Ender's Game & Ender's Shadow

Title: Ender's Game
Original Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher:  Tor Books (1986)
ISBN: 9780812533552
Pages:  368 pages
Original Published Date: 1985
Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1986), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1985)



Title: Ender's Shadow
Original Title: Ender's Shadow
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher:  Tor Books (2000)
ISBN: 9780812575712
Pages:  469 pages
Original Published Date: 1999
Awards: ALA Alex Award (2000), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2000)


Welcome to Ender's universe

These two books are not necessary a sequel/prequel. They are first to their own series, The Ender's Saga and The Shadow Saga which follow two amazing children soldier, Andrew Wiggins and Bean (aka Julian Delphiki) in their quest of surviving childhood while saving the earth in the year of 2170-ish. These books are just happened to be in the same universe, and later in the story, in the same Battleschool and the same battlefield when this two boys cross paths. It said that they was a companion books. It was really interesting to see the same events but entirely from two different point of views, and how both boys had their own opinion of each other, sometimes loathing sometimes longing for one another attentions.

Ender

In Ender's Game we first introduce to the earth in not-so-distance future. Human has master the interplanetary spaceflight when they found The Formics, an insectoid alien force, had been scouting the earth to made it its nest. Putting aside all political problem, the three major force of the earth, i.e Hegemon, Polemarch, and Strategos decide to fight together, and so in the second invader war, a spaceflight captain name Mazer Rackham succesfully defeat all enemy ships. To prevent the worse of these wars, all genius children from around the world has been taken asked to join International Flight (IF) organisation where they can be educated to be the best soldier that could be.

Here come Andrew (Ender) Wiggins. He was the third child (there is limitation of 2 children on each family) that was specially permitted because his brother and sister was slightly off marks of being selected to join Battleschool. They both off the charge strategic geniuses, but he was too aggresive (a chaming sociopath, reminds me of Dexter, really) while she was too submisive, so hopefully, the third one would be spot on. And he was, except for one thing, he scared to death of his eldest brother, which made The IF questioning his fighting will. But when Ender decide to face Stinson, the bully of his class, just to made his future peace, IF put off the hesitation and quickly hasten him to the orbit.

“...Kicking him in the groin, kicking him repeatedly in the face and body when he was down—it sounds like you really enjoyed it.”
“I didn’t,” Ender whispered.
“Then why did you do it?”
“He had his gang there.”
“So? This excuses anything?”
“No.”
“Tell me why you kept on kicking him. You had already won.”
“Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they’d leave me alone.”

From the the first moment in the Battleschool, Ender was made to be alienated. One reason was because of his always almost perfect test mark -although he was the youngest cadet- the other was because The Commander of the School thought it was the best way to bring all he's got. Once he stay long enough to made some friends, it was time for him to be promoted to the higher class. Always like that until he was 9 when he was choosen to join the Salamander Army, lead by a punk name Bonzo Madrid. Not knowing -or rather not wanting to know- Ender's best strategic brain, he sent him to be a motionless bait in the school war game. Ender responded by having his own extra practices which attracted much attentions from many of students and teachers.

Bean

Around this time, there is a new launchy name Bean. In Ender's Shadow, we followed his past life as a street kid in Rotterdam, where he survived hunger and bullying with the help of a girl called Poke. When Poke was killed in order to protect him, he was found by Sister Carlotta -- she's like IF scouting agents, recruiting kids from everywhere to be tested and, if sufficient enough, to be sent to join IF-- who was totally amazed by his intelligent mind and perfect memory. When she wanted to sent Bean to the orbit, IF denied it of his age. Bean was 4 year young. So Sister Carlotta took him under his wing for another year and teach him everything she knows (but with Bean's mind, a year of well fed and studying was like 5 years in school, or in Sister Carlotta's case, a seminary, where he studied not just math and english, but also French, Latin, history, biology, physics, etc,  etc, including memorize all the Bible passage she recite). In this time, Bean origin became more and more interesting to her. So when Bean finally enter the Battleschool, Sister Carlotta gone for a mission of finding Bean parents and his birth process.

