Review of Harry Potter Series

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Year Two) $6.99 ISBN: 0-439-06487-2 Pages: 341

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Year Three) $7.99 ISBN: 0-439-13636-9 Pages: 435

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Year Four) $25.95 ISBN: 0-439-13959-7 Pages: 734

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you." - Albus Dumbledore, Sorcerer’s Stone

Given the popularity of the Harry Potter phenomenon and the fact that it is speculative fiction, it seemed appropriate to attempt a comprehensive review.

For the purposes of explanation, some comparisons will be drawn between characters and situations in the Harry Potter world and the Forgotten Realms. This is not really an apples-to-oranges situation. The target audience is not entirely different. Both deal with magic and magic using individuals. Further, there are probably more people who frequent this site that are familiar with the Realms than they are with the world of Harry Potter.

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.” -Albus Dumbledore, Sorcerer’s Stone

There are many characters in the books – too many to describe them all here and now. However, a few of the characters and the over all situation does require a closer look.

Harry Potter – the titular character – is an orphaned boy, living with resolutely dull relatives, who discovers he is a wizard and goes off to wizard school – Hogwarts. However, he is very special because as a baby he defeated Voldemort (the name is a French anagram for “death flight”) a notorious and evil wizard. Before he accidentally destroyed his body while trying to kill the baby Potter, Voldemort was possibly the most powerful wizard alive and was close to succeeding in his plains for world domination. For those not following him, it was dark times.

It was as if Manshoon – in the absence of any other great and terrible mages – had been galloping around the country, blitzkrieging every mage who did not bow down. One evening he shows up at the cottage of a humble magic using couple and kills them. Then – and at the time inexplicably – his attempt to kill the baby goes awry and Manshoon himself torn into splinters.

Other mages treat the baby Potter with some respect and trepidation – for whatever reason, he was able to bring about the downfall of the evil mage. Hence, much-a-do about Potter, “the boy who lived.”

Once at Hogwarts he makes friends (Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger) and enemies (Draco Malfoy) among the other students. Some of the teachers (such as headmaster Albus Dumbledore, a name for bumblebees) like him while others (such as potions professor Severus Snape, named for a fascist dictator) hate him with an ill concealed fervor.

One thing that helps set Potter apart is his sense of purpose and mission in his life. He has not come to terms with it yet, but it is clear that on some level he believes himself to be something special. It helps that he was – at a time and a place when events were well beyond his control, namely his childhood confrontation with Voldemort – quite literally marked by destiny. Ron (a partner is well-meaning mischief) and Hermione (a work-ethic study bug) support Potter on a daily basis. Draco (Potter’s opposite and foil) is someone with whom Potter has to deal on a daily basis. Dumbledore is there in the clinch but not for every little bump. Snape is not around to make Potters life miserable 24/7.

Another pivotal character is the Hogwarts grounds-keeper, Hagrid. Let us jump track for a moment from a Forgotten Realms comparison to a Star Wars comparison. There is a very clear comparison – Hagrid to Jar Jar Binks. Both are “the fool” type characters. Both are non-threatening to children. However, Hagrid remains humorous and entertaining. Binks temps people to the Dark Side so that they can kill him. Hagrid is well meaning and has a heart of gold. Binks is – if you look carefully – out only for himself. Hagrid is capable of being menacing – he is half-giant. Binks would loose if he were to try to fight his way out of a wet paper bag. Granted, on the screen Hagrid is portrayed by the Robbie Coltrane, a man of professional acting skills and talent while Binks is just CGI. Nevertheless, even the Hagrid of the books comes across miles away better than Binks. Hagrid succeeds everywhere that the character of Binks – a character created to do the exact same thing – fails. Rowling handles all the characters in the world of Potter with similar skill. Now back to the Realms comparisons.

In between studying various spells, magical plants and animals, learning how to wizard-duel and the like, Potter and friends deal with trouble left over by Voldemort and his failed bid for world conquest. Naturally, Potter being the individual that caused Voldemort’s plain to fail, is the center of – or rather the target of – plots to bring Voldemort back to power.

