Before I start my review I would like to address the quote from School Library Journal on the cover of this book that claims, “Buckley-Archer may very well give J. K. Rowling a run for her money. This wonderfully rich and complex novel, written in lyrical and vivid language, is destined to be a classic...” I’m not entirely certain that this trilogy deserves this much praise, and putting J.K. Rowling’s name on the cover of these books gives the impression to potential readers that they are dealing with a similar kind of story. The Gideon Trilogy is intended for a slightly younger audience and is, at three books, far less involved and developed than the Harry Potter series. Although Buckley-Archers The Time Thief is well written, these authors clearly have different styles, and all the books really share in common is location.I will begin my review by saying that if the theme of the first book in this trilogy was, “Thou shalt not steal,” then the theme of this book was, “Actions have consequences.” At the end of the first book in the series Kate returned to the present with her father but, as a result of the interference from the Tar Man, Peter was left behind in 1763. Kate remembers how scared she was that Peter would manage the leave the past without her, and the blood oath she made him swear that they would never abandon each other, and she just can’t accept that he has been left behind. There’s a problem, however: Dr. Perretti (NASA) has decided that the trips to the past and back, by the kids and then Dr. Dyer in a second machine, have disrupted the existing timeline too much to risk a rescue trip for Peter. All this time travel has serious and potentially devastating consequences for the world, and it has to stop—permanently—before the price becomes too high to pay. Kate can’t accept this decision and enlists Nicholas Schock, Peter’s father, in her rescue scheme; she knows where the anti-gravity machine is being stored and hopes he will help her break into the storage facility and travel back to retrieve Peter. Nick is up for the challenge because he feels responsible for Peter’s predicament: He chose to put his work before his son, with the consequence that Peter was taken to the country and exposed to the anti-gravity machine. Further, his decision to cancel on a promised outing with his son for the third time in the first book broke his son’s trust, and Nick wants to prove to Peter that he loves him and can be a good father. The major glitch in their plan is the result of where the machine has been stored: A public storage facility. The manager saw the machine when it was brought in, but didn’t know what it was and wanted to see it work; he pushes some buttons, but is disappointed when the machine does nothing. Fortunately for everyone involved, he didn’t realize that the machine can’t work if it isn’t level. Unfortunately for Kate and Nick, his blind curiosity has the consequence of changing the settings on the machine and sending the pair to 1792 by mistake. Worse, the machine arrives broken, and there is no one with the expertise to repair it. Further, Peter is now a grown man in his forties, and he understands too much time has passed. All he can do is help Nick and Kate find the help they need to get the machine operational so that they can return to the present and possibly attempt a future rescue of his 12 year-old self from 1763.The theme of consequences keeps repeating in the remainder of the book: The Tar Man is in London, and he is attempting to rebuild his former sphere of influence, but on a much larger scale. He likes this new London and the comforts he has access to; he lives in a luxury apartment, has fixed his teeth, wears nicer clothes, can even afford a chiropractor to repair his damaged neck. But he quickly begins to learn that the twenty-first century has its own problems, and as much as he wants to become a crime lord in modern day England, the price he will have to pay is even more than he can bear. As the story develops he realizes that what he really wants is to start over, to correct his past so that he can lead a better life. He becomes determined to steal one of the anti-gravity machines so that he can go back to 1763 and prevent himself from travelling down the wrong path. Although the book is entitled The Time Thief, there are so many parallel storylines in this novel that he is as much a character as Gideon was in the first book. In other words, he’s a main character, but he shares equal time with other characters in the story.Meanwhile, Nick and Peter struggle in 1792 to resolve their strained relationship. Peter hides his identity from his dad because he knows that he will not be returning to the present and doesn’t want his father to suffer more guilt. Nick, oblivious to the fact that he has found his son, spills his heart to the man he has befriended, and expresses his feelings of inadequacy and regret. Both men are able to see their history from a different perspective, and each learns a greater respect for the other as a result. Their separation towards the end of the book is surprisingly bittersweet and emotional, and I feel like Peter and Nick’s relationship provides much of the heart in the book.Like many other reviewers, I liked this book more than the first in the series, which is why I have decided to give it four stars. Author Linda Buckley-Archer spent a great deal of time world building in the first installment, and this made the first book very slow to get started and it struggled with pacing problems throughout. The Time Thief, by comparison, has a great deal of action right from the start, and the scenes were more fluid and vivid. I appreciated the glimpses into the French Revolution and the difficulties with travel that an eighteenth century individual would have faced. Once again the author includes a note at the end of this book warning the reader that her focus is on storytelling and not historical accuracy, but I felt like she gave the reader as much information as they needed to develop context without making her story excessively bulky. Another element I appreciated about this book was the greater degree of difficulty in language and concepts. The first book in the series used vocabulary and storytelling techniques that are simplistic and l think this cost the book a level of gravitas that the second book embraces. The Time Thief seems to say to the reader, “Yes, you’re a young adult, but you can handle these emotions and scientific concepts, and I don’t have to dumb them down for you.” There is a lot of discussion about the ethics of time travel and how it could be damaging to society as a whole; as one character points out, humans can only live their lives forward. There is also a discussion about how time travel has consequences, unlike the way that time travel has been portrayed in movies and other books. Every time a character travels in time damage is done, and this damage is beginning to manifest itself, setting up the last book in the series nicely.
