Harry Potter has left the building
Jul. 25th, 2007 10:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vovatWell, I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yesterday morning. Then I had trouble getting to sleep. And now I'm staying up too late again, writing this review. When will I learn?
In sharp contrast to the last Lemony Snicket book, it seems like Rowling wanted to tie up as many loose ends and work in as many characters as possible. I had proposed a few weeks ago that this book would abandon the traditional format of school being used to frame the events, and this was indeed the case. I have to suspect that this wasn't Rowling's original intention when she began the series; references to things that happen with last-year Hogwarts students (the choosing of Head Boy and Girl, the N.E.W.T. exams, etc.) suggest that she was originally intending to keep Harry and company in school right up until the end, but changed her mind after coming up with the Horcrux idea. I think this was probably a good choice in the end, though, because it allowed for the exploration of various parts of the wizarding world we either had previously seen only briefly or not at all. The visit to Godric's Hollow was interesting, as were the descriptions of the Blacks' room decorations. This part of the book does, however, come off as rather episodic. Harry and his companions visit a new location, find a significant item or some information, get caught by the Death Eaters, and make a narrow escape. And then they do it again several more times.
It kind of seems like, in the early chapters especially, Rowling chose to kill off the last characters anyone would expect. I think I've seen people refer to the possibility of Dobby dying as so unlikely as to be a joke, but he ends up making a noble sacrifice. And did ANYONE expect Hedwig to die? The fact that no one seems to have thought of it makes it all the more disturbing when it happens.
Another interesting thing about these early chapters is how much action we don't actually see first-hand. With the exceptions of a few beginning chapters, everything in the series is seen through Harry's eyes. But, well, he's usually the one having the most exciting experiences. This time, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione are sitting around in a tent and arguing, we hear only second-hand about Dean Thomas' flight with the goblins, and third-hand about the attempt by Neville, Ginny, and Luna to steal Gryffindor's sword. I suppose there's more than enough action packed into the last few chapters to make up for this, though.
When I had finished reading the sixth book, a lot of my speculation was about what changes would occur at Hogwarts for the final volume. As it turns out, Hogwarts caves in to the Voldemort-controlled Ministry of Magic almost immediately. I guess I kind of expected that, even after Dumbledore's death, the remaining professors would continue his policy of avoiding Ministry interference as much as possible. True, Snape is acting on Dumbledore's orders when he stays there as Headmaster, but the other teachers don't know this, and have reason to distrust him.
The Hogwarts battle sequence is quite chaotic, which is only to be expected of a grand battle sequence featuring a large number of the most significant characters in the series. It does seem a bit rushed, though, with Rowling hurrying through things that she needed to get out before the end of the book, like Percy's redemption and the origins of two of the Hogwarts ghosts. She even relies on coincidence to get rid of the diadem, with the bumbling Crabbe just happening to cast a spell that could destroy Horcruxes, but that we hadn't heard of prior to this. (You'd think Hermione could have at least mentioned Fiendfyre earlier in the book, since she obviously knows what it is.) The chaotic nature of this part also means that we don't really get the opportunity for the deaths to sink in as much as they do when we see more of the aftermath. I had kind of wondered if Rowling was planning on killing off one of the Weasley twins and seeing how the other one would get along on his own. As it was, though, we see very little of George after Fred's death. I am relieved that Hagrid wasn't killed off, and indeed survived into the epilogue (well, unless it's a different Hagrid that Harry mentions there). I kind of wonder if he was the one who was granted a reprieve, but I don't really see any way to tell.
I did like the Pensieve-aided playback of Snape's memories. I'm sure a lot of readers guessed at these behind-the-scenes moments on their own, but it was still interesting to see things from an alternate perspective. It's also kind of weird how Snape loving Lily is something that a lot of fans apparently guessed without much evidence. I kind of thought it was, well, certainly not impossible, but a bit out in left field. I guess the hardcore fans do come up with the occasional clever idea, in between all their "Dumbledore isn't really dead!" and "Harry should hook up with Hermione! No, better yet, Draco!" talk. {g} I also thought the conversation with Dumbledore was handled well (and I appreciate that Rowling kept her concept of the afterlife pretty vague). I sort of expected a little more after the defeat of Voldemort (possibly one last trick that he had up his sleeve, or just some more on the reconstruction), but maybe it was best to leave the series with a real sense of accomplishment.
