The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

I enjoyed the Harry Potter series.  I thought that, as the series went on, it never achieved the greatness of the earlier books, but I still read them all and enjoyed them.  So I knew that eventually I wanted to read The Tales of Beedle the Bard, where Rowling has created a book from her fictional universe.  It is a book of fairy tales, a fascination of mine, so I finally picked it up and gave it a look.  The tales, with brief comments about them:

“The Wizard and the Hopping Pot”: When a kindly wizard who helps his neighbors dies, the neighbors discover that his son is not quite as kind-hearted.  However, it seems that the late wizard planned for this eventuality.  A rendition of the story of an external conscience that makes a bad character good, but a rendition that adds nothing to that thematic lineage, and is rather dry and unoriginal.

“The Fountain of Fair Fortune”: Four strangers seek a magical fountain that will more-or-less give them what they want/need.  Three witches and a knight all set out, meet obstacles along the way, and arrive at the fountain, only to find they may not need it as much as they thought.  The “surprise” denouement at the end was extremely predictable, and the story perpetually unsurprising.

“The Warlock’s Hairy Heart”: The best story of the collection, this tale of a man who wants to stop himself from going silly with love, and who learns the price of this, has a very dark ending that didn’t seem to fit the rest of the stories.  Hearts torn out of chests and pools of blood didn’t seem to jive with the other, very PG stories.

“Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump”: A magic-obsessed king seeks to learn its ways, and a liar pretends to teach him.  However, when an actual witch gets involved, things go awry.  Very much a tale of “be careful what you wish for,” and very much forgettable.

“The Tale of the Three Brothers”: A story of outwitting death that is basically verbatim from the final book of the Harry Potter series, this story loses much of its power when it stands on its own, rather than as part of the final novel’s plot.

Each story is concluded with remarks from Albus Dumbledore, which sadly don’t feel much like the Dumbledore you come to know throughout the series.  They are sometimes better than the stories themselves, but not by much.

This collection of fairy tales from the world of Harry Potter fails substantially to live up to the rest of the series.  The other two ancillary texts in the series, the two textbooks, managed to keep the feel of the series, the magic and the style.  The Tales of Beedle the Bard fails in that respect.  It feels nothing like the series.  The book has gigantic margins and spacing, making its scant 110-or-so pages carry even less text than it would seem.  Die-hard fans may enjoy this one, and at less than an hour’s reading time it won’t be unengaging for long, but this is one you will forget about very quickly.

4/10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

As Luke Reviews has finally reached the conclusion of the Harry Potter epic, it is best to first step back and see where it all began:

Harry Potter series

Harry Potter has left Hogwarts, and is on the trail of horcruxes, the seats of the soul of Voldemorte. Along with his friends Ron and Hermione, they travel everywhere, from the gravesite of Harry’s parents, to Hogwarts itself, to find and stop Voldemorte. The quest tries their bonds of friendship and loyalty, brings some old faces back for one last time, and causes others to lose their lives. All of it culminates with one final battle of epic proportions, with Voldemorte’s army on one side, and Harry’s on the other.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows shakes up the status quo, with lives lost from the get go, and Rowling doesn’t shirk away from causing great harm to her major characters. Each of the large cast plays its part perfectly, never stepping out of character, and Rowling manages to string together a host of mysteries, tying them all together neatly at the very end. The final conclusion is a touch of a let down, as we don’t get much of the after effects, but just a skip to 19 years after the fact, but it is still nice to see how they all finished up.

After a few thousand pages of Harry Potter, it is odd to think that is has finished. However, Rowling managed to create one of the most enduring fantasies of our time, and it is a certainty that one day I will be returning to these novels and the wonderful characters placed within them. While sad to see it end, it is a comfort to know that it can begin again whenever I want.

