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The Crystal City: The Tales of Alvin Maker, Book Six Audiobook
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(3.00) - 6,012 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
This full-cast production of Orson Scott Card's newest title is finally available on audio
From the end of the 18th century, Americans travelled west to find new homes and new lands. They brought with them the magics of plain people. It is from these roots of the American dream that award-winning writer Orson Scott Card has crafted what the Charlotte Observer called "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. Charms, beseechings, hexes, and potions all have a place in the lives of the people of this world.
Alvin Miller is the seventh son of a seventh son, born while his six brothers all still lived. Such a birth is a powerful magic; such a boy is destined to perhaps become a Maker. 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.
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"I liked it. A lot. Good concepts, good ideas, good questions. Good story too, not least of all by any means. But I strongly feel that the story itself got lost somehow in the telling. Perhaps Card is a bit like Peggy- he ended up knowing too much and eventually got lost in it, not knowing what to tell. Too many stories in him. Not enough time in the world. I know he turned out to be more than a little like Alvin himself. He saw the vision clearly, first of all, and felt the making of it, but somehow it got away from him over time. Too many things happened that he did not expect and he had to search for the natural ending to things. Not what he expected. And not exactly what he seemed to offer when he began the writing of the series. But mighty fine, all the same. As I said, I liked it. A lot."
— Ellabella (4 out of 5 stars)
The Crystal City Listener Reviews
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" I like Orson Scott Card. Not so surprisingly, these are better in English than in Finnish. "
— Tuulikki, 2/12/2014 -
" Average continuation of the last three books with an above average climax that fades into a typical happy ending. Wish the last book would come out already "
— Brock, 2/5/2014 -
" you may enjoy the ending more than i did. it's not my type of ending is all. "
— Magila, 2/2/2014 -
" All I gotta say is that the seventh book better not be too long in coming.... "
— Rebecca, 1/18/2014 -
" a little bit of a let down for the end of a series- but still good. "
— Mallory, 12/8/2013 -
" I love this series! I really hope OSC finishes the series, and I remember thinking that the last time I read it, but this time through, I loved every minute of it. I still think there can be more, but it is good as it stands. "
— Rachel, 11/5/2013 -
" I still really liked it, but I read the whole series in just a few days and I think I may have been getting a little burnt out by the sixth book. Still a great series. Original. "
— Jamie, 9/10/2013 -
" Alvin Maker is sent by his wife to the Spanish city at the mouth of the Mississippi River to rescue the slave population. Several historical characters are introduced but the author gives them evil character flaws. "
— Fredrick, 7/10/2013 -
" This continuation of the saga of Alvin Maker is a bit uneven but has some superb images. "
— Terry, 5/7/2013 -
" This series was great for the first 3 books, but seemed to taper off. not a bad book at all, just didn't captivate me as much as some of the other books in this series. "
— Nicole, 1/11/2013 -
" This was a good book to end the series with. I was disappointed though that so many of the great characters from past books were not in this one. "
— Valori, 7/3/2012 -
" A bit disappointed by this final book. The end is too open and does not answer most questions, but reading it was nice and I don't feel like I lost my time... "
— Fanny, 6/26/2012 -
" I feel that Card is a lot stronger in the beginning books in his series, rather than the end. Not that this book was bad by any means, but it wasn't the thrill of the first 2. Same goes with Ender's Saga. "
— Anne, 6/2/2012 -
" I'm bored with these books. I'm bored with the characters. At this point I keep going because I'm so far in already, I might as well see how it ends. "
— Laura, 5/25/2012 -
" This was a great book. It was a great series to read. This last book was different than I expected. Which was great, I did not much like the ending I was expecting. This one was even different than the main character was expecting as well, we were kind of thinking along the same lines. "
— Wes, 3/7/2012 -
" Another book that sucks, he had such an awesome start with the first three. Then he took his world online and "sampled" from what residents of his online village wrote. "
— Tom, 10/23/2011 -
" Is this really the end? It is as suspensful and entertaining as the previous books but it is hardly a conclusion. "
— Cathrine, 6/1/2011 -
" I'm sad that this is the last book in this series. It was a fun run. Orson always leaves his book kind of open. He could write more in this series. Things weren't tied up tight at the end so you got the feeling that you were left hanging but it was a good book all the same. "
— Tracy, 5/24/2011 -
" great series, original story in my opinion "
— Roger, 4/25/2011 -
" Listened to it on audio and of course have not heard the rest in the series. It was entertaining as it was read very well, but it is not my favorite genre. "
— Suzanne, 4/10/2011 -
" I'm sad that this is the last book in this series. It was a fun run. Orson always leaves his book kind of open. He could write more in this series. Things weren't tied up tight at the end so you got the feeling that you were left hanging but it was a good book all the same. "
— Tracy, 4/3/2011 -
" Alvin Miller discovers he has incredible powers for creating and shaping things around him.<br/><br/>A recurring and main theme of the books is the conflict between Creators and Destroyers—namely, Making such as Alvin does, and Unmaking that he confronts. "
— Toni, 3/29/2011 -
" Goddamnit Card finish this series already what is the deal. "
— Guy, 3/8/2011 -
" This series left me disappointed in Orson Scott Card...sad. "
— Sarah, 3/1/2011 -
" This continuation of the saga of Alvin Maker is a bit uneven but has some superb images. "
— Terry, 2/26/2011 -
" Book 6 in the series. Another book about Alvin Maker, he helps free slaves and begins building his dream city. This series is a fantasy, alternate world crazy place with many historical figures throw in. It is chuck full of religious themes from several religions. "
— Cheryl, 2/5/2011 -
" Good ending to the series. Definitely recommend the whole series for fantasy fans. "
— Jenna, 2/2/2011 -
" The odd numbered books in this series are definitely my favorite, but the series as a whole is definitely worth reading, including this sixth one. The Alvin Maker books are a great combination of fun and entertainment, but at the same time being meaningful and interesting. "
— Juli, 2/1/2011 -
" LOVED it! Just wanted a few more answers to hounding questions, before the end of the series... "
— Becky, 1/7/2011 -
" I still really liked it, but I read the whole series in just a few days and I think I may have been getting a little burnt out by the sixth book. Still a great series. Original. "
— Jamie, 12/17/2010 -
" Average continuation of the last three books with an above average climax that fades into a typical happy ending. Wish the last book would come out already "
— Brock, 10/26/2010
About Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card, the author of the New York Times bestseller Ender’s Game, has won several Hugo and Nebula awards for his works of speculative fiction. His Ender novels are widely read by adults and younger readers and are increasingly used in schools. Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy, American-frontier fantasy, biblical novels, poetry, plays, and scripts.
About the Narrators
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.
Pedro Pablo Sacristán was born in Madrid and graduated with an MBA from a prestigious business school. His passion for education and writing led him to create Bedtime Stories, short stories that help teach kids values.