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Tales of Alvin Maker #5.99
The Yazoo Queen
"The Yazoo Queen" is a fantasy short story by Orson Scott Card set in his The Tales of Alvin Maker series. It was published in the anthology Legends II.
- GenresFantasy
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
152 people want to read
About the author
Orson Scott Card
882 books20.8k followersOrson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is (as of 2023) the only person to have won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for his novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote the Locus Fantasy Award-winning series The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003).
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 4, 2019
I am usually not a fan of Orson Scott Card’s politics, but he writes a good story.
The Yazoo Queen is a novella found on Robert Silverberg’s Legends II, anthology that returns the reader to his Alvin Maker series.
Travelling to Neuva Barcelona (New Orleans) aboard the Mississippi river boat, Alvin and his friend Arthur Stewart meet a young Abraham Lincoln and Jim Bowie in this alternate American history vignette.
Exploring the evils of slavery, Card spends more time in his alternate universe, where magic is taught fairly openly and most everyone has a Piers Anthony like knack for some talent.
The real hero here is again his alternate universe and Card again demonstrates for his readers his talent for fantasy writing.
The Yazoo Queen is a novella found on Robert Silverberg’s Legends II, anthology that returns the reader to his Alvin Maker series.
Travelling to Neuva Barcelona (New Orleans) aboard the Mississippi river boat, Alvin and his friend Arthur Stewart meet a young Abraham Lincoln and Jim Bowie in this alternate American history vignette.
Exploring the evils of slavery, Card spends more time in his alternate universe, where magic is taught fairly openly and most everyone has a Piers Anthony like knack for some talent.
The real hero here is again his alternate universe and Card again demonstrates for his readers his talent for fantasy writing.
March 25, 2017
Alvin "Maker" Smith and Arthur Stuart are pondering whether to board a steamboat. Their decision is based on the slaves speaking a strange language - Alvin is thinking he does not want to support a boat that transports slaves. Arthur suggests otherwise. They take a ride on the boat, encountering a recruiter for a war with Mexica. They also meet Jim Bowie, a man with a penchant for snooping and bragging about his knife made from a file, and Abe Lincoln. Abe was stuck on a raft with his distant relative Cuz. Alvin spotted them and rescued them.
Arthur planned to free the slaves, but he realized they were already free when his first plan failed. The slaves made off on Abe's raft and the owners were quite perturbed at their escape. Alvin and Arthur continued their trek, and wanted nothing to do with the war coming with Mexica.
Arthur planned to free the slaves, but he realized they were already free when his first plan failed. The slaves made off on Abe's raft and the owners were quite perturbed at their escape. Alvin and Arthur continued their trek, and wanted nothing to do with the war coming with Mexica.
May 24, 2024
Read in the Legends II: Dragon, Sword and King mass market paperback edition.
A pretty good little story, I accidentally stumbled across the Tales of Alvin Maker in the first Legends anthology, and whereas I am not fully caught up to where this story takes place chronologically, I think it did a fine enough job of being standalone.
I will agree with other reviewers that you must distance the art and artist when it comes to Card, but I really enjoy his alternate American history plus magic. I think I will start up Prentice Alvin soon.
A pretty good little story, I accidentally stumbled across the Tales of Alvin Maker in the first Legends anthology, and whereas I am not fully caught up to where this story takes place chronologically, I think it did a fine enough job of being standalone.
I will agree with other reviewers that you must distance the art and artist when it comes to Card, but I really enjoy his alternate American history plus magic. I think I will start up Prentice Alvin soon.
October 21, 2021
I read it in exact order with the other books, after JHeartfire, before Crystal City - for which it serves as an opening chapter, setting the scene and introducing characters. Light hearted, but serious topics. He writes with a lot of humour and poking fun. Alt history of America - Abe Lincoln makes an appearance, a lanky, ugly, likeable, amusing appearance. 3.5 rounded down.
October 1, 2017
2,5/5 La historia ha estado bien pero no ha sido nada del otro mundo, pero los personajes me han encantado. Es una pena que algunas cosas no las entienda por no haber leído los libros de está saga y que me haya hecho tantos spoilers con este relato que ya no me apetezca leerla.
May 27, 2021
Read this in Legends II: Dragon, Sword and King (an anthology of Sci-Fi Fantasy short stories)
April 18, 2020
With a few choice words the mind sinks into the southern US dialect, sometimes the gentry, sometimes the working class. As part of the Alvin Maker series, I believe this falls after the books have finished. Alvin and Arthur Stuart, because the latter is ONLY known by his first and last name together, choose a ferry to possibly free some slaves and in the meantime meet Abe Lincoln and Jim Bowie. It's a fun read and ended before I thought it could.
Although the setting is an alternate history, enough of the history makers are placed timely throughout and don't stray too far from their paths. We get a bit of historical fiction, if you will, that broadens the insight of the characters, taking skills such, as a photographic memory, and turning them into something slightly magical. Which, being fairly uncommon, makes perfect sense.
I'd forgotten how YA level the writing is, so be prepared for shorter sentence structures and vocabulary if you are an adult reading any of the Alvin Maker series. As you can see by the photo, this tale can be found in Legends II.
Although the setting is an alternate history, enough of the history makers are placed timely throughout and don't stray too far from their paths. We get a bit of historical fiction, if you will, that broadens the insight of the characters, taking skills such, as a photographic memory, and turning them into something slightly magical. Which, being fairly uncommon, makes perfect sense.
I'd forgotten how YA level the writing is, so be prepared for shorter sentence structures and vocabulary if you are an adult reading any of the Alvin Maker series. As you can see by the photo, this tale can be found in Legends II.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews