Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The fire burns low., November 14, 2000
A long while ago, I came across an curious and interesting short story about the birth of a seventh son of a seventh son and I thought to myself that Card had created something truly special. More short stories came out and then a book, and I was a very happy reader. Then more books came out, followed by a hiatus. After the hiatus, there seemed to be a bit of a drop in quality, but I wrote it off. Not every book can be a gem. Heartfire, unfortunately, is representative of a much more telling decline. When I read Heartfire and compare it to the first books, one thing in particular stands out in contrast: the original stories were populated with interesting people who DID interesting things and who had interesting things HAPPEN to them. The twists and turns of the plots were surprising and enjoyable. By contrast, very little happens in Heartfire, other than people talking. And they do talk. They talk about philosophy, about what their circumstances, about things that they need to do, about *talking*, and about how they need to stop talking so that they can get a go on. There is lots (!) of dialog, but precious little ever happens. It is, quite literally, 150 pages into the story before any sort of discernable event actually occurs to anyone. And even when that occurs, it ultimately ends up leading to scads of more dialog and a weak as water resolution. I realize that Card loves his characters, nor can I fault him for that given that he's managed to create some very distinct and interesting individuals, but it does a disservice to them, and to the work as a whole, if they do nothing more than stand around explaining themselves to each other ad nauseum. It *was* a great series, but I honestly think that Card has lost his way. I think that he has a general idea of where he wants it to end, but no idea of how to get there. Heartfire seems to be nothing less than an attempt to stall his readers while he tries to figure that out. I'm sorry, but it's not fair for him to ask us to pay for the privilege of waiting for him to manage that task, nor do I think that I'll be spending anymore money to do so. Heartfire is a fading ember and I think that it can lead to nothing but cold ashes.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's a good book but I'm getting frustrated., June 16, 1999
By A Customer
This latest in the Alvin Maker series is, like all of Card's writing, entertaining, thoughtful and contains elegant prose. Unfortunately, the only reasons for this installment seem to be the exposition of the alternate America--we already get it, I think--and the introduction of new "disciples"--enough already! The half of the book that covers Alvin's experience with New England witchcraft laws would be far more interesting if most of this moral territory hadn't been covered so thoroughly in Seventh Son. Purity is an interesting new character, but there are already enough major characters in this saga. I think most readers, like me, are itching for some progress toward the Crystal City, assuming that Card intends to take the series that far. We can only hope that later installments will reveal a vital purpose for each of the "good guys". Much more interesting was the part set in Camelot--Card's concept of the name-taking is quite good. We do see some change in Calvin's heart after he nearly dies, I think. But still, at the end, the only definite change in anybody's situation is that Alvin will have a couple more followers. The one non-plot related complaint I have is that some of the dialogue--especially the banter in the opening chapters--is a little tiresome. It's better later, though. If you like Card or have read the previous books in the series you should read this book. It's not as good as some others in the series but still a darn good read. If you haven't read any of the Alvin Maker series DON'T START HERE, it will just confuse you. All in all, this book meets Card's high standards--it just fails to meet some of the longtime reader's expectations.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This can't be the end!, August 28, 2000
I feel like Romeo, crying to OSC, "Oh, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?" And he/Juliet replies, all innocent, "What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?" To which I reply, "Book VI!!" Unlike most readers of Orson Scott Card, I found myself in the odd (and, I suppose, somewhat enviable) position of having a week of free time and discovering the Alvin Maker series with five books in it. So, for the last eight days, I have literally been living in his alternate America. I was utterly captivated by the books: "Seventh Son," "Red Prophet," "Prentice Alvin," "Alvin Journeyman," and now "Heartfire." I read them so quickly and so close together that I can't really review them as separate books; this is sort-of my review of the whole series (up to this point). In this version of America, there are three separate countries on the east coast (New England, Appalachee, and the US), plus the Crown Colonies of the south that are still tied to England. Almost everyone has some sort of supernatural "knack." Alvin, the main character, is the seventh son of a seventh son and the most powerful man anyone's seen in a long time. He's on a quest to build Utopia -- the "Crystal City" -- but he doesn't know how he's going to do that (and perhaps OSC doesn't either). While the first two books were mostly about the Red-White conflict, the next three have been about the Black-White conflict -- specifically, abolitionists against the supporters of slavery. The next book will probably involve the Civil War, as Peggy (Alvin's wife, a "torch" who can see possible futures in people's "heartfires") was unable to prevent it. Any reader who hasn't read the first four books will be hopelessly confused, so don't even bother -- go read the first four! In book five, while I liked knowing what was going on and getting to know Calvin, Verily, and Peggy better, I did miss some of the old friends (like Takum-Sa, Taleswapper, and the Vigor Church folks). I can't call into question the wisdom of plot choice, as some other reviewers have, because I assume Card still has a handle on where he's going (we can only hope); although I wasn't quite sure why Alvin had to go to jail again. Perhaps a subtle reminder that people don't like what they can't defeat. I found the Camelot storyline to be quite interesting, and I thought that this book had the series' best dialogue. Toward the end, it seemed like Alvin was invincible; I'm glad for Calvin's spark of redemption (I hope it will stick), and I enjoyed the scenes of Alvin's triumph, but... I think he has enough disciples now. Get us to the Crystal City, and do it soon! (As a sidenote, I think that questioning Card's intelligence because of his choice of religion is uncalled-for. I think that most religions seem ridiculous to those who don't believe in them.)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
