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Age of the Five #3
Voice of the Gods
In her new role as protector of the Siyee, Auraya investigates sightings of a landwalker stranger in their land. She meets a mysterious woman claiming to be a friend of Mirar' a woman who makes an offer Auraya is unable to refuse, but which she must conceal or risk the wrath of the gods.
In the south, Mirar enjoys acceptance and respect as he reclaims his place among his people, but that freedom will come at a cost. Meanwhile, Emerahl is at last able to join the Thinkers in their search for the Scroll of the Gods, but the truth may not be revealed in the form she expects. And the Pentadrians, frustrated by their defeat at the hands of the Circlians, plot and scheme to bring down their enemies by means other than direct conflict.
As the promise of peace dies, and two peoples are once more drawn inexorably into war, Auraya is unable to avoid being caught up the conflict. The key to everything, though, may lie with the Wilds, who embark upon a quest for secrets buried long ago.
Secrets that could change the world.
In the south, Mirar enjoys acceptance and respect as he reclaims his place among his people, but that freedom will come at a cost. Meanwhile, Emerahl is at last able to join the Thinkers in their search for the Scroll of the Gods, but the truth may not be revealed in the form she expects. And the Pentadrians, frustrated by their defeat at the hands of the Circlians, plot and scheme to bring down their enemies by means other than direct conflict.
As the promise of peace dies, and two peoples are once more drawn inexorably into war, Auraya is unable to avoid being caught up the conflict. The key to everything, though, may lie with the Wilds, who embark upon a quest for secrets buried long ago.
Secrets that could change the world.
641 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2007
125 people are currently reading
4334 people want to read
About the author
Trudi Canavan
93 books6,651 followersTrudi Canavan was born in Kew, Melbourne, and grew up in Ferntree Gully, a suburb at the foothills of the Dandenongs.
In 1999 she won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story with “Whispers of the Mist Children”. In the same year she was granted a writers residency at Varuna Writers’ Centre in Katoomba, New South Wales.
In November 2001, The Magicians’ Guild was first published in Australia. The second book of the trilogy, The Novice, was published in June 2002 and was nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. The third book The High Lord was released in January 2003 and was nominated for the Best Novel Ditmar category. All three books entered Australian top ten SF bestseller lists.
The Black Magician Trilogy reached the international market in 2004, published by HarperCollins’ EOS imprint in North America and Orbit Books in the UK. The trilogy is now rated by Nielsen BookScan as the most successful debut fantasy series of the last 10 years.
Trudi’s second trilogy, Age of the Five, has also enjoyed bestselling success. Priestess of the White reached No.3 in the Sunday Times hardback fiction bestseller list, staying in the top ten for six weeks.
In early 2006 Trudi signed a seven-figure contract with Orbit to write the prequel and sequel to the Black Magician Trilogy. The prequel, The Magician’s Apprentice was released in 2009 and won the Best Fantasy Novel category of the Aurealis Awards.
In 1999 she won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story with “Whispers of the Mist Children”. In the same year she was granted a writers residency at Varuna Writers’ Centre in Katoomba, New South Wales.
In November 2001, The Magicians’ Guild was first published in Australia. The second book of the trilogy, The Novice, was published in June 2002 and was nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. The third book The High Lord was released in January 2003 and was nominated for the Best Novel Ditmar category. All three books entered Australian top ten SF bestseller lists.
The Black Magician Trilogy reached the international market in 2004, published by HarperCollins’ EOS imprint in North America and Orbit Books in the UK. The trilogy is now rated by Nielsen BookScan as the most successful debut fantasy series of the last 10 years.
Trudi’s second trilogy, Age of the Five, has also enjoyed bestselling success. Priestess of the White reached No.3 in the Sunday Times hardback fiction bestseller list, staying in the top ten for six weeks.
In early 2006 Trudi signed a seven-figure contract with Orbit to write the prequel and sequel to the Black Magician Trilogy. The prequel, The Magician’s Apprentice was released in 2009 and won the Best Fantasy Novel category of the Aurealis Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 328 reviews
September 9, 2022
For all its flaws, I can't deny that I read all three books in the Age of the Five trilogy in the span of two weeks because they're incredibly well written, compelling, and the world-building is excellent.
It might not be the most sophisticated series out there, and the pacing is too slow at times, but it sure kept me reading.
I did see one of the 'twists' coming very early on, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment, and Canavan really delivered when it came to exploring good vs. evil, and morally grey characters.
I'd consider the Age of the Five a so-called popcorn series. Easy to digest, but I'd expected more depth from someone with Canavan's reputation.
It might not be the most sophisticated series out there, and the pacing is too slow at times, but it sure kept me reading.
I did see one of the 'twists' coming very early on, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment, and Canavan really delivered when it came to exploring good vs. evil, and morally grey characters.
I'd consider the Age of the Five a so-called popcorn series. Easy to digest, but I'd expected more depth from someone with Canavan's reputation.
February 3, 2022
5 immortal stars!!
Every time I read this series it just gets even more enjoyable. After 10 years it's still my favourite fantasy series of all time.
Every time I read this series it just gets even more enjoyable. After 10 years it's still my favourite fantasy series of all time.
June 8, 2010
I pretty much read this book in one day flat! Towards the end of the second book the storyline really picks up, and then this whole third book is literally unputdownable!
I'm just so impressed with the whole storyline; how different people's stories overlap and intertwine to combine into this really rich and complex narrative. Most of the characters were really well fleshed out and believable. Some of the points of view are more interesting than others (personally I always enjoyed the bits with Auraya, Emerahl or Mirar as the primary subject, but got a bit bored with Danjin or more peripheral characters).
The conclusion was quite satisfying although I did guess one of the major 'reveals' quite far in advance. Overall I really enjoyed this series, I wish it hadn't ended!
I'm just so impressed with the whole storyline; how different people's stories overlap and intertwine to combine into this really rich and complex narrative. Most of the characters were really well fleshed out and believable. Some of the points of view are more interesting than others (personally I always enjoyed the bits with Auraya, Emerahl or Mirar as the primary subject, but got a bit bored with Danjin or more peripheral characters).
The conclusion was quite satisfying although I did guess one of the major 'reveals' quite far in advance. Overall I really enjoyed this series, I wish it hadn't ended!
May 25, 2024
An amazing conclusion to a fantastic trilogy.
This will forever be one of my favourite series of all time. I wish Trudi Canavan would write more in this world, either set in the age of the many, or following the immortals after the demise of the gods.
I will continue to re-read these in the future, I'll never get tired of this world.
This will forever be one of my favourite series of all time. I wish Trudi Canavan would write more in this world, either set in the age of the many, or following the immortals after the demise of the gods.
I will continue to re-read these in the future, I'll never get tired of this world.
August 11, 2024
Przez trzy tomy i niezliczoną ilość stron nie udało mi się polubić Aurayi. Bohaterka ta nie skradła mojego serca, przez co śledzenie jej losów było zwyczajnie trudne. Finałowy tom trylogii był dla mnie momentami praktycznie nie do przejścia, ciągnęło mi się to w nieskończoność, czas dłużył się niemiłosiernie, było strasznie przegadane i przez większość czasu zwyczajnie nudne. Z ulgą przyjęłam epilog i fakt, że mogłam wreszcie wyjść z tego świata. Tym razem niestety się nie udało.
September 16, 2011
I would have given this more stars if I could but alas... I started reading this book on 5pm Thursday 15th Sept 2011 and finished at 6am Friday 16th Sept 2011... then put it down... took a 5mins respite, got up drank one more coffee and went about my day.
If there's one thing I can say about AoF, its damningly original, easy to sink into and don't let up until the last page of the trilogy. I have personally never read any other of Trudi work but that's is about to change.
I'm very surprise at how easily I found myself hook into this series, especially as romance and amnesiac gigolos are not really my kinda genre, but this novel is about alot more than that. Its about theological warfare, blinded loyalty, the perception of good and evil and most importantly our own mortality.
I'm extremely glad I went out on a whim and grab this off my local library shelf. I NEED TO THAT MORE OFTEN, oh and if you're reading this review hoping to find out a bit more about the books plot and main USP (unique selling point).... the review(s) below mine will be more helpful :D
If there's one thing I can say about AoF, its damningly original, easy to sink into and don't let up until the last page of the trilogy. I have personally never read any other of Trudi work but that's is about to change.
I'm very surprise at how easily I found myself hook into this series, especially as romance and amnesiac gigolos are not really my kinda genre, but this novel is about alot more than that. Its about theological warfare, blinded loyalty, the perception of good and evil and most importantly our own mortality.
I'm extremely glad I went out on a whim and grab this off my local library shelf. I NEED TO THAT MORE OFTEN, oh and if you're reading this review hoping to find out a bit more about the books plot and main USP (unique selling point).... the review(s) below mine will be more helpful :D
September 17, 2014
This review has previously been posted at Another World Book Blog.
