Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card.
Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card, Tales of Alvin Maker Book #2
Introduction
Alvin Miller is the seventh son of a seventh son which gives him special powers in this alternate history tale of America set in 1811 during the time around the historical battle of Tippecanoe. In this series, each of the important characters of European ancestry possesses a folklore talent called a knack. The Indians in the series have a connection to the land which helps them survive and prosper. The Indian way is threatened by the arrival of the settlers. Alvin is a bridge between Americans and the Indians. He must heal the land and broker a compromise, or the Americans and Indians will perish in a destructive war.
Summary
Historical figures are transformed into characters who may or may not resemble their real selves. The American characters keep their historical names like William Henry Harrison, Mike Fink, Andrew Jackson, and Napoleon Bonaparte. The Indian characters have transformed names like Ta-Kumsaw (Tecumseh) and his brother Lolla-Wossiky (Tensquatawa) aka the prophet. Locations also have transformed names like the Hio territory (Ohio), the Wobbish territory (Indiana), and Carthage City (Harrison’s fort at the crossing of Ohio and the Greater Miami rivers).
The main plot involves three characters. Harrison wants to take over the Indian territory of Wobbish and open it to settlers. Ta-Kumsaw wants to fight the Americans and wipe them out to send them back to Europe. Lolla-Wossiky prefers a path of non-violent resistance and builds an Indian town called Prophetstown. The three clash and young Alvin, through his Indian-like talent powered by the strength of the land, try to solve the problem. Through his efforts, Alvin earned the name Alvin Maker.
Recommendation
I wanted to read this novel because I recently read an excerpt novella named Carthage City published in the September 1987 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. I wrote a post on purchasing the missing 60 issues I didn’t have from Spring 1977 to March 2014 in this post titled Asimov Collection. The novella covered the story about the character named Hooch Palmer. It was the only section of the novel that did not involve Alvin.
I was interested in the background information and the magical system, so I bought a copy of the novel. I liked the novel. The only aspect of the novel I didn’t like was the narrative of bad American who is not of the land versus the noble savage Indians who are of the land. I took it as satire, over-exaggeration to prove a point about not thinking through actions. With that perspective, I would like to read the other five novels in the series.
Links
Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card.
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7968.Red_Prophet
A book that shares some similarities to Red Prophet is Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin. Red Prophet is an alternate history where nature magic exists in America. Fevre Dream is a historical fantasy set in the past in America where vampire/werewolves come to America from Europe. The link to Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin is linked below.