Of all the movies, books, and CDs anticipated over this past summer, perhaps none has been quite so hyped up as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix—and for good reason. Fans of the series had been waiting on this book for three years, and after the debut of the first Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), the popularity of the series continued to explode.
This was probably most evident in the way that any small tidbit of information that seeped out was snatched up by the general public and the theft of copies of the book shortly before its release. The public was definitely more than ready for the book. But was the book ready for the public?
When I picked up the book, the first thing I noticed was that it was very large. Beyond that, the writing style is more mature, almost as though the narrative style is trying to match the maturity level of Harry. Additionally, there were a lot of little puns that younger children would miss. The book just didn’t seem to be a children’s book but more light reading for teenagers or even adults.
In terms of plot, Harry finds himself disillusioned with many of his former heroes: Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, and even his own father. And there are even hints of typical teenage angst.
The book begins with Harry being held in suspense: What’s going on with Lord Voldemort? Why are there dementors attacking Harry? And will Harry ever return home again?
Leaving these questions mostly unanswered, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts once again. In his fifth year, Harry has OWLs— Ordinary Wizarding Levels— looming with the obvious increase in workload that entails. In addition to this, the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, an implant from the Ministry of Magic, is the sort that requires a class in defense against the professor and she causes Harry many additional headaches beyond the regular torment at the hands of Snape.
Overall, the fifth book is even darker than the fourth book, with Harry, the hero, continually facing one difficulty after another. There really aren’t any moments where Harry is having a streak of good luck at all. In some ways, the tragedies that continually befall the hero begin to seem quite contrived. Everyone has difficulty in their lives, but Harry has far more than the requisite amount of problems that everyone faces. Perhaps it’s just another way that the novel pops into the mind of a 15-year-old boy, but it does get quite annoying at times.
However, it’s really hard to say that the excessive tragedy really detracts from the book. It keeps the plot flowing along. The book is really quite good and definitely worth reading. It’s almost impossible to put it down once you start—so don’t start it unless you have a quiet weekend to read it over. And if you haven’t read any of the books at all, I would recommend picking them up first.
