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List the original seven Harry Potter books in the order in which you like them. Give reasons if you care to.
(Warning, I personally do not consider anything added on Pottermore to be cannon. I've never read The Cursed Child, although I know the gist of the plot. Too many people I respect read it and hated it. I personally don't like the Fantastic Beast series. Although it's set in the same universe, I think it ought to be treated separately.)
7. Prisoner of Azkaban. I thought it was a boring telling of a decent story when I first read the book. I think now it just has too much exposition. Harry not being permitted to go to Hogsmeade was an elaborate plot convenience to permit Fudge and some of the teachers to blab (spout exposition) about something that was supposed to be secret in public. There are whole chapters of exposition in the Shrieking Shack the second half punctuated with Harry's half-insane raving about Sirius being responsible for killing his parents. I am very sensitive about time travel stories. This one was way too convenient, but it's fantasy so I'll give it a pass. There are plot holes galore... I don't hate it, just think it was the weakest entry of the bunch. (The movie version was far superior and nowhere near weakest, in my opinion, among the movies.)
6. Chamber of Secrets. (I call it in my head the Chamber Pot of Secrets.) I found it a tough sled to read. I probably saw the movie first, which didn't help. I had a hard time worrying about Hermione and the other victims in this one. I think JKR should have used Ginny more in the story to make her being possessed more poignant. The story about the buffoon Lockheart raises it above the Prisoner of Azkaban in my taste.
5. The Half-Blood Prince. After a great start with Harry almost getting to pick up a waitress, the book kind of stretched out too long. Lot's of good things in it just took too long to tell. Slughorn 'collecting' students and Dumbledore approving of it was severely creepy. Still I'd rate the book well ahead of the first two above.
4. The Order of the Phoenix. I really enjoyed the book, but toward the very end I got very bored and started skimming. I didn't know what happened to Umbridge after the centaurs drug her off, didn't know whether Dumbledore ever came back, and didn't care to reread the ending to find out. So I didn't know till the movie (or maybe it was till the next book) came out.
3. The Deathly Hallows. I don't think the camping scenes worked very well. Maybe those would have been better if there had been a real love triangle between the three. Ron's unfounded jealousy, just seemed like Ron being Ron, only more so. But all the away from camp jaunts were very interesting. I have to say putting the Elder wand back in the tomb was a stupid mistake on JKR's part. Evil do-ers for the rest of Harry's life would have come after him, and in all kinds of devious ways. (The movie got it right: break the damn thing in front of witnesses and put an end to the nonsense.)
2. The Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone. No question, this book is the best paced of the lot. I presume JKR had some serious help editing, something she definitely could have used for the last four books. One fun event after another with very little telling-not-showing. (In contrast I rate the movie the weakest of the bunch, partly because they had to cut bone to fit it into movie format. They left in a lot of the fluff, Harry over and over being shown wide eyed. Not inappropriate, just too much of it.)
1. The Goblet of Fire. I read every book in order the first time. I was disappointed in books two and three. (As I said above I didn't hate them, just was disappointed.) Goblet of Fire, made me forget that and really made me want very badly to see the rest of the series. Book Four not only brought back the 'magic' with a better story over all, it was probably the story that hit the nail on the head for depicting kids of the proper age going through the real-life miseries of adolescence. I wouldn't say it's perfect. The adults' reaction to Harry's name both going into and coming out of the Goblet borders on farce. 'Oh, well, don't worry that it's ridiculously irregular, and someone has obviously been tampering. It's a magic contract, don't you know.' The thing that makes it acceptable is that kids that age often see the decisions of adults as nonsensical and arbitrary. Having been a middle-aged adult when I read it, it grated on me. But I can see a thirteen or fourteen year-old blissfully nodding along with the irrational behavior of the adults.
What do you think about the books?
(Warning, I personally do not consider anything added on Pottermore to be cannon. I've never read The Cursed Child, although I know the gist of the plot. Too many people I respect read it and hated it. I personally don't like the Fantastic Beast series. Although it's set in the same universe, I think it ought to be treated separately.)
7. Prisoner of Azkaban. I thought it was a boring telling of a decent story when I first read the book. I think now it just has too much exposition. Harry not being permitted to go to Hogsmeade was an elaborate plot convenience to permit Fudge and some of the teachers to blab (spout exposition) about something that was supposed to be secret in public. There are whole chapters of exposition in the Shrieking Shack the second half punctuated with Harry's half-insane raving about Sirius being responsible for killing his parents. I am very sensitive about time travel stories. This one was way too convenient, but it's fantasy so I'll give it a pass. There are plot holes galore... I don't hate it, just think it was the weakest entry of the bunch. (The movie version was far superior and nowhere near weakest, in my opinion, among the movies.)
6. Chamber of Secrets. (I call it in my head the Chamber Pot of Secrets.) I found it a tough sled to read. I probably saw the movie first, which didn't help. I had a hard time worrying about Hermione and the other victims in this one. I think JKR should have used Ginny more in the story to make her being possessed more poignant. The story about the buffoon Lockheart raises it above the Prisoner of Azkaban in my taste.
5. The Half-Blood Prince. After a great start with Harry almost getting to pick up a waitress, the book kind of stretched out too long. Lot's of good things in it just took too long to tell. Slughorn 'collecting' students and Dumbledore approving of it was severely creepy. Still I'd rate the book well ahead of the first two above.
4. The Order of the Phoenix. I really enjoyed the book, but toward the very end I got very bored and started skimming. I didn't know what happened to Umbridge after the centaurs drug her off, didn't know whether Dumbledore ever came back, and didn't care to reread the ending to find out. So I didn't know till the movie (or maybe it was till the next book) came out.
3. The Deathly Hallows. I don't think the camping scenes worked very well. Maybe those would have been better if there had been a real love triangle between the three. Ron's unfounded jealousy, just seemed like Ron being Ron, only more so. But all the away from camp jaunts were very interesting. I have to say putting the Elder wand back in the tomb was a stupid mistake on JKR's part. Evil do-ers for the rest of Harry's life would have come after him, and in all kinds of devious ways. (The movie got it right: break the damn thing in front of witnesses and put an end to the nonsense.)
2. The Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone. No question, this book is the best paced of the lot. I presume JKR had some serious help editing, something she definitely could have used for the last four books. One fun event after another with very little telling-not-showing. (In contrast I rate the movie the weakest of the bunch, partly because they had to cut bone to fit it into movie format. They left in a lot of the fluff, Harry over and over being shown wide eyed. Not inappropriate, just too much of it.)
1. The Goblet of Fire. I read every book in order the first time. I was disappointed in books two and three. (As I said above I didn't hate them, just was disappointed.) Goblet of Fire, made me forget that and really made me want very badly to see the rest of the series. Book Four not only brought back the 'magic' with a better story over all, it was probably the story that hit the nail on the head for depicting kids of the proper age going through the real-life miseries of adolescence. I wouldn't say it's perfect. The adults' reaction to Harry's name both going into and coming out of the Goblet borders on farce. 'Oh, well, don't worry that it's ridiculously irregular, and someone has obviously been tampering. It's a magic contract, don't you know.' The thing that makes it acceptable is that kids that age often see the decisions of adults as nonsensical and arbitrary. Having been a middle-aged adult when I read it, it grated on me. But I can see a thirteen or fourteen year-old blissfully nodding along with the irrational behavior of the adults.
What do you think about the books?
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