Sunday, April 10, 2011

Be Thankful

Be thankful of what you have right now. Please remember, not all people have anything you have right now. Some people have less than you, some people even doesn't even have anything.
Be thankful of what you have, because God always capable of taking it back from you, and when He did it, you can only regret it later.
Be thankful for what you have right now, because we don't know if we still have it tomorrow. Be thankful, by giving other less fortunate people their share from what you have.
Be thankful, because He loved thankful servant, for we are nothing but small insignificant creature.
Be thankful to God, when He gave you anything, either you want it, or not.
Be thankful, and you will enjoy your life. Don't look up too ofter or too high, because it could make you forget to thankful to God.
Be thankful, before its too late...


Thank You, God, for all You've gave me. Please forgive me when I'm not thankful enough. Please forgive me when I'm being un-thankful bastard. And please forgive me for all sins done by me, my family, my beloved, and my friends. Thank You.


.....a little note to myself.....

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Review: The Wheel Of Time Series

Life in Emond's Field has been pretty boring for Rand Al'Thor and his friends until a strange young woman arrives in their village. Moraine is an Aes Sedai, a magician with the ability to wield the One Power, and she brings warnings of a terrible evil awakening in the world. That very night, the village is attacked by bloodthirsty Trollocs - a fearsome tribe of beast-men thought to be no more than myth. As Emond's Field burns, Moraine and her warrior-guardian help Rand and his companions to escape. But it is only the beginning of their troubles. For Moraine believes Rand Al'Thor is the Dragon Reborn, and that he is fated to unite the world against the rising darkness and lead the fight against a being so powerful and evil it is known simply as the Dark One.


Yup, lagi-lagi review novel :D. Seperti biasa, novel yang dibahas merupakan novel fantasy. Novel ini cukup besar, dengan 14 novel (13 sudah diterbitkan; novel terakhir, A Memory Of Light, direncanakan akan diterbitkan pada awal 2012). Jadi sabar-sabarlah dalam membaca seri novel ini :D.

Komentar pertama saya saat membaca novel ini adalah...... KARAKTERNYA BANYAK BANGET!!! Novel ini luar biasa banyak karakternya, karakter utamanya sendiri ada lima: Rand Al'Thor, Mat Chauton, Perrin Aybara, Egwene Al'Vere dan Nynaeve Al'Meara. Sudut pandang berpindah-pindah antara lima tokoh tersebut, namun terkadang juga mengambil sudut pandang tokoh-tokoh lain walaupun hanya sebentar.

Jalan cerita cukup menarik, dengan deskripsi yang teliti dan gamblang. Saking gamblangnya terkadang saya melewati beberapa bagian (malas banget, soalnya deskripsinya terlalu detail!). Kecepatan penceritaan stabil, terkadang agak lambat, membuat gregetan (maklum, saya orangnya kurang sabar hehehehe). Namun klimaks di setiap buku diceritakan dengan kecepatan yang cukup membuat berdebar.

Sistem eknonomi, pemerintahan, masyarakat, dan magis digambarkan dengan bagus, jelas dan detail. Dari yang saya tangkap, dunia di sini kira-kira setara dengan abad pertengahan di dunia kita, ditambah dengan magis. Sistem magisnya berbeda dengan sistem magis kebanyakan, walau saya menjumpai sedikit kemiripan dengan gaya magis di novel Black Jewels karya Anne Bishop (tunggu review seri novel terbaru Anne Bishop: The Twilight Dawn! Promosi :D). Kemiripannya terletak pada cara bagaimana saidin dan atau saidar harus di ditenun (weave) untuk membentuk spell, yang mirip dengan bagaimana black widow menenun (weaving) jaring ilusi dan terawangan (duh, nggak enak banget terjemahannya, istilah aslinya tangled web of vision and illusion). Namun kemiripannya berhenti di situ saja, karena sistem magis di seri The Wheel of Time berbeda dengan Black Jewels.

Intrik dijalin dengan rapi, plot demi plot dijalin dan dibuka dengan bagus. Adanya banyak plot di seri ini, dengan satu novel terdiri dari beberapa plot. Di novel ini sentuhan politik sangat terasa, ditambah lagi dengan cinta, persahabatan, kepercayaan, dan lain-lain menambah rumitnya jalinan antar tokoh. Terkadang saya sampai pusing mengikuti alur hubungan antar tokoh, selain karena jumlah tokoh yang luar biasa banyak, tapi juga karena berbagai hubungan yang terjalin. Luar biasa.

Secara keseluruhan, saya suka dengan seri novel ini. Setiap novel tidak pernah membosankan (well, mungkin jumlah tokoh yang banyak sekali itu membosankan, tapi tidak dengan jalan cerita), selalu ada saat-saat mendebarkan, mengharukan, membuat marah, keren, dsb. Menarik sekali. Untuk anda pecinta novel, terutama kategori genre high-fantasy/epic fantasy, saya sangat merekomendasikan seri novel ini. RECOMMENDED!!!