Sunday, April 16, 2006

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling


(Book Review)

Yet another Harry Potter book. I got a late start on this series, so I’m only now pulling ahead of the movies.

Someone once said of “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy that the whole world is divided into two camps, those who have read the trilogy, and those who intend to. These days I think you could truthfully say the same thing about Harry Potter. Half of you have already read this book, and probably don’t need me to review it for you. The other half doesn’t want me to spoil the ending. (I understand I caused a little trouble in Brett and Sarah’s family with the link I included in this post. Heh heh heh…I mean, sorry about that.)

I’ll try and talk in general terms:
Of the series I have read so far, I enjoyed this book the most. I’m somewhat reluctant to trust my own objectivity, because this was the first book I read without having seen the movie first. So I guess it’s only natural I’d enjoy it the most. And yet I suspect this would be true regardless. There’s a lot more action in this book, and the stakes the characters are fighting for are also increased. The genius of these books is that despite a common setting, none of the books feel repetitive. Each book takes us to new ground.

I enjoyed the flashback segment that allowed us to see Harry’s parents and the childhood versions of Snape, Lupin, and Sirius. It added a lot more depth to Snape’s character.

Also Rowling also does a good job of blending teenage romance with the sword and sorcerer story line.

And this book also has a really great villain, which really adds to the overall enjoyment.

It’ll be interesting to see how this is adopted to a movie. I’m glad I don’t have the job of adopting a book this long into a screenplay.

Useless Wikipedia Fact
The communist anthem "L'Internationale" is under copyright until 2014
Link of the Day
Ifilm has a short video of Peace and Civil Rights Protests of 1967. The most interesting part is Martin Luther King heading a procession to the United Nation building to urge UN pressure on the US to stop bombing North Vietnam. This is part of King's forgotten radical legacy. Had he been alive today, I'm sure King would have been urging UN pressure to stop the US in Iraq. (And for what it's worth, the late Coretta King thought so as well).

Video Version

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