It’s fair to say that the first two books of The Age Of The Five Trilogy were underwhelming to me. In spite of this I held on to the hope that history would repeat itself; that the third instalment of this Trudi Canavan trilogy would blow me away in the same manner as book three of The Black Magician Trilogy, had done. Regrettably, my hope was misplaced. Not only is Voice Of The Gods not in the same league as, The High Lord, it is also the weakest book of this trilogy.
In fairness, I should probably mention that much of my disappointment with this book, and the trilogy as whole, is the result of the high expectations I had before I started reading. The Black Magician Trilogy made quite an impression on me, so I couldn’t wait to get stuck into The Age Of The Five Trilogy. Sadly, at no point was this new trilogy able to meet my expectations, nor did it ever threaten to do so.
It would be easy to conclude that Voice Of The Gods is a poor novel that should be avoided. But the truth is, it’s not horrible by any means. It is, for the most part, a readable book; but one which is marred by the all the same flaws that tarnished the two previous books of the trilogy. These faults are largely responsible for why The Age Of The Trilogy doesn’t fulfil the promise of its premise.
To reiterate the problems mentioned in my reviews for the first two books of the trilogy, that continue to plague this book: there are still too many point of view characters used; the narrative is not focussed enough due to the inclusion of superfluous sub-plots; and the story is predictable, principally because of the numerous parallels and similarities with The Black Magician Trilogy.
Where the book remains strong, is with some of the main characters. The Pentadrian duo of Imenja, the Second Voice Of The Gods, and her Dedicated Servant, Reivan, are once again the best thing about the book. While they are both interesting characters in their own right, it is the dynamic of the friendship the two women have built that is so compelling. I can only speculate how much better this trilogy could have been if Imenja and Reivan had been the main focus of the story.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the book, and the trilogy as a whole, is that it promised to evolve beyond the initial premise of the story, conflict between two implacable religious groups, into something much more complex and compelling. While the story certainly does develop into a more complicated tale, it doesn’t do so in a satisfactory or interesting manner. And the less said about the resolution to the third book the better. I don’t think I’ve ever read a more anti-climactic ending to a story.
You would imagine that two civilisations discovering that they had been manipulated into a costly religious war by a group of sorcerers who had deceived the people into worshipping them as gods, would have far reaching ramifications. Yet it appeared that this revelation wasn’t that big a deal. It seemed as though most of the characters were more upset that their “gods” had been exposed as frauds, with all their anger reserved for those who had revealed the truth and killed the gods.
In summation, there is a great story trying to get out of The Age Of The Five, sadly it never fully emerges. As a consequence it’s hard to know who to recommend it to. I would certainly advise those people who have read and enjoyed The Black Magician Trilogy to avoid this, as bitter disappointment is inevitable. I suspect that those most likely to enjoy this trilogy will be those who haven’t previously read any of Trudi Canavan’s other work.
It’s fair to say that the first two books of The Age Of The Five Trilogy were underwhelming to me. In spite of this I held on to the hope that history would repeat itself; that the third instalment of this Trudi Canavan trilogy would blow me away in the same manner as book three of The Black Magician Trilogy, had done. Regrettably, my hope was misplaced. Not only is Voice Of The Gods not in the same league as, The High Lord, it is also the weakest book of this trilogy.
In fairness, I should probably mention that much of my disappointment with this book, and the trilogy as whole, is the result of the high expectations I had before I started reading. The Black Magician Trilogy made quite an impression on me, so I couldn’t wait to get stuck into The Age Of The Five Trilogy. Sadly, at no point was this new trilogy able to meet my expectations, nor did it ever threaten to do so.
It would be easy to conclude that Voice Of The Gods is a poor novel that should be avoided. But the truth is, it’s not horrible by any means. It is, for the most part, a readable book; but one which is marred by the all the same flaws that tarnished the two previous books of the trilogy. These faults are largely responsible for why The Age Of The Trilogy doesn’t fulfil the promise of its premise.
To reiterate the problems mentioned in my reviews for the first two books of the trilogy, that continue to plague this book: there are still too many point of view characters used; the narrative is not focussed enough due to the inclusion of superfluous sub-plots; and the story is predictable, principally because of the numerous parallels and similarities with The Black Magician Trilogy.
Where the book remains strong, is with some of the main characters. The Pentadrian duo of Imenja, the Second Voice Of The Gods, and her Dedicated Servant, Reivan, are once again the best thing about the book. While they are both interesting characters in their own right, it is the dynamic of the friendship the two women have built that is so compelling. I can only speculate how much better this trilogy could have been if Imenja and Reivan had been the main focus of the story.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the book, and the trilogy as a whole, is that it promised to evolve beyond the initial premise of the story, conflict between two implacable religious groups, into something much more complex and compelling. While the story certainly does develop into a more complicated tale, it doesn’t do so in a satisfactory or interesting manner. And the less said about the resolution to the third book the better. I don’t think I’ve ever read a more anti-climactic ending to a story.
You would imagine that two civilisations discovering that they had been manipulated into a costly religious war by a group of sorcerers who had deceived the people into worshipping them as gods, would have far reaching ramifications. Yet it appeared that this revelation wasn’t that big a deal. It seemed as though most of the characters were more upset that their “gods” had been exposed as frauds, with all their anger reserved for those who had revealed the truth and killed the gods.
In summation, there is a great story trying to get out of The Age Of The Five, sadly it never fully emerges. As a consequence it’s hard to know who to recommend it to. I would certainly advise those people who have read and enjoyed The Black Magician Trilogy to avoid this, as bitter disappointment is inevitable. I suspect that those most likely to enjoy this trilogy will be those who haven’t previously read any of Trudi Canavan’s other work.
April 15, 2013
I haven't really said much about these Age of the Five books so far, mostly because I wanted to wait until I reached the end of the trilogy before making a judgement. I enjoyed the plot of these books, and really appreciate how your opinion on the different characters/religions/societies etc. change throughout.
One of the things I found irritating was the constantly shifting narrative; 5 pages would be dedicated to Auraya, then the next 5 to Mirar, then the next 5 to Emerahl, then the next five to Danjin, then the next five to Reivan, and then back to Auraya. Whilst I can appreciate the functionality of this writing style, it became a little irritating. My attention would gain some momentum, then suddenly there would be a narrative switch, and it would have to start over again.
The ending was also a little disappointing, not with regards to plot, but with regard to the finer details of the book. I enjoyed the fact that the Pentadrian and the Circlian gods were actually the same people, and I enjoy the fact that they were killed. A few things I didn't like though:
1. Both armies were ready for war, they had just witnessed their gods being killed (gods they had followed for centuries) and they decide that everything is fine and they just go home.
2. Danjin Spear leaves thinking that Auraya betrayed the Circlians.
3. When Chaia managed to convince Auraya that he didn't try to kill her, she seemed to completely forget the fact that he was still responsible for the deaths of millions of Circlians and Pentadrians, and that he was using them as "pieces of a game". I wish she had been more badass!
4. There were a lot of clichés at the end in terms of language and analogy.
In the end, I did enjoy reading this series and was quite interested in many of the characters. Doubt I'd read it again though.
One of the things I found irritating was the constantly shifting narrative; 5 pages would be dedicated to Auraya, then the next 5 to Mirar, then the next 5 to Emerahl, then the next five to Danjin, then the next five to Reivan, and then back to Auraya. Whilst I can appreciate the functionality of this writing style, it became a little irritating. My attention would gain some momentum, then suddenly there would be a narrative switch, and it would have to start over again.
The ending was also a little disappointing, not with regards to plot, but with regard to the finer details of the book. I enjoyed the fact that the Pentadrian and the Circlian gods were actually the same people, and I enjoy the fact that they were killed. A few things I didn't like though:
1. Both armies were ready for war, they had just witnessed their gods being killed (gods they had followed for centuries) and they decide that everything is fine and they just go home.
2. Danjin Spear leaves thinking that Auraya betrayed the Circlians.
3. When Chaia managed to convince Auraya that he didn't try to kill her, she seemed to completely forget the fact that he was still responsible for the deaths of millions of Circlians and Pentadrians, and that he was using them as "pieces of a game". I wish she had been more badass!
