Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the previous books in the series
Review: I originally read this when it first came out, then re-read the series when I got the new book (The Crystal City) for Christmas. This one was not as good as the other books in this series.The story started off very slow, with a lot of nonsense about Arthur Staurt and Audobon (who could have been left out of the book completely) and birds. While this was explained somwhat at the end of the book, it was still too much and too slow. The book does get better near the end, but by that time, there has been too much junk preceeding it to make it seem worthwhile. The dialogue between Denmark and Gullah Joe is particularly boring and painful to read. I give this book three stars only because of the characters, which are still great, and the ongoing story of Alvin's quest to build the Crystal City, but it wasn't a great story on its own. If you've read the other books in the series, this one is worth reading just to continue the story, but just barely. I hope the next book can return to the great stories from the previous books, if not, then I hope it will at least be the last in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the previous books in the series
Review: I originally read this when it first came out, then re-read the series when I got the new book (The Crystal City) for Christmas. This one was not as good as the other books in this series. The story started off very slow, with a lot of nonsense about Arthur Staurt and Audobon (who could have been left out of the book completely) and birds. While this was explained somwhat at the end of the book, it was still too much and too slow. The book does get better near the end, but by that time, there has been too much junk preceeding it to make it seem worthwhile. The dialogue between Denmark and Gullah Joe is particularly boring and painful to read. I give this book three stars only because of the characters, which are still great, and the ongoing story of Alvin's quest to build the Crystal City, but it wasn't a great story on its own. If you've read the other books in the series, this one is worth reading just to continue the story, but just barely. I hope the next book can return to the great stories from the previous books, if not, then I hope it will at least be the last in this series.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad, Bad Cover Art
Review: I would have given this book an additional star if it wasn't for the terrible art on the cover. I was embarrassed to read this novel in public. The marketing for this series really cheapens the writing. My friends laugh at me when I show them these books, then insist they are good. I would never buy such an ugly book in hardcover. Get with the times, TOR.
Rating: 
Summary: Heartfire
Review: I've been an Orson Scott Card reader for 2 years, starting with Ender's Game. I read through that series as the first real book series I've ever read. I read a few other Books by Card and enjoyed them. Then I came across the Alvin Maker series, and loved them. In the fifth installment to this great series, Alvin and his companions are clueless on how to build the Crystal City that they've been questing for. And Calvin has come back from his visit to Napoleon to learn how to control people and gain power. Card keeps the flow of the book going non-stop by switching from the point of view from character to character. Peggy has taken a seperate path from Alvin's once again, and is in Charleston, South Carolina, trying to confront the King about slavory. Calvin has been stirring up trouble again, with his new friend Honoré. Everyone seems to be confused on what their purpose is, except for Calvin who knows that he is there to either rule the Crystal City alongside Alvin, or to destroy it entirely. The book is one of Card's finest, and I recommend it to anyone who even remotely like fantasy books.
Rating:
Summary: Card has written a poor journeyman work.
