Die Spur ins Schattenland

by Jonathan Stroud

Alle glauben, Max wäre ertrunken. Nur Charlie glaubt das nicht. Sie war doch dabei am Mühlsee, als Max ins Wasser sprang! Sie weiß doch genau, was dort passiert ist! In ihren Träumen kann Charlie Max sehen. Max ist nicht tot, er ist noch da. Charlie muss nur seinen Spuren folgen, um ihn nach Hause zu holen. Und Charlie folgt ihnen – selbst über die Grenzen dieser Welt hinaus …

• Ein gefährlicher Grenzgang zwischen Fantasie und Realität
• Geheimnisvoll, mysteriös und unheimlich packend

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure, Childrens, Novels

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Jonathan Anthony Stroud is an author of fantasy books, mainly for children and youths.

Stroud grew up in St Albans where he enjoyed reading books, drawing pictures, and writing stories. Between the ages seven and nine he was often ill, so he spent most of his days in the hospital or in his bed at home. To escape boredom he would occupy himself with books and stories. After he completed his studies of English literature at the University of York, he worked in London as an editor for the Walker Books store. He worked with different types of books there and this soon led to the writing of his own books. During the 1990s, he started publishing his own works and quickly gained success.

In May 1999, Stroud published his first children's novel, Buried Fire, which was the first of a line of fantasy/mythology children's books.

Among his most prominent works are the bestselling Bartimaeus Trilogy. A special feature of these novels compared to others of their genre is that Stroud examines the stereotypes and ethics of the magician class and the enslaved demons. This is done by examining the perspective of the sarcastic and slightly egomaniacal djinni Bartimaeus. The books in this series are The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate, his first books to be published in the United States.

Stroud lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire, with his two children, Isabelle and Arthur, and his wife Gina, an illustrator of children's books.

Reviews

[Shienny M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won't say too much about the story, I can only say that I cant put this book down since I opened it. I read it halfway on a train ride from Surabaya to Jogjakarta then I had to force myself to stop. Knowing that I need reading material for my way home.

During my stay in Jogjakarta, I can't help but steal some time to read more and more and finally stop when I realize I had read almost 3/4 of the book. I really need a reading material on my ride home ^^;

The mystery really absorb me, and I love the way this book ended. I cannot really decide whether this book falls into the genre of psychological drama, fantasy, or... (in my own preferences) supernatural horror.

Read it, keep an open mind, and decide for yourself, who knows you might came up with another conclusion of your own :)

[Ana Kosasih · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yep. My very first review on Goodreads, The Leap! :)

Well, where should I begin...? The start of this story was really really great that it successfully got my full attention till I finished this book in less than one day, although I must admit that it was actually beyond my expectation--but not in a really good way. I had finished at least half of Bartimaeus trilogy before starting to read this book, and The Leap was something that I didn't expect would come from the author. It was a lot darker, and I can't help but feel like it was full of implied things. Even though many people would put this book in fantasy category, I think there may still be different interpretations in deciding what kind of story The Leap is about.

The author himself divided the points of view between Charlie's and her brother James', and both seemed to convey different versions on viewing how the whole things happened. Charlie's version portrayed her journey in a mysterious place in her dreams to find Max in order to prove that he was still alive. There was no too specific explanation given about the place, and I myself think of it as possible realm after death, or between life and death, or something similar to that. While James' version portrayed his struggles to save his little sister who seemingly couldn't got over her shock from losing her best friend, to the point where she almost killed herself in the hopeless attempt to find him back.

Another way to interpret the storyline which we may conclude after finished reading it is, the magical journey Charlie had been through was all simply a hallucination happened while she was in her state of overcoming her post-traumatic condition--which is also possible because the author inserted James point of view in the first place.

The ending didn't really explain much, but made the whole story even more open to many interpretations. According to my personal preference, a little but meaningful conversation between Charlie and Max wouldn't hurt, since the poor girl had been through a lot just to meet him again (and I would love to see some romance fan-service too).

To sum up, I suppose it was one of the best books I read in 2011. Although as a reader with inner-fangirl :p, I don't find myself satisfied with how the author conclude this story (believe it, despite how gloomy it was, I still expected a very happy ending in the first 50 pages of the book--until it got even more darker and it was obvious that such an ending won't exist), it was purely my personal preference.

[Editanainggolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Start : 15 Feb 2018
Finish : 17 Feb 2018 .