4. There were a lot of clichés at the end in terms of language and analogy.
In the end, I did enjoy reading this series and was quite interested in many of the characters. Doubt I'd read it again though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2024
*** 4.59 ***
I finished and I absolutely loved it! This author has gone up way high in my esteem! I liked the Millennium Series quite a lot, but this one was better plotted, and ad to it her very specific and recognizable as her own style and structure of stories, I am adding her to my favorite authors for sure! I think she reminds me of how I feel in liking because of their storylines, is Robbin Hobb! Goodness gracious, they can spin a tail! 👍😃❤️
I finished and I absolutely loved it! This author has gone up way high in my esteem! I liked the Millennium Series quite a lot, but this one was better plotted, and ad to it her very specific and recognizable as her own style and structure of stories, I am adding her to my favorite authors for sure! I think she reminds me of how I feel in liking because of their storylines, is Robbin Hobb! Goodness gracious, they can spin a tail! 👍😃❤️
April 8, 2024
No quiero que termineeee! Quiero maaaas!. La mejor trilogía de Canavan para mi gusto. Un universo muchísimo más rico y una trama más sorprendente. Un tercio final que me ha hecho sufrir como un perro y una traca fin de fiesta absolutamente apoteósica. Qué gusto me pegué! Aunque hubiera preferido que lo acabaran ellos y ya. Esa pequeña prolongación con los dioses a toro pasado, era innecesaria, pero bueno. Sobre gustos... Me apetece mucho seguir en este universo con cualquier excusa, porque es de lo más rico. Ojalá haya un Spin-Off o lo que sea. GL (Autor. Trudi Canavan)
October 31, 2007
I feel conflicted. In the beginning of this novel or more like the first half of it I thought that the writer had finally started getting somewhere and I actually was enjoying it more then the first two novels. With the last, say, 200 pages though, I wasn’t feeling enjoyment as much as frustration. The fact of the matter is one of the characters is so moronic in that part you want to throw the book across the room. It doesn’t help that she keeps going over a question to which you’ve possibly figured out the answer in the first book (I know I did). It’s also quite frustrating because I can’t figure out if the author meant for her character to be so daft or she thinks her readers are so slow that this whole plot comes as a surprise. I think it’s the latter and that the writer unfortunately thinks she was being clever.
I also felt there could have been far more detail. Or possibly the first two novels could’ve been condensed into one novel as it didn’t seem like much was going in there and that most of the detail (of what in depth detail there was) was in most of third novel of the trilogy.
The ending was a bit on the pointless side too. Yes there was a point to it (a small one) but it ended up with too many questions as well which I never like at the end of a trilogy. It makes me question what the writers motives were and is this something she is going to continue with at some later date?
Here’s where I’m conflicted though. I enjoyed it to a degree. Obviously, because I finished it but I think it might be that I enjoyed the storyline not how the story was told. I liked the concept, not the delivery. Which is why I gave it a rating of 3/5 when I feel I should‘ve given it more. I enjoyed the concept, the story but I can’t overlook all the flaws.
I also felt there could have been far more detail. Or possibly the first two novels could’ve been condensed into one novel as it didn’t seem like much was going in there and that most of the detail (of what in depth detail there was) was in most of third novel of the trilogy.
The ending was a bit on the pointless side too. Yes there was a point to it (a small one) but it ended up with too many questions as well which I never like at the end of a trilogy. It makes me question what the writers motives were and is this something she is going to continue with at some later date?
Here’s where I’m conflicted though. I enjoyed it to a degree. Obviously, because I finished it but I think it might be that I enjoyed the storyline not how the story was told. I liked the concept, not the delivery. Which is why I gave it a rating of 3/5 when I feel I should‘ve given it more. I enjoyed the concept, the story but I can’t overlook all the flaws.
May 9, 2008
Why oh why did it take Auraya so long to wake up and figure things out, it is rare that i figure things out before the main character as usually i am so emmersed in the story that i just take it as it comes. It was slightly annoying that she was so slow.
Other than that this was a great end to the trilogy, although when i first started reading this i thought it was going to be a series of five books. It was quite an easy read and i was able to emmerse myself in the book fairly easily.
If you have read the previous two books i would recommend this one, if only just to finish it off, it wasn't the strongest book of the trilogy but well worth a read, with a satisfactory, if not obvious ending.
Other than that this was a great end to the trilogy, although when i first started reading this i thought it was going to be a series of five books. It was quite an easy read and i was able to emmerse myself in the book fairly easily.
If you have read the previous two books i would recommend this one, if only just to finish it off, it wasn't the strongest book of the trilogy but well worth a read, with a satisfactory, if not obvious ending.
October 29, 2010
Caution : Spoilers!!
Omg. Best book in the series by far, but it had a crap ending. I mean, i wanna know if Auraya and Mirar got back together, how the world survived without the gods, what happened to everyone. AHH. But i asked the author if she's writing another and she said no :/. Ah well, atleast it ended kinda well. But still, too abrupt with too much info left out.
This was the only book in the series that i actually looked forward to reading, i was really getting into it and couldnt wait to see what was going to happen.
Overall, best in the series, loved it, ending was abrupt and i reccommend to lovers of Earths Children, his dark materials, etc.
Omg. Best book in the series by far, but it had a crap ending. I mean, i wanna know if Auraya and Mirar got back together, how the world survived without the gods, what happened to everyone. AHH. But i asked the author if she's writing another and she said no :/. Ah well, atleast it ended kinda well. But still, too abrupt with too much info left out.
This was the only book in the series that i actually looked forward to reading, i was really getting into it and couldnt wait to see what was going to happen.
Overall, best in the series, loved it, ending was abrupt and i reccommend to lovers of Earths Children, his dark materials, etc.
June 26, 2017
I pushed through today so I could finish this. Nothing really happened until the last 200 pages and hooollyyy shit the last 50 pages!! I was so close to believing this would turn out to be bad, but it took a massive turn.
I absolutely love the way Canavan explores the uses and ways of magic in all her books.
I absolutely love the way Canavan explores the uses and ways of magic in all her books.
February 1, 2021
Ein wirklich tolles Buch und ein großartiger Abschluss der Serie!
Die Charaktere sind auch dieses Mal großartig und glaubwürdig. Ich war schwer begeistert und am Schluss konnte ich praktisch nicht mehr aufhören zu lesen.
Die Serie kann ich jedem, der Fantasy mag, nur schwer empfehlen!
Die Charaktere sind auch dieses Mal großartig und glaubwürdig. Ich war schwer begeistert und am Schluss konnte ich praktisch nicht mehr aufhören zu lesen.
Die Serie kann ich jedem, der Fantasy mag, nur schwer empfehlen!
June 13, 2020
This is the solid end to the series. I still found the conversations a little stilted but the story is good. You may have already seen the plot twist coming by half way through 3.5 stars
June 11, 2021
Zdecydowanie nie w moim typie. Mocno przeciętna, a do 400 strony bardzo się wynudziłam
May 4, 2024
Great read 😄. No spoilers here... Just read it.
April 25, 2022
SPOILER FREE
It’s difficult to review the final book in a trilogy without giving away any spoilers, so I will do my best to summarize!
Trudi Canavan ties up the loose ends of The Age of Five Trilogy in Voice of The Gods. All the secrets and mysteries that have been hinted at and explored in the previous two entries finally come together. Some are satisfying, others aren’t quite what I was expecting.
THE SECRETS BEHIND THE WILDS AND THE GODS ARE MY FAVOURITE PART OF THIS BOOK
The whole series – and the ending of Voice of the Gods was almost perfect. I would have liked to see more, to be honest. Not a new book or anything, but more than the epilogue we were left with.
If you have enjoyed Priestess of the White and Last of the Wilds, then you will love this book because it brings everything together.
The characters have all finally grown and evolved into driven, independent people, rather than going along with what’s been happening around them (not naming names for the specifics of that point).
Voice of the Gods is an exciting finale and I’m sad that we will see no more of this world, but this story satisfyingly ends at a point that doesn’t leave too much more to be answered.
Overall, this is one of my favourite fantasy trilogies, and one I think should be more mainstream. More people need to read and enjoy these books!
View the full review at The Fantasy Review
It’s difficult to review the final book in a trilogy without giving away any spoilers, so I will do my best to summarize!
Trudi Canavan ties up the loose ends of The Age of Five Trilogy in Voice of The Gods. All the secrets and mysteries that have been hinted at and explored in the previous two entries finally come together. Some are satisfying, others aren’t quite what I was expecting.
THE SECRETS BEHIND THE WILDS AND THE GODS ARE MY FAVOURITE PART OF THIS BOOK
The whole series – and the ending of Voice of the Gods was almost perfect. I would have liked to see more, to be honest. Not a new book or anything, but more than the epilogue we were left with.
If you have enjoyed Priestess of the White and Last of the Wilds, then you will love this book because it brings everything together.
The characters have all finally grown and evolved into driven, independent people, rather than going along with what’s been happening around them (not naming names for the specifics of that point).
Voice of the Gods is an exciting finale and I’m sad that we will see no more of this world, but this story satisfyingly ends at a point that doesn’t leave too much more to be answered.
Overall, this is one of my favourite fantasy trilogies, and one I think should be more mainstream. More people need to read and enjoy these books!
View the full review at The Fantasy Review
November 12, 2019
I started reading this in May, gave it a rest, and finished it for 2 reasons: firstly to see if the obvious "twist" the series has been building to since book 1 was really going to happen (it did), and second because it fills a square on Fantasy Bingo.