"Apakah tidak ada penunggang kuda di kota ini?”serunya kepada seorang pria muda yang duduk di balik kemudi sebuah Mini Cooper Hitam. "Mati aku!” dia berseru nyaring, ”Mesin itu telah membawaku ke masa depan! Bagaimana aku akan pulang?” Banyak hal yang membuat Tar Man, sang penjahat tangguh abad 18 merasa akrab sekaligus asing berada di London! Bahkan Berkeley Square yang dulu sangat dikenalnya juga berubah. Padahal baru sebulan yang lalu ia mengawal Lord Luxon ke sana. Pada awalnya, banyak hal-hal baru yang membuatnya terheran-heran sekaligus kagum! Misalnya melihat wanita menggunakan celana panjang dan berambut pendek, gadis-gadis memamerkan mata kaki, sensasi minum bir dingin. Atau bahkan kebingungannya saat harus menyantap spageti Diabad 21 , Tar Man bertemu dengan seorang gadis, Anjali yang dianggapnya berbakat dan bisa menjadi penuntunnya. Sepak terjangnya di dunia hitam di abad baru itu berkembang kian pesat! Apalagi setelah ia tanpa sengaja juga mengetahui teknik memudar yang sering digunakan oleh Kate. Saat ia ditangkap dan berada dalam mobil polisi, ia berhasil menghilang dan kembali di tempat lain. Tar Man yang merampok bank dan menghilang, membuat kehebohan baru, mendapat julukan Houdini baru, Belakang agar bisa masuk ke lingkungan tertentu, Tar Man yang dikenal dengan nama Mr. Vega Rianza, bahkan menunjukkan kebolehannya dengan berada di balkon Buckingham Palace, kemudian menghilang, padahal disaat yang bersamaan, keluarga kerjaan juga berada disana Sementara Tar Man asyik melebarkan sayapnya di abad baru. Dr Dyer dan Dr. Pirretti masih berdebat mengenai upaya membawa Peter kembali ”Jika kau tahu secara pasti, bahwa perjalanan menembus waktu memiliki potensi untuk menghancurkan alam semesta dalam cara yang tidak terbayangkan, apakah menempatkan seluruh umat manusia dalam bahaya demi menyelamatkan seorang anak laki-laki yang tidak bersalah merupakan langkah yang tepat? Itu adalah pertanyaan yang terus meneus menggangguku-dan aku tidak tahu jawabannya” Kata dr. Piretti. Namun sudah bisa ditebak akhirnya semua pihak setuju untuk membawa Peter kembali. Kedatangan Kate dan Mr Schock, ayah Peter diabad 18 seperti mengundang perhatian masayrakat umum. Mereka tidak ingin kehadirannya dirahasiakan, malah membiarkannya untuk dipublikasikan secara luas. Peter yang membaca kehadiran Kate dan ayahnya terkejut sekaligus senang. Peter yang mereka cari segera bergegas menuju ke Middle Harpenden, tempat mesin waktu tersebut berada. Peter merasa perlu melihat Kate dan ayahnya, Masalahnya yang mereka cari adalah Peter yang berusia 12 tahun, bukan dirinya. Namun kenyataan Peter yang ada dijaman itu telah tumbuh manjadi seorang pria dewasa! Rupanya Kate tidak melihat dengan benar waktu yang dikatakan ayahnya saat melakukan perjalanan waktu! Saat bertemu dengan Kate dan ayahnya yang sama sekali tidak berubah, Peter mengaku bernama Joshua Seymour, adik tiri Gideon Seymour. Tanpa ada maksud tertentu, Peter mencuri salah satu Coca-cola milik Kate. Guna memperbaiki mesin waktu yang rusak, Kate dan Peter yang menyamar harus menyeberangi lautan hingga ke Perncis saat revolusi sedang berlangsung. Mereka bertujuan memohon bantuan Marquis de Montfaron, seorang ilmuan terkenal untuk memperbaiki mesin waktu tersebut. Tentunya dengan imbalan mengajak ia mendatangi abad 21! Buku ini seusai dengan judulnya memang sebagian besar isinya bercerita mengenai Tar Man yang terbawa ke abad 21. Hanya makin kebelakang kok saya merasakan ketegangannya mulai menghilang, semua seakan-akan menjadi hambar, sudah bisa dipastikan. Misalnya mesin waktu yang membawa Dr Dyer diceritakan dengan sendirinya berhasil membawa pulang Peter. Lalu dengan begitu saja, Kate dan Peter bertemu lagi di perkebunan! Walau adegan Tar Men yang menggoda Lord Luxon dengan trik menghilangnya sempat membuat saya penasaran kemana alur cerita akan dibawa. Namun ternyata saya salah! Ada adegan seru saat Tar Man membawa kembali Peter dan Kate ke abad 18. Untung saja Peter berhasil membawa Kate menuju ke