Judul: The Leap
Pengarang : Jonathan Stroud @jonathan.stroud
Penerbit : PT GPU @bukugpu
Dimensi Buku: 240 halaman, 20 cm
ISBN : 978-979-22-7606-0
Terbit : 2001, 2011 (IDN)
Genre : Fiksi Fantasy
.
Main characters : Charlotte "Charlie" Fletcer, James Fletcher, and Max
Blurb:
A girl whose best friend drowns in a mill pool.
---
.

Membaca buku ini mengingatkan ku akan video klip group vocal girlband legendaris no. 1 yang pernah ada didunia! (Ok, lebay! I know. But its true 😅👍)
Spice Girl : Viva Forever.
.

Kalau kalian suka lagu itu, maka aku yakin, kalian pasti akan suka buku ini. Seakan buku ini dan lagu itu were meant to be together. Kurang tahu juga sih, saling menginspirasi, atau siapa menginspirasi siapa atau hanya kebetulan. .

Oh ya, satu hal yang menarik dari cara Mr. Stroud bercerita adalah klausa keterangan pada kalimat-kalimatnya. Sangat khas Mr. Stroud. I like it. So much!!!
.

Contoh nih: "Aku melompati pagar dan berlari ke padang, (dia bisa saja berhenti disini, tapi tidak) menginjak setidaknya satu kotoran sapi yang masih baru." 😂
---- hal 46
.

Dan ini:
"Kami keluar rumah dan masuk mobil dalam 30 detik, (belum titik) dan itu termasuk saat aku kembali lagi untuk membanting pintu depan, (wait, masih ada lagi) yang di biarkan Mum terbuka." 😂😂
----hal. 45
.
Dan masih banyak lagi 👍
.

Dan Rating dari ku : 4⭐

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max has an accident and drowns, leaving behind his best friend Charlie (Charlotte), who seems unable to let him go. At least, this is what the adults believe. Charlie knows better though. She saw the creatures that pulled Max down and away, and she has been touched by them as well. She knows that Max is still alive, and she embarks on a search both in her waking hours and in her dreams to find him...

The Leap is a book thriving from atmosphere. While reading you might feel that there is a certain slow pace to it, but the plot soon starts to spiral away faster and faster as the lines between two worlds blur and Charlie is drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery surrounding Max whereabouts and his fate. Jonathan Stroud uses the fantastical, strange dream world and its mysteries as metaphors for loss and letting go, death and moving on. Clinging to a loved one can be harmful for you, but sometimes you have to find the right moment to let go. Charlie's journey is as much a fantastical one as it is an emotional one. The subtle horror underlying the fantastical and the darkening atmosphere add to an ever-growing tension and dread that finds it's climax in the last 60 or so pages of the book. The end might seem sudden and abrupt, and I have to admit that personally, I'd have liked for a small epilogue detailling the fallout, but still the ending suits the story.

The Leap is clearly a YA novel, but I do believe that adults will enjoy the atmosphere and the motifs of loss, clinging to and letting go rather beautifully woven into the narrative. It's part old-fashioned fairy tale, contemporary family drama and dreamy fantasy with a pinch of horror. I enjoyed the book a lot overall.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book was kind of boring and prolonged but when I got to the second half, I couldn't put it down. The whole 'two worlds melting together' thing was very interesting!

I'm not quite sure I understood the ending but I definitely have my own interpretation of it...

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das Buch ist, laut Verlag, für Kinder ab 11 Jahren geeignet, meinem Empfinden nach eignet es sich aber besser für (angehende) Erwachsene, denn jüngere Leser könnten bei dem Verlauf der Geschichte enttäuscht und vielleicht auch etwas verstört werden.

Das Mädchen Charlie reist um ihren vermeintlich toten Freund Max wiederzusehen, während ihrer nächtlichen Träume ins Schattenland. Dort begegnet sie mysteriösen Kreaturen und kommt ihrem Freund Max mit jeder Nacht die verstreicht ein kleines Stückchen näher. Gleichzeitig kapselt sie sich von der Aussenwelt, besonders von ihrer Mutter und ihrem Bruder James, immer mehr ab.

Mir wurde ab der Hälfte des Buches klar, in welche Richtung sich "Die Spur ins Schattenland" bewegte. Der Schreibstil von Jonathan Stroud hat mir, wie auch in seinen "Bartimäus-Romanen wieder sehr gut gefallen, er konnte mir die Stimmungen, allen voran die Spannung sehr gut übermitteln. Mir hat das Buch sehr gut gefallen.

Mein Fazit
Ein etwas anderes "Fantasy-Buch", aufgrund der Thematik für ein älteres Lesepublikum geeignet. Mit einer ganz eigenen, düsteren, aber auch Hoffnung gebenden Geschichte. Ganz ganz toll!

