Review Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1)

Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1)

by Robin Hobb, Barokah Ruziati (Translator), Lulu Fitri Rahman (Editor), Tendy Yulianes (Proofreader)

Fitz, anak haram putra mahkota Enam Duchy, dibesarkan oleh kepala istal kerajaan dan dipandang rendah seisi istana. Namun dalam darah Fitz mengalir Keahlian, kemampuan telepati yang turun-menurun dalam keluarga Farseer, penguasa Enam Duchy. Dan atas perintah Raja Shrewd, diam-diam Fitz dilatih menjadi pembunuh. Ketika perompak ganas menyerang Enam Duchy, wilayah itu dalam bahaya besar. Berbekal Keahlian dan pelatihannya selama ini, Fitz menjalani misi berbahayanya yang pertama. Namun, kendati Fitz bertarung untuk menyelamatkan Enam Duchy, banyak pihak yang menganggapnya sebagai ancaman bagi singgasana.

Penerbit Matahati 2011

Karen: First Review in February 2006: First, a short blurb on the storyline (so skip to the next paragraph if you haven’t read the book, and don’t want it spoilt). Fitz is a royal bastard (as in born outside of wedlock). At age five his mother’s family deliver him to the royals and abandon him. The boy looks just like his King-in-Waiting father, but this doesn’t win Fitz any favours. His father, and his wife, abdicate and move away from the castle, leaving Fitz to be tended by the stable master. Over the years, Fitz is treated badly, but one day the king finds a use for little Fitz, and he is apprenticed to Chade, the king’s assassin. From here everything that can go wrong, does, but I’ll let you read the book to find out how it turns out.

I loved the characters and the plot. Both were deeply woven together. There were a number of surprises, some of them tear jerkers. It is written in first person, but Robin Hobb did a beautiful job with this. She allowed the reader to get right inside the main characters head, and this paid off, because I really felt connected with him – I felt his pain and loneliness. It was enough to shatter the heart.

As I said, Assassin’s Apprentice was written in first person, so the author felt she had to include a short passage at the beginning of each chapter (ranging from a few lines to one and a half pages), which explained the history and other characters. These were things that the main character didn’t know and was mostly “telling”. This is the main thing that I disliked about the book. I found it distracting and…well, boring. After reading the first few, I stopped reading them and I feel I didn’t miss anything. The story was just as rich without these “info dumps”.

There were places where the author also described too much. For example, it took something like five pages to describe a city. By the time I’d read 3 pages, I was well and truly over it and just wanted the story to continue – so skipped the rest of the description. Other sections were over described too, but not as bad as the section I just mentioned. These long descriptions were also distracting and managed to pull me out of the story I was thoroughly enjoying.

Taking these things away, this book is excellent. The story and characters are so real that the reader has no choice but to “get over” the bad things and move on. I did, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The book is the first book in a trilogy, but it is also a stand alone novel. I don’t have to read the next book, but I will because I want to see where the story will go (and how the author improves because, I believe, this was her first published novel).

Highly recommended; and, I think it will gain a place in my top ten books. Second Review in October 2009: This is the second time I have read this book, the first being in early 2006. On that occasion I had intended to read the trilogy but something happened in my life which stopped me – the loss of my son. Unable to concentrate for long periods of time and unable to handle complex plots, I turned to stand alone, much thinner books written for young children. The three books which make up The Farseer Trilogy have been sitting on my bookshelf ever since.

Now, three and a half years later, I find myself wanting to complete the trilogy. However, I realised the grief had completely wiped the first book from my memory. Apart from the main character's name, I could remember next to nothing of the story. I didn't want to pick up book two and start reading, hoping the first book would come back to me, as that would be distracting, so I read the first book again.

I had expected a flood of memory to occur at some stage during the reading – especially when I approached the climax – but that didn't happen. I did, however, remember small sections that obviously made an impression on me in 2006, but not enough to spoil any of the surprises. This morning, after finishing Assassin's Apprentice for the second time, I set about finding the review I wrote back then. It seems I enjoyed it then, with some reservations about the detailed descriptions. Today, I think I have a better appreciation for the book as I had more time in which to sit and become absorbed by it – I even read the “telling” sections at the beginning of each chapter, that I didn't have much time for previously.

Maybe it's a case of “older and wiser”, but I think it's more likely to do with the time restraint issues I had back in 2006, but whatever it was I really enjoyed this second reading. I became totally absorbed and found myself wanting to return to the story, even when it wasn't possible. Eventually, I left all other distractions at home (for the train trip to and from work) and concentrated solely on the book, which meant I was dedicating four hours a day to reading. I was captivated!