Bean, more or less, has the same treatment as Ender's. The different was, Bean was always alone, so loneliness doesn't had any impact to him. It became his weapon. From the first day, his habbit from the street life made him wondering around, finding out his surround environtments, measuring the social strata, lurking for each and every strength and weakness of everyone, students and teachers, knowing his way out of every situation given. Not that the teachers did not knowing about his extraculiculer activity, but because he absolutely avoiding any psyco-analisys tools, they thought it was as good as one. Bean also get promoted as quickly -if not quicker- as Ender was. So when it's Ender time to have his own Army, Bean more than ready to choose 40 of the best underrated young student, including himself, to join in.

Dragon Army

When two giants colided, who's gonna cursed inside. Well, in this particular case, no one, except some ego got bruised in the process. I really like this part of the story. I mean I read EG, then ES, but then I read them both simultaneously just in these chapters, to see how Ender's and Bean's mind assess each other while they were -most of the time- totally wrong towards one another. Bean always thought that Ender, just like everybody else, took him just as a cute little boy, making silly remarks of his size. But Ender actually just after 10 minutes with his soldier, had picked up Bean as the  smartest of them all, and try to make everybody else respect him for this and this only. Ender though Bean being the smartest sometimes questioning his decisions. But Bean, more just than that, had suspected the teachers playing the whole another game with Ender, that they put more and more pressure and try to broke him at his limits.

Ender's POV He woke up feeling good, jogged on out to take his shower, and did not notice the piece of paper on his floor until he came back and started dressing in his uniform. He only saw the paper because it moved in the wind as he snapped out the uniform to put it on. He picked up the paper and read it. PHOENIX ARMY, 0700 0700, said the paper, and it was already 0630. Some of his boys might already be heading for breakfast. Ender tossed his uniform aside, grabbed his flash suit, and in a moment stood in the doorway of his army’s barracks. “Gentlemen, I hope you learned something yesterday, because today we’re doing it again.” It took a moment for them to realize that he meant a battle, not a practice. It had to be a mistake, they said. Nobody ever had battles two days in a row. He handed the paper to Fly Molo, the leader of A toon, who immediately shouted “Flash suits” and started changing clothes. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” demanded Hot Soup. Hot had a way of asking Ender questions that nobody else dared ask. “I thought you needed the shower,” Ender said. “Yesterday Rabbit Army claimed we only won because the stink knocked them out.” The soldiers who heard him laughed. “Didn’t find the paper till you got back from the showers, right?” Ender looked for the source of the voice. It was Bean, already in his flash suit, looking insolent. Time to repay old humiliations, is that it, Bean? “Of course,” Ender said, contemptuously. “I’m not as close to the floor as you are.” More laughter. Bean flushed with anger.

Bean's POV Everybody expected to have at least a week to strut around and brag about their perfect won-lost record. Instead, the next morning at 0630, Wiggin appeared in the barracks, again brandishing battle orders. “Gentlemen, I hope you learned something yesterday, because today we’re going to do it again.” All were surprised, and some were angry—it wasn’t fair, they weren’t ready. Wiggin just handed the orders to Fly Molo, who had just been heading out for breakfast. “Flash suits!” cried Fly, who clearly thought it was a cool thing to be the first army ever to fight two in a row like this. But Hot Soup, the leader of D toon, had another attitude. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” “I thought you needed the shower,” said Wiggin. “Yesterday Rabbit Army claimed we only won because the stink knocked them out.” Everybody within earshot laughed. But Bean was not amused. He knew that the paper hadn’t been there first thing, when Wiggin woke up. The teachers planted it late. “Didn’t find the paper till you got back from the showers, right?” Wiggin gave him a blank look. “Of course. I’m not as close to the floor as you.” The contempt in his voice struck Bean like a blow. Only then did he realize that Wiggin had taken his question as a criticism—that Wiggin had been inattentive and hadn’t noticed the orders. So now there was one more mark against Bean in Wiggin’s mental dossier. It’s not as if Wiggin didn’t have him tagged as a coward. Maybe Crazy Tom told Wiggin about how Bean contributed to the victory yesterday, and maybe not. It wouldn’t change what Wiggin had seen with his own eyes

I also loved to see while Ender was busy tried to train his Army to the definite win, Bean was busy watching Ender's back -- from the teachers hidden agenda, the Salamander's Army and its leader's minions, even from the questioning remarks came from within the Army himself. Ender as a Commander did not waste time to explained everything he did to them, so more than once it may seems that he did a foolish moved, but Bean as a unexceptional strategist himself see through these moved and did just that.

