Hatrack River Forum: Alvin Maker and Carnivale

This is topic Alvin Maker and Carnivale in forum Discussions About Orson Scott Card at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Loial (Member # 5788) on :

Anyone here watches Carnivale ?
From the beginning it reminded me of Alvin Maker.

Both take place in a historic America (though Carnivale happens a century later).
In both Americas magic is real.
In both of them the main character is a young man with special powers (but without a clue).
Both use cute slang.
Both have a fight of Good vs. Evil (though many stories have that).
And I love both of them. [Smile]

Carnivale is much darker though.

Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :

I doubt there's even the slightest connection.

I'm just grateful when anybody actually tries to create a truly American fantasy.

But contemporary fantasies usually function as horror (a la Stephen King) so it's no surprise that Carnivale is darker.

And I appreciate your recommendation. I've never actually seen it.

Posted by Loial (Member # 5788) on :

Hi Mr. Card
I didn't expect a reply from you.

I'm not sure what you mean by whether or not there is a connection. If you mean that the creators of Carnivale probably didn't take ideas from the Alvin Maker books, that's probably true. There are just some similarities.

I am grateful with any kind of fantasy on TV, American or not (as long as it's good).

And it's definitely not horror. It just takes place in a darker era (the Great Depression, pre WW2, etc...). Well, maybe it does have some horror elements, but that's not the main theme.