The author shows in this one book how a complex plot can be written in a smooth, believable manner. She also proves that whilst action is important, it doesn't have to dominate every paragraph of every page. She shows that a character driven book can pull a reader in and hold them through thick and thin, through the laughs and pain, through love and death. This is a brilliant example of a well written story.

This morning I finished Assassin's Apprentice and in the next minute I was already absorbed by Royal Assassin, book 2 of the trilogy. It's looking as if this trilogy is going to take a place on my “favourites” list.

Barbara: The prince's illegitimate son is dropped off at the King's residence at the age of six - unnamed and unloved. He is immediately dubbed Fitz (meaning bastard) by his father's stablemaster, Burrich. Thus begins the life of a boy hated (and feared) by all. Everyone in Fitz's young life betrays him or tries to kill him. The things they do to him are unconsciounable (sp?).

A few of the people of Buckkeep have psychic abilities - called the Skill. Fitz doesn't appear to have this but he does have an affinity with animals - called the Wit. At the King's command, Fitz is trained in various endeavors - a fighter/warrior, an assassin and even a magic user (Skill). As the King's assassin, he embarks on a mission which will change his life forever.

A backdrop to the story is the red-ship raiders, who are vile barbarians pillaging and kidnapping villagers. They return the victims zombie-like. It's almost like they're given a lobotomy - no emotions at all, no family ties, just violent as hell. The Skill workers are fighting this assault but no real page time is given to the conflict. I imagine this is left for a future book. I hope so, these people are unbelieveably vicious and I'd like to see the Farseers repel them.

I enjoyed this entry in the Farseer trilogy - even with the treacherous court life, the murdering royals and the traitors. I immediately felt pity for young Fitz and as the underdog, was pulling for him to teach those traitorus jackals a thing or two. Well he makes it through this adventure by the skin of his teeth, hopefully he will get revenge in the next installment.

M. Ulin: Buku ini berkisah tentang Fitz, anak di luar nikah dari Pangeran Chivalry--putra mahkota keluarga Farseer. Keluarga Farseer adalah keluarga raja yang menguasai daerah Enam Duchy (Six Duchies)–enam daerah yang masing-masing dipimpin oleh duke atau duchess. Pada usianya yang keenam, Fitz dipisahkan dari ibunya dan dikirim ke istana. Kedatangan Fitz menjadi berita hangat di kerajaan. Alih-alih mengakui Fitz, Pangeran Chivalry mengundurkan diri dari kedudukannya sebagai calon raja dan pergi dari istana. Fitz kemudian diasuh oleh Burrich, kepala istal kerajaan yang juga abdi setia Pangeran Chivalry.

Di masa kecilnya, Fitz hidup dalam kesepian, diabaikan, dan cenderung dipandang rendah oleh penduduk istana. Namun semuanya berubah ketika Raja Shrewd–Raja Enam Duchy saat ini, yang juga adalah kakek Fitz–mengambil sebuah keputusan. Raja ingin melatih Fitz, dan sebagai gantinya Fitz harus memberikan kesetiaannya kepada sang raja. Fitz dilatih baca tulis, etiket, dan persenjataan. Dan atas perintah raja pula, secara diam-diam Fitz juga diajari seni membunuh oleh seseorang bernama Chade. Menurut Raja, membunuh adalah salah satu cara untuk memperlancar diplomasi kerajaan.

Selain memiliki bakat yang lebih daripada anak-anak seusianya (yang digambarkan penulis dari cara berpikir dan kata-kata yang keluar dari mulutnya), Fitz juga memiliki Kecerdasan dan Keahlian. Kecerdasan adalah kemampuan berbahaya untuk menjangkau pikiran binatang. Keahlian adalah bakat turun-temurun semacam telepati yang dimiliki anggota keluarga Farseer.

Walaupun ia sudah berusaha untuk “bersembunyi” dan tidak menarik banyak perhatian, Fitz mau tak mau harus terlibat dalam intrik politik di kerajaan. Diakui atau tidak, ia masih keturunan raja dan walaupun berada di urutan terakhir, ia juga berada dalam daftar ahli waris kerajaan. Konflik mulai terjadi ketika perompak ganas dari bangsa Outisland menyerang desa-desa di wilayah Enam Duchy dan menculik penduduk. Walaupun kelihatannya para perompak tersebut hanya menyebabkan sedikit kerusakan, Enam Duchy sebenarnya berada dalam bahaya yang lebih besar…

…dan Fitz mau tak mau harus terseret dalam konflik ini.

Setting dunia Enam Duchy dijelaskan dengan detail oleh penulis. Sejarah berdiri, sistem pemerintahan, karakter penduduk dan mata pencaharian, transportasi yang digunakan, sampai aspek ketuhanan diceritakan di buku pertama ini. Bahkan, di halaman awal, terdapat peta wilayah Enam Duchy itu sendiri.

