Book Review : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Do I even have to say it? Harry Potter. Last Book. Read It. And Weep.

The Harry Potter Phenomenon begun in 1997 with the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Sorceror's Stone in American editions,) though many people missed it and only caught up when Book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, came out (which also started the kind of hype now inseparable with Harry Potter.) The series relates the life (at least the interesting parts) of one Harry James Potter, who, through sheer chance, bravado, and a little love, defeats the most powerful dark wizard the world had seen in a long time.

Sounds familiar? A lot of people think so. But these are the same people who say that every story is the same, that every Hero must have his Quest, and that Star Wars is ripped off from Flash Gordon. Let us leave these individuals to their grumbling, their camomile tea, and their stuffy libraries of 'Original Works', while we review J. K. Rowling' s Harry Potter.

A work in seven volumes, straddling High Fantasy and low (comic, even) fantasy, Harry Potter is set in a world hidden among ours, a world of Magic, of Wonder, of funny little words and giggling puns; a world still rooted in the realities we face everyday, yet aloof enough to not be bothered, cool enough to make us envy it. The series follows Harry Potter's School Days as he leaves behind his abusive foster family for this Secret World of Mystery and Magic, and begins his trial-ridden journey towards solving the many Mysteries that surround him, and the Destiny that is his Birthright.
Gods know why it's so popular, though.

The latest installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (and as we all now know, for sure, the last one,) details Harry's coming-of-age (in a formal sense; the whole series is a coming-of-age story) and the defeat of Voldemort. While most of the books follow an almost rigid format of story progression (and this one does as well if you care to note the dates,) this one deals more with Harry, and his friends', Ron and Hermione's, attempts to bring about the downfall of Voldemort.
Armed only with bits of information, odds and ends left to him by Dumbledore, and help from unexpected sources (Voldemort, for one), Harry must race to find and destroy all Seven Horcruxes, the objects that hold pieces of Voldemort's soul; but how can he complete this impossible task when Voldemort keeps them under his very no- uh, -slits? And what of the Deathly Hallows? And all the other plot devices from the previous books, what about them? Find out that, and much more, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! Available Everywhere where books are sold.

[Knew I wouldn't be able to keep that up for long. So much for serious critique... No, but seriously, the book really does have that kind of feel to it. There are a lot of angry pre-pubescent Potterheads out there, and they want answers - and they want it nicely spelled out. It took Rowling four books to tell them that Harry's Mom took a curse for him (thus, entitling him to protection for life, just one of the perks of being a wizard.) And many of those very costume-wearing fans still can't believe that Snape was a good guy after all, even though you could see it coming from Book 1. And I personally had been waiting a long time for the dirt on Dumbledore, but was still waiting on that Goat story. This was another nice touch Rowling added - little references to names and incidents mentioned casually in previous books, throwbacks to memorable scenes - nice. Now, whether it was tribute to the previous books, proof that Rowling wasn't just making it up as she went along, or Fan-service, I don't know ... but I liked it. Reading the book makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside you sort of forget about the inconsistencies. And the ending though, where I almost expected one of them to go "Tell me Punk, You Feel Lucky? Well, Do Ya!"]

Deathly Hallows broke the set pattern of the Harry-Potter story-progression (which usually coincides curiously well with the school calendar) and made the book fast-moving and gripping; following Harry as he searches for answers and direction. For perhaps the first time in the series, Rowling shows just how 'Real' Harry's world is - we see vicious, orchestrated attacks, a cunning fascist coup, what it takes to be a hero, what it takes to be a villain, the confusion Harry faces when he has no one to guide him and his friends have left him (without which a coming-of-age story is just kidding itself), the Practical versus the Romantic, Greater Good over Individual Gain, the Corrupting Nature of Power, the Dark side of Light and the Light side of Dark. The 'Darker' tone the books were taking (Although for a series that begins with a double murder, I don't know how much darker it could have gotten) was softened with the humor that was considerably less in the two previous books, while not taking from the maturing tone of the narrative or the characters' development.
The end of the series was marked by the long-awaited Final Battle between the forces of good (Order of the Phoenix, Random Schoolkids) and the forces of Evil (Death Eaters, Assorted Evil Creatures.) The plot hurries away (with some of Rowling's choicest adverbs helping it along) towards the finale, keeping you on edge (who wouldn't be, really, when you've missed that much sleep. What's that? You DID fall asleep after the first 18 hours! Hunh, noobs ...) keeping you on edge while you're still reeling from the many revelations made in the last few chapters and the loose ends are tied tight enough till you realize that there's only one thing that can happen, only one thing that must happen - You just don't know how.
Well, take my word for it. It's worth finding out the hard way.




[P.S. - Harry could have been a little more imaginative naming his kids though ...]