rumah Gideon. Tapi, yang paling menyejutkan dari seluruh isi buku ini adalah pengakuan dari seorang pawang anak buah Lord Luxon, bahwa Tar Man dan Gideon adalah saudara! Bayangkan kedua kepribadian yang berbeda jauh adalah sepsang saudara, kejutan yang hebat! Ia mengatakan ayahnya, pernah mengenal seorang pria yang mengetahui bahwa Seymour menikahi seorang janda dari Somerset. Wanita itu baru saja meninggalkan desa bersama anak-anaknya setelah putra tertua, yang masih berusia remaja dihukum gantung gara-gara mencuri. Desas-desus yang beredar mengatakan, bahwa anak itu diturunkan terlalu cepat dari tiang gantungan, berhasil lolos! Ada satu kalimat yang membuat saya menasaran, Pada hal 244 , Kate berkata, “ Tapi, Joshua. Aku harus menemui Joshua.” Bukan seharusnya Aku harus menemui Gideon. Selesai membaca buku ini, saya jadi berpikir , diluar cerita sebenarnya. Beberapa bulan belakangan ini. sudah ada 2 buku yang menyinggung Coca Cola, Brand minuman ringan. Pertama di The Road, sekarang di Tar Man. Kayaknya kedepan siapa tahu penulis bisa minta sponsor untuk menerbitkan bukunya dengan imbalan dalam alur cerita menyebutkan brand. Seperti salah satu film yang produksi Ari Sihasale, dimana pemeran utama terlihat sedang menyikat gigi dengan menggunakan pasta gigi salah satu brand, lalu mandi dengan menggunakan brand lainnya... Jangan diambil hati yah..., namanya juga ide iseng!terutama setelah membaca curhat beberapa penulis yang kesusahan mencari penerbit!
What do You think about The Time Thief (2007)?
The Tar Man (a.k.a. The Time Thief) by Linda Buckley-ArcherAn excellent sequel that has its own important tale to tell and is not simply a hold over until the denouement. Kate has to go back in time to find Peter when the NASA scientists, and even her own parents, believe that it would be too dangerous to try and rescue him, fearing the effects of further tampering with the linear progression of time. Unable to live with that decision, Kate enlists the help of Peter’s father and together they set off through time to rescue him. Due to some tampering with the machine, Kate and Mr. Schock end up in 1792, rather than 1763. Now they need to find a way back to their own time. To further complicate matters, Peter appears, now an adult, having grown up an orphan in another century. He tries to conceal his identity from Kate and his father, hoping to spare them pain as he knows he must send them on to find Peter in 1763. All the while, Kate is starting to exhibit dangerous symptoms from her continued travels through time. Her determination to rescue her friend is beginning to take a drastic toll on her health. In modern-day London, the Tar Man is loose and wreaking havoc. I honestly found those sections of the story quite boring. Too much about the bad guys and their lifestyle. The sections with the highwaymen in Gideon were far better by comparision. This section would be for slightly older readers. Aged 13/14+, though the rest of the story is still age 10/11+.(Tar Man’s excerpts contains a romantic relationship for one character. Kate’s section has no romance. Action/ Adventure is pretty consistent throughout. Another cliff-hanger ending.)What was it that "accelerated" the anti-gravity machine in the first place, resulting in time travel? Anita says that she feels a crack open in the universe. Why the 3rd trip? Why not the first? Or the second with Mr. Dyer? Why didn't Peter ever blur again? Did he need Kate to do it? How could Peter and Gideon have come to Middle Harpenden searching for Kate and Mr. Schock in the parallel world when it was that same world that Peter grew up in and that he was never taken away to the 21st century in as a child?!! The locals are the same and have encountered both groups. And do we ever get to see Kate give Peter his older self's letter and three pieces of advice, i.e. "And the third?" "That he should never let go of you." "That's a strange thing to say!" "Yes, I suppose it is - yet it is how the words formed in my head."