Dan karena banyak penjelasan setting, menurut saya bab-bab awal buku ini terkesan lambat. Di setiap awal bab diceritakan peristiwa-peristiwa penting dalam sejarah Enam Duchy. Deskripsi Enam Duchy dan masa kecil Fitz di bagian awal buku ini–yang diceritakan dengan paragraf-paragraf dan kalimat-kalimat panjang–sempat membuat saya bosan. Tapi, menginjak beberapa bab di tengah, yang lebih fokus pada konflik, kisah Fitz mulai menarik untuk diikuti.

Bagi saya, buku ini agak “berat” karena banyak bercerita tentang politik. Akan tetapi, banyak pelajaran yang bisa didapat dari buku ini, misalnya mengenai diplomasi antar kerajaan dan menyelesaikan masalah tanpa masalah–pelajaran yang jarang ada pada buku fantasi lain yang pernah saya baca. Dan untungnya terjemahan Penerbit Matahati terasa mulus, enak dibaca, dan bersih dari typo sehingga saya lebih bisa menikmati ceritanya dan tidak perlu merasa terganggu dengan adanya kalimat yang janggal.

Untuk urusan cover, menurut saya cover edisi terjemahan ini lebih bagus daripada edisi aslinya :) ) Oh iya, awalnya saya mengira si penulis, Robin Hobb, adalah seorang laki-laki. Namun ternyata Robin Hobb adalah nama pena dari Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden (seorang perempuan!). Sebelumnya, penulis juga pernah menggunakan nama pena Meghan Lindholm untuk menulis karya-karyanya. Assassin’s Apprentice adalah buku pertama dari trilogi Farseer yang dilanjutkan “Royal Assassin” (buku dua) dan “Assassin’s Quest” (buku tiga).

Trilogi Farseer sendiri adalah satu dari empat seri dalam rangkaian cerita “The Realm of the Elderlings”. Kisah FitzChivalry dalam trilogi Farseer dilanjutkan dalam trilogi “The Tawny Man”. Dua seri lain dalam rangkaian cerita “The Realm of the Elderlings”, yaitu trilogi “Liveship Traders” dan chronicle “Rain Wilds”, juga bersetting di Enam Duchy walaupun tidak bercerita tentang kisah Fitz.

Anni: This book made me realize a number of things:
1. I like the idea of killing people for fun and profit 2. You can't trust your uncle 3. I like men who whine a lot and play with dogs 4. I would like to read people's minds, but I do not want them to read mine 5. Poison is an interesting topic, and discussing it with strangers online can lead to tragic relationships with gay Nazis who live in other countries
If you keep these things in mind, you will be able to enjoy this book more.

Review Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1)

Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1)

by Robin Hobb, Barokah Ruziati (Translator), Lulu Fitri Rahman (Editor), Tendy Yulianes (Proofreader)

Fitz, anak haram putra mahkota Enam Duchy, dibesarkan oleh kepala istal kerajaan dan dipandang rendah seisi istana. Namun dalam darah Fitz mengalir Keahlian, kemampuan telepati yang turun-menurun dalam keluarga Farseer, penguasa Enam Duchy. Dan atas perintah Raja Shrewd, diam-diam Fitz dilatih menjadi pembunuh. Ketika perompak ganas menyerang Enam Duchy, wilayah itu dalam bahaya besar. Berbekal Keahlian dan pelatihannya selama ini, Fitz menjalani misi berbahayanya yang pertama. Namun, kendati Fitz bertarung untuk menyelamatkan Enam Duchy, banyak pihak yang menganggapnya sebagai ancaman bagi singgasana.

Penerbit Matahati 2011

Karen: First Review in February 2006: First, a short blurb on the storyline (so skip to the next paragraph if you haven’t read the book, and don’t want it spoilt). Fitz is a royal bastard (as in born outside of wedlock). At age five his mother’s family deliver him to the royals and abandon him. The boy looks just like his King-in-Waiting father, but this doesn’t win Fitz any favours. His father, and his wife, abdicate and move away from the castle, leaving Fitz to be tended by the stable master. Over the years, Fitz is treated badly, but one day the king finds a use for little Fitz, and he is apprenticed to Chade, the king’s assassin. From here everything that can go wrong, does, but I’ll let you read the book to find out how it turns out.

I loved the characters and the plot. Both were deeply woven together. There were a number of surprises, some of them tear jerkers. It is written in first person, but Robin Hobb did a beautiful job with this. She allowed the reader to get right inside the main characters head, and this paid off, because I really felt connected with him – I felt his pain and loneliness. It was enough to shatter the heart.

