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.