For all of Rowling's attempts to tie everything up in a neat little package, there were a few things that I think could have been addressed a little more thoroughly. Some of them include:
Maybe some of these issues will be addressed in the encyclopedia that Rowling is said to be working on. And I guess that's all I have to say, really. Any input from you is welcome. And now I can read all of YOUR Potter-related posts.
In sharp contrast to the last Lemony Snicket book, it seems like Rowling wanted to tie up as many loose ends and work in as many characters as possible. I had proposed a few weeks ago that this book would abandon the traditional format of school being used to frame the events, and this was indeed the case. I have to suspect that this wasn't Rowling's original intention when she began the series; references to things that happen with last-year Hogwarts students (the choosing of Head Boy and Girl, the N.E.W.T. exams, etc.) suggest that she was originally intending to keep Harry and company in school right up until the end, but changed her mind after coming up with the Horcrux idea. I think this was probably a good choice in the end, though, because it allowed for the exploration of various parts of the wizarding world we either had previously seen only briefly or not at all. The visit to Godric's Hollow was interesting, as were the descriptions of the Blacks' room decorations. This part of the book does, however, come off as rather episodic. Harry and his companions visit a new location, find a significant item or some information, get caught by the Death Eaters, and make a narrow escape. And then they do it again several more times.
It kind of seems like, in the early chapters especially, Rowling chose to kill off the last characters anyone would expect. I think I've seen people refer to the possibility of Dobby dying as so unlikely as to be a joke, but he ends up making a noble sacrifice. And did ANYONE expect Hedwig to die? The fact that no one seems to have thought of it makes it all the more disturbing when it happens.
Another interesting thing about these early chapters is how much action we don't actually see first-hand. With the exceptions of a few beginning chapters, everything in the series is seen through Harry's eyes. But, well, he's usually the one having the most exciting experiences. This time, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione are sitting around in a tent and arguing, we hear only second-hand about Dean Thomas' flight with the goblins, and third-hand about the attempt by Neville, Ginny, and Luna to steal Gryffindor's sword. I suppose there's more than enough action packed into the last few chapters to make up for this, though.
When I had finished reading the sixth book, a lot of my speculation was about what changes would occur at Hogwarts for the final volume. As it turns out, Hogwarts caves in to the Voldemort-controlled Ministry of Magic almost immediately. I guess I kind of expected that, even after Dumbledore's death, the remaining professors would continue his policy of avoiding Ministry interference as much as possible. True, Snape is acting on Dumbledore's orders when he stays there as Headmaster, but the other teachers don't know this, and have reason to distrust him.
The Hogwarts battle sequence is quite chaotic, which is only to be expected of a grand battle sequence featuring a large number of the most significant characters in the series. It does seem a bit rushed, though, with Rowling hurrying through things that she needed to get out before the end of the book, like Percy's redemption and the origins of two of the Hogwarts ghosts. She even relies on coincidence to get rid of the diadem, with the bumbling Crabbe just happening to cast a spell that could destroy Horcruxes, but that we hadn't heard of prior to this. (You'd think Hermione could have at least mentioned Fiendfyre earlier in the book, since she obviously knows what it is.) The chaotic nature of this part also means that we don't really get the opportunity for the deaths to sink in as much as they do when we see more of the aftermath. I had kind of wondered if Rowling was planning on killing off one of the Weasley twins and seeing how the other one would get along on his own. As it was, though, we see very little of George after Fred's death. I am relieved that Hagrid wasn't killed off, and indeed survived into the epilogue (well, unless it's a different Hagrid that Harry mentions there). I kind of wonder if he was the one who was granted a reprieve, but I don't really see any way to tell.