As I said, Assassin’s Apprentice was written in first person, so the author felt she had to include a short passage at the beginning of each chapter (ranging from a few lines to one and a half pages), which explained the history and other characters. These were things that the main character didn’t know and was mostly “telling”. This is the main thing that I disliked about the book. I found it distracting and…well, boring. After reading the first few, I stopped reading them and I feel I didn’t miss anything. The story was just as rich without these “info dumps”.

There were places where the author also described too much. For example, it took something like five pages to describe a city. By the time I’d read 3 pages, I was well and truly over it and just wanted the story to continue – so skipped the rest of the description. Other sections were over described too, but not as bad as the section I just mentioned. These long descriptions were also distracting and managed to pull me out of the story I was thoroughly enjoying.

Taking these things away, this book is excellent. The story and characters are so real that the reader has no choice but to “get over” the bad things and move on. I did, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The book is the first book in a trilogy, but it is also a stand alone novel. I don’t have to read the next book, but I will because I want to see where the story will go (and how the author improves because, I believe, this was her first published novel).

Highly recommended; and, I think it will gain a place in my top ten books. Second Review in October 2009: This is the second time I have read this book, the first being in early 2006. On that occasion I had intended to read the trilogy but something happened in my life which stopped me – the loss of my son. Unable to concentrate for long periods of time and unable to handle complex plots, I turned to stand alone, much thinner books written for young children. The three books which make up The Farseer Trilogy have been sitting on my bookshelf ever since.

Now, three and a half years later, I find myself wanting to complete the trilogy. However, I realised the grief had completely wiped the first book from my memory. Apart from the main character's name, I could remember next to nothing of the story. I didn't want to pick up book two and start reading, hoping the first book would come back to me, as that would be distracting, so I read the first book again.

I had expected a flood of memory to occur at some stage during the reading – especially when I approached the climax – but that didn't happen. I did, however, remember small sections that obviously made an impression on me in 2006, but not enough to spoil any of the surprises. This morning, after finishing Assassin's Apprentice for the second time, I set about finding the review I wrote back then. It seems I enjoyed it then, with some reservations about the detailed descriptions. Today, I think I have a better appreciation for the book as I had more time in which to sit and become absorbed by it – I even read the “telling” sections at the beginning of each chapter, that I didn't have much time for previously.

Maybe it's a case of “older and wiser”, but I think it's more likely to do with the time restraint issues I had back in 2006, but whatever it was I really enjoyed this second reading. I became totally absorbed and found myself wanting to return to the story, even when it wasn't possible. Eventually, I left all other distractions at home (for the train trip to and from work) and concentrated solely on the book, which meant I was dedicating four hours a day to reading. I was captivated!

The author shows in this one book how a complex plot can be written in a smooth, believable manner. She also proves that whilst action is important, it doesn't have to dominate every paragraph of every page. She shows that a character driven book can pull a reader in and hold them through thick and thin, through the laughs and pain, through love and death. This is a brilliant example of a well written story.

This morning I finished Assassin's Apprentice and in the next minute I was already absorbed by Royal Assassin, book 2 of the trilogy. It's looking as if this trilogy is going to take a place on my “favourites” list.

Barbara: The prince's illegitimate son is dropped off at the King's residence at the age of six - unnamed and unloved. He is immediately dubbed Fitz (meaning bastard) by his father's stablemaster, Burrich. Thus begins the life of a boy hated (and feared) by all. Everyone in Fitz's young life betrays him or tries to kill him. The things they do to him are unconsciounable (sp?).

A few of the people of Buckkeep have psychic abilities - called the Skill. Fitz doesn't appear to have this but he does have an affinity with animals - called the Wit. At the King's command, Fitz is trained in various endeavors - a fighter/warrior, an assassin and even a magic user (Skill). As the King's assassin, he embarks on a mission which will change his life forever.

A backdrop to the story is the red-ship raiders, who are vile barbarians pillaging and kidnapping villagers. They return the victims zombie-like. It's almost like they're given a lobotomy - no emotions at all, no family ties, just violent as hell. The Skill workers are fighting this assault but no real page time is given to the conflict. I imagine this is left for a future book. I hope so, these people are unbelieveably vicious and I'd like to see the Farseers repel them.

I enjoyed this entry in the Farseer trilogy - even with the treacherous court life, the murdering royals and the traitors. I immediately felt pity for young Fitz and as the underdog, was pulling for him to teach those traitorus jackals a thing or two. Well he makes it through this adventure by the skin of his teeth, hopefully he will get revenge in the next installment.