—Miss Clark
The Time Thief is a sequel worthy its name. I think that the plot of this book is more involving than that of the previous one, even though the descriptions of the XVIII century are still realistic I really liked observing a grown-up Peter, whose thoughts, behavior and belief are different but also similar to the young one.Even the part with the Tar Man were interesting, and I suffered when (view spoiler)[ Tom died because he was one of my favorite characters (hide spoiler)]
—Fede
Aku nyaris merasa bersalah karena telah memberikan rating yang begitu rendah untuk buku ini, karena rating-rating lain paling tidak berbintang tiga. Tetapi, sungguh, aku tidak suka buku ini. Mengingat buku pertamanya, Gideon the Cutpurse, tidak begitu menarik minatku, seharusnya aku memang tidak melanjutkan membaca sekuelnya, namun aku sudah membeli keseluruhan trilogi ini karena harganya yang murah waktu itu, sehingga mau tidak mau aku harus membacanya. Ada beberapa hal yang tidak kusukai dari buku ini, antara lain:InkonsistensiDi bab awal, terjadi perdebatan antara Mr dan Mrs. Dyer mengenai penghancuran mesin antigravitasi (hal. 81). Pada mulanya, Mrs. Dyer menangis karena mesin itu akan dihancurkan sementara Peter belum diselamatkan dari abad ke-18. Beberapa saat kemudian, ia mendadak mengoceh dan mengharapkan agar mesin it dihancurkan (hal.84). Antara Mrs. Dyer memiliki pendirian lemah atau memang karena ada inkonsistensi dalam buku ini, aku tidak yakin. TypoJalan cerita yang kurang menarik diperparah dengan fakta bahwa penerbit sama sekali tidak berusaha memperbaiki typo yang ada di buku, terlebih mengenai kesalahan pengetikan nama tokoh. Aku mendeteksi paling tidak tiga kesalahan pengetikan nama Tim Williamson. Nama aslinya, sesuai pemahamanku, adalah Tim, dan tidak ada tokoh lain bermarga Williamson di buku itu, sehingga aku merasa heran ketika melihat namanya disebut sebagai Ted Williamson. Tak lama kemudian, hanya selisih beberapa halaman, namanya ditulis Tom Williamson. Kurasa, melihat sedikit salah pengetikan dalam kata untuk ukuran penerbit sebesar dan sebaik Mizan saja sudah agak kurang profesional, apalagi jika dalam pengetikan nama tokoh yang terjadi tiga kali.PastorDalam hal ini, aku tidak bisa menyalahkan penulis, dan aku juga ragu apakah ini suatu kesalahan penerjemah. Untuk memperjelas, kata dari Bahasa Inggris kuberi tanda petik. Dari Bahasa Inggris, "pastor" berarti pendeta jika diterjemahkan ke Bahasa Indonesia, yang berarti pemimpin umat suatu gereja Protestan dan diperbolehkan menikah. Hanya saja, "pastor" jika diterjemahkan dengan tetap menggunakan kata pastor, seperti dalam buku ini, tidak akan cocok dengan konteksnya, karena pastor dalam Bahasa Indonesia sendiri berarti pemimpin umat gereja Katolik dan tidak diperbolehkan menikah, sementara di buku, tokoh tersebut memiliki seorang putri.Ketidakjelasan atau Penjelasan BerlebihanDi bab 12 dan 18, Tar Man membicarakan tentang mencuri lukisan dari abad ke-18 dengan cara memudar. Kegiatannya meninggalkan plot hole yang cukup lebar. Misalnya, apa yang terjadi di abad ke-21 sementara lukisan itu diubah sejarahnya? Apakah lukisan itu kemudian dianggap menghilang, dicuri, atau dianggap telah berada di rumah Tar Man sejak abad ke-18? Menulis cerita tentang perjalanan waktu memang rumit, karena hal ini juga berarti kita bermain dengan sejarah, dan mungkin memang tidak semuanya bisa menyadari plot hole yang ada untuk berusaha menambalnya.Kemudian, cobalah lihat kutipan dari halaman 350 versi Bahasa IndonesiaMereka harus mengosongkan jamban yang bau pada malam hari, seperti kebiasaan mereka, agar tidak mengganggu penciuman orang-orang yang telah tidur.Kalimat ini terlihat aneh. Agar tidak mengganggu yang telah tidur? Mungkin maksudmu sementara orang-orang sedang tidur? Karena jamban itu tidak akan mengganggu orang tidur, tetapi jamban itu akan mengganggu mereka jika mereka tidak tidur. Sungguh aneh jadinya.
—Katherine