Review: I've followed Orson Scott Card's career from his first professional sale of science fiction. Reading his short work was aptly described as "playing pattycake with Baby Huey." If you seek out these early works, you can see a writer who worked his way through a brilliant apprenticeship to become a solid talent. Card's Alvin Maker series is ambitious, there's no denying that. The first books in the series laid out nothing less than a coming-of-the-Messiah story set in an altenate North America where magic works and the Revolution didn't. Any writer who could bring that off deserved respect and Card had mine. Until lately, that is. In the terminology of the Alvin Maker universe, Card seems to have banked his heartfire, the spark of divinity that defines our talents and course in life. Where Seventh Son turned a pioneer family's struggle to find a new home into an epic tale, Heartfire lets an archetypical struggle between good and evil slide into being! ! a mere spat between bratty siblings. Oddly enough, the book generated the most emotion in me in a way that I doubt Card intended - his description of the Puritan New England colonies. What was most chilling wasn't so much the description of the overbearing theocracy so much as the implicit assumption that such a theocracy would be admirable if only it didn't get 'out of hand.' It's one thing to describe psychic abilities in terms of theology when the characters are obviously steeped in their mythos, but when a Big Brother State is put up as something of a 'near-miss', well, thanks, but no thanks. I'm from Texas, a place that has just decided to throw away millions of educational dollars on the whim of a group of religious fanatics, a place that leads the thundering herd of no-nothings in stamping biology back to a pre-19th Century level. I don't need to read about how wonderful it would be to live in a Christian country. I'm familiar with history. I already know of a! ! time when the world lived under Christianity. It was call! ed the Dark Ages. I wish I could chalk up my dislike of this book to Card's theistic bent, but that just isn't the case. The entire series has been steeped in theism which did nothing to put me off. No, the sour theological undertaste is only disturbing because the book has so little working for it. I hope Card can get his act together, get his head back on straight and write the next book in the series in a way that blows this place-keeping little tale out of my memory. Otherwise, I think I'll just save the cash.
Rating:
Summary: Card's powerful descripitons had me glued to the book
Review: In the fifth book of the Alvin Maker series, Card successfully blends emotion, comedy and drama. Mr. Card's dramatization of witch hunts and slave owners kept me glued to the book. This book isn't just a fight between two brothers. It's a metaphor for the struggle of good and evil. All of the characters are fully developed with unique personalities. READ THIS BOOK!
Rating: 
Summary: Alvin continues his journey
Review: In this book, we see how Alvin gains followers. We are also shown parts of Alvin's world which we haven't been introduced to previously. I think the book is intended to fill in some background. How Card intends to write his superman without the character going completely nutty is what I want to see, and I think we saw some of it here. Alvin is restrained. He follows normal societal mores until they prevent him from accomplishing his goal, then he makes the minimal change necessary in order to achieve what he's trying to do. This is a good middle chapter to the on-going story.
Rating:
Summary: The Journey Continues
Review: It was very obvious to me after the first chapter of Alvin Journeyman the OSC was DONE telling this story. I was very surprised to find Heartfire. I re-read the first 4 books and read Heartfire all in the same week. I really enjoyed it, and at the end of the week I was waiting for another chapter in the Alvin story. (I waited a long time between Prentice Alvin and Alvin Journeyman, and I will sure wait again for more stories about these characters.) The story was entertaining, and there are loose ends all over the place. To me this promises a continuation of the stories and the characters that I love. OSC is great at maintaining character personalities. He builds a person that you would recognize if you met them. I am grateful for the catalyst to blow a whole week of my life just relaxing and enjoying a comfortable and familiar tale. I can't wait to do it again.
Rating:
Summary: Got my Alvin fix for the time being
Review: It's a good fast read. Nothing major happens in this book as far as advancing the overall story. By the way, according to Card's website (hatrack.com) there are 2 more books in the Alvin Maker series that are forthcoming. They are "The Crystal City" and "Master Alvin". Can't wait.
Rating:
Summary: The Series Drags On . . .
Review: Like a lot of Card's recent series installments, this book drags without any real point. The characters are sort of drifting towards an eventual destination, but Heartfire is a mess, without most of the elements that normally distinguish Card's work. The plot: Alvin goes on trial, again; Calvin gets in trouble, again; and everyone has long conversation about what interesting characters they are. Alvin decides that the Crystal City should have fair laws. Alvin's trial and Calvin's goofing around each turn out ok, and Alvin picks up some more disciples. Back in the good old days, Orson Scott Card novels were full of original premises, difficult moral dilemmas, and were gripping the whole way through. Recently, _Pastwatch_ met all these criteria, and was well worth 5 stars. On the other hand, _Heartfire_ feels like it is just marking time until 1846, when Alvin will presumably lead his people West. At this rate, it looks like a long, boring wait.
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