9/10

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

As we are slowly approaching the conclusion to the Harry Potter sequence, Luke Reviews reaches the penultimate volume in the series: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. For those of you new to the series (or who want to read the review for a particular Harry Potter novel), simply follow the links:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

starts up right where the previous volume left off. Voldemort’s return is in full swing, and everyone, muggle or otherwise, is in danger. However, life must go on, and it does so with a vengeance, as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny (who, starting last book, begins to have a far more important role) return to Hogwarts, struggling through classes, a surprise Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, learning to Apparate, struggling to maintain friendships, budding love, and the continual threat to stop those who appear to be up to no good.

The book reads quite quickly for the most part, although some moments seemed to bog down a tiny bit, but its delving into the past of the series’ over-arching villain truly adds to the build-up for the final book. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has what is so far the most shocking ending of any of the books, and it leaves things wide open for Rowling’s conclusion, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The sixth book sees Rowling playing the characters off of each other to great effect, especially with Dumbledore’s largest appearance yet, and each detail we are given shows the Rowling had planned the puzzle since the first book, with elements finally appearing that mean far more now than they ever did before. As the final book looms, Rowling is showing some of her best work.

8/10

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

The first four books down, Luke Reviews finally ventures into uncharted territory (after a minor delay due to a prolonged move). I finally have moved to the first Harry Potter book that I had not read previously. The shock of reading the book without knowing how it was to end was odd at first, but very gripping, and expressed the power of Rowling’s stories. No matter what one thinks of the general quality of the writing, the story has the power to effect people on the first time, as well as the second.

In the fifth installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry is back yet again at the Dursley’s, and he is possessed by an irritating anger at the world that seems to come out of nowhere. Yet, with a sudden thrust of his magic life upon his “normal” one, dementors turn up in his neighborhood, and precipitate an attack on Harry and his cousin. After a narrow escape, Harry is fled to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a secretive group headed by Dumbledore with the sole goal of stopping Voldemort. Many familiar faces turn up, from Harry’s friends Ron and Hermione, to Sirius, Mad-Eye Moody, and Lupin.

The Ministry of Magic begins to play a more important role, as it struggles to deny Voldemort’s return, and stop Harry from spreading “lies”. They go so far as to place a subversive new teacher at Hogwarts, who thwarts and attacks Harry and company from every angle. Nowhere is safe, and Harry has to fight both Voldemort and the Ministry to save the day. A tragic loss undermines the heroes, and things really ramp up for the next two books in the series.

Rowling seemed to fill Harry with a deep anger throughout the book that was rather irritating, but the rest of her character interaction was spot on. She goes from new friendships to budding relationships with aplomb, capturing the mixed emotions of both, all while maintaining the conflict between Harry and the Ministry, which plays a prominent role in this novel as Voldemort takes the back seat for extending periods of the novel. All in all, the new book does a great job of bringing the series back to a high level of excitement, and really leaves some dark hints for the future.

8/10

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

Moving on from the third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Rowling’s fourth novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire picks up the following summer, with Harry yet again stuck at the Dursley’s home. The threat of his convicted-murderer godfather at hand, Harry earns a bit more freedom, and even manages to slip away early to go to the Quidditch World Cup with his friends Ron and Hermione, along with the rest of Ron’s family. It is there that things begin to hit the fan.

Following a violent display by Voldemorte’s minions, Harry returns to Hogwarts to find it full of new threats, as the Triwizard Tournament, a competition between schools of magic, is being hosted at his school, and Harry’s name was snuck into the running. Danger abounds from every angle as Harry tries to win the tournament and stay alive.

The book has a darker tone than the other three at times, especially the conclusion of the novel, and things from all of the past books arise to make this one feel like the first non-stand alone novel, the first book to show the large, over-arching story behind the Harry Potter saga. The series finally begins to feel less like a set of episodes, and more like one long story.

Considerably longer than the proceeding three novels, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is much denser and contains far more sub-plots that Rowling deftly weaves into the story. At times the length and number of mini-stories that aren’t pivotal to the plot slow the story down a bit, but for the most part this is a wonderful addition to the series, and a definite step up from the previous novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As I conclude my re-reading of the first four books of the Harry Potter series in preparation for reading the final three, I find that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a worthy lead in to the culmination of the series.