But most of all, I loved when they finally admitted that they need each other. Ender asked Bean to be his special weapon toon leader and gain his trust to command the entire Army, and Bean at the end realize that he was the only one as close as a friend could be in the lonely Ender's universe.

He understood what this feeling was, welling up in him, filling his throat, making tears stand out in his eyes, making his face burn, forcing a gasp, a silent sob. He bit on his lip, trying to let pain force the emotion away. It didn’t help. Ender was gone.
Now that he knew what the feeling was, he could control it. He lay down on the bunk and went into the relaxing routine until the need to cry had passed. Ender had taken his hand to say good-bye. Ender had said, “I hope he recognizes what you’re worth.” Bean didn’t really have anything left to prove. He’d do his best with Rabbit Army because maybe at some point in the future, when Ender was at the bridge of the flagship of the human fleet, Bean might have some role to play, some way to help. Some stunt that Ender might need him to pull to dazzle the Buggers. So he’d please the teachers, impress the hell out of them, so that they would keep opening doors for him, until one day a door would open and his friend Ender would be on the other side of it, and he could be in Ender’s army once again.

A year after

Ender trained solely with Mazer Rackham himself. He knew now his future duty, half of the secret IF held so deeply, that only a handful of people knew the truth. Bean trained with a bunch of the Army Commanders from school. With his wit only he managed to find out the other half of the secret IF held so deeply. So now IF put their best effort that the two never meet, not until they gained the success with their more-than-hundred-years-old plan. But that day coming rather sooner than later. The Third Invation was finally came. So ready or not, Ender had to face his destiny, and Bean had to do what he did best, watching Ender's back while he's facing the ultimate enemy. And maybe more.

***

Oh but this storyline does not cover half of it. There are more, like the story of Locke and Demosthenes, the political strategist on earth that turns out to be the Wiggins siblings. I like to read how Peter analize the world's power alliance just by reading pieces of news in the internet (and how their father eagerly praise Locke writting in newspaper not knowing it was Peter's, lol). Peter Wiggins gave the phrase "reading between the line" the whole new meaning.
And Sister Carlotta investigation bringing issues like human life, eugenetics, DNA alterations, humanity and faith to the test. I was really-really-really glad it turn out to be a happy ending for Bean (for now at least). In the Battleschool, it's fun to read how Ender playing _God and Bean playing ^Graff in the system and how the students and teachers reacted to them. Furthermore, in IF organization, the morale dilema of pushing over intelligent kids soldier to their limit, and then tried to protect them all with just a sheet of umbrella of ignorance was interesting. Always sapid to watch Graff, Anderson and Dimak quarreling about Ender and Bean.

Lastly, the story ended with one remaining question. Do we ready to extinguishing an entire race just because our own human race MIGHT be in danger. Where is humanity and compassion and affection and unprejudice and all that fancy words stand against all this. Andrew Wiggins end up looking for the answer for more than a lifetime journeys, but how about us.

This is a trully epic story, or rather an episode of bigger epic story. Ender's Saga will continue for three more books and three side-story books while Ender's shadow have five more. And I planned to read them all.

***

Ps: I could only think that Orson Scott Card is the only person who could write about solitude and loneliness through out a series of books so beautifuly. I first noticed it in Stonefather, a novela in The Wizard anthology, and ever since, I always struck by his writing. A little melancholic maybe, but not full by sadness or tears. It's more about self contentment. People just had to do what they had to, and do it their best.

And I admire him for that.