[Bunga Mawar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jangan berpikir tentang sihir2an, jin2an atau monster2an mengenai buku ini, sebagaimana kamu mungkin membayangkan karya Jonathan Stroud dengan trilogi Barty-nya. Di bagian belakang buku ada tulisan "Fantasi Remaja". Kalau kamu percaya pada tulisan itu, yah terserah. Karena menurut saya, buku ini memang mengenai remaja, dengan setting kejadian di dunia nyata biasa.

Tapi tidak ada kehidupan fantastis yang dijalani remaja itu. Fantasi yang muncul di buku ini ternyata hasil dari pemikiran si remaja, yang sebenarnya orang biasa saja. Seorang remaja yang belum bisa menerima konsep "kehilangan" seorang sahabat. Padahal si sahabat itu pun bukan superhero, dibilang baik hati atau santun gak juga, bahkan konon kabar agak gendut pula :p. Kemana2 naik sepeda, gak pakai sapu terbang atau batmobile. Biasa banget deh pokoknya.

Dengan plot cerita yang sering berganti sudut pandang pencerita antara si remaja dan kakaknya, juga dengan "skor akhir" yang tercipta, maka saya lebih suka menyimpulkan, buku ini lebih cocok disebut buku psikologi remaja *soktau*

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

i did like it, don't get me wrong, but the ending just leaves so many questions unanswered; am i missing something, here? was the author unable to finish this book for some reason? or was there a page missing in my copy, it WAS second hand, :S

[Harumichi Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ketika sahabatnya, Max, meninggal karena tenggelam di kolam dekat penggilingan gandum, orang-orang di sekitar Charlotte Fletcher memaksanya untuk menerima kenyataan itu. Tapi Charlie menolak. Meski dianggap gila, ia pun berusaha mengejar sosok Max yang terus menghilang ke dunia lain. Awalnya Charlie mengejar Max di dunia mimpi. Namun, Charlie harus menyusul Max dengan segera. Sebelum Max bergabung dengan Festival Raya dan menari di acara Dansa Besar. Karena jika itu terjadi, berarti Max benar-benar pergi. Maka Charlie pun mengejar Max di dunia nyata.

Namun, Charlie tidak sendiri. Di belakangnya, James, abangnya, terus membuntutinya. Berusaha mati-matian agar Charlie tidak sampai benar-benar menyusul Max.

***

Awalnya kukira buku ini adalah buku murni fantasi dengan sihir, jin, makhluk ajaib dan sebagainya. Ternyata muatan psikologisnya sangat kuat sekaligus dalam. Charlie yang tak pernah akur dengan abang dan ibunya (yang sudah bercerai dan berpacaran dengan orang yang dia benci) akhirnya lengket dengan Max dan mereka melewati banyak petualangan di kota bersama.

Namun, saat bermain di kolam di tempat penggilingan gandum yang sudah tidak terpakai, Max memanjat pohon plum di tepi kolam. Dan saat ia melihat ke arah kolam, bagaikan terhipnotis Max melompat ke sana, menjemput kematiannya sendiri. Charlie dengan berani menyusul Max melompat ke kolam, namun ia gagal menyelamatkan anak itu. Di kolam, antara sadar dan tidak ia melihat wujud seorang wanita misterius yang kemudian mencakar kakinya.

Saat sadar Charlie mendapati dirinya di rumah sakit. Tentu saja tak ada yang mempercayai kisahnya. Meskipun bekas luka cakaran itu jelas nyata di pergelangan kaki Charlie. Mereka mengira Max yang mencakar kaki Charlie saat panik dan tenggelam di kolam. Karena Charlie tak bisa menerima kenyataan Max yang sudah meninggal bahkan setelah sahabatnya itu dimakamkan, ia sempat dirawat di rumah sakit jiwa dan diikat ke tempat tidurnya agar tak bisa kabur.

Setelah melewati beberapa sesi konseling, mereka memutuskan bahwa kondisi Charlie sudah membaik dan karena itu dia diizinkan rawat jalan. Ia masih harus mengunjungi psikiaternya, Dr. Tillbrook secara berkala, dan terpaksa cuti dari sekolah. Dalam salah satu sesi konseling, Dr. Tillbrook memberinya sebuah buku harian untuk mencurahkan semua isi hatinya. Sepertinya salah satu dari terapi juga.

