Red Prophet: The Tales of Alvin Maker, Volume II
Read Red Prophet: The Tales of Alvin Maker, Volume II Online
Authors: Orson Scott Card
“There is something deeply heart-wrenching about an America come true, even if it is only a dream, a fantasy novel. . . .The first volume of
The Tales of Alvin Maker
is sharp and clean and branching. May its Maker grow.”
—
The Washington Post Book World
August 30, 1987
“Card’s luminous alternate history of the early 19th century continues to chill as it soothes. . . .From an author as polished and calculating of effect as Orson Scott Card, the savagery of this prophetic message must be utterly deliberate. And suddenly the saga of Alvin Maker begins to thrill.”
—
The Washington Post Book World
February 28, 1988
“Card brings to building this world and his large cast of well-wrought characters formidable schlorship in history, religion, and folklore. He also brings to it his maturing command of the English language. . . .We are talking about the most important work of American fantasy since Stephen Donaldson’s original Thomas Covenant trilogy.”
—
Chicago Sun-Times
T
OR
B
OOKS BY
O
RSON
S
COTT
C
ARD
Empire
The Folk of the Fringe
Future on Fire
(editor)
Future on Ice
(editor)
Lovelock
(with Kathryn Kidd)
Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus
Saints
Songmaster
The Worthing Saga
Wyrms
E
NDER
Ender’s Game | |
Speaker for the Dead | |
Xenocide | |
Children of the Mind | |
Ender’s Shadow | |
T
HE
T
ALES OF
A
LVIN
M
AKER
Seventh Son | |
Alvin Journeyman | Heartfire |
Prentice Alvin | |
H
OMECOMING
The Memory of Earth
The Call of Earth
The Ships of Earth
Earthfall
Earthborn
W
OMEN OF
G
ENESIS
Sarah
Rebekah
Rachel & Leah
S
HORT
F
ICTION
Maps in a Mirror: The Short Fiction of Orson Scott Card
(hardcover)
Maps in a Mirror, Volume 1: The Changed Man
(paperback)
Maps in a Mirror, Volume 2: Flux
(paperback)
Maps in a Mirror, Volume 3: Cruel Miracles
(paperback)
Maps in a Mirror, Volume 4: Monkey Sonatas
(paperback)
ORSON SCOTT CARD
A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK
NEW YORK
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In memory of my grandfather, Orson Rega Card (1891–1984), whose life was saved by Indians of the Blood tribe when he was a child on the Canadian frontier.
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.
RED PROPHET
Copyright © 1988 by Orson Scott Card
All rights reserved.
Maps by Alan McKnight
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tor
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8125-2426-0
ISBN-10: 0-8125-2426-8
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 87-50873
First Edition: January 1988
First Mass Market Edition: December 1988
Printed in the United States of America
20 19 18 17 16 15 14
Chapter
This story takes place in an America whose history is often similar to, but often quite different from our own. You should not assume that the portrayal in this book of a person who shares a name with a figure from American history is an accurate portrayal of that historical figure. In particular, you should be aware that William Henry Harrison, famed in our own history for having the briefest presidency and for his unforgettable election slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler too,” was a somewhat nicer person than his counterpart in this book.
My thanks to Carol Breakstone for American Indian lore; to Beth Meacham for Octagon Mound and Flint Ridge; to Wayne Williams for heroic patience; and to my great-great-grandfather Joseph for the stories behind the story in this book.
As always with my work, Kristine A. Card has influenced and improved every page in this book.
1
HoochNot many flatboats were getting down the Hio these days, not with pioneers aboard, anyway, not with families and tools and furniture and seed and a few shoats to start a pig herd. It took only a couple of fire arrows and pretty soon some tribe of Reds would have themselves a string of half-charred scalps to sell to the French in Detroit.