner circle, lusting after JS' power and mission as a prophet, capitalizing on it to his own selfish benefit).
-Mike Fink is a river ruffian with unrivaled physicality and superhuman strength that becomes Alvin's fiercely loyal bodyguard, willing to demonstrate his violence, in necessary, to advance Alvin's mission (Joseph Smith has Orrin Porter Rockwell, a childhood friend, who fulfilled this role throughout JS' life and continued to be the "Destroying Angel" in Deseret after Smith was killed).
-Alvin continues his efforts toward building the "Crystal City" which will be built on the edge of a vast river, a heavenly city of sorts (Smith gathered thousands of Mormons to Nauvoo, Illinois, a city on a bluff bending on the edge of the Mississippi River, Nauvoo being one of the largest and most romantic of cities in the West).
-While many people in America have "knacks" at the time, extra-natural or magical abilities, but there are unusually high coincidences of people with extraordinary knacks that happen to live in the two towns where Alvin grew up or apprenticed (Mormons talk much about the high frequency of truth-seekers and people with exceptional spiritual abilities living around the places where Joseph Smith grew up and gather Mormons).
-Verily Cooper is a well-educated lawyer who, upon hearing about Alvin's "makering abilities" from Calvin, leaves England and ventures to America to find Alvin to learn more about knacks from him. He eventually finds Alvin and becomes his devoted lawyer and close friend (Olivery Cowdery is a well-educated school teacher who travels to meet Joseph Smith after learning about Smith's special abilities and eventually become's Smith's right-hand man, also becoming a successful lawyer).
There are many more examples. Put simply, this series is doubly a joy for fantasy enthusiasts and students of Mormon studies.
There are two more books that have been written left in the series but I believe Orson Scott Card still plans to write the final volume. Looking forward to it.
Alvin Maker would make for a dynamite fantasy, folk magic tv series.