Sejak itu setiap tidur Charlie mendapat dirinya masuk ke dunia mimpi yang aneh. Mimpi aneh yang terasa begitu nyata dan membekas di ingatannya bahkan setelah ia bangun. Dalam mimpi itu ia melihat Max. Namun, Max tak pernah menyahut panggilannya dan justru berjalan semakin menjauh. Charlie pun berusaha menyusul Max. Agar tidak lupa, setelah bangun ia selalu mencatat mimpinya dengan detail dalam buku harian yang diberikan Dr. Tillbrook. Anehnya, mimpi-mimpi itu selalu ada kelanjutannya. Charlie benar-benar bisa merasakan sensasi seolah berada di dunia nyata. Jika mimpinya terputus saat ia terbangun, ketika ia tidur lagi Charlie akan melanjutkan mimpinya seperti menonton adegan film yang habis di-pause.

Charlie yakin jika ia terus menyusuri tempat di mimpinya, maka suatu saat dia bisa menemukan Max dan membawanya kembali. Menunjukkan pada orang-orang bahwa Max sebenarnya tidak meninggal. Dalam mimpi ia bertemu seorang lelaki bernama Kit. Orang itu memberi petunjuk Charlie soal Max dan dari dialah gadis itu mengetahui soal Festival Raya.

Semua penghuni dunia itu akan berkumpul di Festival Raya pada waktu-waktu tertentu. Termasuk Max yang merupakan "penghuni baru". Acara utama Festival itu adalah pesta dansa besar yang megah. Jika Max sudah ikut berdansa, maka Charlie tidak mungkin lagi bisa membawa Max kembali. Anak itu akan melupakan Charlie bahkan jika bertemu dengannya. Charlie pun semakin terpacu untuk memburu Max. Saat siang ia menjalankan aktivitas seperti biasa dengan James, abangnya, yang berusaha menghiburnya. Ternyata semua itu dilakukan agar saat malam ia merasa lelah dan bisa langsung tertidur untuk memburu Max. Namun, semua orang mengira itu pertanda Charlie mulai bisa menerima kematian Max. Padahal, yang terjadi justru sebaliknya.

Sementara itu lambat-laun James mulai curiga dengan adiknya. Ia kerap mendapati sang adik menjerit dalam tidur sehingga ia mengira Charlie sedang bermimpi buruk. Tapi Charlie selalu menyangkal dan mulai marah-marah lagi jika ditanya. Dalam dunia mimpi yang digambarkan begitu nyata, Charlie mulai putus asa karena tak bisa segera menyusul Max. Kit mengatakan bahwa ia harus mencari Max di tempat-tempat yang biasa ia datangi dan sukai di dunia nyata. Charlie pun mendatangi pabrik besi, tempat penggilingan gandum, bahkan rumah Max. Ibu Max terpukul saat mengetahui Charlie diam-diam berkeliaran di rumahnya. Akibatnya ayah Max pun marah-marah pada ibu Charlie.

Keadaan semakin menggila ketika Charlie diserang kawanan serigala di dalam mimpinya. Serigala-serigala itu menghalanginya untuk mencapai Festival Raya. Namun, luka-luka yang didapat Charlie di dunia mimpi ternyata terbawa hingga ke dunia nyata! Charlie tahu jika dia tertidur maka dia akan melanjutkan mimpinya dan jatuh ke dalam terkaman serigala. Charlie harus melompat jauh agar bisa berpindah tempat dan terbebas dari serigala-serigala itu. Maka ia semakin gigih mencari Max di dunia nyata. Ia mulai mendengar Max memanggil-manggilnya di jalanan.

Gilanya lagi, batas antara dunia mimpi dan dunia nyata Charlie semakin menipis karena para serigala itu bahkan bisa mengejarnya ke dunia nyata. Anehnya, meskipun luka-luka cakar serigala itu nyata, James tak bisa melihat para serigala itu. Tak ada seorang pun yang bisa kecuali Charlie. James semakin panik ketika Charlie yang dikiranya tertidur tiba-tiba menghilang dari rumah. Di dunia nyata ternyata ada Festival juga yang sedang diadakan. Ke sanalah Charlie pergi. Dan James harus buru-buru menyusul adiknya sebelum Charlie benar-benar berhasil menyusul Max.

***

Sudut pandang novel ini diambil dari sudut pandang orang pertama dan menceritakan perspektif Charlie dan James secara bergantian. Deskripsi Stroud begitu mendetail sehingga adegan-adegan yang disuguhnya terasa begitu nyata dan menyesakkan. Kedekatan Charlie dengan Max saat masih hidup tidak terlalu ditunjukkan di sini. Tapi dari cara Charlie berusaha mengejar Max sampai ke dunia lain, jelas persahabatan mereka sangat kental.

Sampai akhir, Stroud tidak memberikan resolusi yang jelas tentang apakah Charlie hanya berdelusi atau memang benar-benar ada dunia lain yang menarik Max dan Charlie ke dalamnya. Jinkah? Entah...

