Seventh Son combines suspenseful narrative and rich realistic description with moral seriousness. Almost every chapter contains an exciting event: the Miller family wagon trapped in the middle of a raging flash flood, the heavy ridge beam of a church under construction falling toward the workers beneath it, Reverend Thrower coming to the Millers' under "divine" instruction to kill Alvin—these are only a few examples.

Not all such events threaten Alvin with death. After he sends the cockroaches to his sisters' bedroom, he communes with "the shining man," a supernatural visitor who teaches him the meaning of his act. The events leading up to this one form a hilarious depiction of childhood family fights.

Despite his tinkering with history and description of magical powers, Card has presented an authentic portrait of frontier culture. In fact, even his portrayal of magic is based on studies of...