The stories – four so far, with three more due at one-year intervals – take place during what would be Potter’s junior high and high school years. The most recent book, or year four, would be about equivalent to Potter’s freshman year in high school. Potter’s school is suitably fantastic (aside from the mountain troll in the bathroom, it bears little resemblance to this reviewer’s school years). However, the magic is largely taken for granted. There are no length expositions on magic or spells or such. It is largely just a colorful and usually humorous backdrop. It is never the pain in the arse that magic often is in game novels, the Forgotten Realms novels particularly.

Another important aspect is the game Quidditch. This is like flying rugby where half the team come armed with clubs and there are four balls in play at all times – two of which are out to get you.

“I’m not going to be murdered,” Harry said out loud. “That’s the spirit, dear,” said his mirror sleepily -Prisoner of Azkaban

In “Sorcerer’s Stone,” 11-year-old Potter goes to Hogwarts for his first year of study. This is his – and the readers – first encounters the wizards’ world, a place very similar to our world of non-magical people, who in the books are called “muggles” (The ACLU prefers the term “Arcane Deprived Individuals”). In addition to running afoul of Snape and Draco, Potter has a preliminary encounter with Voldemort.

During “Chamber of Secrets” – possibly the weakest of the series so far as it bears too much resemblance to SS – Potter, now 12 years old, deals still with more of Voldemort legacy. Along the way, he learns more about Hagrid, who was once a student a Hogwarts and a contemporary of Voldemort before he became so infamoius. There is also a magic flying car and giant spiders.

“Prisoner of Azkaban” has 13-year-old Potter dealing with a wizard named Black and very closely with his father’s legacy at Hogwarts. There is also a werewolf teacher at Hogwarts in what is actually a rather well done metaphor of having a homosexual teacher. There are a number of startling revelations in this book, which may be the strongest in the series so far.

“Goblet of Fire” is during Potter’s fourth year at Hogwarts when he is 14 years old. It is also the halfway point through the series. It deals with two other European schools of magic – a Germanic one and a French one and “blast-ended skrewts.” The book lets the reader witness the world-cup Quiddich game. It also has the true return of Voldemort.

The next book is supposedly titled “Order of the Phoenix” and is due some in time 2002.

“From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, ‘Kill the spare.’” -Goblet of Fire

There is probably more than a little bit of derisive lip curling going on among the fans of speculative fiction in-general and gaming in particular towards Potter books. There is an odd attitude among some such fans that if something is popular, then it must be chicken crap in quality. In this case at least, that judgment is premature and incorrect.

Granted, there are lots Potter paraphernalia appearing everywhere. Computer games, card games, action figures, brooms (the broom is very well done and worth checking out – this reviewer saw one at Wal-Mart and only stopped using it when the management became angry about him repeatedly flying over the women’s dressing room), stationary, journals, etc. This crass commercialism can seem somewhat vulgar at times.

However, what makes Star Wars memorabilia so collectable that at the same time means you should spit on anything with the Potter logo? (As an aside, the Potter books are probably the best use and example of Campbell’s “Heroes Journey” outside of Star Wars.)

Some gamers might complain – and have, judging by some of the older posts – that the world of Potter does not use D&D style magic or that Dumbledore or Voldemort would loose in a battle against Elminster or Manshoon. First, the books do not use D&D style magic because recreating a D&D world was not on Rowling’s mind when she created the setting. Besides, read some Forgotten Realms books – those authors barely use D&D style magic when they use it at all. Secondly, the derisive comments about who would win in a fight miss the above point about “different worlds” and miss the fact that Dumbledore is *not* going to be appearing in Shadowdale to chase Elminster out of his nappy old tower. Besides, why would they fight even if they did meet? (On the other hand, this question of “who can whip who” – no matter how pedantic – seems to be a reoccurring theme among gaming fans. Who would win; Elminster or Raistlin, Elminster of Drizzt, Drizzt or Jet Lee in “the One.” Bah. As if all these characters have nothing better to do than – or would gain something meaningful by – behaving like they are part of the WWF.)

