Average continuation of the last three books with an above average climax that fades into a typical happy ending. Wish the last book would come out already ( )

Though it felt in some of the middle books like the series was spinning out of control, in this last volume Card brought it to a satisfying finish. ( )

From the end of the 18th century, Americans traveled west to find new homes and new lands. They brought with them the magics of plain people. It is from these roots of the American dream that award-winning writer Orson Scott Card has crafted what the Charlotte Observer called "a uniquely American fantasy." Using the lore and the folk magic of the men and women who settled a continent, and the beliefs of the tribes who were here before them, Card has created an alternate frontier America. Charms, beseechings, hexes, and potions all have a place in the lives of the people of this world.
Alvin Miller is the seventh son of a seventh son, born while his six brothers all still lived. Such a birth is a powerful magic; such a boy is destined to perhaps become a Maker. Rejoin the tale of Alvin and his wife Peggy as they work to create the Crystal City of Alvin's vision, where all people can live together in peace.

hmmm if this is book 6 I've missed some, no wonder it felt fragmented

Card is an extremely good writer, and his books are always a pleasure to read, but at times I did feel that the stories here occasionally suffered for being too allegorical, and too much about Card's ideas of morality.

6th, and at the moment last volume: 'The Crystal City.' Starting out at an unofficial orphanage for mixed-race children, Alvin unwittingly, by trying to help a sick woman, causes a plague of yellow fever, and ends up getting run out of town. Taking the orphans with him, and then meeting a voodoo queen, La Tia, Alvin somehow finds himself at the head of an 'army' of escaped slaves, freeing more as they make their way north, seeking a place to live free. Of course, these could be the citizens of Alvin's dream of a perfect city. And Abe Lincoln, a genial shopkeeper, will do what he can to help. Meanwhile, Calvin goes off with some decidedly not-nice men to conquer Mexico and kill everyone there - which seems to be OK, as they do human sacrifice. At the end, it is made overly clear that Alvin's vision is about the Mormon Tabernacle, which is a bit annoying. ( )