Well, when it comes to harry potter, I really feel that it went downhill. I started reading it years ago when the 1st-4th books came out, and I was basically entertained. As the books progressed though, it started to lose it’s luster. I barely survived reading the fifth book, and waited a while before undertaking another book. So after a while I decided ‘well, everyone is hyping this thing, so I might as well take another look, maybe it will be better’. Man, was I sadly mistaken, the sixth book was so full of drama, whining, teen angst, and all the rest of that kind of crap. Really, I’m trying to read a fantasy novel about witches and wizards, not ‘chicken soup for the teenage (wizard) soul’. I mean, once you get into the book, you have to wade through a couple hundred pages of this mindless prattle…In the end, I never finished this book, far from it, in fact(maybe made it to 200, or so).
I have to agree with what Alvin said earlier, there are probably much better fantasy novels on the market, living in Harry Potter’s shadow, but none of them get a second of the media coverage. So they flounder, despite superior storytelling, and we get an over-hyped, cliche, drama-filled, nearly mediocre novel.
Now maybe I’m being too harsh here, but I think this book had plenty of potential to be great, yet the opportunity was squandered. Allow me to explain:
First of all, the concept was good, the main character was likable, and I’m sure plenty of teens and pre-teens could relate(this is good). Along the way harry acquires enemies and a band of loyal friends in his journey to save the world from Voldermort(a little overused, but workable nonetheless). The real problem is that only a few of the characters get the proper amount of attention and character development. Everyone else, well…they don’t get jack(bad for longevity). Also, the story doesn’t really take the genre in a different direction, it’s just the same old recycled plot about the innocent kid destined to save the world from his evil arch nemesis(wow, that plot hasn’t been done a million times already). During his journey, our hero will seek to be good yet be tempted by evil and have to walk a fine line between the two. Ultimately, he will lose a few friends, yet will still save the world, get the girl, and have a cliche ending that ties up all the other under-developed character’s loose ends…I mean, this formula has already been beaten to death. Couldn’t we see any original concepts, maybe a twist? Also, what is the deal with the muggles? None of them ever notice this kind of shit going on around them? They really never see owls carrying messages, or kids flying around on brooms, or a million other things? Perhaps they should have said, OK the wizard world is another dimension, one that is on the same plane as the muggle world and occasionally overlaps(and maybe magic doesn’t work in the muggle world). See? That wasn’t hard, yet it would open up all kinds of what-if scenarios. Or maybe, McGonigal has always been working for the death eaters(there’s a twist for ya).
The other problem I have with this series is that EVERYTHING(and I mean everything) happens to Harry Potter. The entire universe, heavens and all that inhabits the two revolves around Harry. I mean, if I were a student at Hogwarts, I would be thinking “Well, I’m starting another year here, I wonder what kind of weird shit is going to happen. I bet it will involve Harry Potter. Man, that guy should have a newspaper devoted entirely to him.” Why can’t another character have anything interesting going on, what about Ron? His only purpose is to be the comic relief(as someone mentioned), and play the token bumbling sidekick. Then you have Hermione, the bookworm(ooh, clever JK, very clever). Why can’t she have anything special going on, she just exists to play the clever, down-to-earth, never-noticed-how-attractive-she-really-was bookworm stereotype. Dump on a heaping, steaming pile of drama, and you have Harry Potter.
SPOILER - Click to view
Oh, don’t even get me started on the ending, lol. What was Rowling thinking? Was she imagining a montage ending with a beetles song playing in the background while wedding pictures stack on screen? Oh well, Harry Potter settled down and became the soccer dad, had plenty of kids with Ginny. Ron and Hermione got together also, had some kids, and Ron was arrested after savagely beating his wife during a drunken stupor brought on by too much butterbeer (lol, I couldn’t resist). That is so stock, it is the laziest way to end a story. One of the three should have died, plain and simple. It’s a war, war is hell and rarely ends with a beetles montage lol. When the story ends this way it makes Voldermort and his followers look like raging incompetent dipshits. One wonders how they became so feared in the first place, just give them a simon says and they will be distracted for a year or two. I mean, it’s like he doesn’t even want Harry dead. Let’s see, hmm…Wand isn’t working, try a knife, better yet buy a gun from wal-mart and shoot him, or just strangle him with a pillow–I don’t care, just kill the whiny little bastard lol.
Whew, sorry for that rant, but I think you get the point(haha I could go on all day complaining about Harry Potter).