Fahrenheit 451

Title: Fahrenheit 451
Original Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Publisher: Elex Media Komputindo (2013)
ISBN: 9786020213200
Pages: 248 pages
Original Published Date: 1953
Award: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1954), Prometheus Hall of Fame Award (1984), National Book Award for Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters (2000)

Saat membaca kisah ini, entah mengapa pikiran saya teringat pada sebuah kutipan dari novel Inkheart, bahwa sebuah buku memang selayaknya berat, karena ia memuat sebuah dunia di dalamnya. Dalam kisah ini, mungkin bukan sebuah dunia yang tertulis di dalamnya, namun sebuah peringatan, pernyataan sikap dan ajakan intelektual untuk berpikir tentang dunia kita sendiri.

Dalam dunia distopia Bradbury ini, kita dikenalkan pada seorang Guy Montag, si pemadam kebakaran fireman. Agak rancu juga jadinya mentranslasikan kata ini ya??!?, karena tugas seorang fireman di jaman tersebut bukanlah memadamkan api, melainkan menyulut api yang membakar buku-buku. Tidak masalah jika rumah, ataupun si pemilik rumah/buku-buku, ikut terbakar. Buku adalah benda terlarang. Pemilik buku adalah pelanggar hukum berat.

Sejarah pembakaran buku diawali dengan penyensoran satu dua paragraf dalam buku ini oleh kelompok tertentu dan paragraf lain dari buku itu oleh kelompok yang lain. Kemudian meningkat pada pelarangan satu dua buku karena 'mendorong' orang-orang untuk berpikir, namun juga memiliki fanatisme berlebih dan bertindak anarkis. Lalu demi sebuah ide kedamaian, maka kemudian seluruh warga diseragamkan dengan cara dijejali dengan arus informasi yang sama, praktis, dangkal dan tanpa henti. Otak dikondisikan untuk merasa cerdas dengan adanya banjir informasi namun pada saat yang sama tidak sempat berproses sama sekali (jika dikisahkan Montag terbayang-bayang iklan sebuah pasta gigi, saat ini saya selalu teringat jargon iklan Pucuk... Pucuk... :p). Sementara itu buku-buku dilarang dan dibakar (hal 69-76). Buku membuat orang berpikir, bermimpi dan berimajinasi, memiliki ambisi dan opini. Buku seperti sebuah pistol, sedangkan ide dan kata-katanya adalah peluru dan mesiu.

Karenanya, sama seperti kehidupan modern yang kita jalani sekarang, yang memungkinkan untuk mendapatkan segala jenis informasi - instan - semudah menghidupkan telepon genggam, seberapa banyakah waktu kita untuk melakukan tiga hal ini (hal 101-104);
- mempertanyakan kualitas informasi tersebut dan memperhatikan tekstur yang dibawanya, menyerap detail kehidupan yang dibawa dalam setiap celah pori-porinya, kesan yang tidak tertulis, romantisme dan keindahan, sekaligus sarkasme dan kegetiran yang hanya dapat terasakan.
- mendapatkan waktu luang yang cukup untuk mencernanya -- memikirkan, bukan saja betul atau tidaknya informasi tersebut, tapi juga benar/salahnya dipandang dari dasar moralitas yang kita miliki.
- hak untuk melakukan tindakan berdasarkan interaksi tersebut.

Melaui tokoh Clarisse, Montag si fireman mulai mempertanyakan dasar-dasar folosofi kehidupan (Apakah kau bahagia?). Melalui tokoh Beatty dan Faber yang bertolak-belakang, ia mempelajari sejarahnya. Dan melalui tokoh Granger, Montag mulai berpikir. Cogito ergo sum.


Sebuah distopia yang benar-benar mengusik, karena dalam kisah ini, bukan kondisi fisik yang terbelenggu, namun kemampuan orang untuk berpikir yang dinihilkan.


================


Edisi bahasa Indonesia yang saya baca ini terjemahannya bagus dan enak dibaca, termasuk idiom, istilah dan sebagainya (yaah..., kecuali bagian "pemadam kebakaran" di atas tadi ya). Ada beberapa bagian *seingat saya* yang diterjemahkan bebas dengan sedikit eufinisme, tapi tetap terasa sangat pas (misalnya kutipan di bawah ini). Salut.

The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies.

