1. They will build the Crystal City, but I have no idea what that will be.
2. Calvin will do something bad.
3. The Civil War will be involved in some way. You can't have Abe Lincoln be a character in The Crystal City and then not include the Civil War. Also, Arthur Stuart would be safe and his mother's efforts (both of them) would be rewarded.
4. The conclusion of the Civil War will have some connection to the completion of the Crystal City. I don't know why, but it feels right.
5. Since the Civil War happened in the 1860's, and Alvin was born around the year 1800, (which I know because Alvin was 11 during the events in Red Prophet, which happened during the war of 1812) that puts him at, at least 60 years of age by the end of the book. However, I don't think Alvin will die, because I think he is immortal. (I wish I had the actual book to quote from to back up my claim here, but, weirdly, Red Prophet is the only Alvin Maker book I DON'T own. But I'll do my best.) There was the part in that book when he dreamed of the Eight Faced Mound. He was told in his dream that one bite of the fruit from the tree in the valley would do something to him (what was it?), but TWO bites would make a person immortal. In his dream, he took a bite of the fruit, and I think it actually qualified as a real bite, even though he was dreaming. Two reasons: It mentioned several times that the taste of the fruit was still lingering in Alvin's mouth when he woke up. Also, when Takumsaw and Taleswapper fed him the (second?} bite of the fruit when he was actually IN the Eight Faced Mound, he got better right away...because the fruit made him immortal.
Agreements? Disagreements? Other ideas?
Posted by Cutler (Member # 8162) on :
Disagreement.
Alvin will die in Carthage City. The Crystal City will be destroyed, but the important bits will be carried west by a group lead by Arthur Stuart, who will go on to grow a truly impressive beard.
Posted by DaisyMae (Member # 9722) on :
Am I missing something? I thought it had already been established that the series was over. Posted by 0Megabyte (Member # 8624) on :
No, there's one last book for OSC to write, Master Alvin.
Funny, how I, too, already knew the ending long before we've even heard word that this book is nearly finished.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Master Alvin - the Crystal City is built and destroyed, Alvin is killed, Arthur Stuart leads the people of CC across the Mizzippy and into the Red Lands to the west; Taleswapper gives the book to Arthur Stuart, and Peggy refuses to go west with them as the various parts of America plunge into war over the issue of slavery.
Now you don't have to buy the book.
In another thread, which I found searching for "Alvin" with username "Orson Scott Card", he says it will be the last book even if it is 700 pages long.
Where did you hear the book is nearly finished? This would be surprising news.
Posted by Soara (Member # 6729) on :
The book's not nearly finished. I just wish it was, which is why I started thinking about what would happen.
quote:Master Alvin - the Crystal City is built and destroyed, Alvin is killed, Arthur Stuart leads the people of CC across the Mizzippy and into the Red Lands to the west; Taleswapper gives the book to Arthur Stuart, and Peggy refuses to go west with them as the various parts of America plunge into war over the issue of slavery.
Now you don't have to buy the book.
Holy hell. That sucks. IF he was being serious, which sounds doubtful.
The part about Peggy makes sense. She'll have a huge part in the Civil War.
But the Crystal City being built and destroyed? It's not even BUILT yet, much less destroyed. And that's very pessimistic, though it seems likely. Damn.
Posted by Luet13 (Member # 9274) on :
The whole series is modeled after the life of Joseph Smith who founded the Morman Church. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when Joseph Smith settled in Nauvoo (sp?) Illinois, he built an idealistic Mormon community, the members of which were reviled by Christian organized religion. Many were killed by overzealous people who were really freaked out by what Joseph Smith taught. Brigham Young then took the survivers to Utah. Sorry, that's a really inadequate explanation. I'm not Mormon, and I'm sure some of our Mormon Hatrackers know far more about this than I do. Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
I'm pretty sure Joseph Smith was killed in Carthage. So, yeah...
Posted by Rawr (Member # 9326) on :
quote:Originally posted by pooka: According to Orson Scott Card in this thread
quote: SPOILER ALERT.
Master Alvin - the Crystal City is built and destroyed, Alvin is killed, Arthur Stuart leads the people of CC across the Mizzippy and into the Red Lands to the west; Taleswapper gives the book to Arthur Stuart, and Peggy refuses to go west with them as the various parts of America plunge into war over the issue of slavery.
Now you don't have to buy the book.
In another thread, which I found searching for "Alvin" with username "Orson Scott Card", he says it will be the last book even if it is 700 pages long.
Where did you hear the book is nearly finished? This would be surprising news.
I doubt he's being serious. All things considered, he wouldn't want readers to know what happens before it's out, I mean, think about the royalties!
And this ending seems to weak for an OSC novel, somehow.
Posted by 0Megabyte (Member # 8624) on :
Yes, but that denial plays into his hands. Don't you see? It's a challenge to make you curious to see if he told the truth, thus helping him to sell millions!
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Posted by RunningBear (Member # 8477) on :
Is it even under his "works in progress" right now?
I dont think it is.
Posted by Silas Haslam (Member # 9723) on :
I'm sure everything in Card's spoiler is true. For those of us familiar with Joseph's story, this end to the series was inevitable from when they first started talking about cutting a piece of bone out of his leg in Seventh Son. It makes the story deeper, in my opinion. Everything has resonances that other readers are missing. Just like the bits about Lincoln in the last book wouldn't mean as much if you didn't know who Lincoln turned out to be in the real world.
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