I think what annoyed me most about this book was that everyone had an annoying tendancy to take things at face value, which led to people falling for obvious deception. On several occasions, the Pentadrians were shown converting people by giving a bit of charity and saying "See, we aren't really bad," only to have the charity case echo "I guess the Pentarians aren't really so bad!" and become an apostate with no further thought, then being shocked about the deception a chapter later. It's even more jarring when the person is accepting a "truth" about themselves. ("We've chosen you because you are wise and brave." Yes, thought the dupe, I suppose I am wise and brave. I deserve to be chosen.)
In light of that, it makes complete sense that , but it doesn't make for a satisfying ending.
I think what annoyed me most about this book was that everyone had an annoying tendancy to take things at face value, which led to people falling for obvious deception. On several occasions, the Pentadrians were shown converting people by giving a bit of charity and saying "See, we aren't really bad," only to have the charity case echo "I guess the Pentarians aren't really so bad!" and become an apostate with no further thought, then being shocked about the deception a chapter later. It's even more jarring when the person is accepting a "truth" about themselves. ("We've chosen you because you are wise and brave." Yes, thought the dupe, I suppose I am wise and brave. I deserve to be chosen.)
In light of that, it makes complete sense that , but it doesn't make for a satisfying ending.
April 6, 2011
I have enjoyed all of the books written by this author and once again this book achieved the same high standard. You either enjoy this genre or you do not. Pure escapism.
This book was the last of the 'Age of 5' trilogy and all of the loose ends were skilfully dealt with. However, I had guessed the main twist regarding the 'Gods' well before the end of the book - I will not spoil this aspect for any other readers. This did not detract my enjoyment of the book, which I found to be the usual page turner with enough sub-plots and complexity to keep the reader interested in the story. A good read, but you do need to go back to the first book in the trilogy and read them in sequence, otherwise the story would be difficult to follow, especially the sub-plots and characters.
This book was the last of the 'Age of 5' trilogy and all of the loose ends were skilfully dealt with. However, I had guessed the main twist regarding the 'Gods' well before the end of the book - I will not spoil this aspect for any other readers. This did not detract my enjoyment of the book, which I found to be the usual page turner with enough sub-plots and complexity to keep the reader interested in the story. A good read, but you do need to go back to the first book in the trilogy and read them in sequence, otherwise the story would be difficult to follow, especially the sub-plots and characters.
February 14, 2021
I found this trilogy by Trudi Canavan after immersing myself in The Black Magician trilogy.
This is drastically different to the one mentioned above and personally seems to be aimed at an older audience. The depth of the characters and the world you are in is immense. The settings are rich with details and the characters are deep and interesting.
The world is big and you get to see alot of it through the three books.
The use of magic is interesting and even more interesting are the characters who use it.
It is truly beautifully written; it is rich in description and because of it plants you right in the story with the characters (of which there are many).
I can't recommend this series, and author, enough.
This is drastically different to the one mentioned above and personally seems to be aimed at an older audience. The depth of the characters and the world you are in is immense. The settings are rich with details and the characters are deep and interesting.
The world is big and you get to see alot of it through the three books.
The use of magic is interesting and even more interesting are the characters who use it.
It is truly beautifully written; it is rich in description and because of it plants you right in the story with the characters (of which there are many).
I can't recommend this series, and author, enough.
October 15, 2009
started 07/10/2009
This was a fantastic conclusion to a very good trilogy. I'd figured out most of the ending before I got to the second book, but I loved the interaction between the characters and the whole character build up. Canavan has a style of writing that really appeals and keeps you wanting to turn pages and finish the novel. My only problem was that I was looking for the next chapter right up until the last page and found I was disappointed there was no more.
This was a fantastic conclusion to a very good trilogy. I'd figured out most of the ending before I got to the second book, but I loved the interaction between the characters and the whole character build up. Canavan has a style of writing that really appeals and keeps you wanting to turn pages and finish the novel. My only problem was that I was looking for the next chapter right up until the last page and found I was disappointed there was no more.
July 21, 2013
Apa yang kamu lakukan bila kamu melihat tumpukan buku tebal + diskon dengan harga yang sangat menggiurkan, lalu menyadari bahwa genre buku tersebut merupakan genre yang kamu sukai?
Apa kamu akan mengabaikan tumpukan buku-buku itu?
Cuma melihat-lihat dan sekedar lewat saja?
Atau kamu akan kalap dan mengacak-ngacak tumpukan buku itu demi mendapat buku yang kamu inginkan?
Dan saya melakukan pilihan ketiga
Saya mendapatkan ketiga buku ini dengan harga yang cukup murah, yaitu 75000 untuk tiga buah buku. Sangat menggiurkan bukan? Padahal, dengan tebal buku yang bisa membuat maling pusing kalau kena timpuk ini, buku ini bisa dikategorikan buku mahal kalau dijual dengan harga asli. Buku ketiganya saja saya lihat di daftar salah satu toko buku dipatok dengan harga 89k
Sebenarnya, buku ini sudah lama terbit, mungkin 1-2 tahun yang lalu. Namun, saya kurang jeli dalam melihat keunikan buku ini (sebelum dijual dengan harga 25k per 1 buku). *Iya, nasib dompet mahasiwa, nyarinya pasti buku murah :|*
Ah, ya, balik soal kejelian, ada beberapa faktor yang membuat saya tidak terlalu melihat bahwa ini termasuk buku bagus:
1. covernya yang benar-benar seperti cover anak-anak, sama sekali tidak menarik minat saya waktu buku ini bertebaran di toko buku, kecuali buku ke-3, buku ini pernah mengundang minat say akarena covernya yang unik.
2. Harganya yang mahal. *Iya, waktu itu saya masih mikir-mikir kalau mau beli, ya iyalah, blurb belakangnya aja belum menarik minat saya, mana saya berani buat beli*
3. Tebelnya itu lho, gak nahanin. *oke, yang ketiga ini curcol, karena saya juga merasa berat waktu melalap ketiga buku ini.
Ehm, secara garis besar, saya menyukai bagaiman trudi mengembangkan dan menyampaikan ceritanya. Secara isi, saya tidak terlalu memedulikannya, saya justru penasaran apakah pengarang juga mengambil sikap seperti itu dalam memandang agama?
Agama?
Ya, buku ini membahas mengenai keyakinan dalam beragama.
Apaaah????!!! *emot dua tangan menyentuh pipi*, Tapi itu buku fantasi!
Saya sendiri juga gak ngira ada buku fantasi membahas tentang Theis dan Atheis. :|
Jadi, bagaimana ceritanya?
Kalau diceritakan panjang-lebar, dan saya pasti cukup malas membahas ketiga buku tebal ini dan menceritakannya panjang lebar. :/
*timpuk pake sendal*
Oke, cukup percakapannya.
Ketiga buku ini menceritakan mengenai kisah orang-orang yang beragama (polytheisme, karena di dalam buku ini para tokoh menyembah banyak dewa). Tokoh utama dalam cerita ini merupakan seorang gadis dengan kemampuan luar biasa, cerdas, sakti mandraguna, dan luar biasa pintar (entah kenapa aku jadi memutar kedua bola mataku kalau ingat karakterisasi tokoh utama). Gadis ini bernama Auraya.
Cerita dibuka, di buku satu, mengenai Auraya remaja yang berhasil menyelamatkan desanya dari tentara Dunway yang menyandera seluruh penduduk desanya. Di awal cerita ini, saya sudah menemukan dua istilah menarik: Circlian dan Dreamweaver. Wew, sontak saya mengerutkan dahi membaca kedua istilah ini. Apa itu Circlian dan apa itu Dreamweaver?
Saya kira, kedua istilah ini merupakan tempelan dalam cerita ini. Maklum, terbiasa membaca kebanyakan romance fantasy, saya menebak-nebak kalau buku ini juga termasuk romance fantasy yang bakalan bikin saya kapok baca karena ceritanya menye-menye. Lihat saja, kebanyakan fantasy yang ada di toko buku adalah fantasy romance. Bukan berarti saya tidak menyukai fantasy romance, tetapi melihat kebanyakan membaca fantasy romance kadang membuat saya jadi bosan dengan alur dan cerita yang itu-itu saja. Saya kira buku ini akan menyediakan hal itu dan terbukti, saya salah.
Circlian merupakan istilah bagi para penganut lima dewa di Ithania Utara. Dewa-dewa tersebut adalah Chaia, Huan, Lore, Yranna, dan terakhir Saru. Setiap dewa memiliki kelebihan masing-masing dan sangat berkuasa di Ithania Utara. Circlian merupakan perpanjang para dewa, mereka adalah para pendeta yang bertugas melayani dan menyembah dewa, serta menyebarkan perintah dewa. Pimpinan para pendeta Circlian ini disebut White, manusia abadi yang bisa berkomunikasi langsung dengan dewa. (walau pada akhirnya saya mengerutkan dahi lagi karena tidak hanya white yang bisa mendengar suara dewa, bahkan pendeta circlian biasa pun bisa mendengara suara dewa).
