Question about the Crystal City

[SearsKindaGuy]

I'm not sure if this has been addressed, but I'm about halfway through Orson Scott Card's The Crystal City and even though I have read the Alvin Maker series 1-5 within hours of each other and have them fresh in my mind, I am confused. He seems to have dropped pretty much all of the new characters you met in Heartfire and the book starts off hundreds of miles away from where the last one left off. And to top it all off, they keep on mentioning things as though we're suppose to know them (Jim Bowie comes to mind as does whatever happened on the Yazoo Queen). Now, my question: Have I missed something from Heartfire? Or is there some other book that has Alvin's story that I missed? Or did I skip a book (I've read Seventh Son, Red Prophet, Prentice Alvin, Alvin Journeyman, and Heartfire)? Or is OSC just being a jerk?

I've Googled but none of the reviewers that the search shows up with seem to even notice the things I have. I would be grateful for any help for I have put a lot of time in this series and I'd hate to have missed something.

 

[M&O]

Crystal City

Those are all the books, and in the right order. I don't have an answer, but thought you could try asking in the forums on OSC's site at www.hatrack.com . I haven't read Crystal City yet, and I read the last book a while ago and can't remember well enough.

 

[Ben Holiday]

What your missing is two short stories the first was printed in "Legends, edited by Robert Silverberg" and the second was "Legends II, edited by Robert Silverberg" as well.

Very good reads if like me you've read any of the various authors works compiled within the two books. So if you go pick those two up you will know what the references are pointing too for Jim Bowie and The Yazoo Queen. Plus you will have some great spin offs, prequels and sequels to some other great writers works.