The Crystal City

rom the end of the eighteenth century into the early years of the nineteenth, Americans crossed the Appalachian Mountains and Northwest Territory, spreading west. They traveled to find new homes, new lands, and they brought with them the plain magics of plain people. It is from these roots of the American dream that award-winning writer Orson Scott Card has crafted a uniquely American fantasy. Using the lore and the folk magic of the men and women who settled a continent, and the beliefs of the tribes who were here before them, Card has created an alternate frontier America; a world where certain magic really works and has colored the entire history of the colonies. Charms, beseechings, hexes, and potions all have a place in the lives of the people of this world. 'Knacks' abound: dowsers find water, sparks set fires, blacksmiths speak to iron, the second sight warns of dan ger, and a torch can read the heart-fire of anyone within reach. Alvin Miller is the seventh son of a seventh son, born while all of his brothers still lived. Such a birth is a powerful magic; such a boy is destined to perhaps become a Maker, even though no Maker has been born for many a century. But Alvin is something special; and even before his birth, dark forces reached out to destroy him. Rejoin the tale of Alvin and his wife Peggy as they work to create the Crystal City of Alvin's vision, where all people can live together in peace. ORSON SCOTT CARD lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.