Yang jelas, seandainya ada lebih banyak orang seperti James, kurasa akan ada lebih banyak orang-orang seperti Charlie yang bisa diselamatkan. Karena buku ini, aku memutuskan untuk mulai membaca buku-buku Stroud yang lain.

***

Buku ini sedikit banyak mengingatkan saya dengan buku Negeri Bawah Air karya Ary Nilandari https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.... Sama-sama soal kehilangan orang-orang yang disayangi. Ddan apa yang terjadi ketika seseorang tidak bisa menerima kehilangan itu hingga sampai menerobos batas-batas dunia nyata. Hanya saja, jika Negeri Bawah Air memberikan ending penutup yang begitu melegakan, seperti yang disebutkan di atas, The Leap masih menyisakan misteri yang bisa kita tafsirkan sendiri-sendiri.




https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

[Ira Booklover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dulu sekali, saya pernah membaca The Last Siege yang juga merupakan buku karya Jonathan Stroud. Gaya penceritaannya yang sangat berbeda sekali dengan Bartimaeus Trilogy membuat saya waktu itu hanya memberikan dua bintang untuk The Last Siege. Bartimaus kocak, The Last Siege suram.

The Leap sebenarnya juga suram, dan saya sudah curiga kalau endingnya bakalan seperti itu berdasarkan pengalaman saya ketika membaca The Last Siege. Tapi karena saya sudah siap (apa coba), The Leap akhirnya berhasil membuat saya tegang di chapter-chapter akhir meskipun awalnya menurut saya cukup membosankan.

Jadi ceritanya tentang dua orang sahabat, Max dan Charlie, yang mengalami kecelakaan saat bermain-main di sekitar kolam. Max meninggal, atau menurut orang Max meninggal, padahal menurut Charlie tidak. Max masih hidup. Dia dibawa oleh wanita-wanita berwajah aneh di dalam kolam dan Charlie bertekad mengejarnya.

Namun waktu Charlie terbatas. Dia harus berhasil mengejar Max sebelum Dansa Besar dimulai. Sayangnya Max berlari begitu cepat dan orang-orang disekitar Charlie berusaha menghalangi Charlie agar dia melupakan Max. Padahal kunci untuk bisa mengejar Max tepat waktu adalah, Charlie harus selalu mengingat Max. Mengingat sedemikian rupa sehingga Charlie bisa merasakan kehadiran Max disampingnya.

Berhasilkah Charlie mengejar Max? Yah silakan baca sendiri bukunya. Yang pasti kalau membaca The Leap, pastikan kalian tidak mengingat bagaimana gaya penceritaan Bartimeaus Trilogy ataupun The Lockwood Series karena mereka sangat berbeda. Tidak ada unsur suram-seram kocak di The Leap. Yang ada hanya suram dan seram :D

At last, 3 dari 5 bintang untuk The Leap. Yeap, I liked it.

NB: Thanks to Radovan Zweihander yang sudah capek-capek datang ke Kalimantan Selatan Book Fair demi mendapatkan buku ini. Ngirimin via pos pula. Mom loves you <3 XD

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two things about Jonathan Stroud is that he will always make a teenage boy and teenage girl the starring characters and he will always make you read between the lines in order to get the full story. AND I RESPECT HIM FOR IT

[Anjanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s really creepy! I had read the Bartimaeus books and wasn’t expecting this kind of story. Really good though.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

was war das

[Prim Hardbottle M.E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm 🤔 Jugendbuch klar… mit „ offenem Schluss“ ….welche Wahrheit ist real Charlie’s oder James‘ ? Für mich nicht packend genug geschrieben… die Idee ist gut…

[Lexie Layman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word: Wow. This book was absolutely amazing. It was so sad but touching and just an incredible read. This would make a great movie.

This was just such an interesting take on death and just to see how it affected everyone. James was such a great big brother. So worried about his sister and just wanting her to be happy again. I have never heard of a sibling as great as this so i just absolutely loved James! I could totally see his side, especially as still being a kid himself, to try and convince Charlie that Max was really dead.

Charlie's entire point of view was just so unique and magical. She went on this journey in this dream world to find her best friend Max who she saw was still alive but just got taken into another world. It is so heartwarming yet sad to see how far she goes for her love for Max.

Also this book has just brought up more questions. Like what happened at the end?? Where we were seeing Charlie walking through town and almost killing herself by jumping up a quarry where in the dreamworld she was seeing, she was going to "join the dance" to become a official citizen in the world so she could be with Max. But then she saw Max's face and he looked like he was dead and wasn't the Max she knew. Was this whole book about her just accepting her best friend's death or did she really experience any of this?