Para penulis yang baik seringkali menyentuh kehidupan. Mereka yang biasa-biasa saja hanya menyentuhnya sesekali. Sedangkan yang buruk justru mengacak-acak dan meninggalkannya untuk lalat. (hal 102)

Selain itu di akhir buku ada beberapa halaman percakapan dengan Ray Bradbury. Bagian ini sama menariknya dengan isi buku itu sendiri. Seperti mengintip dapur ide sang pengarang, dan mendapatkan beberapa penjelasan lebih lanjut mengenai ide dan karakter tiap-tiap pelaku novel ini.


=========================

Buku kedua Mr. Bradbury yang saya baca setelah sebelumnya menikmati jalinan cerpennya di Ilustrated Man.

Uglies

Title: Uglies (Uglies Series #1)
Original Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Penerbit Matahati (2010)
ISBN: 9786028590129
Pages: 432 pages
Original Published Date: February 2005

Di dunia yang luar biasa rupawan, setiap orang adalah buruk rupa

Membaca premis awal buku ini, sebenarnya saya sudah tidak terlalu berminat. Apa sih yang mau digali dari dis-utopia operasi plastik? Ada orang yang gak mau dioperasi? Terus kenapa?? Apalagi saat saya pertama melihatnya adalah tepat setelah trilogi Hunger Games. OK, it's not for me, I had enough with YA dys-utopian worlds, move on. Beberapa bulan kemudian, kebetulan mendatangi obralan penerbit Matahati di kantornya yang entah di mana itu, dan yaah... karena dijual sangat obral jadi tergoda juga untuk membelinya. Jadilah seri ini menghuni timbunan dosa cukup lama dan baru sekarang sempat terbaca.

Ternyata lumayan juga ceritanya. Apalagi diceritakan dengan sangat mengalir dan sama sekali tidak berat. Ada bagian yang sedikit terlalu memaksakan tentang kepedulian lingkungan (tidak separah Max Ride yang terakhir itu) sih, tapi tetap saja terasa.

Jadi, menurut setting kisah ini, sekitar 300 tahun lagi, dunia yang kita kenal sekarang (struktur ekonomi, politik, teknologi bahkan kehidupan) sudah benar-benar hancur. Ketergantungan 'orang-orang Rusty' terhadap sumber daya minyak menjadi pemicunya dan karena ada sejenis kuman yang menyerang minyak bumi, menjadikannya tidak stabil dan mudah meledak, maka terjadi kekacauan hebat dan peradaban kembali ke titik nol. Dari situ dibangun kembali peradaban baru di mana hanya digunakan sumber energi yang dapat diperbarui dan dilakukan pembatasan jumlah penduduk. Selain itu, untuk menghilangkan diskriminasi dan menyamakan kasta semua orang, maka begitu seseorang berulang tahun ke-16, dilakukan operasi plastik total yang menjadikannya rupawan menurut standar tertentu. Jika semua orang sama, maka tidak ada lagi kebencian, iri, rasa cemburu, deelel deesbe. Ditambah lagi, karena majunya teknologi yang dimiliki, kaum rupawan ini semua kebutuhannya dipenuhi, jadi tidak perlu bekerja, dan hanya perlu bersenang-senang seharian. Memang sih masih ada beberapa profesi yang terbuka, seperti dokter, pengawas atau penjaga lingkungan, namun itu semua tidak wajib.

Di sinilah titik awal perbedaan premis buku ini dengan semua buku dis-utopian lain manapun yang pernah saya baca. Meskipun di negeri para rupawan ini masih ada komite ala Big Brother, namun semua warganya hidup cantik sempurna, senang, gak makan ati, boleh berpesta seharian, lapar tingal minta apa saja, mau baju dikasih selemari, minta mobil disediakan di depan kamar, malah hiburan dan kesenangan itu wajib hukumnya. Kalau begini dunia dis-utopianya, kan gak ada salahnya to? Ngapain memberontak? Itu juga pikiran saya awalnya, tapi kemudian dipikir-pikir, kalau saya yang hidup di situ, pasti banyak hal yang ingin saya lakukan, membaca seharian, belajar sekian banyak bahasa di dunia, belajar menggambar, bikin keramik, membatik, traveling, berkebun, pergi memancing, apa saja selain 'hanya' berpesta seharian. Tapi itu saya yg sekarang dan mungkin bukan saya yang dulu saat berumur 16 tahun *(kapan itu? sekitar 10 tahun yang lalu..?!? Wakaka, you wish!)*  *lalu terkejut lihat umur sendiri di ktp* ^_^'    Nah, kenapa kaum rupawan ini tidak melakukannya?