M. Ulin: Buku ini berkisah tentang Fitz, anak di luar nikah dari Pangeran Chivalry--putra mahkota keluarga Farseer. Keluarga Farseer adalah keluarga raja yang menguasai daerah Enam Duchy (Six Duchies)–enam daerah yang masing-masing dipimpin oleh duke atau duchess. Pada usianya yang keenam, Fitz dipisahkan dari ibunya dan dikirim ke istana. Kedatangan Fitz menjadi berita hangat di kerajaan. Alih-alih mengakui Fitz, Pangeran Chivalry mengundurkan diri dari kedudukannya sebagai calon raja dan pergi dari istana. Fitz kemudian diasuh oleh Burrich, kepala istal kerajaan yang juga abdi setia Pangeran Chivalry.

Di masa kecilnya, Fitz hidup dalam kesepian, diabaikan, dan cenderung dipandang rendah oleh penduduk istana. Namun semuanya berubah ketika Raja Shrewd–Raja Enam Duchy saat ini, yang juga adalah kakek Fitz–mengambil sebuah keputusan. Raja ingin melatih Fitz, dan sebagai gantinya Fitz harus memberikan kesetiaannya kepada sang raja. Fitz dilatih baca tulis, etiket, dan persenjataan. Dan atas perintah raja pula, secara diam-diam Fitz juga diajari seni membunuh oleh seseorang bernama Chade. Menurut Raja, membunuh adalah salah satu cara untuk memperlancar diplomasi kerajaan.

Selain memiliki bakat yang lebih daripada anak-anak seusianya (yang digambarkan penulis dari cara berpikir dan kata-kata yang keluar dari mulutnya), Fitz juga memiliki Kecerdasan dan Keahlian. Kecerdasan adalah kemampuan berbahaya untuk menjangkau pikiran binatang. Keahlian adalah bakat turun-temurun semacam telepati yang dimiliki anggota keluarga Farseer.

Walaupun ia sudah berusaha untuk “bersembunyi” dan tidak menarik banyak perhatian, Fitz mau tak mau harus terlibat dalam intrik politik di kerajaan. Diakui atau tidak, ia masih keturunan raja dan walaupun berada di urutan terakhir, ia juga berada dalam daftar ahli waris kerajaan. Konflik mulai terjadi ketika perompak ganas dari bangsa Outisland menyerang desa-desa di wilayah Enam Duchy dan menculik penduduk. Walaupun kelihatannya para perompak tersebut hanya menyebabkan sedikit kerusakan, Enam Duchy sebenarnya berada dalam bahaya yang lebih besar…

…dan Fitz mau tak mau harus terseret dalam konflik ini.

Setting dunia Enam Duchy dijelaskan dengan detail oleh penulis. Sejarah berdiri, sistem pemerintahan, karakter penduduk dan mata pencaharian, transportasi yang digunakan, sampai aspek ketuhanan diceritakan di buku pertama ini. Bahkan, di halaman awal, terdapat peta wilayah Enam Duchy itu sendiri.

Dan karena banyak penjelasan setting, menurut saya bab-bab awal buku ini terkesan lambat. Di setiap awal bab diceritakan peristiwa-peristiwa penting dalam sejarah Enam Duchy. Deskripsi Enam Duchy dan masa kecil Fitz di bagian awal buku ini–yang diceritakan dengan paragraf-paragraf dan kalimat-kalimat panjang–sempat membuat saya bosan. Tapi, menginjak beberapa bab di tengah, yang lebih fokus pada konflik, kisah Fitz mulai menarik untuk diikuti.

Bagi saya, buku ini agak “berat” karena banyak bercerita tentang politik. Akan tetapi, banyak pelajaran yang bisa didapat dari buku ini, misalnya mengenai diplomasi antar kerajaan dan menyelesaikan masalah tanpa masalah–pelajaran yang jarang ada pada buku fantasi lain yang pernah saya baca. Dan untungnya terjemahan Penerbit Matahati terasa mulus, enak dibaca, dan bersih dari typo sehingga saya lebih bisa menikmati ceritanya dan tidak perlu merasa terganggu dengan adanya kalimat yang janggal.

Untuk urusan cover, menurut saya cover edisi terjemahan ini lebih bagus daripada edisi aslinya :) ) Oh iya, awalnya saya mengira si penulis, Robin Hobb, adalah seorang laki-laki. Namun ternyata Robin Hobb adalah nama pena dari Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden (seorang perempuan!). Sebelumnya, penulis juga pernah menggunakan nama pena Meghan Lindholm untuk menulis karya-karyanya. Assassin’s Apprentice adalah buku pertama dari trilogi Farseer yang dilanjutkan “Royal Assassin” (buku dua) dan “Assassin’s Quest” (buku tiga).

Trilogi Farseer sendiri adalah satu dari empat seri dalam rangkaian cerita “The Realm of the Elderlings”. Kisah FitzChivalry dalam trilogi Farseer dilanjutkan dalam trilogi “The Tawny Man”. Dua seri lain dalam rangkaian cerita “The Realm of the Elderlings”, yaitu trilogi “Liveship Traders” dan chronicle “Rain Wilds”, juga bersetting di Enam Duchy walaupun tidak bercerita tentang kisah Fitz.

