[Book Review] Penunggu Puncak Ancala

Penunggu Puncak Ancala by Acen Trisusanto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Opening: This book is not really recommended for you who just want to start adventure as hiker, unless you are brave enough. Seriously, the horror stories in this anthology are scaryyy, especially the illustrations!! ><

From all stories, the most I like is the 'Pendaki Gelap' one and the story about 'Ary Hartanto from Surabaya'. Imagine how can you hike a mountain with someone that actually isn't from 'our world'. Especially Ary Hartanto, where the author talked to him, discuss things with him, then when reached the peak author finally knows that the one that he hiked the mount with apparently isn't a 'live' person. What the...?!

Overall I really like all stories in this book. If I had to choose the least I like, maybe I would say the story with third-person-view. Because in the book talkshow before all author said that these are their own experience, so telling it in third-person-view is really makes the 'own-experience' feeling fades.

But overall I really like this anthology. :D

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[Book Review] Chouzetsu no Hogosha 1

Chouzetsu no Hogosha by Orihara Ran

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story is about a school, taking setting in small city in Japan, which has a hero group called Guardian.

Okay here goes the review. I only can give this book 3 stars. Well, overall I like the story. The cases that given to Guardian also well done; simple but quite deep. What I don't like is only how people in this story always go praising the Guardian members who also Student Council members. They are handsome, cute, charming, capable to do anything in academic and sport...

It's like they have no weakness at all.

Well yeah I know, the author trying to say the weakness is how they kinda have split personality like when alone the leader is arrogant and ottoriter, other is playboy, etc, but... still, how people praise them in many ways is like they have no weakness at all.

Maybe this is just a taste problem. Here is like this. When I was in my teenagers age about under 14 maybe, I ever made a kind of story like this. The main character is a girl who capable to do anything, but tomboy, childish, etc yet however people praise her because she is just great. All like blinded and keep idolizing the main character.

But then I age, my style of writing somehow also changes. It's no longer creating the idol-like character, because somehow I think MC like that is just selling dream. My writing style changes to 'some kind of hero who tried to save people yet they still hate the hero'. It's just that way is more like 'reality'. Well, that's why I prefer Spider-Man rather than any superheroes.

Back to the novel, I think maybe because I age, thus I can no longer like this kinda plot which idolizing the MC. My taste changes. Maybe if I read this novel when I was younger, I would say this is great.

In short, I just want to say; this novel story is good overall, but the main characters are not my cup of tea.

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[Book Review] The Minds of Billy Milligan (24 Wajah Billy - Indonesian edition)

24 Wajah Billy : Dua Puluh Empat Orang Hidup dalam Diri Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For the first time after been so long not reading a thick book, I can finish this one in only less than a week. The first night I got this novel, I didn't sleep at all. My eyes were so sleepy, yet Billy's personalities journey for seven years kept me up.

So, what's the good in this book? I don't know myself, though. Based on true story. The first part of the novel tells of Billy Milligan who being caught due to allegations of rape by three female students from Ohio State University. When visited by police at his apartment and questioned, Billy confessed that his name is not Billy. The police certainly do not believe and finally brought Milligan to jail. It was determined that Billy's personality, style of speech, accent, and his behavior always changing from time to time. Sometimes he spoke fluent English with an accent and haughty attitude, then seconds later turned into Serbo-Croatian accent with a defensive stance like a fighter, and then changed again into an anti-social person who hate others. When finally he was treated by a psychiatrist, only then William Stanley Milligan was diagnosed with multiple personalities. And it turns out, there are twenty-four different personalities, who live in Milligan's body.

Twenty-four!! Can you imagine?! o.O

These twenty four personalities were in turn controlled Billy's body, taking his consciousness, while the core personality kept asleep for seven years. This book presents the life experience of Billy Milligan during controlled by the twenty-four personalities that full of horrible stories.

To be honest I rarely read a psychological novel based on true stories like this. My sister, who was a psychologist university student, recommend it to me because she knew I was working on a project of novel writing with the theme of split personality. I initially thought I would not finish it, look at the thickness of this novel. But it was only in less than a week I have finished. Daniel Keyes has presented the facts in a very flowing style of storytelling and firm, with no eliminating the reports, hospital diagnosis, letters, and interviews from around the Billy relatives who can help this novel. Everything was presented very neatly. Very interesting, very thrilling, and deserves five-star rating from me. ^ ^

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[Review Buku] Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai 1

俺の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない 1 [Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai] by Tsukasa Fushimi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got the English translated e-book from Baka-Tsuki.org

Opening: If some of you think that this is a novel about sibling's love aka incest, means you don't really read it. This novel, instead, will remind you to your sibling(s) if you guys might have cold relationship at home. This novel will remind you that no matter what, even until die, he/she is and will always be your sibling.

Cerita dimulai oleh tokoh Aku yang diperankan oleh seorang kakak laki-laki yang kehidupan, wajah, prestasinya sangat normal yang bernama Kyousuke Kosaka. He always said 'Viva normal life'.

Kyou punya adik perempuan who has good looks, excels on schoolwork, being a model, sport prodigy, bernama Kirino Kosaka.

Keduanya, walaupun tinggal dalam satu rumah, tapi ga pernah tegur sapa alias having a cold relationship.

Konflik di volume 1 ini adalah bagaimana ketika Kyou mengetahui kalau Kirino mempunyai hobi yang aneh, yaitu mengoleksi 'Stardust Witch Meruru', sebuah karakter anime yang menekankan pada loving your little sister. Game ini adalah visual novel, dan ada beberapa yang versi 18+ alias erotic game. Setelah membeberkan hobi rahasianya itu pada kakaknya, Kirino pun meminta life counseling pada Kyousuke setelahnya. Cerita berakhir di chapter ketika hobi rahasia Kirino ketahuan oleh keluarganya dan ditentang habis-habisan oleh ayahnya. Di sini, Kyou pun membela Kirino dan hobi adiknya yang aneh itu.

*****

[Review Buku] Forever Wicked: Ex Nihilo

Forever Wicked: Ex Nihilo by Erwin Adriansyah

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Novel ini mengisahkan tentang lima orang pemburu iblis bernama Ed, Anjas, Mel, Dien, Lee. Mereka tanpa ampun memburu iblis, mulai dari iblis itu sendiri sampai ke keluarganya, bahkan anak yang masih dalam rahim kandungan sekalipun. Ternyata diketahui di tengah cerita kalau mereka berlima ternyata juga merupakan iblis.

Well, well. Let's review.

Pertama buka novel ini, udah ada peringatan kalau novel ini mengandung sesuatu yang vulgar, kasar, dan blabla lainnya yang hanya bisa dibaca 18+. Oh okay. Berhubung aku sendiri udah melewati umur itu, then I agreed.

Dialog pertama dimulai dengan bahasa kasar. Olalala~ but well, I agreed to continue read it, right?

Aku pikir dialog berbahasa kasar akan mewarnai keseluruhan cerita sampai akhir. Ternyata... nggak tuh.