Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
It’s very difficult to say anything about the final book in the Harry Potter series. On the one hand, you want to keep things as spoiler-free as possible for fans yet to read the book. On the other hand, if you’re a fan, you’ll be reading the book regardless of what any reviewer says, good or bad.
For these reasons, I’m going to keep my commentary pretty short.
Personally I’m very curious how the last of the books will be adapted into a film, seeing as Deathly Hallows is by far the most action-packed of the series. Typical of JK Rowling’s “unfolding mystery” approach, events are all interconnected. Remove one link from the event chain and it’s essentially impossible for the characters to reach that next point of understanding.
One thing that I will really give JK Rowling credit for with Deathly Hallows is her ruthlessness. Like the title suggests, death dominates the final instalment in the Harry potter series. Cast members, whether new, minor or beloved, drop left, right and centre. By comparison, Tolkien’s Fellowship completed their quest having only lost one or two members. And death offers little obstacle to CS Lewis’s heroes.
I have only two gripes with Deathly Hallows, which otherwise culminates in a gripping final battle where the Hogwarts teachers (especially my favourite, Professor McGonagall) really get to show off their magic chops, and prove why they have been chosen to guide England’s young wizards.
The first gripe is a slow middle portion where Harry, Ron and Hermione spend a lot of time (months actually) migrating around the wet and miserable countryside while they attempt to figure out the next step of their mission. Readers competent at clue-spotting will probably be frustrated at how long it takes the characters to connect the dots. Instead they bicker and struggle with Horcrux-related despair.
The other gripe is an Epilogue section where you learn very little about characters after the final battle. Given some shocking deaths, the reader is naturally curious how characters left behind will continue their lives without their friends and life partners. I would really hope that at some point JK Rowling decides to fill in the blanks, even if it’s with some kind of mini-reference book (another Rita Skeeter exclusive biography, perhaps?).
Mostly it’s sad that the Harry Potter literary adventure, shared by so many millions over the past 10 years, is finally over. This said, JK Rowling ends it all with a gratifying bang.
A warning: Don’t start reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows until you have a fat unbroken stretch of time to devote to it. You won’t be content to dip in and out of it over a span of months.
For these reasons, I’m going to keep my commentary pretty short.
Personally I’m very curious how the last of the books will be adapted into a film, seeing as Deathly Hallows is by far the most action-packed of the series. Typical of JK Rowling’s “unfolding mystery” approach, events are all interconnected. Remove one link from the event chain and it’s essentially impossible for the characters to reach that next point of understanding.
One thing that I will really give JK Rowling credit for with Deathly Hallows is her ruthlessness. Like the title suggests, death dominates the final instalment in the Harry potter series. Cast members, whether new, minor or beloved, drop left, right and centre. By comparison, Tolkien’s Fellowship completed their quest having only lost one or two members. And death offers little obstacle to CS Lewis’s heroes.
I have only two gripes with Deathly Hallows, which otherwise culminates in a gripping final battle where the Hogwarts teachers (especially my favourite, Professor McGonagall) really get to show off their magic chops, and prove why they have been chosen to guide England’s young wizards.
The first gripe is a slow middle portion where Harry, Ron and Hermione spend a lot of time (months actually) migrating around the wet and miserable countryside while they attempt to figure out the next step of their mission. Readers competent at clue-spotting will probably be frustrated at how long it takes the characters to connect the dots. Instead they bicker and struggle with Horcrux-related despair.
The other gripe is an Epilogue section where you learn very little about characters after the final battle. Given some shocking deaths, the reader is naturally curious how characters left behind will continue their lives without their friends and life partners. I would really hope that at some point JK Rowling decides to fill in the blanks, even if it’s with some kind of mini-reference book (another Rita Skeeter exclusive biography, perhaps?).
Mostly it’s sad that the Harry Potter literary adventure, shared by so many millions over the past 10 years, is finally over. This said, JK Rowling ends it all with a gratifying bang.
A warning: Don’t start reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows until you have a fat unbroken stretch of time to devote to it. You won’t be content to dip in and out of it over a span of months.
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