***

Tally Youngblood, nyaris berumur 16. Umur ketika seseorang berubah dari kaum buruk-rupa (Uglies) menjadi dewasa dan diterima di dunia rupawan baru (Pretties). Namun sekian hari sebelum hal itu terjadi, sahabat barunya, Shay menolak di-rupawan-kan dan malah minggat ke sebuah pemukiman antah berantah bernama Smoke. Tally mendapat mandat dari Dr. Cable, pimpinan Special Circumstances, untuk mencari tahu letak Smoke sebenarnya dan membawa Shay pulang, sebelum ia dapat di-rupawan-kan. Tally memang kemudian tanpa banyak halangan dapat menemukan Smoke, tapi di luar dugaannya, ia juga menemukan David, seseorang yang benar-benar lahir dan dibesarkan jauh dari kota-kota kaum Ugly/Pretties. Orang tua David, Maddy dan Az, keduanya dulu adalah dokter-dokter yang melakukan operasi rupawan, namun kemudian mereka menemukan rahasia sebenarnya dari proses operasi itu. Proses yang bukan saja merubah tampilan fisik seseorang, tapi juga mengubah pola pikir mereka menjadi dangkal, penurut dan tidak memikirkan hal lain kecuali kesenangan semata. Menghilangkan rasa ingin tahu mereka, emosi, ambisi, bahkan kemampuan untuk menganalisa dan mengambil keputusan. Hal-hal yang membuat mereka jadi lebih mudah diatur. Semua hal yang membuat seorang manusia... manusiawi.

Lalu sebelum Tally mampu mencerna ini semua, pemukiman Smoke telah dihancurkan, semua warganya tertangkap atau mati, termasuk Shay dan orang tua David. Tally dan David lolos dan bertekad untuk membebaskan warga Smoke yang ditahan sebelum mereka dirubah menjadi rupawan. Namun selama ditangkap, Maddy malah berhasil menemukan hal lain yang lebih mendesak, proses perubahan pola pikir itu ternyata dapat dibalikkan. Namun itu semua hanya teori. Harus ada bukti. Harus ada sukarelawan...

***

Fiiuuu.... akhirnya menggantung sekali. Sepertinya ini lebih layak dibilang satu kisah panjaaang yang dipotong menjadi 3 bagian. Potongan pertamanya cukup solid, tapi belum ada satupun konflik yang terpecahkan, malah lebih banyak pertanyaan yang timbul dari beberapa halaman terakhir buku.

Karakter utamanya, Tally Youngblood ini, sebenarnya cukup tangguh, tapi terlihat masih belum terlalu matang, masih bisa disetir ke kiri ke kanan disuruh ini itu. Juga meskipun beberapa kali memperlihatkan pendiriannya, lebih sering ia bertindak karena tuntutan keadaan. Ia pergi mencari Shay karena itulah yang harus dilakukan untuk dapat menjadi rupawan. Ia membantu David menyelamatkan warga Smoke karena merasa bersalah. Ia bersedia menjadi rupawan karena ingin membantu Shay (lagi). Bukan ia melakukan sesuatu karena ia memang ingin melakukan itu. Titik. Berbeda denga Shay yang dari awal memang sudah lebih berani dan berlaku suka-suka gue. Meskipun, seperti kata David, ia masih suka berubah-rubah pendirian, namun kekuatan karakternya sudah ada dalam dirinya. Baik saat berjuang bersama kaum Smoke maupun saat ia jadi pion Dr. Cable. Argumentasinya saat menolak pengobatan Maddy sangat masuk akal, bahkan jika diucapkan oleh seorang rupawan. Ia juga tergambarkan cukup pandai untuk melihat fakta-fakta yang ada dan mengambil kesimpulan yang tepat, seperti pada kejadian sarung tangan dan kedatangan kaum Specials. Seharusnya Shay saja yang jadi tokoh utama, lebih seru. #disabethovercarft

