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Loading... Red Prophet (Tales of Alvin Maker) (original 1988; edition 1988)by Orson Scott Card
Work InformationRed Prophet by Orson Scott Card (1988)
  
No current Talk conversations about this book.   AMKitty | Jan 5, 2024 |   ) kslade | Dec 8, 2022 | ) Brian-B | Nov 30, 2022 | So far as I'm concerned, Red Prophet is pretty much a laundry list of don'ts when it comes to writing about Native Americans. They have a preternatural understanding of the natural, unique to them that fall away if they become too 'white' (using weapons/tools of European make / drinking alcohol). On top of that, they all seem drawn to extremes, either far better or far worse than the generally more nuanced 'white' characters of the book. Worldbuilding-wise, there are still some very interesting moments. The Eight-Face Mound in particular was interesting--you see something completely different, depending on how you climb it. On the other hand we still don't really get a good reason why magic only seems to work in the New World, although there are hints that might not be as true as it was thought in the first book (given the character of Napoleon). And Alvin Jr. is becoming far too powerful far too quickly for my tastes. He seems able to do just about anything with little cost to himself. Plotwise, the first half of the book overlaps with the latter part of Seventh Son, following the story of Lalawasike / The Prophet as he learns about Alvin Jr., is healed, and decides to change the world. As much as Seventh Son felt incomplete, I feel like it would have been a lot better had these sections been included there. At least this time around we get a solid climax that actually makes Red Prophet feel like it can stand alone, while at the same time sowing the seeds of the next in the series. Overall, it's still an interesting read and not quite to the point where I want to give up the series. We shall see where it goes from here. ( ) jpv0 | Jul 21, 2021 | ) kmajort | Feb 9, 2018 | no reviews | add a review
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HTML: In the first tale of Alvin Maker, Seventh Son, Orson Scott Card introduced his readers to a very familiarâ??but just slightly differentâ??pioneer America where magic works. Hex signs are powerful, good and evil presences roam the land, and many people have special talents. In this thrilling sequel, Alvin Maker is awakening to many mysteries: his own strange powers, the magic of the American frontier, and the special virtues of its chosen people, the Native Americans. Young Alvin Maker, the seventh son of a seventh son, has extraordinary talents for a white boyâ??he can cause stone to split smoothly under his hands, his knots never untie, he can knit bones, and he can call small animals to do his bidding. Stranger still his talents are imperceptible to the Indians, who usually hear the fire-setting of the sparks and the water-finding of the dowsers as an interruption in their music but who cannot hear Alvin at all. Lolla-Wossiky is an Indian whose fate is closely linked with Alvin's. He's been an undignified drunk since he was eleven, when he watched white men murder his father. The black noise in his head since the death shot rang out has drowned out the green music he needs to live well, and his life is a constant search for the right balance of alcohol to still the black noise without silencing the green musicâ??until he meets Alvin. Soon Alvin must summon all his powers to prevent a tragic war between Native Americans and the white settlers of North A No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.75)
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