8/10

Quidditch Through the Ages by J. K. Rowling

As with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages is another book taken from the world of Harry Potter, one that he refers to repeatedly in the series. Quidditch Through the Ages is not vital to the storyline of the seven book Harry Potter series, nor is it pivotal in any of the events that occur. It is simply a book to give more background on the series, in particular quidditch, the most popular sport for those of the magical persuasion.

Quidditch Through the Ages contains everything from the detailed history of the beginnings of the sport a thousand years ago, to explanations of the history and purpose of the four balls used in the game. All of the players’ roles are described. Brief histories of each of the famous teams from the UK are included, as are overviews of quidditch as played on all of the continents, following its spread throughout the world.

To quote from my review of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (the review can be found here): The big push of the book, as mentioned in the preface written ostensibly by Albus Dumbledore, is to raise money for Comic Relief UK, to help children living in poor countries world-wide. Using fiction as a vehicle for social good is an important aspect of the world of words that is frequently over-looked today, particularly by big name authors, so this is a breath of fresh air, and for the cheap price, more than worth the good it will do.

Continuing the trend of the super short book, Quidditch Through the Ages gives an hour or so of entertainment, and is a fun look at the history of the sport. Much more accessible and entertaining than Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, this book develops well for its short length, and is a nice diversion. Add in the cheap cost and the good cause, and this one is more than worth it.

[A brief note to those of you wondering about the absence of numerical ratings: since “Fires of War” was a single short story, and both Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages are even shorter than “Fires of War,” it is difficult to give them a serious, well-thought-out review. Therefore, to avoid drastically over- or under-rating the books/story, I didn’t give a number. These numerical ratings will return with Devil May Care.]

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J. K. Rowling

Rowling is obviously best known for her seven book series chronicling the time Harry Potter spends at Hogwarts, learning to be a wizard, but she has done three books that aren’t immediate members of the core storyline, although they are in fact all related to her famous series. Two of them, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages, are both written as books that Harry encounters in his years as a student, while the third, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, is a replication of a book important to Hermione in the seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Since The Tales of Beedle the Bard is involved with the seventh book, I’m waiting to review it until I’ve read all seven novels, but the other two are more relaxed aspects of the saga, and I am using them as an intermediary between the third and fourth novels.

The first of the two books, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is more or less an encyclopedic compilation of descriptions, details, and anecdotes about the assortment of creatures hidden from the muggle world by wizards. The introductory material, which is extensive, gives interesting insight into the Ministry of Magic’s part in the hiding and protection of these creatures, as well as reasons for conservation. What follows are very short bits about each creature, written in a straightforward manner.

The big push of the book, as mentioned in the preface written ostensibly by Albus Dumbledore, is to raise money for Comic Relief UK, to help children living in poor countries world-wide. Using fiction as a vehicle for social good is an important aspect of the world of words that is frequently over-looked today, particularly by big name authors, so this is a breath of fresh air, and for the cheap price, more than worth the good it will do.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a very small book, that hints at Rowling’s potential while being a touch dry at times, but gives fun looks at the background to Harry’s world, is cheap, and is for a good cause. More than worth it for the completists and the huge fans, but maybe not worth it for the casual reader.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

After the first two books of the Harry Potter series, I was excited to return to J. K. Rowling’s epic series again. She proved through the first two books to be an adroit storyteller with a knack for telling fun tales, and my return to the world of Harry Potter was filled with relish for the latest adventures of Harry and company.

Following on from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (see review), Harry has returned to live with the Dursleys, who are meaner than ever following Harry’s breakout from the last novel. Everything comes to a head as Aunt Marge comes to visit, and Harry, in a flare of anger, accidentally inflates her. Harry runs away, and his next set of adventures begins, first with a ride on the Knight Bus, and then with a stay at Diagon Alley, where Harry learns even more about the wizarding world, but even more importantly, learns about the escape of a prisoner from Azkaban, the wizard jail. This fugitive, Sirius Black, appears to be after Harry, and nothing is held back in an attempt to save Harry from the fate of his parents.

