The Alvin Maker series is a marvelously clever, folk-magical alternate history of North America, in which the author creates a fit forum for the brilliant, preachy, clever, and morally neurotic characters that seem to be his specialty. I think his take on famous historical characters is often marvelous, as is his frequent twisting and borrowing of details from his Mormon tradition. Despite this general admiration, I must say that this is clearly the weakest of the series and not just because as

Throughout most of the preceding books of the series, Alvin's ultimate goal has been to understand how he's supposed to bring into being the "Crystal City" he saw in the vision he had as a child. Here, the pieces of that puzzle will fall into place, bringing the series to a satisfying ending point, though not a tidy HEA to wrap everything up with a neat bow --in this world (and in our real one! :-)), Card makes clear, life and its challenges are an ongoing story.One of my Goodreads friends who r...

Like this whole series, it has continuity issues, which Card treats cavalierly in the acknowledgments. The central story itself is more compelling, though I found it frustrating that it picked up so long after the previous book without allowing us to see the culmination of storylines Card left hanging that I as a reader had invested in. Having Alvin only with Arthur Stuart through most of the novel and other core characters appearing so late and some minimally is also frustrating. The analogy of...

Originally posted at FanLit. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...The Crystal City is the (maybe) final novel in Orson Scott Card’s TALES OF ALVIN MAKER. This series started off strongly with Seventh Son and Red Prophet, but it bogged down during books three and four (Prentice Alvin and Alvin Journeyman) and I was ready to give up. However, since I had already downloaded the audio version of the sixth book, The Crystal City, from my library, I decided to finish the series. (My library didn’t

Great conclusion to the series. I don't recall which book it was, but it was said of Alvin's brother: He was the life of the party, unless being so would show someone else to be a buffoon in which case, he would remain silent rather than embarrass them. (So people stopped inviting buffoons to the parties they invited him to.) Interesting cocktail party image.

Finally the end of the series. I'm glad I finished it, but not sure I really should have bothered. An average series that dragged on far too long, not one of Card's better endeavours...

To be honest, I am mad I spent the time on this series. This last book was rushed and did little to wrap up the series in any satisfactory way for me. Won't be reading any more of his books.

Mooched in February 2021! Current BookMooch inventory: http://bookmooch.com/m/inventory/jonmoss

Ever since I started this series and realized that it wasn't finished. And that it's been 7 years since the last installment and that Orson Scott Card isn't dead, I've been mildly upset. But I listened to each book anyway and enjoyed them. I was pleasantly surprised that this book actually had a resolved ending. The series could end here and I would be content. The only loose string is Peggy's torchy vision of Alvin's future death when Calvin comes back around. I for one can be contented with ne...

Didn't read it, because the story seemed to be petering out in the last book.My one star review is for the lame cover art. I felt insulted by that bullshit, and don't want to be seen with that romance novel looking book in my hands. How do you tell someone with taste that this is a really clever alternative history of America while they are looking at Fabio floating there on the cover?The publishers are making their fantasy books impossible to recommend!Stop it!

The three's a gift for finishing the series . . . kind of.Card had mercy on us. It's easy to detect in the telling of The Crystal City where Card jumped over enough time and material to have written another novel between Heartfire and this book. Thankfully, he didn't.As I said before, the less you know about Card's religious beliefs, the more you'll enjoy this series (unless, of course, you share those beliefs).

I've read the series - in each of the six, there are plenty of observations of human nature that give one pause and a reason to reflect. Another great set for those who like the idea of ruminating on what would a slightly to significant different America look like, while humans in this imagined scenario still faced with all the struggles and choices we deal with.

Good, but I'm growing weary of this series having no conclusion. After the first two books, none of the books end in a way that anticipates the next book, but nothing gets finished either. At some point, there has to be a final confrontation between Alvin and the Unmaker, and there has to be a resolution/destiny for Calvin. Please?

Easily the weakest of the series. There is no dramatic tension at all, just people going to different places, doing things, and having things happen to them. As a reader, there was never any doubt in my mind that everything would work out fine and that no major characters would suffer in the end.

With the end of this series in sight, it seems that the focus of The Crystal City is back on track. That being said, there are a few curious omissions that made it somewhat frustrating to read. I understand that some stories aren’t meant to be part of full books, but when these side short stories sound much more interesting by their mere inference, then I wonder why they weren’t included in the main storyline to begin with. Still, there were enough exciting developments in The Crystal City to ke...

What do you do with a series where the protagonist is a godlike figure who essentially has no major character flaws? He can get out of any situation, resolve any problem, heal any disease or ailment. He has become even more than a superhero and reached god status. It just got boring. The Unmaker, the antagonist of sorts, was flimsy in this installment. Some plot lines were largely abandoned or swiftly resolved with a lazy pen stroke. Why did it take six books to get to a cheesy agrarian setting

Book #6, and the Alvin Maker series is definitely running out of steam. I'll stick out the planned seven because Orson Scott Card is an interesting writer and I want to know how he envisions the end of Alvin's quest. But considered as novels, the series hasn't really worked too well since the end of book #3.In this book at least Alvin is making things happen, not sitting moodily in some jail cell somewhere. It seems Card recognized the need to get the main arc of the series back on track after b...

