Saturday 24 August 2013

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

Synopsis: "Harry's furious that he has been abandoned at the Dursley's house for the summer, for he suspects that Voldemort is gathering an army, that he himself could be attacked, and that his so-called friends are keeping him in the dark. Finally rescued by the wizard bodyguards, he discovers that Dumbledore is regrouping the Order of the Phoenix - a secret society first formed years ago to fight Voldemort. But the Ministry of Magic is against the Order, lies are being spread by the wizards' tabloid the Daily Prophet, and Harry feels that he may have to take on this epic battle against evil alone."

It's fair to say that within the first three quarters of this book nothing all that exciting happens, other than the arrival of the Dementors at the start of the novel which at that point suggests the first sign of Voldemort's return to power. The general pace of the story is rather slow with the odd bit of humour here and there, unsurprisingly provided by the Weasley twins, and an insight into what Voldemort is planning and what he's after, which Harry sees through his dreams when his brain is most relaxed and unprotected.

So once again the story of Harry Potter kicks off during yet another lonely and depressing stay with the Dursley's for the summer holidays. Following the return of Lord Voldemort at the end of Goblet of Fire, Harry becomes more wary of his surroundings and agitated by the fact that he has heard nothing from anyone within the wizarding world, including his two best friends Hermoine and Ron. As a result of this I found myself become rather agitated myself by Harry as all he seems to do at first is whine and complain and not consider the possibility that maybe people are trying their best to protect him by keeping him in the dark until the right moment.

As a matter of fact Harry becomes rather unlikeable through the entire course of the story. He develops into an arrogant character full of so much teenage angst because of the things he's achieved since entering the wizarding world. He doesn't shy away from reminding himself, and more surprisingly others, of what he's achieved and how he should be rewarded by simple things such as becoming prefect and knowing more than he should about the Order and their educated guesses at what Voldemort's planning. Saying that however, when others remind him of what he's achieved, as Hermoine and Ron do when persuading him to set up a secretive Defence Against the Dark Arts club, he finds himself being brought back down to reality as he states the things he's achieved were mainly down to sheer dumb luck or assistance from others. As a reader you can sympathise with his frustration through all of this but at the same time grow tired of him acting so hard done by.

It's clear however that the strongest part of this novel is Rowling's continuation of using a blend of dark and light themes to create a story that continues to portray the beauty of the wizarding world but also the dangers of it. Furthermore, she concentrates a lot on developing characters that have remained prominent throughout the series so far but haven't had much in the way of their own story. Professor McGonagall for example becomes one of my all time favourite literary characters in this book because she becomes so enjoyable to read. You get a real sense of her protective and loving side for Potter but also a hilarious and incredibly sassy side when dealing with Dolores Umbridge.

And, finally, there's the matter of the conclusion of the story. There's no denying that the lead up to the appearance of Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic is fast paced and action packed, but when Voldemort actually made an appearance I found myself rather let down. I just felt as if that part of the conclusion was rather anti-climatic and too short. A lot of the story focuses on people believing that Voldemort has returned and then when they finally realise he has nothing much happens. Saying that however it was thrilling to read about the prophecy of Voldemort and Harry and finally learning why he tried to kill him as a baby.

There's no denying that this is my least favourite book of the series, but overall the story is just as magical and thought provoking as the latter with a strong storyline that, unfortunately, doesn't have a lot going on with just a few little surprises here and there.

I give J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ★★★

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