Another interesting character is Kit, a friend she made along the way in the dreamworld. There are so many things that just make me think that he is the grim reaper. Like when he tried to get her to eat the fruit earlier on so she receive her true heart's desire. That was so scary, reading it from James' point of view when he walked in on Charlie pale and shaking in her sleep. And then when he was trying to get her to join the dance and was literally screaming at her to do it instead of being the nice, calm Kit that he had been throughout the rest of the book.

This whole book just left me hungering for more and I just absolutely loved it. I decided to check out this book because I read some of Jonathan's later works and I am so glad I did. Love Love Love Love!!

[Ameena · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was simply not as great as the Bartimaeus Trilogy. I admit that I came in expecting great things from the book, cuz of how much I just LOVED the Bartimaeus books...but as I got in, I saw that it wouldn't be so. Fair enough, I thought. Nobody's perfect. I read this book with a wide-open mind, really trying to love it, because of how much I love Jonathan Stroud--but I just couldn't. This book was terrible. Nothing was explained, nothing at all. Though I'm extremely grateful Charlie didn't end up with a crushie on Max, like so many other vomit-inducing, mind-numbing, painfully stereotypical books...but the thing that ruined it, again, was that it wasn't explained. That's the one that makes me hate and toss books in the trash, besides cheesy romance, selfish characters, and love triangles--but we won't get into that. This book had none of that, though, it should be noted. Still, I DON'T GET THE END AND IT REALLY BOTHERS ME. Can someone please tell me what happened in the end?!

I don't love Jonathan Stroud any less, though. Still one of my fave authors. FOR BARTIMAEUS AND BARTIMAEUS ONLY!!!!!!!!

[Eka Yunif · Rating 5 out of 5]

SELESAI. AKHIRNYA. BERES. KELAR.

Bukunya tipis, tapi aku butuh waktu lama untuk menyelesaikannya karena... yah, banyak alasan, berbagai macam alasan.

AKU CINTA CERITA DI DALAMNYA. Jarang-jarang, rasanya kadangkala saja, aku memberikan lima bintang. AKU CINTA.

Jika dilihat secara sekilas, sebenarnya cerita dalam The Leap ini sangat sederhana, hanya soal anak gadis yang mengalami trauma setelah melihat kematian temannya, kemudian mengalami mimpi-mimpi yang merupakan bentuk trauma itu sendiri. Mimpi-mimpi itu sendiri sering berputar-putar di sebuah tempat. Tapi Om Stroud mendeskripsikan mimpi-mimpi itu dengan indah, membuatku teringat dengan beberapa draft ceritaku yang belum selesai karena aku merasa 'gagal' dalam mendeskripsikan latar lokasi. Hehe.

Selesai membaca buku ini, sebenarnya aku terombang-ambing antara mempercayai Charlie atau James. Apakah dunia yang Charlie lihat itu benar-benar nyata atau hanya mimpi-mimpinya, sebenarnya aku ingin mempercayainya. Kemudian muncul James, yang seolah-olah menjadi 'katalis'.

Eh, memangnya ini pelajaran Kimia?

[hpboy13 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, The Leap shares the same problem as Stroud's other three standalone novels: a complete lack of an ending. It's remarkable how consistent a feature that was in Stroud's books, until he took on a series (Bartimaeus), and became one of the best writers of the modern era. I'm going to sound like a broken record here, because my thoughts are the same as they were for the other standalones:

Great concept, great story, great everything until it screeches to a halt mid-climax and says, "Okay, bye, thanks for reading!" Stroud's writing is really good, making you care for the characters. But especially in a book that is a somewhat heartbreaking meditation on grief, there needs to be some catharsis at the end. So this is only recommended to the most devout Stroud completionists, and no one else.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jonathan Stroud
The Leap - Lompatan
Gramedia Pustaka Utama
4.4

Sudah lama saya tidak memberi rating sekecil ini untuk cerita fantasi, semenjak Red Queen bulan lalu :v

Nah, tapi untuk ukuran seorang Jonathan Stroud, The Leap ini terasa sangat inferior dibandingkan dengan karya-karyanya yang lain. Ceritanya lumayan aneh, dan saya merasa hampa waktu membaca buku ini.

[Angelica Watson (psst! amrutha)]

It was a beautiful book. I thought it was a short story, but it had so much of meaning in it.
Its a really nice story, a wonderful plot as well. At first, the title let me down, but as I read on, i realized its not a bad book at all.
Once again, Jonathan Stroud amazes us all!!! :)

[Ary Nilandari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stroud gave me goosebumps with this one.

[Sabbath Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sebenarnya mengharapkan lebih, tapi ya sudahlah...

