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This is a book review. I'm posting it here and also cross-posting to my ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
marrax journal.
This is, of course, the seventh, and final, book in the series about the boy wizard. For the sake of anyone who's been non-existent for the past ten years, here's a selection of recaps of books 1-6.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione have a mission: to seek out and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, magical items each containing a bit of Voldemort's soul. Bit first, Harry must be safely extracted from Number 4, Privet Drive, a place of safety (if not happy memories) that will cease to become a sanctuary when he turns seventeen.
The trio then plan to head off on their quest once they've attended the wedding of Ron's brother, Bill, to the Veela Fleur Delacoeur. The wedding reception is rudely interrupted, though, and they are forced to take flight early.
So their journey begins, and it's this that occupies the largest part of The Deathly Hallows, and is indeed its most serious flaw: a good two-thirds of the book is consumed with chapter after chapter of nothing much happening, interspersed with brief periods of frenetic activity that actually move the plot along. As with the previous couple of books, the majority of the action is packed into a handful of chapters at the beginning and end, and spectacular though it is, it can be a bit of a grind getting there in the first place.
It's a pity that there are such turgid, unnecessary passages, because when the pace is picked up, the writing does too, as the curses and jinxes and masonry fly around. Rowling clearly enjoyed writing these passages, but it's not so obvious that chapter after chapter of Harry, Ron, and Hermione sulking and skulking about in the woods could have been so easy going.
Naturally, all of the Big Questions are finally answered by the end of the book. Yes, characters die: some we love, some we hate. As for anything else that's been speculated upon, to tell would be spoiling things, but suffice it to say that certain characters' actions over the years are finally explained to some degree of satisfaction.
Overall, Hallows is easily the best of the series since Goblet, depsite its sluggish nature in the middle chapters. There is at least more conviction in the words here than there were in Prince, and certainly Phoenix. The dark atmosphere is more reminiscent of Azkaban, but with the added ability of Rowling to use more adult language as her audience has aged. The shackles come off more and more as the book draws to a conclusion. With a final flourish, Harry Potter has cast the last of his spells upon us.
Next reviews: The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds, Metal Swarm by Kevin J Anderson
marrax journal.This is, of course, the seventh, and final, book in the series about the boy wizard. For the sake of anyone who's been non-existent for the past ten years, here's a selection of recaps of books 1-6.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione have a mission: to seek out and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, magical items each containing a bit of Voldemort's soul. Bit first, Harry must be safely extracted from Number 4, Privet Drive, a place of safety (if not happy memories) that will cease to become a sanctuary when he turns seventeen.
The trio then plan to head off on their quest once they've attended the wedding of Ron's brother, Bill, to the Veela Fleur Delacoeur. The wedding reception is rudely interrupted, though, and they are forced to take flight early.
So their journey begins, and it's this that occupies the largest part of The Deathly Hallows, and is indeed its most serious flaw: a good two-thirds of the book is consumed with chapter after chapter of nothing much happening, interspersed with brief periods of frenetic activity that actually move the plot along. As with the previous couple of books, the majority of the action is packed into a handful of chapters at the beginning and end, and spectacular though it is, it can be a bit of a grind getting there in the first place.
It's a pity that there are such turgid, unnecessary passages, because when the pace is picked up, the writing does too, as the curses and jinxes and masonry fly around. Rowling clearly enjoyed writing these passages, but it's not so obvious that chapter after chapter of Harry, Ron, and Hermione sulking and skulking about in the woods could have been so easy going.
Naturally, all of the Big Questions are finally answered by the end of the book. Yes, characters die: some we love, some we hate. As for anything else that's been speculated upon, to tell would be spoiling things, but suffice it to say that certain characters' actions over the years are finally explained to some degree of satisfaction.
Overall, Hallows is easily the best of the series since Goblet, depsite its sluggish nature in the middle chapters. There is at least more conviction in the words here than there were in Prince, and certainly Phoenix. The dark atmosphere is more reminiscent of Azkaban, but with the added ability of Rowling to use more adult language as her audience has aged. The shackles come off more and more as the book draws to a conclusion. With a final flourish, Harry Potter has cast the last of his spells upon us.
Next reviews: The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds, Metal Swarm by Kevin J Anderson
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