Anni: This book made me realize a number of things:
1. I like the idea of killing people for fun and profit 2. You can't trust your uncle 3. I like men who whine a lot and play with dogs 4. I would like to read people's minds, but I do not want them to read mine 5. Poison is an interesting topic, and discussing it with strangers online can lead to tragic relationships with gay Nazis who live in other countries
If you keep these things in mind, you will be able to enjoy this book more.

Review The Alchemyst

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)

by Michael Scott (Goodreads Author), Berliani M. Nugrahani (Translator), Nadya Andwiani (Editor)

Kebenaran:

Nicholas Flamel, yang lahir di Paris pada tanggal 28 September 1330, dikenal sebagai Alchemyst termasyhur di masanya. Ia berusaha menciptakan ramuan untuk hidup abadi, dan mengubah logam biasa menjadi emas murni. Menurut catatan, sang Alchemyst meninggal pada tahun 1418, tetapi ketika dibongkar ternyata makamnya kosong.

Legenda:

Nicholas Flamel masih hidup karena ia berhasil menemukan ramuan untuk hidup abadi. Semua rahasianya ada dalam Buku Abraham sang Magus. Jika jatuh ke tangan orang yang salah, buku itu dapat membawa petaka bagi umat manusia.

Terkadang, legenda merupakan kebenaran.

Josh dan Sophie Newman tidak menyangka, ternyata pemilik Small Book Shop tempat Josh bekerja merupakan Nicholas Flamel, sang Alchemyst yang berusia lebih dari 600 tahun! Rahasia di balik umur panjangnya adalah Buku Abraham sang Magus, harta berharga yang telah dijaga Flamel seumur hidupnya.

Kedua remaja berusia 15 tahun ini terlibat dalam perseteruan yang berusia ribuan tahun, ketika musuh bebuyutan sang Alchemyst, Dr. John Dee, berhasil merampas Buku Abraham dan menculik istri Nicholas, Perenelle Flamel.

Kehidupan Josh dan Sophie seketika berubah. Terutama setelah mengetahui ternyata mereka bukan sekadar remaja biasa. Dalam diri si kembar tersimpan sebuah kekuatan hebat yang kelak akan menjadikan mereka penyelamat dunia

Penerbit MataHati 2008

Saya: ending yg menggembirakan: Flamel dan si kembar selamat... tapi yg saya herankan, orang2 Inggris lebih dekat dengan kisah fantasi (juga sejarah) magic n tetek bengek lainnya, tapi kenapa sekarang ada org Prancis yang jago juga?

Mega: really like it!!!!sampe akhir, gw jadi bingung, ini yang sebenernya baek Flammel atau John Dee.
tapi karakter Dee itu oke banget lho. cerdas gitu.

Cindy: Kisahnya cukup seru, meskipun dengan tema yang tidak asing untuk novel fantasi. Belum punya pendapat lebih lanjut, karena setelah membaca buku 1 ini, terasa baru saja tercebur dalam nuansa awal petualangan yang masih akan berlanjut... lanjut... lanjut....

An: menggabungkan mitologi dan legenda pada kehidupan modern. itulah kesan awal yang tertangkap dari kisah fantasi ini. antara ilmu pengetahuan (penemuan para arkeolog) dan mitos (penyembahan kepada dewa-dewi). menghubungkan kebenaran mitos dengan bukti penemuan-penemuan dari hasil galian-galian.

siapa sangka jika orang yang terlibat dalam petualangan ini, anak kembar dari pasangan arkeolog sehingga peristiwa-peristiwa yang terjadi lebih mudah dipahami oleh mereka dibanding jika pelaku na adalah orang awam. sophie dan josh, pemilihan penokohan yang hebat. dan menarik lagi ketika 'penyelamat dunia' dari golongan humani yang ditunjuk adalah pasangan kemar. sehingga konflik yang bermain lebih dapat dirasakan. ketika pasangan kembar selalu ada satu sama lain, sama. namun karena kondisi tertentu harus terjadi perbedaan di antara mereka. rasa iri yang muncul adalah sesuatu yang wajar. akankah perbedaan itu menciptakan jarak diantara mereka berdua?

flamel sang manusia abadi menyimpan codex dengan ramalan akan ada na pasangan kembar yang akan menyelamatkan dunia atau justru menghancurkan na. ramalan tersebut mulai tampak nyata. jadi.. apakah pasangan ini akan menyelamatkan dunia, atau menghancurkan dunia? kedua na, atau salah satu na? siapa yang menjadi sosok penyelamat dan siapa yang jadi penghancur? baca aja..

