Harry Potter books 1-7 J.K. Rowling Review
Before we start this review let us just clarify that in our opinion, there is no way in hell that you already don’t know about J K Rowling’s globally hell universally acclaimed marvel that is Harry Potter. I mean even if you live under a rock and the moss on it is your sweet warm comfortable home, you must have heard about the boy who lived and by lived we mean lived under the cupboard in number four, Privet Drive in Little Whinging.
Over the three decades of its existence, Harry Potter has become a cultural phenomenon across the globe. Due to the ever-growing magic of Harry Potter and J K Rowling’s words, the fandom keeps on increasing. So, first things first, Harry Potter is a fantasy series consisting of seven books.
Now do not get confused. The major motion films based on the books are eight number but that is because the last part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows had to be divided into two films because according to the directors who would watch a six hours long film? Well beats us because WHO WOULD NOT? It is Harry Potter we are talking about. Anyways, the Harry Potter series consists of seven books named:
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
- Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix (2003)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
Harry Potter is an incredibly imagined fantasy bildungsroman that follows the eponymous boy wizard as he attends the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and contends with his destiny to fight the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Fortunately, he always has clever, loyal friends Ron and Hermione by his side — plus the invaluable mentorship of eccentric but wise Hogwarts headmaster, Dumbledore.
The first book of the series Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone takes off where the protagonist Harry Potter is 11 years old, unaware of the magic background he lives with his muggle Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and their son Dudley. Weird things keep on happening and Harry unaware of his powers lets them slide. Until one day due to his parselmouth, he can talk to a serpent. After a saga of events leading to his fortunate admission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Harry spends quite an eventful seven years in the school. The Harry Potter series is an allegory for a politically conscious society governed and driven by morality. It has invited academic interest in the form of numerous articles, books, and academic papers. This speaks of Harry Potter’s impact on literary scholarship. As a child who grew up reading the Harry Potter books, and as a member of various Harry Potter fan clubs on the internet, I have been long intrigued by the massive appeal of the books. It is easy to dismiss fantasy fiction as a less important literary genre than others, but for this thesis, the allegorical world of fantasy provides a crucial parallel to our own real world. Initial research indicated that there has been little work into the reason behind its appeal as a morally instructive text. Rowling’s series has a clearly defined moral system that produces empathy and sympathy in its readers because she does not only write about what is right but presents it in contrast to what is wrong. The Harry Potter series begins with a young orphan boy who is at the mercy of his aunt’s malicious family. On his eleventh birthday, his life changes completely as he comes to know that magic exists, and his parents were wizards. He is then whisked off by Hagrid, a wizard, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he is to learn all about magic as his parents did before him. The transition to a magical boarding school brings numerous surprises for Harry including the truth about his parents’ death. His parents were victims of the most feared dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. He attempted to kill Harry when he was a baby; according to a prophecy, Harry would become Voldemort’s nemesis. Hence begins Harry’s struggle to defeat Lord Voldemort. Harry presents the Good side, while Lord Voldemort presents the Evil side of a long battle that eventually ends in Harry’s triumph over Voldemort in the last instalment of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
In the course of the seven books, Harry and his loyal friends – Ronald Weasley and Hermoine Granger, and several others who occupy less narrative space than these main characters – face several obstacles, increasing their knowledge and experience within the bounds of Hogwarts and beyond its magical walls too. Their adventures are not all magic but demand a blend of courage, quick-wit, daring, fearlessness, and heroism.
The traditional rivalry of good vs evil drives most of the plot. This rivalry embodies itself through the characters of Harry Potter aka “the boy who lived” and Lord Voldemort “he who must not be named”. The saga of this arch rivalry continues for seven years and ends with the win of good and inclusion. Harry Potter teaches us important lessons about the power of love, friendship, and sacrifice in the face of evil. Through its warm and extremely loveable characters, Harry Potter has given us characters who will live in our heads, impermeable and forever. The references to Harry Potter have made a commonplace in our everyday lives. The phrase ‘brave as a lion has been replaced with ‘brave as a Gryffindor.
We do not want to get up to grab anything, we wish that we could just point and Accio the thing to ourselves. We do not wish to travel by plane anymore, we wish we could just apparate ourselves to places.
So what are you waiting for? Swish your wands, dust your spellbooks and get ready for a magical ride through the world of Harry Potter and the wizardry world.
Other books related to harry potter:
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child