I did like the Pensieve-aided playback of Snape's memories. I'm sure a lot of readers guessed at these behind-the-scenes moments on their own, but it was still interesting to see things from an alternate perspective. It's also kind of weird how Snape loving Lily is something that a lot of fans apparently guessed without much evidence. I kind of thought it was, well, certainly not impossible, but a bit out in left field. I guess the hardcore fans do come up with the occasional clever idea, in between all their "Dumbledore isn't really dead!" and "Harry should hook up with Hermione! No, better yet, Draco!" talk. {g} I also thought the conversation with Dumbledore was handled well (and I appreciate that Rowling kept her concept of the afterlife pretty vague). I sort of expected a little more after the defeat of Voldemort (possibly one last trick that he had up his sleeve, or just some more on the reconstruction), but maybe it was best to leave the series with a real sense of accomplishment.
For all of Rowling's attempts to tie everything up in a neat little package, there were a few things that I think could have been addressed a little more thoroughly. Some of them include:
- The fate of the Dursleys. Dudley finally thanking Harry for saving his life was a nice touch, but I wouldn't have minded finding out how they took hiding out, and what they did afterwards. My guess would be that they just went back to their lives and forgot about Harry as best they could, but another scene with them might have been interesting.
- While Voldemort does have giants helping him out in the Battle of Hogwarts, they don't seem to be as significant as Hagrid's mission after Book 4 suggested. There's no sign of Madame Maxine, either. At least Grawp plays a significant role.
- For all that Snape emphasizes unspoken spells in Book 6, Harry is still yelling everything out right up through his final confrontation with Voldemort. Whatever happened to him having to keep his mouth shut and his mind closed? (Okay, I suppose the mind part WAS addressed.)
- So many characters remember James Potter fondly, but we see him most closely through the mind of someone who hated him (and with good cause, really). I might have liked to have seen a little more of how James changed from someone Lily thought was kind of a jerk to someone she loved.
- Speaking of James and Lily, didn't Rowling once say that their occupations would become important before the end of the series? I don't believe this was ever mentioned at all.
- Marietta Edgecombe. I'm sure I wouldn't be thinking of her at all if I hadn't just seen the movie that omitted her character entirely, and it turns out there wasn't necessarily any reason to keep her in. Cho returns, but despite other characters redeeming themselves (Snape, Percy) or at least showing some shred of human compassion (Dudley, Peter Pettigrew, the Malfoys), Marietta's fate is left up in the air. She's not all that significant, to be sure, but she still came to mind when I was making this list.
- Mrs. Norris. Is she even mentioned in this book? I know Filch is, but I think the cat is out of sight throughout. I thought from pretty early on that there might be some story connected with her, but I guess there isn't. About all I can guess is that she might be all or part Kneazle (the intelligent cat-like creature that featured in Crookshanks' ancestry).
- Stan Shunpike. Is he under the Imperius curse, as Harry suggests? Is he helping the Death Eaters for some other reason? Or is he truly a villain? We never find out.
- Mundungus Fletcher. Maybe this is just my bad memory, but I thought he was a Squib. Why does he have a wand and magical powers in this book? Did he take a Kwikspell course?
Maybe some of these issues will be addressed in the encyclopedia that Rowling is said to be working on. And I guess that's all I have to say, really. Any input from you is welcome. And now I can read all of YOUR Potter-related posts.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 02:42 am (UTC)Hmmm, Mundungus was a character who wasn't in the fifth movie, yet was fairly important in the last book. I wonder how they're going to address that when they make the seventh movie.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 03:04 pm (UTC)I'd like to think that Stan was under the Imperius curse, but you're right that we never explicitly found out. I think he would have been useful to the DEs, what with running the bus and all.
Rowling did say at one point that James and Lily's jobs would be important, but it didn't seem like they had jobs -- outside being in the Order, that is. She also said that someone would learn magic late in life due to desperate circumstances, but she never cleared up that mystery either. (I had thought it might be Filch.)