Kris: This book was awful. So awful, it warrants me actually putting in a review.

First of all, there isn't enough Nicholas Flamel. There is far too much of the twins that kind of become Nic's apprentices, and attatches way too much teenage exposition to them. And we don't need the two of them mentioning that their parents are archaeologists every other page. We got it the first time. Move on. And even if their parents are archaeologists, they're not necessarily going to know as much about it as they seem too. When you're 15, you try to stay away from your parents as much as possible. And there seriously didn't need to be as much name dropping around the character of Josh (I swear to God, whenever the story was from his perspective, there was always a name dropped of a movie or a video game, and there was always mention of his laptop, his cell phone, and that he had been on the football team). And the repetition of the name dropping, or them mentioning their parent's profession, was enough to make you put a gun barrel in your mouth. It felt way too forced. Too much like he was trying to be all, "Look!! I'm one of you!!"

He turned a potentially kick-ass 2 1/2 thousand year old vampire into a lame teenager. Not a cool one, something you might have imagined Bill and Charlie Weasly being. No, she was lame ... and just happened to be able to kick ass ... cuz she was a vampire.

And some of the other gods could've been completely awesome (like Morrígan) ... but they came off kind of lame, without any real power, and seemingly easily manipulated.

Scott really could've done something awesome with this, if he had decided to do a kick ass Sword & Sorcery story (a la "Highlander: The Series"). Instead, it felt more like a teenager's attempt at High Fantasy (::cough::Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)::cough::), and not a very good one at that. And seriously, mentioning LotR at the beginning of your book, does not a High Fantasy make. Nor does having something that's the equivalent of the Force, a good fantasy make.

Mike: I'll try to be fair here, this is a "YA" book and it comes in telling us it's going to "play" with historical and mythological figures....and play it does. I found the book annoying and wonder at the damage we're doing to our "youths" and their knowledge of mythology, what we can learn from mythology, from the archetypal characters, thoughts, and ideas they contain.

Okay, part of rant over. There are different types of YA books. Some are more yA while others are more Ya. This is in style and execution more of a Ya book with emphasis on the "Young" rather than the "adult". With it's repetitive story telling (asking something and then farther on asking it again, and again especially by the boy was a sort of constant). Then however, along with the juvenile storytelling you get attempts at "semi-adult" content that doesn't really work. ************************* Spoiler Below Line ************************

What annoyed me so much? Well, I happen to have a special "feeling" for the Cú Chulainn legend.... I'm not sure how good it is for "youths" to "learn" that "Scáthach" is a vampire. (I know vampires are ubiquitous now... but a mythical Celtic hero, trainer of Cú Chulainn? making her a "teenage vampire", I shudder even now) Shall I go on? The "kids" are annoying... mom and dad are archeologists (believe me I know this because...as noted before "repetition", they just kept telling us over and over). The "kids", the "twins" apparently know quite a bit about this subject, they retained it seems everything ever uttered about it along with a few other subjects, but apparently not much else. Well, of course as occasionally one of them (especially the young lady) seems to show odd flashes of almost encyclopedic knowledge of some things. We are told (again over and over) about the electronic devices they "depend" on (especially the young man). They apparently learned everything they know from movies, video games, and maybe their downloaded music. Maybe had they bothered to download a couple of books? These two drove me crazy... they couldn't find electrical outlets in the world tree, and it flummoxed them... okay.

There's more and we've all played with mythology I suppose but I'm not really taken with this book. No that's a polite understatement, I'm annoyed with this book and approaching dislike. I'll go with 2 stars, but "just" or barely. Will I read the next book? Haven't decided yet.

Oh, one more thing, the book doesn't "conclude" or "end" so much as "stop". Lots I didn't care for... sorry if you liked it.

By the way..the fact that Michael Scott is a mythology scholar simply bothers me more. He is of course free to treat these figures as he wishes... I make no complaint about that. But I'm free not to enjoy the given treatment, and I don't. As I say in many cases, if you do enjoy the book then that's good for you...enjoy, not my cup of tea.

UPDATE: I'm not planning on following the book up...just letting you know

Grace: To be honest I would never have read this book had I not been given it for my birthday. It was obviously one of those books that was cranked out immediately after the Harry Potter phenomenon and was unabashedly aimed toward that audience. Now don't get me wrong, I adore Harry Potter and that's probably why this sort of book irritates me. I've picked it up in the bookstore before, interested by the title and catchy cover, but after flipping through it I always put it back.