The books are children’s books – this means they do contain sermonizing on thing like good and evil, tolerance, racism, etc. However, they are still better than a great many gaming novels. While no one is expecting them – the Potter books or gaming novels – to be better than Shakesphere or to reinvent the wheel, it is extremely reasonable to ask that the books at least be entertaining. It is extremely reasonable to ask that the book should be worth the purchase price. Do you spend your seven or so dollars on a Forgotten Realms book – or any other gaming novel for that matter – or do you buy a better book? On the other hand, do you take your seven or so dollars and get something to eat.

That – simply being worth the purchase price – is not always true for gaming novels, Forgotten Realms novels included.

Consider comparison between two major characters from the Potter novels and characters from the Forgotten Realms.

Dumbledore is a great many things Elminster is not – genuinely respectable, upstanding, compassionate, caring and above all – wise. He is there to help Potter and the other students, to be a teacher and guide and someone with whom you would not mind spending time. Elminster – by comparison – is a mean spirited old git who spends all his time humiliating and deceiving his supposed friends and allies or just trying to get laid. Supposedly, Elminster is portrayed this way to help encourage the PC’s to be self-reliant. However, Potter and friends do they best they can on their own – and frequently save the day – without running to Dumbledore at the drop of a hat. They do this not because the Big D is a jackass – he’s not, again compare him to the Big E – but because they are the good guys. Likewise, Dunbledore does not go out of him way to prove he’s the most powerful, treat people abominably and then still have the audacity to call himself to good guy. Dumbledore is also a terribly powerful wizards – the equal of Voldemort at his height – and old but he still manages to be civil to people around him.

Voldemort is a great many things Manshoon is not – genuinely unsettling, spooky, ruthless, hateful and above all - competent. His loss to the baby Potter was an accident, something a wizards could conceivably over look, but other wise he should be feared. Manshoon – by comparison – is the kind of villain who talks just to hear the sound of his voice and has trouble organizing a group of school bullies to raid a candy store. Supposedly, the Big M is depicted as having trouble so much as taking candy from a baby and dying repeatedly so each novel will end with the good guys winning. The big V is defeated – or at least narrowly avoided – without Voldemort looking like a halfwit in a back hat.

In the basic sense of novel structure, consider this:

The ending of “The Symbuls’s Gift” was confusing and jarring. The ending of all the Potter books – by comparison – are well handled and allow for a sense of completion and resolution.

Several of the plot twists in “Beyond the High Road” were confusing and even contradictory. The plots of the Potter books – by comparison – are well handled, with questions answered, clearly left for the next book but never flatly ignored.

Even if the Potter books are children’s books and even the Forgotten Realms novels are not supposed to be Shakesphere, the Potter books are – to a one – better buys than nearly any Forgotten Realm (with the possible exception of Salvatore and Cunningham) book if you have to choose one or the other. At the very least, they are more fun, less confusing, less patronizing and simply better written.

At the very least, the Potter books – with its rich and layer world – offers a rich source for ideas for DM’s and gamers.

“Mr. Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she’d set the family ghoul on them.” -Chamber of Secrets

The latter Potter books become longer and longer. This can be a turn off. “Goblet” is more than 700 pages long – a big book to haul around to read.

Likewise “Goblet,” and to a lesser extent the other books as well, deal with death and evil in immediate ways. A character that dies in not simply a “red-shirt” extra but has enough of a presence to be a respectable and likeable character in their own right. This makes their death more immediate and disconcerting. The books take neither evil nor death lightly or for granted. This is not to everyone takes and frankly offends some people. Consider your self warned.

The books are extremely British. Some people like this, others do not. Again, consider yourself warned.

In addition, the books are not very violent – or the lack action, if you prefer that term – in content. There is some, but less than in any Forgotten Realms book. Realms books – like many game related novels – are often vehicle for entertainingly violent sequences. If you like that kind of thing, then skip these books. They are generally absent from the Potter books.

Of course, the books are children’s books - so more humor and angst – even if they are well written ones. This just bears reiterating.

“As Hagrid had said, what would come would come…and he would have to meet it when it did.” -Goblet of Fire

They are children’s books. So what? They are terribly popular. So what? They are fun and more fun than a great many gaming novels.