Prentice Alvin
core novel 1989 The Tales of Alvin Maker
Record
| First published | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.81 (19,032 ratings, collected 2026-08-27) |
| Page count | 342 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780812502121 |
| Internal chronology | 3 |
Synopsis
Prentice Alvin continues the Tales of Alvin Maker, following young Alvin as he leaves his family's homestead to apprentice as a blacksmith under Makepeace Smith, a man who recognizes Alvin's growing magical gifts as a Maker and resents him for it. Living now among strangers rather than the family who has protected him since infancy, Alvin must contend with a master eager to exploit his talent while hiding its full extent, all while his old enemy, the malevolent force known as the Unmaker, continues working through human agents to destroy him. As Alvin's apprenticeship deepens his understanding of his own powers, he also grows closer to Peggy, a torch able to see the future, whose own knowledge of the dangers converging on Alvin ties her fate increasingly to his, extending the series' blend of folk magic and reimagined frontier history.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Tales of Alvin Maker
- Series: Tales of Alvin Maker core; position 3 of 7 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Orson Scott Card
Notes
- From the series record (Tales of Alvin Maker): Complete 7-novel alternate-history fantasy saga, an alternate frontier America where folk magic works; concluded 2026 with Master Alvin.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series Tales of Alvin Maker: position 3 of 7: previous Red Prophet (1988) · next Alvin Journeyman (1995)
Sources
← The Tales of Alvin Maker dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.