It is very similar to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series in that it uses old mythology and mythical figures for it's main plot. I wasn't enchanted with either of the authors approaches. The characters in The Alchemyst are flat and one dimensional and where he could have gone all out with the 700-10,000 year old beings he stuck with boring, flat interpretations. The twins were just as flat and uninteresting. After an entire book there isn't more one could say about them than: The girl is the thoughtful one who looks out for her brother and makes sure he doesn't get into trouble and the boy is the reckless one. They are also not that likable and at times irritating. I wanted to reach through and smack them when, halfway through the book, they were still insisting that they must be on Candid Camera and the whole thing was a big hoax.

The plot wasn't particularly engaging either and it seemed that every other page there had to be a big, magical battle, as if he felt the only way to keep the reader going was to put in action. Personally, I think that is a mark of an adult author who is trying to write for kids. Obviously kids can't read anything deep and are too uninterested and the only way to keep them reading is to pack the entire book with pointless battle scenes. Who needs engaging, round characters and character development? *rolls eyes* It was also very predictable and linear, with no risks or surprises.
I'm glad that I decided to read this book on an eleven hour plane ride because that way I could get it over with in a day, without having to drag it out for several. I probably won't read the rest of the series as I was, obviously, far from enchanted by the first one.

Bunga: Buku tebal tercepat yang pernah saya baca.
Bagaikan Nick Fleming, eh, Flamel bersama Josh dan Sophie Newman yang dikejar-kejar John Dee, Morrigan hingga Bastet karena menyimpan dua lembar terakhir dari Codex, buku Abraham Sang Magus, saat The Alchemyst ini saya kuasai banyak orang di luar sana yang mengejar-ngejar saya. Ini karena saya ambil dari Mahbubi (kelas 5) yang belum selesai membacanya pada Jumat siang lalu. Padahal Mahbubi juga meminjamnya dari Faisal (kelas 2) yang telah mendaftarkannya di perpustakaan untuk masa pinjaman kedua karena dia belum selesai membacanya. Padahal lagi, Iyas (kelas 2) sudah mengantri untuk meminjamnya setelah Faisal, belum lagi Bu Latifah (Kepala SMA) nampaknya sudah berminat membacanya setelah saya. Apa boleh buat, sambil menanti kereta menuju Jakarta kemarin malam, buku ini saya kebut karena Senin besok saya sudah berjanji mengembalikannya untuk dibaca oleh Iyas. Sampai di rumah, hanya terkejar sekian halaman karena lelah dan tertidur, maka baru tadi pagi buku ini akhirnya kelar. Huuuuffff... petualangan mengejar buku perpustakaan paling dramatis... :)

Oh ya, cerita bukunya sendiri tentang apa yah? Semata sebuah petualangan berbau "magic" atau sihir kuno karena:
1) melibatkan tokoh-tokoh yang immortal, berusia ratusan hingga puluhan ribu tahun 2) mencampur berbagai mitologi,dongeng, legenda dan sejarah dalam untaian peristiwa yang konon saling berkaitan (contoh: ada sphinx dan pterodactyl "hidup" di San Fransisco. loh!) 3) selain itu, tokoh-tokoh di buku ini mampu menciptakan mahkluk tak bernyawa namun mampu dikendalikan. Dalam bahasa zaman sekarang, mereka disebut "robot", namun karena setting cerita sudah dibangun lintas waktu dan tempat, maka mahkluk2 ini disebut "golem", "lacra", "torc" dan lain-lain.

Seperti banyak cerita lain, terlalu banyak unsur kebetulan (buat saya) yang menjadikan si kembar Sophie dan Josh Newman sebagai pelaku utama cerita. Jalan ceritanya sudah cukup ramai dan seharusnya mendebarkan. Tapi entahlah, unsur mendebarkan dan emosi-emosi lainnya tidak terasa di sini. Kita seperti mendengarkan saja peristiwa demi peristiwa yang disaksikan pengarang; sangat detil dan membuat kita seperti melihatnya sendiri. Sayangnya saksi tersebut kurang berempati pada kejadian, jadi kita bisa menganggapnya sebagai peristiwa biasa.

Bukan berarti lantas saya percaya bahwa Nicholas Flamel atau John Dee benar-benar kenal William Shakespeare, yah. Sebagai sebuah kemungkinan, hal itu masuk akal, sama seperti masuk akalnya bahwa di masa Babilonia, seorang gadis pernah dijodohkan untuk menjadi permaisuri Nebukadnezar (tapi gadis itu tak harus Scathach, kan?). Kalau buku ini saya kebut, selain alasan yang sudah saya tulis di atas, alasan lainnya adalah saya menunggu kemunculan banshee yang pastinya dikenal oleh pengarang, dan Kaisar Zhu Di yang mengirim armada penjelajah dunia, hehehe...

Ternyata tidak ada di buku ini. Di buku kedua, mungkin ada tidak? :D