Lalu, siapa Dreamweaver itu? Jika ada orang yang percaya pada dewa, maka tentu ada yang tidak percaya 'kan? Orang-orang itulah yang disebut Dreamweaver. Adanya orang ingkar itu biasa! Kenapa musti mengistimewakan mereka dengan memberi mereka istilah lain? Karena memang kenyataannya, Dreamweaver itu istimewa. Dreamweaver mempunyai kemampuan penyembuh dan pengobatan yang luar biasa. Bisa dikatakan pula bahwa mereka adalah orang-orang cinta damai yang tersumpah untuk tidak membunuh makhluk lain dan mengobati kedua belah pihak dari orang-orang yang beperang. Bisa dikatakan, mereka mirip pmi di masa kini. Hanya saja, pmi (yang menurut orang beragama) kafir.
Ingkar tapi suka menolong?
Kurasa kalian ragu dengan ceritaku barusan. Mungkin, di dalam benak kalian sudah terpatri bahwa orang yang ingkar merupakan orang jahat dan bengis yang haus darah. Namun, dalam ceritanya ini nyatanya tidak. Walau tokoh utama yang mewakili golongan ini, Mirar, termasuk tipe laki-laki petualang cinta, dia masih bisa dikategorikan seseorang yang manusiawi, sederhana, dan suka menolong.
Lantas, apa yang membuat cerita ini menarik? Aku mencium adanya asmara di antara Circlian dan Dreamweaver.
Dan kalian akan mendapati diri kalian kecewa bila mengira romansa adalah bumbu utama cerita ini. Tidak. Romansa adalah bumbu penyedap. Keyakinan adalah bumbu utamanya.
Ah, berhentilah menyebut-nyebut keyakinan terus! Katakan sejelasnya mengenai isi ceritanya!
*menggendikkan bahu* baiklah...
Buku pertama adalah buku yang paling lambat alurnya. Saya mendapati diri saya benar-benar lelah dan capek membacanya. Namun, dua kata kunci utama, Auraya (the white) dan Mirar (Dreamweaver) merupakan tokoh yang menarik minat saya untuk tetap membacanya sampai akhir. Ada banyak tokoh di sini dan sulit sekali menceritakannya satu-satu. Yang jelas, keterkaitan antara circlian dan Dreamweaver ini kemudian menyeret satu keyakinan lagi dari Ithania selatan yaitu, Pentadrian. Apa itu Pentadrian? Mereka sama seperti Circlian, hanya saja mereka menyembah lima dewa yang berbeda.
Nah, mulai merasakan sesuatu yang aneh?
Circlian, Pentadrian, dan Dreamweaver. Penyembah dan orang ingkar. Kaum yang menyembah dewa-dewa yang berbeda dan kaum yang tidak mengakui dewa mana pun. Di sini saya melihat potensi konflik horisontal yang disebabkan oleh hubungan vertikal. Kedengaran mirip seperti kenyataan di kehidupan sehari-hari?
Saat Pentadrian masuk ke dalam cerita, saya terenyak, saya mulai berpikir, apa yang ingin penulis sampaikan dalam ceritanya? Dan menginjak buku kedua, saya mulai sadar, ke arah mana pendapat penulis mengenai keyakinan. (Oh, saya tidak tahu apakah penulis merupakan orang yang taat beragama, saya hanya menebak-nebak lewat cerita yang dia sampaikan dalam ketiga bukunya).
Auraya the white merupakan pribadi yang amat memuja dewa-dewa. Namun, di sisi lain dia adalah seorang pribadi yang lembut pada orang lain tanpa memedulikan apakah orang itu ingkar atau percaya. Namun, suatu ketika sikap pemujaannya terhadap dewa-dewa mulai dipertanyakan ketika salah satu dewa menyuruhnya untuk membunuh seseorang tanpa alasan yang jelas.
Apakah bau keingkaran mulai tercium?
Dan Auraya memang benar mulai merasakan keraguan terhadap dewa-dewa ketika mereka menyuruhnya membunuh orang lain tanpa alasan yang jelas. Sedangkan para dewa, mereka hanya tahu kepatuhan dan mereka tidak mengenal pembangkangan. Keraguan dalam diri Auraya hanya membuat salah satu dewa beringas untuk mengintimidasinya dan mencoba membunuhnya berulang-kali. Ironis bukan? Dewa yang dipuja-puji Auraya justru ingin membunuhnya berulang-kali. Padahal, posisi Auraya pada waktu itu adalah posisi tertinggi dari semua pendeta, tetapi nyawanya justru paling terancam di antara yang lain.
Dalam keadaan tertekan, akhirnya Auraya meninggalkan posisinya dan tinggal bersama kaum Siyee. Siyee merupakan salah satu kaum yang menjadi perlambang keegoisan dewa di Ithania. Hanya karena salah satu dewa ingin bereksperimen, mereka membuat manusia yang awalnya sempurna menjadi cacat dan memiliki bentuk tubuh yang aneh. Di antara orang-orang inilah Auraya menghabiskan waktu dan mengamalkan ilmu pengobatan yang diajarkan Mirar padanya.
Sayangnya, pengunduran diri Auraya tidak membuat dewa yang membencinya tenang. Dewa tersebut masih tetap ingin membunuhnya. Di buku ketiga, serangan terhadap Auraya makin menjadi-jadi. Namun, Auraya masih terselamatkan dengan bantuan Emerahl atau Jade salah satu manusia abadi yang disebut pula kaum liar. Kaum liar mirip seperti Dreamweaver, mirip tapi tidak sama. Mereka tahu ada dewa-dewa, tetapi mereka membenci dewa-dewa. Mereka menganggap dewa-dewa adalah pangkal dari permasalahan semua manusia. Bagaimana tidak? Kaum yang tekah hidup ribuan tahun ini menyaksikan sendiri bagaimana para dewa melibatkan manusia dalam perseturuannya, hingga puncaknya perang dewa-dewa membuat semua dewa binasa kecuali lima dewa, yaitu dewa-dewa Circlian dan mungkin.......... dewa-dewa pentadrian pula.
Bersama kaum liar, Auraya berusaha untuk melawan dewa-dewa ini, bahkan dewa yang mencintainya sekalipun. Namun, sesakti apapun manusia, bahkan manusia abadi sendiri, bisakah manusia mengalahkan dewa atau mungkin Tuhan dalam cerita ini?
Cukup sampai di sini penjelasannya, kalau saya bercerita lebih banyak, pasti akan ada spoiler di mana-mana. Cerita di novel ini memang kompleks dan tidak akan mudah dijelaskan dalam bahasa yang singkat. Namun, cerita di atas cukup mewakili inti dari ketiga novel ini. Satu kata itu sudah cukup untuk menggambarkan keadaan di dalam novel, bisakah manusia melawan/membunuh Tuhannya?
Jujur saja, ide cerita ini membuat saya terkejut. Baru kali ini saya membaca kisah fantasi yang dengan gamblang mengadu mengenai tokoh-tokoh yang sekiranya di dunia nyata pun ada tokoh seperti itu. Orang-orang yang fanatik terhadap agama, orang atheis yang sangat besar kemungkinannya tidak diterima di kalangan beragama sebaik apapun dia, dan juga toleransi antara umat di kalangan orang-orang yang yakin bahwa 'Dia' itu ada.
Cerita ini membuat saya tercenung. Menarik sekali....
Saya mendapati dirinya saya membaca ketiganya dalam kurun waktu 4 hari, dengan catatan, dua hari terakhir membuat saya cukup frustasi karena sulit menemukan Voice of Gods yang merupakan penutup kedua kisah di atas. Buku pertama adalah buku yang paling membosankan dan berat. Banyak kalimat-kalimat yang tidak saya pahami dan kebanyakan saya hanya memfokuskan diri untuk membawa bagian Auraya dan Mirar. Namun, itu sudah cukup bagi saya untuk memahami inti keseluruhan cerita. Buku kedua, cerita berjalan mulai menarik, apalagi dengan kisah cinta antara dewa dan manusia, kedengaran seperti Zeus yang suka mengawini wanita-wanita manusia . Dan buku ketiga, walau dengan ending yang mengecewakan, tetapi menjawab pertanyaan saya mengenai pandangan penulis mengenai agama. (sekali lagi, saya cuma menebak dari cerita yang ditulis penulis).
Dan epilognya? Whoa...., benar-benar seperti menceritakan kaum monotheis yang mulai hadir di Ithania!
ck...ck...ck, saya sampai geleng-geleng, merasa tersindir dengan kalimat Trudi melalui tokohnya yang menyatakan, bahwa agama diperlukan untuk menyatukan umat (sekaligus mendapat kekuasaan). Wow, tercium sindiran di sini.