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a depressing book with plots that require a lot of patience. Paling tidak, endingnya tidak menggantung. Untungnya James berhasil 'menarik' Charlie sebelum dia jatuh ke lubang.

[Kimi21 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't appreciate the ending.

[Anthy Vin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5

Arguably Stroud's weakest novel to date, which makes sense, it being an early work and, unless I'm mistaken, his first standalone YA publication. Still, I'll admit I favored it quite a bit more than Heroes of the Valley (which I also really wanted to like and is at least much funnier).

The concept for The Leap was right up my alley: a tragic adolescent death, parent-child family drama, a blurred divide between dreams and waking life, the fantastical as a way to cope with a bleak reality. Stroud hadn't yet found his comedic voice, which would be born with Bartimaeus two years later, but I felt drawn to this story for what it was, quite apart from the Bart sequence.

But it is telling that, while the setup pulled me right in, I put the book on hiatus for months before returning to finish it, and only then with grim determination. I'm glad I finished it. But the ending let me down. Unlike Stroud's Last Siege, I don't even want to revisit this one; at least not yet.

Even back then, Stroud's prose style was an easy follow, and his characters' interiority felt honest and true. I had absolutely no clue how Stroud was going to resolve the conundrum they faced; nothing about the plot felt cliché enough for me to hazard a guess (perhaps Stroud didn't know either). The last scenes were promisingly ramping up to a loud and hard-hitting finish—and then left you stranded.

I literally thought my library copy had the last chapter missing; it was that jarring. Not a cliffhanger, not an open-ended ending, just a premature curtain call.

I do notice a weakness in some authors (myself included) for having too tight or too neat an ending, where we absolutely must check up on the entire cast and spell out the beginnings of their ever-afters, so artfully abrupt endings are sometimes appropriate and appreciated. But this one came off like an oversight, it was so bizarre. Perhaps its true ending didn't warrant a full epilogue, but a few paragraphs more might have made it seem less unfinished.

Loved the first half, though. It's still Stroud at work, after all. But dang.

[Inga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jonathan Stroud gehört zu meinen Lieblingsautoren im Bereich Fantasy und während ich auf das Erscheinen seines neuesten Projektes warte, habe ich dann auch eines seiner früheren Bücher zur Hand genommen.
Die Spur ins Schattenland (2001) handelt von Charlie, die ihren besten Freund Max auf tragische Weise verliert. Während alle davon ausgehen, dass Max im Mühlteich ertrunken ist, glaubt Charlie fest daran, dass Max in einer andere Welt entführt worden ist - in das Schattenland. In ihren Träumen folgt sie Max in diese Welt und versucht ihn dort wiederzufinden, was nicht ungefährlich ist.
Eine andere Sichtweise auf die Ereignisse gibt uns Charlies Bruder James, der sich zunehmend Sorgen um seine Schwester macht, die nicht über den Tod des Freundes hinwegzukommen scheint und sich immer seltsamer verhält.
Mit Charlie zusammen betreten wir eine schöne, seltsame und auch bedrohliche Zwischenwelt, von der wir nicht erfahren, was sie eigentlich ist, vieles muss sich der Leser selbst zusammenreimen und vieles ist offen für Interpretation. Ist Charlies Wahrnehmung zu trauen, gibt es diese fantastische Welt? Oder halten wir uns eher an James, der weiß, dass sich seine Schwester verändert hat und nicht mehr sie selbst ist - und dass ihrem Bericht daher kaum zu trauen ist?
Jonathan Stroud beschreibt sehr atmosphärisch die verschiedenen Gegenden und Phasen von Charlies Ausflügen ins Schattenland, verzichtet aber auf eine detaillierte Ausdeutung dieser Parallelwelt. Auch die Auflösung am Ende bleibt offen und mehrdeutig, was als Schwäche oder Stärke dieser ungewöhnlichen Geschichte gewertet werden kann. Mir haben die teils etwas langatmigen Schilderungen der Landschaften und von Charlies Suche nicht besonders gefallen und gingen auf Kosten meines Interesses an der Geschichte.
Verglichen mit dem Humor, der Spannung und dem actiongeladenen Plot seiner Bartimäus- und Lockwood&Co-Reihen kann diese Geschichte einfach nicht mithalten.

[Kacie Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

While staying at my mom's house, I picked up this book to pass some time. I hadn't read it since I was a child - I'm relatively sure my copy was originally purchased at a Scholastic book fair. Why couldn't I remember what the story was, why hadn't I read this several times? Now, as an adult, I understand why I didn't return to it as often as some others on my bookshelf.