I need to pull together my thoughts on the final book as well. Other than being confused by people suddenly calling Snape GOOD, I haven't had a chance to mull everything over.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 02:47 am (UTC)I guess it's possible that James was independently wealthy and didn't really need to work. That still leaves open the question as to how the Potter family made their fortune in the first place, but I suppose you could ask that about any of the rich wizard families.
She also said that someone would learn magic late in life due to desperate circumstances, but she never cleared up that mystery either.
I remember this comment, but I don't remember how she phrased it. Did she definitely mean that a character who didn't know any magic whatsoever would learn it late in life, or did it leave open the possibility that it could be someone who already HAD magic learning a new kind? If the latter, it could possibly refer to Ron learning to speak Parseltongue, since that's presented as a rare, inborn skill throughout most of the series. If the former, it seems to be another idea that Rowling intended to use but didn't.
Other than being confused by people suddenly calling Snape GOOD, I haven't had a chance to mull everything over.
I think one thing that makes Snape such an interesting character is that he can be such an asset for the fight against evil despite not really being particularly good.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 03:37 pm (UTC)--No, Mundungus was a real wizard, that is just your bad memory. ;) I'm pretty sure the only Squib characters were Filch and Mrs. Figg.
--I would've liked to have seen more of James being cool too. And definitely more of the Dursleys. As for unspoken spells, there was at least one moment in the book when I wanted to yell at harry to keep his mouth shut and his mind closed!
--I'd figured out that Snape loved Lily, though I can't explain to you how I came up with that, but I hadn't imagined that they'd been childhood friends. That was a great twist I thought that really made it mean a lot more. I'd also always suspected that it was Snape Petunia had overheard telling Lily about dementors, but I can't explain how I'd known that either.
--It was Fred that died by the way, George lived-- I know, hard to tell the difference between those two ;D -- Yeah, I would have definitely liked to see more of George coping after that. There was definitely not enough wrap-up over their losses, how the survivors went on. I expected more of that in the epilogue at least-- I wanted to hear even just a bit about what the more minor characters were up to. And speaking of not knowing what James and Lily did for careers, what about everyone else? I'd pegged Hermione for a Hogwarts teacher, but apparently not....
--My brother seemed shocked about who died early on too, but I wasn't really. He asked me "can you believe Moody died?" and I said yeah! I mean, he's a hardened grizzly old warrior, of COURSE he's got to go in battle, not of old age! As for Hedwig, that was a good way of killing off someone very close to Harry without affecting the plot itself too much, so I could run with it. As for Dobby, really? I never thought he was immune from death. Then, I never assumed he'd be back at all in book 7. I guess I wasn't shocked by any of the deaths because with all the talk about who was gonna die I just kind if expected EVERYbody to get snuffed.
--The Not Going Back to Hogwarts assertion at the end of book 6 gave me a lot of qualms about book 7, but I actually was relieved to discover how much, even with no school, it still FELT just like a Harry Potter book! And we still spent a little time in Hogwarts! And the DA continues! And Neville got not just one but several moments of total heroism, including pulling Griffindor's sword out of the Sorting Hat, which as you might have seen in my own journal I thought was absolutely perfect!
--It's also possible the references to things that happen 7th year in Hogwarts were red herrings....
--Definitely did a better job of tying up loose ends than The Series of Unfortunate Events did, regardless, I agree, and yet stuck it all in a plot way better than I expected, too. I said that in my own journal. But anyhoo.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 03:00 am (UTC)Thanks for the correction. I had forgotten which one died, so I went back and looked it up. Then I got it backwards when I wrote the post anyway. {g}
And speaking of not knowing what James and Lily did for careers, what about everyone else? I'd pegged Hermione for a Hogwarts teacher, but apparently not....
The story that I linked to in my most recent post addresses what Harry, Ron, and Hermione end up doing, and touches on Luna as well.
As for Dobby, really? I never thought he was immune from death.