Karakterisasi di dalam novel ini sangat bagus dan apik. Saya mendapati kalau saya menyukai kelima manusia abadi, terutama Mirar. Untuk tokoh utama? Suka sih, cuma sedikit -errrrr- dengan kemampuannya yang luar biasa. Untuk kisah penutup, saya sudah bisa menebaknya dan bagi saya, buku ketiga adalah buku yang paling menarik karena puncak cerita ada di sana
Rate 2 bintang untuk buku satu
Rate 3 bintang untuk buku dua, dan terakhir
Rate 4 bintang untuk buku tiga.
Buku fantasi ini benar-benar non mainstream seperti kebanyakan di pasaran. Bagi kalian yang suka fantasy dan bosan dengan cerita yang itu-itu aja (seperti di kebanyakan toko buku), saya sarankan untuk membaca cerita ini. Emang berat dan blunder, tapi terakhir enak banget buat dicerna kok. Namun, sebaiknya kalian berhati-hati dalam mengambil pemahaman soal 'keyakinan' di sini. Karena, bila ide cerita ini dibalik, pasti 'keyakinan' tentang Tuhan akan berbeda lagi
ps : buku ini sepertinya mulai agak susah dicari
Apa kamu akan mengabaikan tumpukan buku-buku itu?
Cuma melihat-lihat dan sekedar lewat saja?
Atau kamu akan kalap dan mengacak-ngacak tumpukan buku itu demi mendapat buku yang kamu inginkan?
Dan saya melakukan pilihan ketiga
Saya mendapatkan ketiga buku ini dengan harga yang cukup murah, yaitu 75000 untuk tiga buah buku. Sangat menggiurkan bukan? Padahal, dengan tebal buku yang bisa membuat maling pusing kalau kena timpuk ini, buku ini bisa dikategorikan buku mahal kalau dijual dengan harga asli. Buku ketiganya saja saya lihat di daftar salah satu toko buku dipatok dengan harga 89k
Sebenarnya, buku ini sudah lama terbit, mungkin 1-2 tahun yang lalu. Namun, saya kurang jeli dalam melihat keunikan buku ini (sebelum dijual dengan harga 25k per 1 buku). *Iya, nasib dompet mahasiwa, nyarinya pasti buku murah :|*
Ah, ya, balik soal kejelian, ada beberapa faktor yang membuat saya tidak terlalu melihat bahwa ini termasuk buku bagus:
1. covernya yang benar-benar seperti cover anak-anak, sama sekali tidak menarik minat saya waktu buku ini bertebaran di toko buku, kecuali buku ke-3, buku ini pernah mengundang minat say akarena covernya yang unik.
2. Harganya yang mahal. *Iya, waktu itu saya masih mikir-mikir kalau mau beli, ya iyalah, blurb belakangnya aja belum menarik minat saya, mana saya berani buat beli*
3. Tebelnya itu lho, gak nahanin. *oke, yang ketiga ini curcol, karena saya juga merasa berat waktu melalap ketiga buku ini.
Ehm, secara garis besar, saya menyukai bagaiman trudi mengembangkan dan menyampaikan ceritanya. Secara isi, saya tidak terlalu memedulikannya, saya justru penasaran apakah pengarang juga mengambil sikap seperti itu dalam memandang agama?
Agama?
Ya, buku ini membahas mengenai keyakinan dalam beragama.
Apaaah????!!! *emot dua tangan menyentuh pipi*, Tapi itu buku fantasi!
Saya sendiri juga gak ngira ada buku fantasi membahas tentang Theis dan Atheis. :|
Jadi, bagaimana ceritanya?
Kalau diceritakan panjang-lebar, dan saya pasti cukup malas membahas ketiga buku tebal ini dan menceritakannya panjang lebar. :/
*timpuk pake sendal*
Oke, cukup percakapannya.
Ketiga buku ini menceritakan mengenai kisah orang-orang yang beragama (polytheisme, karena di dalam buku ini para tokoh menyembah banyak dewa). Tokoh utama dalam cerita ini merupakan seorang gadis dengan kemampuan luar biasa, cerdas, sakti mandraguna, dan luar biasa pintar (entah kenapa aku jadi memutar kedua bola mataku kalau ingat karakterisasi tokoh utama). Gadis ini bernama Auraya.
Cerita dibuka, di buku satu, mengenai Auraya remaja yang berhasil menyelamatkan desanya dari tentara Dunway yang menyandera seluruh penduduk desanya. Di awal cerita ini, saya sudah menemukan dua istilah menarik: Circlian dan Dreamweaver. Wew, sontak saya mengerutkan dahi membaca kedua istilah ini. Apa itu Circlian dan apa itu Dreamweaver?
Saya kira, kedua istilah ini merupakan tempelan dalam cerita ini. Maklum, terbiasa membaca kebanyakan romance fantasy, saya menebak-nebak kalau buku ini juga termasuk romance fantasy yang bakalan bikin saya kapok baca karena ceritanya menye-menye. Lihat saja, kebanyakan fantasy yang ada di toko buku adalah fantasy romance. Bukan berarti saya tidak menyukai fantasy romance, tetapi melihat kebanyakan membaca fantasy romance kadang membuat saya jadi bosan dengan alur dan cerita yang itu-itu saja. Saya kira buku ini akan menyediakan hal itu dan terbukti, saya salah.
Circlian merupakan istilah bagi para penganut lima dewa di Ithania Utara. Dewa-dewa tersebut adalah Chaia, Huan, Lore, Yranna, dan terakhir Saru. Setiap dewa memiliki kelebihan masing-masing dan sangat berkuasa di Ithania Utara. Circlian merupakan perpanjang para dewa, mereka adalah para pendeta yang bertugas melayani dan menyembah dewa, serta menyebarkan perintah dewa. Pimpinan para pendeta Circlian ini disebut White, manusia abadi yang bisa berkomunikasi langsung dengan dewa. (walau pada akhirnya saya mengerutkan dahi lagi karena tidak hanya white yang bisa mendengar suara dewa, bahkan pendeta circlian biasa pun bisa mendengara suara dewa).
Lalu, siapa Dreamweaver itu? Jika ada orang yang percaya pada dewa, maka tentu ada yang tidak percaya 'kan? Orang-orang itulah yang disebut Dreamweaver. Adanya orang ingkar itu biasa! Kenapa musti mengistimewakan mereka dengan memberi mereka istilah lain? Karena memang kenyataannya, Dreamweaver itu istimewa. Dreamweaver mempunyai kemampuan penyembuh dan pengobatan yang luar biasa. Bisa dikatakan pula bahwa mereka adalah orang-orang cinta damai yang tersumpah untuk tidak membunuh makhluk lain dan mengobati kedua belah pihak dari orang-orang yang beperang. Bisa dikatakan, mereka mirip pmi di masa kini. Hanya saja, pmi (yang menurut orang beragama) kafir.
Ingkar tapi suka menolong?
Kurasa kalian ragu dengan ceritaku barusan. Mungkin, di dalam benak kalian sudah terpatri bahwa orang yang ingkar merupakan orang jahat dan bengis yang haus darah. Namun, dalam ceritanya ini nyatanya tidak. Walau tokoh utama yang mewakili golongan ini, Mirar, termasuk tipe laki-laki petualang cinta, dia masih bisa dikategorikan seseorang yang manusiawi, sederhana, dan suka menolong.
Lantas, apa yang membuat cerita ini menarik? Aku mencium adanya asmara di antara Circlian dan Dreamweaver.
Dan kalian akan mendapati diri kalian kecewa bila mengira romansa adalah bumbu utama cerita ini. Tidak. Romansa adalah bumbu penyedap. Keyakinan adalah bumbu utamanya.
Ah, berhentilah menyebut-nyebut keyakinan terus! Katakan sejelasnya mengenai isi ceritanya!
*menggendikkan bahu* baiklah...
Buku pertama adalah buku yang paling lambat alurnya. Saya mendapati diri saya benar-benar lelah dan capek membacanya. Namun, dua kata kunci utama, Auraya (the white) dan Mirar (Dreamweaver) merupakan tokoh yang menarik minat saya untuk tetap membacanya sampai akhir. Ada banyak tokoh di sini dan sulit sekali menceritakannya satu-satu. Yang jelas, keterkaitan antara circlian dan Dreamweaver ini kemudian menyeret satu keyakinan lagi dari Ithania selatan yaitu, Pentadrian. Apa itu Pentadrian? Mereka sama seperti Circlian, hanya saja mereka menyembah lima dewa yang berbeda.
Nah, mulai merasakan sesuatu yang aneh?
Circlian, Pentadrian, dan Dreamweaver. Penyembah dan orang ingkar. Kaum yang menyembah dewa-dewa yang berbeda dan kaum yang tidak mengakui dewa mana pun. Di sini saya melihat potensi konflik horisontal yang disebabkan oleh hubungan vertikal. Kedengaran mirip seperti kenyataan di kehidupan sehari-hari?