The premise of the story is heart-wrenching, and Charlie's dogged determination to pull her friend back into her life is as admirable as it is impossible... unless, maybe there is a possibility? I have to hand it to the author, the descriptions of Charlie's dreams do feel as if there is a chance for the fantasy of her imagination to become an actual portal to a fae realm, which would fit in perfectly for a children's story. But this is a book of grief, and the reality of Charlie's world reflects our own - there is no happy ending where she is reunited with her friend.

But as heightened and mystical and tense as the last few chapters are, the ending does leave something to be desired. I don't need a story to answer all of my questions, but this book does leave me wondering if there could be a bit more resolution. To experience the climax, then slammed into the ending with little denouement, feels unnecessarily hurried. And since the book is predominately told through two perspectives, not just one, we lose the opportunity for completeness twice.

[Kerstin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Die Spur ins Schattenland" konnte mich leider nicht richtig überzeugen. Das Konzept war sehr interessant und am Anfang war die Geschichte auch noch fesselnd; Charlies Geisteszustand ist eindringlich dargestellt und es war nicht schwer, mit ihr mitzufühlen. Allein die Vorstellung, dabei zuzusehen, wie der beste Freund ertrinkt ist furchtbar und dazu ist sie ja noch sehr jung. Auch das Rätsel, ob Max wirklich tot ist oder er ins Schattenland entführt wurde, mochte ich, da der Autor beide Seiten überzeugend dargestellt hat, indem er nicht nur Charlie, sondern auch ihrem Bruder eigene Kapitel gegeben hat. Beide Figuren sind gut ausgearbeitet, aber ich muss zugeben, dass ich James sympathischer fand - vielleicht, weil er so um seine Schwester besorgt war und ihr unbedingt helfen wollte und Charlies Kapitel durch ihre Trauer um Max und den Versuch, an ihm festzuhalten, ziemlich bedrückend waren.

Leider wurde die Geschichte nach einer Weile sehr repetitiv. Charlie stößt ihre Familie von sich, tut so, als sei alles normal, versucht, ins Schattenland zu kommen, macht keine Fortschritte. Das Schattenland an sich war interessant, die immer düster werdende Atmosphäre wurde gut eingefangen und auch die Verschmelzung der Welten ist überzeugend dargestellt, aber trotzdem konnte die Handlung mich nicht fesseln und ich wollte eigentlich nur noch wissen, wie die Geschichte ausgehen würde. Und das Ende an sich... ich hatte das Gefühl, irgendetwas verpasst zu haben. Was genau jetzt passiert ist, bleibt völlig offen und eigentlich werden nur noch mehr Fragen aufgeworfen. An sich habe ich nichts gegen offene Enden, aber hier kam der Abschluss sehr abrupt und es wirkte auf mich so, als würden ein, zwei Kapitel fehlen.

[1stTimeReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I anticipated this would be sad, but man, just go and break my heart, why don’t you?

There is something very intriguing in Stroud’s earlier standalone work - he writes so honestly and beautifully - his stories always balance on the edge between what’s real and what’s not, so end up spending half of the novel speculating in my mind if I’m reading something very grounded in realism with childhood imagination making it feel magical or if I’m actually reading a supernatural story.

His novels are what I call “intelligent children novels” - they are smartly written, explore complex topics without being condescending to their younger audience and they are always written with such care and empathy for the characters. I that regard, this book didn’t disappoint.

PS: I’ve seen reviews add that this book feels like it’s missing an epilogue or an extra chapter - I’ve now come to terms with the fact that this is part of Stroud’s trademark writing. I’ve had similar complaints when reading some of his other books, but I didn’t mind it so much her.

I’m learning this is part of the charm of his writing - leaving things somewhat open-ended where any ending is possible and entirely up to you.

[NotAnotherEmptySkull · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆5 Stars☆

NOTES & THOUGHTS
• An emotional rollercoaster of a book!
• A storyline full of twists and turns.
• An original story.
• A combination of dreams and reality. Where the lines between the two overlap and create something else - something unique.
• Well written and detailed.
• I think having the point of view of 2 characters worked really well in building the story. It was also realistic to the story - we could easier see the blend between reality and dreams.
• I loved the plotline progression!
• I have a love/hate relationship with the ending. In some ways I wish it ended "properly", however it worked for the storyline and it allows the reader to interpret any meaning into it.

I LOVED
• The characters.
• The plotline twists.
• The way the book was written.
• How the author combined two different realms - dreams and reality.
• The ending - it was creative and leaves it open to the readers imagination.

I DIDN'T LOVE
• That the book seemed to suddenly end after the build up. The storyline didn't seem to have a clear resolution.