[Book Review] EARTH By Tere Liye

“What is visible not always as seems. And whatever dissapears, is not always gone like we suspect. There are lots and lots to answers from places which have dissapeared. You’ll going to find all the answers. From the past, the present, and even the future.” (page 73)

Author	Tere Liye
Publisher	Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Published	First published in Indonesia, in 2019. Second print: July 2019
Page	368 pages; 20 cm
ISBN	9786020627519
Translation by	Gill Westaway

My Name is Raib. I’m 15 years old, a tenth-grader. I have two cats: Whitey and Blacky. My parents are nice. My teachers are great. My friends are kind and solid.

I’m an ordinary girl just like you, and I like most teenagers do, except for one thing. There’s something that I kept myself ever since i was a kid. Something amazing. My Name is Raib, and I can dissapear.

This is the first book from the series “EARTH.” The original bookpublished in 2013 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama under the tittle “BUMI.” First published in Indonesia, in 2019 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama. I was excited that one of my favorite series finally translate in english, hopefully the people who love Harry Potter series all around the world can read and enjoy this book.

RAIB. She’s only child. For an adolescent of her age, there’s nothing spesial about her. She has long, straight, black hair. She like reading and she’s got two cats at home. She’s not clever or even popular. She just socialize with her classmates and mainly mix with the girls. Her marks are average, none of them particullary spectacular, except in languange–She really like that subject. She always liked the rain. Watching the rain drops fall always made her feel happy. Raib from Moon Clan. She can dissapear.

SELI. She has shoulder lenght hair. She’s Raib best friend since Class Ten, Raib classmate who shared same table. She always love watching the sunset. It always makes her heart feel warm and at peace. That sunset was very beautiful. When she was still small, wherever she was  taken to the beach, when it was time for the sunset, she would stop playing, or even if she was in the middle of crying. She would be quiet for a moment. She would stand on her own watching the sunset, no one could talk to her until the sun had completely gone. Seli love the sunset. She’s a member of Sun Clan. Seli always looked so fasionable, because her mother gave her such good advice. She’s a fighter from the Sun Clan. She’s only fifteen but can already produce lightening from her hand. With good training she can exceed the skills  of the best fighter the Sun Clan has ever had.

ALI. He did seem lazy, rowdy, he like fighting, but in certain classes he could reduce the tearchers to silence through his question which showed up their stupidity. His teacher are often really nervous in class when he start asking his strange question. If you had to teach a kid who was as brainy as him, you would have to feel awkward. Horrific in sense of being different. It’s only Miss Curly-Locks who’s not bothered by him, and she even dares to punish him. He read far more that anyone else in his school. He’s genius! He was the most of genius amongst Raib and Seli. Ali’s character which always made him so relaxed about everthing could bring them into  danger. With the untidy hair as a compliment, he’s the most brilliant of the Lower Beings. The longer he’s in this world, the more he absorbs. It’s astonishing. Ali, also has a spesial power.

They have Math teacher, Miss Selena. Name of Selena, it means of moon. And for certain nations, it’s mean beautiful moon but also the person who shows the way, the keeper of inheritance, the last fortress. Miss Selena said “You can do whatever you want, Ra, because you’re the best. You are a descendant of the Moon Clan, the first that has grown in up here in this Earth World. And Seli too, she’s descendant of the Sun Clan, the first to live on the Earth. You complement one another. Learn quickly how to recognize your power. I realise this must be confusing, you must have lots of questions going around in your mind. But your time is limited, and I’m afraid there’s a little chance for further explenation.” (page 155)

Read the second book from “EARTH SERIES” : MOON BY TERE LIYE

The three of them entered Moon Clan after being chased by Tamus. They were saved by fighter from the Moon Clan called Selena. Without knowing what book she actually had, having no idea of the strenght of the book, Ra activated The Book of Life, opened the interworld seal and arrived in Ou’S bedroom, Ou is Ilo’s son. Then they got caught up in this whole story.