I didn't think he was immune from death any more than I thought Hedwig was. I just didn't really consider that it would happen to either of them.
It's also possible the references to things that happen 7th year in Hogwarts were red herrings....
Good point. For some reason, it kind of seems to me that the Horcrux idea was something that Rowling thought up fairly late in the game, but I could be wrong. I don't have much evidence for how much of the story she had mapped out when writing each book.
Definitely did a better job of tying up loose ends than The Series of Unfortunate Events did
Although part of the point of the last Snicket book seemed to be that there really wasn't any way to satisfactorily tie up every last end without introducing new ones.
I was thinking about this subject the other day, and I realized that the last books in these two series had one significant thing in common, i.e., they both ended with a baby being orphaned.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 12:30 pm (UTC)I thought that too! Though I suspected my noticing that was just because I have babies on the brain. I almost expected Harry to get custody of Teddy, 'specially considering he's his godfather, but then I realized the kid did, as far as we know, still have a grandmother alive to raise him and that's probably where he was while his parents were off fighting and dying. That was definitely something else I wished we'd seen more of-- what all happened with Teddy. Personally I expected more of him just because he had so many things in common with Harry. Okay, he had two parents in the Order who died when he was a baby, but that's a big thing in common!
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 12:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 04:06 pm (UTC)I ALSO WOUDL HAVE LIKED TO SEE TONKS AND LUPIN DIE. It was just like "Oh, well shit. I guess those fuckers are dead. Shrug." And like, wtf was up with Lupin's weird backstory? He was all "even tho i married tonks and obviously fucked her, i really don't care at all." WEIRD. I would have really liked to see them get a little more play. Because honestly, the way their romance sorta sprang up, I thought you'd see a bit more of it in Deathly Hallows, but I guess not. I was just said because those two were some of my favorites.
Another big probllem for me: WTF happened to Sirius and the veil? Remember when Luna was like "oh, he's not dead, he's just a whispery voice in the veil." THat was never addressed ever again. Grrrr.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 03:03 am (UTC)Yeah, I think Neville dealing with Bellatrix was what pretty much everyone was expecting, based on literary conventions and all. But maybe the predictability was why Rowling chose not to have that happen.
And like, wtf was up with Lupin's weird backstory? He was all "even tho i married tonks and obviously fucked her, i really don't care at all." WEIRD. I would have really liked to see them get a little more play. Because honestly, the way their romance sorta sprang up, I thought you'd see a bit more of it in Deathly Hallows, but I guess not.
Yeah, I know what you mean. And if Lupin was that dead set against having kids, what, wizards don't have birth control?
Thanks for reminding me about the veil. I had meant to include that in my list of things that weren't explained, but I forgot.
Not Harry Potter (Oz)
Date: 2007-07-26 02:07 am (UTC)Re: Not Harry Potter (Oz)
Date: 2007-07-27 03:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 08:14 pm (UTC)Also, why is Peeves at the school? What was Dumbledore's reason for keeping such an annoyance and a hindrance around? That was never explained.
I thought for sure the diadem was going to be Aunt Muriel's wedding tiara. Especially after Harry said they looked like each other.
Whatever happened to the mermaids, the hags, or the vampires? Or even the Giant Squid? We were never really given much information about these characters.
What happened to Karkaroff? I thought for sure Voldie would try to track him down and punish him for abandoning his "master".
I didn't like the epilogue much. Not only was it cheesy, but I think it hinders the fans' chance of writing futures for the HP characters on their own. I would have like a bit of mystery about what happens to everyone in the future.
That locked room in the Department of Mysteries...Why didn't we ever find out what's hiding behind there?
Why were Lily's eyes so significant? Everyone and their neighbor in the books plus Rowling herself pointed out how important that fact would be to Harry's history.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 03:19 am (UTC)I think Rowling once mentioned that Peeves is essentially part of the building, and they couldn't get him out. Also, it's a recurring character trait of Dumbledore to keep annoying and seemingly useless people and things around in case they come in handy later on. And Peeves does play a significant role in retaliating against Umbridge in Book 5, and takes part in the final battle.