Saat Pentadrian masuk ke dalam cerita, saya terenyak, saya mulai berpikir, apa yang ingin penulis sampaikan dalam ceritanya? Dan menginjak buku kedua, saya mulai sadar, ke arah mana pendapat penulis mengenai keyakinan. (Oh, saya tidak tahu apakah penulis merupakan orang yang taat beragama, saya hanya menebak-nebak lewat cerita yang dia sampaikan dalam ketiga bukunya).
Auraya the white merupakan pribadi yang amat memuja dewa-dewa. Namun, di sisi lain dia adalah seorang pribadi yang lembut pada orang lain tanpa memedulikan apakah orang itu ingkar atau percaya. Namun, suatu ketika sikap pemujaannya terhadap dewa-dewa mulai dipertanyakan ketika salah satu dewa menyuruhnya untuk membunuh seseorang tanpa alasan yang jelas.
Apakah bau keingkaran mulai tercium?
Dan Auraya memang benar mulai merasakan keraguan terhadap dewa-dewa ketika mereka menyuruhnya membunuh orang lain tanpa alasan yang jelas. Sedangkan para dewa, mereka hanya tahu kepatuhan dan mereka tidak mengenal pembangkangan. Keraguan dalam diri Auraya hanya membuat salah satu dewa beringas untuk mengintimidasinya dan mencoba membunuhnya berulang-kali. Ironis bukan? Dewa yang dipuja-puji Auraya justru ingin membunuhnya berulang-kali. Padahal, posisi Auraya pada waktu itu adalah posisi tertinggi dari semua pendeta, tetapi nyawanya justru paling terancam di antara yang lain.
Dalam keadaan tertekan, akhirnya Auraya meninggalkan posisinya dan tinggal bersama kaum Siyee. Siyee merupakan salah satu kaum yang menjadi perlambang keegoisan dewa di Ithania. Hanya karena salah satu dewa ingin bereksperimen, mereka membuat manusia yang awalnya sempurna menjadi cacat dan memiliki bentuk tubuh yang aneh. Di antara orang-orang inilah Auraya menghabiskan waktu dan mengamalkan ilmu pengobatan yang diajarkan Mirar padanya.
Sayangnya, pengunduran diri Auraya tidak membuat dewa yang membencinya tenang. Dewa tersebut masih tetap ingin membunuhnya. Di buku ketiga, serangan terhadap Auraya makin menjadi-jadi. Namun, Auraya masih terselamatkan dengan bantuan Emerahl atau Jade salah satu manusia abadi yang disebut pula kaum liar. Kaum liar mirip seperti Dreamweaver, mirip tapi tidak sama. Mereka tahu ada dewa-dewa, tetapi mereka membenci dewa-dewa. Mereka menganggap dewa-dewa adalah pangkal dari permasalahan semua manusia. Bagaimana tidak? Kaum yang tekah hidup ribuan tahun ini menyaksikan sendiri bagaimana para dewa melibatkan manusia dalam perseturuannya, hingga puncaknya perang dewa-dewa membuat semua dewa binasa kecuali lima dewa, yaitu dewa-dewa Circlian dan mungkin.......... dewa-dewa pentadrian pula.
Bersama kaum liar, Auraya berusaha untuk melawan dewa-dewa ini, bahkan dewa yang mencintainya sekalipun. Namun, sesakti apapun manusia, bahkan manusia abadi sendiri, bisakah manusia mengalahkan dewa atau mungkin Tuhan dalam cerita ini?
Cukup sampai di sini penjelasannya, kalau saya bercerita lebih banyak, pasti akan ada spoiler di mana-mana. Cerita di novel ini memang kompleks dan tidak akan mudah dijelaskan dalam bahasa yang singkat. Namun, cerita di atas cukup mewakili inti dari ketiga novel ini. Satu kata itu sudah cukup untuk menggambarkan keadaan di dalam novel, bisakah manusia melawan/membunuh Tuhannya?
Jujur saja, ide cerita ini membuat saya terkejut. Baru kali ini saya membaca kisah fantasi yang dengan gamblang mengadu mengenai tokoh-tokoh yang sekiranya di dunia nyata pun ada tokoh seperti itu. Orang-orang yang fanatik terhadap agama, orang atheis yang sangat besar kemungkinannya tidak diterima di kalangan beragama sebaik apapun dia, dan juga toleransi antara umat di kalangan orang-orang yang yakin bahwa 'Dia' itu ada.
Cerita ini membuat saya tercenung. Menarik sekali....
Saya mendapati dirinya saya membaca ketiganya dalam kurun waktu 4 hari, dengan catatan, dua hari terakhir membuat saya cukup frustasi karena sulit menemukan Voice of Gods yang merupakan penutup kedua kisah di atas. Buku pertama adalah buku yang paling membosankan dan berat. Banyak kalimat-kalimat yang tidak saya pahami dan kebanyakan saya hanya memfokuskan diri untuk membawa bagian Auraya dan Mirar. Namun, itu sudah cukup bagi saya untuk memahami inti keseluruhan cerita. Buku kedua, cerita berjalan mulai menarik, apalagi dengan kisah cinta antara dewa dan manusia, kedengaran seperti Zeus yang suka mengawini wanita-wanita manusia . Dan buku ketiga, walau dengan ending yang mengecewakan, tetapi menjawab pertanyaan saya mengenai pandangan penulis mengenai agama. (sekali lagi, saya cuma menebak dari cerita yang ditulis penulis).
Dan epilognya? Whoa...., benar-benar seperti menceritakan kaum monotheis yang mulai hadir di Ithania!
ck...ck...ck, saya sampai geleng-geleng, merasa tersindir dengan kalimat Trudi melalui tokohnya yang menyatakan, bahwa agama diperlukan untuk menyatukan umat (sekaligus mendapat kekuasaan). Wow, tercium sindiran di sini.
Karakterisasi di dalam novel ini sangat bagus dan apik. Saya mendapati kalau saya menyukai kelima manusia abadi, terutama Mirar. Untuk tokoh utama? Suka sih, cuma sedikit -errrrr- dengan kemampuannya yang luar biasa. Untuk kisah penutup, saya sudah bisa menebaknya dan bagi saya, buku ketiga adalah buku yang paling menarik karena puncak cerita ada di sana
Rate 2 bintang untuk buku satu
Rate 3 bintang untuk buku dua, dan terakhir
Rate 4 bintang untuk buku tiga.
Buku fantasi ini benar-benar non mainstream seperti kebanyakan di pasaran. Bagi kalian yang suka fantasy dan bosan dengan cerita yang itu-itu aja (seperti di kebanyakan toko buku), saya sarankan untuk membaca cerita ini. Emang berat dan blunder, tapi terakhir enak banget buat dicerna kok. Namun, sebaiknya kalian berhati-hati dalam mengambil pemahaman soal 'keyakinan' di sini. Karena, bila ide cerita ini dibalik, pasti 'keyakinan' tentang Tuhan akan berbeda lagi
ps : buku ini sepertinya mulai agak susah dicari
October 16, 2022
4,5 Sterne für ein recht spektakuläres Finale.
Am Ende ging es mir jedoch etwas zu schnell. Anfangs hat sich die Story so langsam fortbewegt und es hat ewig gedauert, bis Auraya ihre blinde Treue überwinden konnte, und dann kam plötzlich alle Enthüllungen und Veränderungen Schlag auf Schlag.
Vor allem gibt es auch so viel, das ich am Ende gerne noch gesehen hätte.
Ich mochte die Beziehung zwischen Auraya und Danjin und fand es schade, dass es nach Mirar kaum noch Interaktion zwischen beiden gab und Danjin keine Chance bekommen hat, Aurayas Handeln zu verstehen. Deshalb hatte ich darauf gehofft, dass er am Ende die ganze Story hören und verstehen würde, dass sie eigentlich die Einzige der Zirkler war, die alles richtig gemacht hat. Stattdessen hat er sein letztes Vertrauen in sie mit ihrem Ring zusammen weggeworfen. Es tut mir leid, dass es so enden soll.
Auch die Reaktion der anderen Weißen auf die wahre Geschichte hätte mich interessiert. Ich hätte gerne gesehen, wie Juran, Dyara und Mairae erfahren, was Auraya getan und wie sie alle gerettet hat und dass die Weißen ihr zu Unrecht misstraut haben. Ich hätte ehrlich gesagt auch gerne gesehen, wie Rian und Ella als die Fanatiker, die sie sind, angesichts der Wahrheit den Verstand verlieren. Ein bisschen Schadenfreude muss schon sein.
Was ich mich außerdem frage, ist, ob alle Weißen und Stimmen nach wie vor Gedanken lesen können und das ein Überbleibsel der Kraft der Götter ist, oder ob Imenja auch eine potenzielle Unsterbliche ist. Andererseits können die anderen Unsterblichen das ja auch nicht – mit Ausnahme von Auraya, die ebenfalls einmal von den Göttern Kraft bezogen hat.