Ali is the first one who knows Raib’s  secret. “I am a hundred percent sure that you were not there before. There was nobody in this coridor. Then there was a flash of lightening and suddently there you are. Suddently you just appeared. I’m convinced.” (page 25). “There are a lots who can dissapear, Ra. Lots of things we can’t see with our eyes, but they’re still there.” (page 27). 

This world that we live in reality nos as straight forward as it looks. There are four life forms that exist simultaneously on this planet. The first is Earth Clan can also known as Earthings or Low Beings. The second is the Moon Clan. The Moon Clan should be the most peace-loving and serene of all. The there is Sun Clan, also known as the Being of Light. They rather love friendship and solidarity.  The fourth life form is the Star Clan also known as the Clan of the Far-Off Dots. --AV

There are 45 episodes in this book, and as book lover of course my favorite part is episode 30.  “This is the Central Library. The place where all documentation and books are kept, where all knowledge is gathered. There’s no better place than this if we need answers.” (page 203).  Raib, Seli, and Ali reminds me about Harry Potter series. Series “EARTH” is very different story with Harry Potter. Harry Potter is fiction about magic, series Earth is about science fiction! But the main caracters, Raib, Seli and Ali remind me about Harry Potter, Harmione Granger and Ron Weasley. For me, Raib like Harry Potter, they are leader for their team and have a something spesial. Seli like Ron Weasley, and Harmione Granger like Ali, they’re love reading and always solving the problems.

Read: book review I Am Malala

When Miss Selene going to open black hole for Raib, Seli and Ali, they run away to a place that Tamus and his troops cannot reach them. The three of them climbed into the hole as quickly as possible. Miss Selena said, “While you escape, I’ll hold off Tamus as best I can. He’s not going to like seeing you get away.” After that, Raib and her friends finally touch down Tishri city for the first time. They met Ilo, most popular designer in Moon Clan. Twenty-four ago, Raib was still living in a normal life like any other teenager. Busy with family activities, school and getting involved with her community. Now she was getting ready to fight with strange people in this world. But whatever, at least she was together with her best friend.

Who is Tamus? Where is the Tishri city? What are they doing? Who’s Raib parents ? What Tamus was looking for in the Forbidden Section? Who is “The Uncrowned”? If Raib and Seli have spesial power, besides genius what is the spesial power of Ali? Just find out in this book.   If you love reading fantasy genre science fiction, it’s really recommended book. 🙂

“You just proved the theory of the puffer fish, Ali.”  Ali had himself explained to us that when it’s under pressure, panic-stricken, a puffer fish will swipe up big, many times bigger tahn its original size, and have sharp spines. A puffer fish has inherited this spesial gene. A spesial power. (page 363)

puffer fish – Source image from this link: https://www.dictio.id/t/apa-saja-fakta-unik-ikan-buntal-air-tawar/106242/2

Read: book review Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

My favorite Quotes from this book –EARTH:

1. Golden rule number seven in our family: “Breakfast is always important.” (page 12).
2. You know, Ra, persistance means we can do amazing things without realizing. (page 16)
3. I know the habbits of our family. Dad always likes to give me advice in his own special way. Like bringing the conversation round to a really unique topic on a wet journey to school like today. Maybe most other parents are also like that. Always feeling that it’s important to get their teenage children to talk about something to give them advice, and hoping that these few sentences will do somr good–even if it’s just about washing machine. Apart from the fact that he is very busy–and also his conversation topics sometimes aren’t really right for the situation–my father makes me happy. He’s always there for me when I needed dad. (page 16)
4. “I may be lazy but I’m not stupid. Actually, you know, a small proportion of the world’s lazy people are geniuses. (page 25)
5. “Every day, every second, we’re living with something all around us that we can’t see. Air. We breathe it but we never think about what its original from would be. Is it like fog? Or like smoke? What’s this oxygen? What shape does it have? A box? An oblong? (page 27)
6. “If you are too small or conversely to big compared to that which that you can see, you can dissepear according a different definition of the world. Ants, for example just try and see in this school yard from this second floor, they actually dissapear because they are too small to be seen. Conversely the Earth, for example, because the Earth’s globe is too big, no one can actually see it floating in orbit around the sun. We only know  it’s doing this from pictures, the television, but we never see this with our own eyes. It’s invisible according to a certain definition. (page 28)
7. “What is visible not always as seems. And whatever dissapears, is not always gone like we suspect. There are lots and lots to answers from places which have dissapeared. You’ll going to find all the answers. From the past, the present, and even the future.” (page 73)
8. “The first rule is don’t trust anyone. Not a friend, a relative, your parents, no one.” (page 89)
9. Just now, you have witnessed that anger, panic, anxiety can be converted into something very powerful. But that is not good source of motivation. It is not to be hoped that it’s only when you are faced with a desperate situation that this power can released, right? Everything would be in a  complete mess before you had even realized you were angry. So, mark my words, the best source of power for humanity is while you often call determination, will power. The Earth is million of years old. For thousands of years ago there has been life in this world. All than that power itself. In your case, in comparison with the power to dissapear, strong will can multiply that power that you possess into something many times more powerful. (page 116)
10. You should choose opponents who are more equal.” (page 144)
11. “At least I don’t teach them hatred and hostility towards others.” (page 147)
12. “You may have become an expert in remote fighting, Selena. But, you have never mastered the art of fighting at close quarters.” (page 151)
13. We laughed for a moment in relief. What had happened just now, even if was difficult to explain, and whatever it was taking us, had made us into good friends. Friends which cared and looked out for one another. (page 162)
14. “I’m absolutely sure that several life forms can operate on Earth the same time without getting tangled up, and without  the balls flying all over the place. I’ve already witnessed at least teo sides. The first side is the life on Earth which we have led all this time. The second side is this strange city, with its strange buildings, and all the strange objects around us. These two sides are both on the same Earth. And operate without cutting into one another.” (page 181)
15.  ‘The physicist, astronomer, and famous mathematician Galileo Galilei could only prove the Copernicus heliocentric theory. Just imagine what his reaction would be if he heard there was another world operating simultaneously on Earth. Probably he would become a supporter of the Geocentric theory, the ignorant fanatic, the non-believer.’ (page 183)
16. “At least, whatever the explenation was later on, whatever happened to us in the coming days, I had a good friend in this strange world.” (page 239)
17. “You are my best friend, Ra. I don’t mind all this at all. You don’t need to say sorry.” “I always be with you, Ra.” –Seli to Raib. (page 260)
18. It wasn’t good to discuss the chaos in the city in front of Ou who was still small. (page 304)
19. You can do things which are even more amazing than someone from any of the clans. Including learning the languange of this world within one day. And look, you are still only fifteen. (page 314)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tere Liye was born in Lahat, on May 21st, 1979. He is the sixth of seven children. Aside from being a writer, he works as professional accountant. He wwent to elementary and junior high school in South Sumatera, then continued to senior high school in Bandar Lampung. In 2012 he graduated from an Accounting Department, Faculty of Economics in University of Indonesia. He published 17 novels with Gramedia Pustaka Utama, namely:

1. The Gogon Series
2. The Falling Leaf Never Hates the Wind
3. My Father is (Not) a Liar
4. You and I and the Red Money Envelope
5. The Land of Scoundrels
6. A Nation on the Edge
7. Spoken or Not, Love Is Still Love (poem anthology)
8. Earth
9. Moon
10. Sun
11. Star
12. Comet
13. Ceros and Batozar
14. Minor Comet
15. Rain
16. #AboutLove (100 Quotes about love)
17. #AboutFriends (100 Quotes about friendship)
18. #AboutLife (100 Quotes about life)

Tere Liye has also published 15 novels for Republika Publisher

Happy reading! 📚 📖😊

With Love, ❤️💙