I thought for sure the diadem was going to be Aunt Muriel's wedding tiara. Especially after Harry said they looked like each other.
That would have been a neat idea, but it would have gone against the theme of how Voldemort gave his Horcruxes to loyal followers or hid them in places important to him. I guess there could have been a story as to how the diadem got from the hiding place to Muriel, though. Considering Muriel's age, however, she was probably married well before Voldemort started making Horcruxes.
Whatever happened to the mermaids, the hags, or the vampires? Or even the Giant Squid? We were never really given much information about these characters.
You'd kind of think that, what with Rowling pulling out all the stops as far as Hogwarts defending itself, she would have included the inhabitants of the lake. And I was hoping that there would be more about vampires in the final book, since they were a type of humanoid being that Rowling said existed in the magical world, but never actually featured anywhere. There was a lot of speculation that Snape might be a vampire, but Rowling put that rumor to rest before writing Book 7. He apparently can fly like a bat, though.
What happened to Karkaroff? I thought for sure Voldie would try to track him down and punish him for abandoning his "master".
I guess he either did and Rowling didn't consider it important enough to mention, or he was waiting to do this until after taking care of Harry. But yeah, it seems like the foreign schools could have played a bigger role. I guess Voldemort remained a uniquely British concern right up until the end.
As for Lily's eyes, I think the significance might have just had to do with Snape remembering Lily when he saw Harry's eyes, and being angry when he saw James's features as well. When Snape dies, he does ask Harry to look into his eyes.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 06:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 12:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 06:46 am (UTC)(This is semi-related...) I noticed in the fifth movie when Harry asks Snape if Occulemency (sp?) is like reading minds, instead of getting after him for being so simple minded, he says yes. I'm surprised they cut that moment for Snape to be nasty. I also didn't get why they had to start those Occulemency lessons immediately on the night Mr. Weasely was attacked. "You've had a horrible night, Harry, let's make it worse!" Anyway... right, seventh book.
I wonder if the Gray Lady and the Bloody Baron will return for the movie (I think was envisioning the movie half the time as I read the book). I guess I wonder in general which of the million characters who made a reappearance in this book will reappear in the movie. I also wonder what plot stuff they'll cut... this book, to me, felt like it had a lot less filler, though the filmmakers could always completely change the ways the kids got the Horcruxes in order to cut out characters. Will dear sweet Mini Me reappear as the backstabbing Griphook?
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 12:52 pm (UTC)Didn't scenes in earlier books have both Dumbledore and Snape using their wands to extract various memories for storage in the Pensieve? I can't remember exactly, but that seems familiar. I think it's interesting that, when someone else enters a person's memory, they don't see it from the point of view of the person whose memory it is. Harry was even able to skip part of the memory he'd already seen by not following Snape.
I also didn't get why they had to start those Occulemency lessons immediately on the night Mr. Weasely was attacked. "You've had a horrible night, Harry, let's make it worse!"
They obviously had to speed things up for the film, but maybe it would have worked better if there'd been a scene break that indicated some time had gone by.
I wonder if the Gray Lady and the Bloody Baron will return for the movie
It would be nice, but considering Nearly Headless Nick has had one token speaking part and Professor Binns and Peeves haven't appeared at all, I wouldn't count on it. I suppose Harry could remember seeing a diadem in the Room of Requirement without having to learn its back story. It would be harder for him to get the cup with Griphook's help, though, unless they change its location entirely.
I think there's a good chance that, for the movie, they'll cut out the parts where Harry and company visit a new location that doesn't provide them with any help, which might well make Godric's Hollow first on the cutting room floor. I'm sure the camping scenes will be shortened, and some of the narrow escapes from Death Eaters might be combined. But then, I don't think I've ever been right when speculating about what the filmmakers would retain and what they would cut, so I'm probably totally off. I guess we'll find out in 2010, if they stay on schedule.