Alvin Miller, Jr., is the seventh son of a seventh son, born when his six brothers were still living. This makes him especially powerful in the magic economy of his world and culture, where there exist two roughly equal creative and destructive forces. Folk magic attempts to tap into and harmonize with the force of creation while holding off the force of destruction. These forces are clearly related to those William Blake describes in, among other works, "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell." Blake calls his forces "the prolific" and "the devourer." These forces are also similar to the powers of light and darkness in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy.

While both forces are essential to life and motion in the universe, humanity must choose life over death, order over disorder, creation over destruction.

Because Alvin promises to be an especially powerful "maker...