Rating: 
Summary: Just as good as the other books in the sereis of Alvin:
Review: GREAT! (that is) The whole serie of Alvin Maker is wonderfull, this might be one of the lesser good books in the serie, but it still totally wonderfull!
Rating: 
Summary: OSC didn't take us too far
Review: Having looked forward to this installment of the Alvin series for a long time, I was quite disappointed when reading the short and seemingly pointless result. New characters are introduced, the plot gets a little creamier, but after a couple hundred pages of waiting to see what the next step is, we're greatly disappointed to find...the end of the book. This was a surprising release for OSC, especially in this series. It seemed stagnant...or more like a dog chasing its tail. I won't lose faith in the rest of this series because the first three books were so rewarding, but I'll be cautious when reading "Crystal City."
Rating:
Summary: Good book not very intense
Review: Heartfire does not have the same intensity as, for example, Ender's Game or Songmaster, but it is a fine book. A good revisit to Alvin and his world and a fine exposition of a standard Card theme of the importance of the community and the responsibility of an individual to his or her community.
Rating: 
Summary: After Ender and Homecoming, Card destroys yet another series
Review: HEARTFIRE, the fifth book in Orson Scott Card's "Tales of Alvin Maker" series, is a travesty. Card has ruined this formerly interesting history of an alternate America and Mormon allegory. HEARTFIRE kills the series that came before it like CHILDREN OF THE MIND destroyed the Ender Quartet and EARTHBORN wiped out the Homecoming novels. At the end of ALVIN JOURNEYMAN, Alvin and Peg Guester were wed and travelled to the home of the Weavers in Appalachee. The beginning of HEARTFIRE sees them departed on separate journeys, Peg has gone to the Crown Colonies to find a way to stop the oncoming war over slavery, while Alvin is wandering around the Northeast and eventually finds himself on trial (again) for witchcraft in Puritan-controlled New England. There is so much wrong with this novel. The plot is sloppily resolved, and indeed it could be said that Peg's half of the story isn't resolved at all but simply abandoned. Card wraps up Alvin's trial in a mere two pages as if he has grown tired of writing this installment. Calvin's redemption seems like it never progressed past the draft stage. In order to hide his shabby plot and silly characterization, Card stoops to a prurient sex scene where Calvin forces himself on a resisting-but-willing dame like something out of a romance novel (of course, that's what the awful cover art makes the book look like). Alvin Maker is now essentially omnipotent, communicating telepathically with Peg across huge distances and able to run the entire length of the East Coast in a single night (funny how Card constantly talks about how the greensong is too weak now, but has Alvin perform such deeds). This makes Alvin considerably less interesting as a protagonist, as there are no surprises or suspense. Gene Wolfe, in his Book of the New Sun cycle, was wise enough to end the series after the apotheosis of his hero Severian. Card, however, is going to drag us through two more volumes with this unbelievable character. Ironically, however, Alvin doesn't figure very much in his own series anymore. Most of the novel relates the thoughts of Peg, Calvin, and Verily Cooper. Alvin is reduced to an "aw, shucks" country boy cameo. There's absolutely *no* progress in this novel towards the building of the Crystal City. I used to recommend The Tales of Alvin Maker, its first two volumes were very entertaining, but after RED PROPHET it's become worse with every volume. I daresay I'd now recommend avoiding this series.
Rating:
Summary: Another solid entry in the Alvin Maker series
Review: I am surprised by many of the negative comments about this book-not because the book doesn't have flaws (it does), but because it is easily on par, if not a little better, than the previous books in the series. I agree with other reviewers that each book in the Alvin Maker series cannot stand alone and must be viewed as a 300-page chapter in a longer work. The plot is also rather weak, about a man with all-encompassing magical powers trying to create a utopian city, but these books are not about the Crystal City, any more than LORD OF THE RINGS was about Frodo Baggins and his magic ring. Like Tolkien, Card is using a simple journey plot to give his readers the opportunity to explore a strange new fictional universe. Unlike traditional fantasy, however, Card's universe is an "alternate" America, circa 1800, similar to the real America except that frontier superstitions, Indian folklore, and African voodoo are all real. Over the course of five books, Card has examined Midwest frontier life, the American Indian struggle, Puritan witch trials, Appalachian mountaineers, French outpost settlements, and opulent Southern slave plantations. We have met numerous historical figures, some accurately depicted, others a mere caricature of their real selves. We have debated religion, politics, and law. It is clear Card is steering us towards a finale where all these subcultures learn to coexist in a true melting pot society. Like other readers, I too am ready for Card to begin to wrap up the story, but as long as he continues to create such a unique new landscape, and populate it with quirky, textured characters, I'll keep reading.
Rating: 
Summary: One step in the right direction
Review: I enjoyed this book very much. Card once again mixes a bit of history with his fictional world and I really enjoy that. The struggles between the two brothers (Alvin and Calvin) seem to culminate in this book. In any case, I recommend this book for the any reader, however if you are looking for some sort of conclusion of this saga, you won't find it here! But you will find the introduction of some very fun and interesting characters.
Rating:
Summary: This can't be the end!
Review: 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.)
Rating:
Summary: This can't be the end!
Review: 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.)
Rating:
Summary: Great- but
Review: I love Card's style, and this series is excellent in most ways, but it does worry me that it is starting to turn into more and more of an alternative history of Mormonism. card is a Mormon, and Alvin Smith is his version of Joseph Smith - and its starting to show. I am distressed when a man as intelligent and talented as Card cannot break free of a creed so downright loopy as Mormonism - a religion with a fairly unpleasant history and which is based on a story which is off the wall even by religious standards. (magic seer stones, an extra biblical book written on gold tablets, the lost tribe of Israel living in the USA - yeah, sure). I still love his books though - it just worries be this is going to deteriorate into something it wasn't at the start.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for for Vol 5!
Review: I loved this book! I discovered the Alvin Maker series a few years ago and was able to read volumes 1 - 3 together. Volume four was a small disappointment; I didn't see the point of the trial - I wanted more about Alvin vs. Calvin. I'm happy to say that the latest volume has everything I've been waiting for - and more! Card has the ability to change forever the way I look at and react to the world around me!
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