Den Epilog mit dem Schöpfer fand ich witzig.
Da sowohl die Idee des Schöpfers als auch die „Beweise“ und Begründungen sehr an den christlichen Gott erinnern, habe ich das sofort als kleinen Seitenhieb verstanden.
Mit dem Wissen, wie sehr ein nicht-existenter Schöpfer die Welt verpfuschen kann, fürchte ich, dass den Leuten in Ithania noch einiges bevorsteht. Aber vielleicht war das Ganze ja unsere eigene Vorgeschichte…
Am Ende ging es mir jedoch etwas zu schnell. Anfangs hat sich die Story so langsam fortbewegt und es hat ewig gedauert, bis Auraya ihre blinde Treue überwinden konnte, und dann kam plötzlich alle Enthüllungen und Veränderungen Schlag auf Schlag.
Vor allem gibt es auch so viel, das ich am Ende gerne noch gesehen hätte.
Ich mochte die Beziehung zwischen Auraya und Danjin und fand es schade, dass es nach Mirar kaum noch Interaktion zwischen beiden gab und Danjin keine Chance bekommen hat, Aurayas Handeln zu verstehen. Deshalb hatte ich darauf gehofft, dass er am Ende die ganze Story hören und verstehen würde, dass sie eigentlich die Einzige der Zirkler war, die alles richtig gemacht hat. Stattdessen hat er sein letztes Vertrauen in sie mit ihrem Ring zusammen weggeworfen. Es tut mir leid, dass es so enden soll.
Auch die Reaktion der anderen Weißen auf die wahre Geschichte hätte mich interessiert. Ich hätte gerne gesehen, wie Juran, Dyara und Mairae erfahren, was Auraya getan und wie sie alle gerettet hat und dass die Weißen ihr zu Unrecht misstraut haben. Ich hätte ehrlich gesagt auch gerne gesehen, wie Rian und Ella als die Fanatiker, die sie sind, angesichts der Wahrheit den Verstand verlieren. Ein bisschen Schadenfreude muss schon sein.
Was ich mich außerdem frage, ist, ob alle Weißen und Stimmen nach wie vor Gedanken lesen können und das ein Überbleibsel der Kraft der Götter ist, oder ob Imenja auch eine potenzielle Unsterbliche ist. Andererseits können die anderen Unsterblichen das ja auch nicht – mit Ausnahme von Auraya, die ebenfalls einmal von den Göttern Kraft bezogen hat.
Den Epilog mit dem Schöpfer fand ich witzig.
"Ob dieser Schöpfer existiert oder nicht, er kann die Dinge unmöglich in so großem Stil verpfuschen, wie die Götter es getan haben."
Da sowohl die Idee des Schöpfers als auch die „Beweise“ und Begründungen sehr an den christlichen Gott erinnern, habe ich das sofort als kleinen Seitenhieb verstanden.
Mit dem Wissen, wie sehr ein nicht-existenter Schöpfer die Welt verpfuschen kann, fürchte ich, dass den Leuten in Ithania noch einiges bevorsteht. Aber vielleicht war das Ganze ja unsere eigene Vorgeschichte…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2017
Inesperado. Apesar de se algumas situações reveladas neste terceiro livro da trilogia, a verdade é que algumas das revelações são surpreendentes, tal como a forma como se chega lá.
Confesso (e sem querer ser spolier) que a visão dos Deuses que A Idade dos Cinco nos traz é algo semelhante com a minha. Mas Trudi Canavan vai mais longe nessa visão e mostra como os mortais (e imortais) se podem revoltar contra os Deuses, tomando as rédeas do seu próprio destino.
Fiquei, mais uma vez, encantada com esta autora. Uma escrita de fácil leitura, um mundo com a sua própria geografia, espécies, costumes e linguagem (traduzida, no final, num glossário para que todos a possamos entender). De notar ainda que, este último volume da trilogia resolve e esclarece todos os mistérios que nos foram sendo apresentados ao longo dos três volumes, o que mostra o cuidado que a autora dedicou à escrita.
Lamento, confesso, que não haja, em Portugal, mais trabalhos de Trudi Canavan para ler...
Confesso (e sem querer ser spolier) que a visão dos Deuses que A Idade dos Cinco nos traz é algo semelhante com a minha. Mas Trudi Canavan vai mais longe nessa visão e mostra como os mortais (e imortais) se podem revoltar contra os Deuses, tomando as rédeas do seu próprio destino.
Fiquei, mais uma vez, encantada com esta autora. Uma escrita de fácil leitura, um mundo com a sua própria geografia, espécies, costumes e linguagem (traduzida, no final, num glossário para que todos a possamos entender). De notar ainda que, este último volume da trilogia resolve e esclarece todos os mistérios que nos foram sendo apresentados ao longo dos três volumes, o que mostra o cuidado que a autora dedicou à escrita.
Lamento, confesso, que não haja, em Portugal, mais trabalhos de Trudi Canavan para ler...
January 18, 2022
Labai jau kalnuota ši knygų serija – nuo labai vidutinės į smagią fantastiką ir po to vėl žemyn link vidutiniškos. Paskutinėje dalyje pasigedau to, kas man patiko antrojoje, o jei tiksliau tai dėmesio veikėjams ir jų asmenybėms. Žinoma, visi pagrindiniai niekur nedingo, tačiau vieni jų pusę knygos sėdėjo ant vienos ir tos pačios kėdės, kiti trankėsi po pasaulį, tuo įveldami skaitytoją į vienas kitą besivejančius kalnų – miestų – laukų aprašymus ir daugeliu atveju tebuvo savitumą praradę stoveliai skaitytojo stebėjimo taškui sukurti. Be to vėl sugrįžo visi nereikšmingi personažai ir net ištisos šalutinės linijos, kurios niekuo nepapildė istorijos ir visomis galimomis prasmėmis buvo šalutinės (pvz. naujoji baltoji su savo kelionėmis ir kaimiečių teismais).
Maža to ir siužeto posūkiai nenustebino – pasirodo tai, ką įtariau antroje dalyje ir pavadinau ant sienos kabančiais patrankos dydžio šautuvais, tokiais ir pasirodė esą: labai jau akivaizdūs ir tiesmuki.
Iš kitos pusės dar kartą supratau, kokie man kūrinyje svarbūs veikėjai ir pasitvirtinau, kad aš nesu tokių epopėjų, pasaulį aprėpiančių ir ištisų tautų likimus sekančių istorijų mėgėja.
Maža to ir siužeto posūkiai nenustebino – pasirodo tai, ką įtariau antroje dalyje ir pavadinau ant sienos kabančiais patrankos dydžio šautuvais, tokiais ir pasirodė esą: labai jau akivaizdūs ir tiesmuki.
Iš kitos pusės dar kartą supratau, kokie man kūrinyje svarbūs veikėjai ir pasitvirtinau, kad aš nesu tokių epopėjų, pasaulį aprėpiančių ir ištisų tautų likimus sekančių istorijų mėgėja.
May 8, 2023
Kurzmeinung / Leseerlebnis
Von den drei jeweils ca. 800 Seiten starken Bänden der Reihe fand ich dieses zwar am schwächsten, aber das soll nicht missverstanden sein, es sind für mich immer noch locker viereinhalb Sterne. Mir hat die Reihe insgesamt sehr gut gefallen. Mit der darauf folgenden Reihe der Autorin "Magie der tausend Welten" habe ich tatsächlich auch schon begonnen. Für mich glaube ich auch ein Novum, dass ich zwei Bücher der gleichen Autorin gleichzeitig am Start habe.
Von den drei jeweils ca. 800 Seiten starken Bänden der Reihe fand ich dieses zwar am schwächsten, aber das soll nicht missverstanden sein, es sind für mich immer noch locker viereinhalb Sterne. Mir hat die Reihe insgesamt sehr gut gefallen. Mit der darauf folgenden Reihe der Autorin "Magie der tausend Welten" habe ich tatsächlich auch schon begonnen. Für mich glaube ich auch ein Novum, dass ich zwei Bücher der gleichen Autorin gleichzeitig am Start habe.
May 12, 2020
I enjoyed the third installment of this trilogy, but didn't find the end as satisfying as I'd hoped. There were some interesting revelations in this one, and some great development, but there were some plot threads that never really developed and the larger conflict came so near the end that it felt sudden and a bit unresolved for me.
November 23, 2020
Jakie. to. było. słabe.
Boleśnie przewidywalne już od pierwszego tomu, miałam nadzieję na chociaż przyzwoite wyegzekwowanie całkiem ciekawego pomysłu ale nope, nawet tego zabrakło. Czasem jednak dnf to najlepsze wyjście
Boleśnie przewidywalne już od pierwszego tomu, miałam nadzieję na chociaż przyzwoite wyegzekwowanie całkiem ciekawego pomysłu ale nope, nawet tego zabrakło. Czasem jednak dnf to najlepsze wyjście
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