The Tales of Alvin Maker

Seventh Son (The Tales of Alvin Maker #1) by Orson Scott Card

In an alternate early America where folk magic is as real as rivers and the future is written in visions, The Tales of Alvin Maker unfolds like a frontier myth whispered over firelight. It’s a world half-recognizable—filled with Puritan towns, wandering storytellers, and backwoods mystics—but charged with a sense of fate, wonder, and quiet danger that sets it apart from typical historical fantasy.

At the heart of the series is Alvin, the seventh son of a seventh son—gifted with the power to “Make,” to shape life and matter not through spells or swords, but through will and vision. As he grows from boy to man, his journey isn’t one of conquest but of conscience: How do you wield power without corrupting it? What does it mean to build rather than destroy, especially in a world teetering between creation and chaos?

The narrative blends frontier adventure with philosophical depth, balancing earthy Americana with the otherworldly. Superstitions, spiritual forces, and the pulse of a young, expanding continent shape every page, creating a setting where history and magic flow side by side. Beneath its rustic charm and folk-magic trappings, the series is driven by a quiet urgency—about hope, responsibility, and the fragile dream of a better world.

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The Tales of Alvin Maker consists of six books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

Updated 04/21/2025


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Book Covers
  ★ 7.56 / 41
  ★ 7.38 / 31
  ★ 7.22 / 28
  ★ 6.62 / 26
  ★ 7.00 / 20
  ★ 6.00 / 4
  ⧗ 10.00 / 6

Speculative Fiction Books

(The Tales of Alvin Maker #1 / 7)
1987 | fantasy, locus award, mythopoeic awards, alternate history
(The Tales of Alvin Maker #2 / 7)
1988 | fantasy, locus award, alternate history
(The Tales of Alvin Maker #3 / 7)
1989 | fantasy, locus award, alternate history
(The Tales of Alvin Maker #4 / 7)
1995 | fantasy, locus award, alternate history
(The Tales of Alvin Maker #5 / 7)
1998 | fantasy, alternate history
(The Tales of Alvin Maker #6 / 7)
2003 | fantasy, alternate history
(The Tales of Alvin Maker #7 / 7)
2026 | fantasy, alternate history | Release date April 28, 2026

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