I only finished this book because I had already read the first 5. Now to be clear, there are no books between #5 heartfire and #6 The Crystal City. I'm putting that first because I spent 30 minutes googling that to see if I missed something. When you read this book you will feel like you missed something. You didn't. Orson Scott Card just got lazy again (he always gets lazy on the last book or two in any series, except the ender universe).This book starts roughly 5 years after the last one. The

I was really disappointed with this book. Not only is is an awful conclusion for the Alvin Maker series (and it DOES seem to be the conclusion, both because it's marketed that way and there hasn't been a new Alvin book in nearly 15 years at this point -- and Card clearly lost the momentum for this series around book 3 anyhow), but it is disappointing on its own.Too much of the book is about events and characters in Alvin's past that we haven't actually seen in any Alvin Maker book, so a lot of i...

Like the rest of the series I did like the characters a lot, they felt well rounded and I think the story line was pretty good and it kept me interested through reading the series to the end...however I have to say I was a bit dissapointed in the ending. It seemed very open ended as far as what happened with the main character Alvin and his younger jealous brother Calvin... It didn't feel like they ever completely resloved their issues and the plot is left hanging as to wether or not Calvin ever...

Yes there are spoklers in this Review. You have been warned. I'd put it down as 3.5 if I could because I really do like this book and the series. Still wondering if he evers plans to release book 7 Master Alvin, like ever. Still its a solid nding in its own right. He has begun to ful fill his life's work of building the Crystal City and managed to save his baby all sorts of yay!!!! As with most of the series my biggest complaint is that their seems to be certain scenes and information that is un...

This is kind of a dorky series, but I had a good time going through it. Obviously a story with many lifted parts to anyone aware of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but Card takes an interesting path in choosing to examine the folk magic employed in those days as a part of the story of Alvin (read Joseph Smith pretty much).It is an alternate history in both Church history and American history. I am fairly versed in both, so it was fun seeing how those things were c...

Agree with all the other reviewers that it felt like there was a missing book between #5 and #6 (what happened to Charity?), not that I necessarily want this series dragged out any longer than it is currently. While I've previously enjoyed all the historical figure cameos, dropping Jim Bowie and Abraham Lincoln in here felt like just a little... much. And for the first half of the book the story-line felt completely tangential. I mean, in the end it ended up being fine, but this book felt pretty...

This book was the best of the series. While Alvin goes to New Orleans and frees the French and the slaves, Calvin goes to Mexico City. Verily to Abe Lincoln and the alternate history is completed by the building of the Crystal City. The end is somewhat anti-climatic and the city is raised. The golden plow does its thing. I read this last installment because I had read the previous ones. This series probably was not worth the effort, but Card is a good writer. Instead of a Harry Potter magic, peo...

Good, but the series seemed to lose momentum... possibly due to the time it took to get to this book. I'm getting generally unhappy with authors who write multiple series at a time, creating so much gap that you've lost continuity with the characters.(Do you hear me, Brandon Sanderson!?)Still - a compelling compilation of good, folksy characters, altered history, Mormon theology and 19th-century folk magic. Card is still one of my favorites

Many reviews say this book is tired and leaves too much undone but I thought it was a good possible ending to a series the author may want to continue later.The underlying themes of doing Good (Making) everywhere you have an opportunity to, the stroke against Unmaking that tears goodness apart, and the struggle to move past great hurts in ones life are drawn out in a fashion that leaves hope in the reader.

I listened to a version of this work that had an different voice for each of the main characters which helped to separate the choir of thoughts that make up this tale. A bit rushed, events occurring all over the map. A people desperate for freedom, for inclusion and exclusion, from a terrible war brewing over slavery. I know the author intends another book to wrap this series up, but he may let us stand, the city of crystal on the edge of the frontier.

By the time I got 100 pages into this book, I was dying to be finished. I pressed on because it was the end of the series. OSC seems to have done a quick, yet unsatisfying, wrap-up of the whole series in the last few pages of the book. Alvin's character had consistency issues in ways that I didn't like (he was much more argumentative) and much of the magic of the first few books was lost. I'm glad I finished the series, but if I were to recommend this to others, I'd stop after book 3.

3.25.... this one didn’t keep me coming back for more. I had to remind myself to sit and read it. It felt a little half-baked. also, I think, knowing that there is an unwritten 7th book we will likely never get, I was already a little resentful of this one... a little mad at it that it would bring me to a near-end, but not THE end. Ya know? Still.... OCC is a great storyteller. I love him. Even if he never writes book 7. 😭

I think my summary of this book is a summary of the whole series: really good, but never great. This being the (presumably) last book, it goes out with a bang. However, there's no possible way to talk about this book without giving away major spoilers for the rest of the series. So, all I can say is that if you've made it this far, the last book will not disappoint. You should read it.