Card really sacrificed storytelling for sermonizing in this book, which is too bad. It's almost as though he ran out of interesting ways to tell Alivn's story back in Prentice Alvin and the rest of the series is less good fiction and more a vehicle from which to tout his Mormon agenda. There is more author intrusion in Heartfire than in any other of the Tales of Alvin Maker so far, most of which is pure bullshit. Some bits of it were still interesting though, and I'm hooked to see how the final conflict between Calvin and Alvin turns out. Unfortunately, my copy of The Crystal City is in TN, so it may be awhile before I finish the series. Ah, well.

Card is an extremely good writer, and his books are always a pleasure to read, but at times I did feel that the stories here occasionally suffered for being too allegorical, and too much about Card's ideas of morality.

In the 5th volume, 'Heartfire' Alvin marries Peggy, the schoolteacher. All I have to say is, I'm not sure what Card is trying to get at here, but he seems to have a peculiar idea of marriage. Basically, they get together, conceive a child, and run off to totally separate parts of the country both doing their own political thing. Alvin can 'see' Peggy from afar, but no actual romantic love is portrayed in the story AT ALL. Very odd. Anyway, most of the story here, again, is a courtroom drama. This time, Alvin, his lawyer, Verily Cooper, Arthur Stuart, and John James Audubon (yes, the famous naturalist, here portrayed as a caricature of the French - it's kinda weird), encounter a young woman who suspects that she herself may be a witch. Of course, she accuses Alvin and his friends of witchcraft. But when the witch-hunter comes, she finds herself accused as well. Alvin feels the need to stick around and save her from herself. The judge in the case is John Adams (not, here, a President), and meanwhile, Calvin is hanging out with Balzac (the author). And yes, the gratuitous appearances of historical figures was annoying me (but that's just me).

I enjoyed this installment of the Alvin Maker series. I really enjoy how the author incorporates many historical figures/events in this story.

Mooched in February 2021!

Current BookMooch inventory: http://bookmooch.com/m/inventory/jonmoss

Well, it's consistent, I like the odd numbered books in this series best. This was excellent. While book 4 dragged in places, book 5 had a great pace. The new characters introduced were well developed and added nicely to the story overall. I enjoy that few of Card's characters are all bad - they're complex, as real people are. Some of the characters that disgusted me at the beginning of the story fascinated me by the end. I also loved the imagery used, especially with the slaves and their heartfires. The climax of that part of the story was incredible, filled with power from the characters and stunning visual concepts. Loved it. And on top of it all, there was a plot twist part-way through that caught me by surprise (and yet wasn't just for shock, it was an appropriate and fitting development, I just somehow didn't see it coming), which is impressive 5 books into a series.

I enjoyed the scene where Alvin leaves the court room after he sees that the law is being subverted to find him innocent. I then appreciate that John Adams is able to use the law to find Alvin legitimately innocent by destroying those who abused the law to attempt to find Alvin guilty. Clever twist and excellent lawyering.

És bueno... pero

Los primeros libros de la serie te jalan... y hacen q sea muy dinámica la historia, este pierde un poco la magia... no fui tan tan

If there's one more court case in this series im gonna lose it!

Good tale to further the story along, Honore de Balzac is the best, Calvin is the worst. How much resolution is there going to be in Crystal City? Im getting nervous

The whole thing tastes like Mormon. Mutch more entertaining and truthfull though. Orson at least admits its a its fantac

The momentum from Alvin Journeyman (Book 4) kept moving through Heartfire (Book 5). I have yet to find the right words for how much I enjoyed this book. I am engrossed in the larger story, the mini arcs are captivating, the development of the long-standing characters is fulfilling, and the introduction of new characters is building complexity and tension that keeps my mind racing.

I don’t know how to rate this book. On one hand, I had to keep reading to see what happens, so I know the sequence of events. But, on the other hand, I felt like I was seeing and not understanding. If this is the religious allegory that it seems to be, I'm finding it very slippery to hang onto.

This volume makes the comparison of Calvin and Alvin to Cain and Abel explicit. So there's that. But then we have Alvin wandering the countryside, doing his miraculous Maker things and being persecuted by the law in a very Christ-like way. Even Purity, who causes so much trouble in the book, recognizes the men that he is travelling with as disciples. Card's world seems to have two evil doers, the Unmaker and Satan. Most of the time, Calvin seems to be allied with them, playing Judas maybe? Everybody seems to get multiple Biblical identities.

Just like Philip Jose Farmer's use of Mark Twain in the Riverworld books, which made me cringe, I found myself feeling sorry for the historical figures that Card incorporates into the narrative. John James Audubon and Honore de Balzac must be rolling in their graves. John Quincy Adams might be uneasy too.

Then there's the whole Black slavery issue, which has particular relevancy in these days of protest and the Black Lives Matter movement. Add to this the whole question, during the witch trial, of the nature of law versus justice. There are an awful lot of irons in this fire and I'm sure I don't know how the author intends to wrap it up. And that, I guess, is an admission that I will read the next installment.

Book number 370 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.

La primera mitad del libro es levemente decepcionante, demasiado síndrome de comunidad del anillo. Lo que hace repuntar la historia es que cuando uno espera que se repita el tópico del viaje del héroe a la usanza de Tolkien, Card nos involucra en temas religiosos e históricos que por lo menos a mí me dejaron pensativo. Lo resumo con un diálogo que marqué porque es una realidad vigente.

"—Acabo de encontrar la prueba que necesito para demostrar que estás equivocado. A la gente no le gusta cómo funcionan los juicios de brujos. A la gente no le gusta la injusticia. Derriba esas leyes y nadie las echará de menos.
Alvin sacudió la cabeza.
—La buena gente no las echará de menos. Pero no fue la buena gente quien las creó en primer lugar. Fue la gente asustada. El mundo no es firme. Suceden cosas malas aunque hayas tenido cuidado y no has hecho ningún mal. La gente buena, la gente fuerte, lo acepta, pero si está asustada y es débil quiere echarle la culpa a alguien. La buena gente pensará que han acabado con los juicios de brujos, pero la siguiente generación pensará lo contrario y allá estaremos de nuevo, llevando un sombrero distinto, llamándolos por un nombre diferente, pero con juicios de brujos igualmente, en los que importará más hacer que castiguen a alguien que su culpabilidad.
—Entonces volveremos a atacar —dijo Verily.
Alvin se encogió de hombros.
—Claro que lo haremos, en cuanto sepamos qué es qué y quién es quién. Tal vez la próxima vez los cazadores de brujos vayan detrás de gente con opiniones que no les gusten, o gente que rece de otra forma o en el lugar distinto, o gente que sea fea o hable raro, o gente que no sea lo bastante amable o que lleve ropa extraña. Algún día puede que hagan juicios de brujos para condenar a la gente por ser puritana."

Da para mucho en tiempos en que un solo comentario en RRSS puede sepultar toda la vida de una persona incluso antes de que se piense en considerar acciones legales. Solo por este giro salvo el libro. Ahora dentro del contexto de la saga creo que es un paso atrás.