As Harry returns to Hogwarts, school is as hectic as ever, as dementors (the guards of Azkaban) now populate the gates, and a mysterious new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher arrives. Familiar faces return, Ron’s family the winners of the lottery, Hermione with a schedule so full that even a witch shouldn’t be able to catch up, and Hagrid makes his first appearance as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Stricter rules are set in place, as the entire school works to protect Harry from Black.

As with the first two books, the beginning is slow, and things don’t much build up until Harry’s departure from the Dursley’s, but this book seemed to lack a lot of the suspense from the first couple novels. While a good story still, it just seemed to lack that (bad pun time) magical x-factor that made the first two books so wonderful. True to form, the novel excels in its relationships between Harry and his friends, and Rowling continues to write exciting Quidditch scenes. All in all, an enjoyable book that leaves the reader wanting to return for the fourth adventure, but just not up to par with the first two.

7/10

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

After the events of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, I was more than a little excited to take the next step, and return to the world of Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as my re-reading of the first four books in route to finishing reading the whole series continues on its way. J. K. Rowling wrote a fun first step in the series, and I was looking for a sequel just as enjoyable.

Following the events of the first book, Harry Potter is back with the Dursley’s, wondering if the summer will ever come to an end so he can return to Hogwarts and the happier parts of his life. He is saddened by the fact that his friends seem to have forgotten him, and aren’t writing, but he maintains hope that he will soon return to his beloved school. However, as more and more things go wrong, Harry’s fate seems far from certain.

Yet, as things are their darkest, Harry is saved by his friends and returns to Hogwarts, albeit in an unusual fashion. Once he finally arrives, the year begins on an up note, despite the self-centered new instructor, Gilderoy Lockhart. But things take a turn for the worst when students start to be attacked, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out to save Hogwarts from the clutches of evil yet again.

The novel starts of a bit slow, taking a while for things to get up to speed, which they do around the time Harry returns to Hogwarts. Once there, Rowling returns to her comfort zone, writing great scenes in the magical world and playing the three main characters off each other brilliantly. The mysterious voices that Harry begins to hear throughout the castle, as well as the shocking attacks, weave a mystery through the book that is a very nice way to build suspense and keep the story going.

The characters continue to be well-done, with each staying true to what Rowling had previously created, while showing new sides of themselves, and developing and growing in front of the reader. The ending is satisfying, closing this chapter of Harry Potter’s times at Hogwarts with a complete ending that also leaves some issues unresolved, and questions about Voldemort’s fall from power are compelling.

Rowling continues to show that she is an excellent storyteller with a great story to tell, and does so in a very engaging and exciting manner. She has left me chomping at the bit to move on to the third book in the series.

8/10

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter has become a cultural phenomenon unrivaled in recent times. After bestselling novels, record-breaking movies, and a legion of miscellaneous products, Harry is everywhere. However, this reviewer at least has never finished the series. I read through the first four books, and the long lag between novels just made me lose the momentum.

After watching the sixth movie with my girlfriend, however, I got excited about it all over again, and want to finish the series before the final movie comes out. Since it has been a long time since I read the first four novels, now seemed like a good time to start from the beginning, and get the whole experience all over again.

Harry Potter is a wizard, but he doesn't know it yet. He lives a miserable life with the Dursleys, and hopes for a brighter future that just doesn't seem to be in his grasp. Then one day, he receives a very mysterious letter, and this sets off a chain of events that culminates in Harry's arrival at Hogwarts, a school of witchcraft and wizardry, where he, along with his friends Ron and Hermione, learn all about what being a witch or wizard means, and have adventure after adventure.

Rowling has attained vast celebrity with her novels of the boy wizard Harry Potter, but through all of this she has taken fire as not being a great writer. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, she proves that, despite the claims (and I am certainly not the best authority on whether she is a good writer or not), she is an excellent storyteller. The novel soars along at a very fast pace, as Rowling mixes her wonderful plot with vast amounts of action, wrapping it all together with very personable characters that it is impossible not to care about.

While the Harry Potter fad may be on its way out, the magical joy of these novels is not. I cannot wait to jump into the second novel.

9/10