Untuk David sendiri, haduuuhh... dari mana saya harus memulai. Dari awal tokoh ini digadang-gadang jadi penyelamat kaum Ugly yang ingin lari ke Smoke. Di Smoke sendiri ia jadi salah satu pemimpin tidak resminya. Cakep, rupawan dalam ketidakrupawannannya, jago hidup di alam bebas dan seterusnya dan seterusnya. Tapi, begitu bertemu Tally, langsung menye-menye, kehilangan daya pikir logis dan gak mampu melihat kenyataan yang sudah di depan mata. Plis deh. Bahkan Croy saja bisa menghitung jumlah bekal yang tersisa di ransel Tally. Belum lagi masalah liontin yang jelas-jelas cerita make-believed yang lebih dikarang David daripada Tally sendiri. Terus tentang penghancuran Smoke, ya secinta-cintanya sebodoh-bodohnya David, mosok ya ga ada secuilpun rasa curiga terhadap warga pendatang yang paling baru di pemukiman itu?? Orang kayak gini yang mau jadi pimpinan kaum pemberontak melawan kaum Specials? Eya nanti dulu.... Mau tahan berapa lama sebelum dilumat habis sama Dr. Cable yang super licik plus manipulatif itu. Melihat tingkah lakunya David di sini, saya malah jadi teringat dan 100 kali lebih menghargai Gale dan Peeta #TeamGale #always #eaaa

Sedangkan karakter antagonis-nya, Dr. Cable, hanya muncul di dua-tiga bab saja, sangat kurang sering menjengkelkan untuk jadi tidak disukai. Semoga di bagian 2 dan 3 nanti lebih kejam dan jahat lagi.

Jadi, dari semuanya, 3 bintang buat pembuka seri Uglies ini. Benar-benar pengin tahu lanjutannya dan bagaimana hidup Shay dan Tally di dunia Pretties nanti.

        

Nb: Eiya, saya bener-bener suka sama ilustrasi ketiga cover buku di seri ini, apalagi kalo dijajarkan seperti di atas. Tampak jelas perkembangan wajah si tokoh sesuai dengan ceritanya.

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Gramedia Pustaka Utama (2012)
ISBN: 9789792278439
Pages: 432 pages
Original Published Date: 2010




"I was watching you, Mockingjay. And you were watching me. I’m afraid we have both been played for fools."

The last book of Hunger Games trilogy. This is not a review. Just a nowhere chats and nags while still remembering, but full loaded with spoiler, so read by your own risk if you haven't completely finished the book.

"Katniss...he’s still trying to keep you alive.."
"I’m going to be the Mockingjay.."
I loved the initial pretensions. Peeta in Capitol, truce; Katniss in Distrik 13, win the war. Two opposite sites, two different gesture. But the main priority still the same, the safety of loves one. Unfortunetly, the development of the story was sliding away form these pretentions.

"Whatever it takes to break you.."
"She’s figured out how Snow’s using Peeta."
A sadistic strategi you could learn here was when a hostage was captured, not only mean you can use him as a bait, but it could also meant using him as an impingement as well as a teror. A clear message that as long as you fought back, the meaner the torment your lover will get! Snow truely recognises how valuable Peeta was for Katniss mental condition (the same way as Berry tricks Katniss used to him in the first Hunger Games), so in one point it got to the place that Peeta's racks could paralizing Katniss more then Peeta himself. When that wasn't enough, let's back to the older and classic way.... brainwashed and secret weapon. *boooorrrinng*

"No, Katniss! No! You can't go!"
The most annoying thing from this story was when the Capitol finally crumble downed, it wasn't even a moment for Katniss. It was the time when she collapsed so deep, she couldn't do anything but suffer. Yeaahh... let us be honest, Katniss did not do much in this book, other than put her face on TV broadcast (oh yeah, and walking around vagrancy). Even if you shift the climax to when Coin and Snow's death, Katniss' role was important but was not sorely.
Gale's characterization was far more promising, but way under excavated. Gale... Warrior Hero. Handsome, smart and unadorned, yet he hides a bleeding heart! *haaalaaahh!*
Or even Peeta with all his struggles and upside down brain damaged. These should have more lime light, right here.

"Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can’t survive without.."
That's what Gale said. I think, whatever happened, Katniss will choose a man, that without her, he can’t survive. And that was Peeta. The only thing that made Peeta 'superior' than Gale was, Peeta was not safely beside Katniss when almost everything happened. If Peeta was saved along with Katniss after the second Hunger Games, Gale's chances with Katniss was up in the roof. But then again, everything was made certain with the uncertainty whether the bombs that killed Prim were made by Gale or not. With this plot, any little tiny bit possibility of Katniss-Gale relationship comes to an end.

"We hold another Hunger Games using Capitol children."
Snow or Coin. Capitol or Distrik 13. Similar institutions almost symetrical. Just like the identical Capitol's buildings which were build as training ground in Distric 13. Their primary game was to gain highest power of all.

Actually I really like the big idea behind these trilogy, but I still couldn't pass the detail of under-age-gladiators thingy. Change the ages to 17-21 or something older...please... 13 years old girl never meant to be in a killing field. Why it should be so barbaric!! Add to it a visual description of brutal tormentation that scattered in every part of the story. Not to mention the used of morfin that was vulgary displayed. Last time I checked, it still a book for YA readers. Last but not least, I think Prim's death, just like Rue's, was a final excuse to squeeze readers' tears. Yes... fighting for freedom has its own expenses!

Panem and Hunger Games. Real or not real?
Not real.

***

Previous books:

Nineteen Eighty Four

Imagine that the world we lived was divided into 3 major ruler, all totalitarian. As long as we remembered, we believed, we always been at war, with one or the other. There were no such thing as freedom, not to act, not to lived, not to loved, not to speak, not even to think. All were directed from the Party for the sake of the Party.

WAR IS PEACE
War is not struggling for power. The wars were for cheap labour (and get this, Indonesia Archipelago was one of the slaves factory!!!). But then again, the labour of the exploited peoples round the Equator is not really necessary to the world’s economy.... (but) to use up the products of the machine without raising the general standard of living. (p 238-239). When people had very scarce to eat, they will had to depended to the Party, and had no time to think other things. By this term, order and peace could be achieved.

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
Human being is mortal. To achieve to most highest peak of freedom of the being, which is immortality, every member of the party must become one with the Party. Think as one. Do as one. (This part actually reminds me a lot of collectivism of The Borg from Star Trek Next Generation)

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
To think and do as one with the Party, every member should neutralized by DOUBLETHINK method, which was to accept everything "they told us to believe" is true, without any doubt, without realizing any inconsistency. History was being up to dated every time. People existence was being decided on the event.

All of these dogma should be accepted as the way of life. If you did not, then you'll need to be "cured" in the Ministry of Love!

***

Just when I thought Animal Farm was amusingly disturbing, 1984 exceeded it by miles.

Published in 1949, after the World War II and the beginning of Industrial Era, this novel was -and still is- a visionary writ tings. Sit on the other side of the continuum of Utopia, 1984 beseech to see the worst of ideology, and the last chapter of Part 2 was really the backbone of the whole story. In this chapter readers would see how Orwell placed his fear and given us how we could be at that place. I don't think that we could ever be there (with the Internet, information highway an all, history updated is rather impossible), but the vision of that place, that kind of reign, should be known to be avoided.

I would like to think that this novel was a different kind of sequel to the Animal Farm. In AF, Orwell pointed how power could be slowly corrupted to benefit oneself, in this novel, it showed how to maintain that power among some minority that were "more equal than the others". Some characters also similar, like the face of public enemy, Snowball in AF equal to Goldstein in 1984 or Napoleon in AF to Big Brother in 1984. But other that that, this novel, or should I say essay, is much more brave, disturbing and visionary to me.

1984 in Goodreads