I came across this post on The Guardian and I have to admit, it’s hard to believe that the Harry Potter series is fifteen years old. The Philosopher’s Stone was published way back in 1997, although I didn’t get around to reading it until 2001, by which point JK Rowling was already onto The Goblet of Fire. I remember buying TPS in one of HMV’s two for £10 offers, along with, of all things, The Exorcist. I took it on holiday to Spain with me – that holiday saw me read The Graduate in a week, and The Exorcist in two days (I always did like to vary my reading material). As it happened, I didn’t like TPS at first. I found it difficult to get into. But I tried again when I returned home and found I enjoyed it – so much so that I whizzed through The Chamber of Secrets in a day and a half, and the following two books in quick succession.
I was extremely disappointed by The Order of the Phoenix, and I trudged through The Half Blood Prince. By this point, I think I’d forgotten a lot of the details that comprised the story arcs, and I was so bored by the tedious teen romance subplots that I didn’t even finish The Deathly Hallows. Still, credit where credit is due – Rowling should be recognised as a master world builder, and she’s truly created an awe-inspiring universe. She’s gotten kids interested in reading, pissed off Church leaders (always a plus – come on, there’s plenty of magic in the Bible, so why not in fiction?), she’s a successful female author and she’s introduced the world to the boy wonder that is Daniel Radcliffe.
I tip my extravagant Cavalier hat to you, Ms Rowling. You’ve been a real inspiration.
What about you? What was your favourite Potter adventure?
You know, I actually never bothered to read the seventh book. Book 5 was a pain, and Book 6 was such an artless labor, especially in what happened with Snape, that I saw no reason to suffer through another thousand pages when War and Peace was unread on my shelf. Book 2 was my favorite, as it’s almost the same book as Book 1, but has better writing, quicker characterization, and more novelty after the point of the world being novel at all.
I think Book 3 was my favourite, but then I was a BIG fan of Sirius. Hence one of many reasons why I disliked book 5.