HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX



Guess maybe it may be wrong for me to start a review on the Harry Potter series. But I plan on comparing and contrasting between the 5 novels in this editorial. Editorial/analysis that is. Hopefully I won’t pull a Stephen King and get burnout before I am finished. But before I begin let me just warn you all. For those of you who have never read any of the books especially this one you may want to stop here. I am going to be giving a lot away and I don’t want to spoil anything for you. So danger danger cuidado cuidado spoilers ahead. There you have been dutifully warned.

First let me say that when I heard about the Harry Potter books I was a little hesitant. I couldn’t understand all the hype over a children’s book. I mean it was everywhere. And it was insane. After much hesitance I finally picked up the first book Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. Was I ever impressed. This book was far beyond any thing I could have expected. Halfway through the book I was in tears. J.K.Rowling brought together an amazing world of magic and sorcery in such a manner that anyone at any age would appreciate it. I couldn’t put it down. I quickly picked up the other 2 books at the time Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

I noticed a pattern in all these books that impressed me even more. One thing was that each book grew in maturity for each year. See the books are written according to what year Harry and co. are attending school. So when we first meet him at the age of 11 he is in his first year in Hogwarts. The second book was written as a 12 year old returns for his second year there and so o and so forth. But the maturity level grows accordingly to show his growth not only as a character but as a student. Rowling intended this to happen in hopes that the readers would grow along with the characters. Not something that happens a lot with children’s books. Also the size of the books would increase with each story. Obviously intending the readers interest and comprehension growing with each year as well.

The sad thing for me was the anticipation of the fourth and fifth book. Not only was I surprised at my eagerness for their release but I found myself worried that they would not compare to the first 3. When the fourth book was released entitled Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire I tore into it like a fresh baked pie. And I wasn’t disappointed for the obvious growth in the characters but the faith the author had that the audience was ready to deal with the issues presented in it. We are forced to deal with the death of a student, the betrayal of a teacher, the emotion of Harry as he witnesses the death and brief visit from his parents and finally the return of The Dark Lord Voldemort. It was a lot to take in as a character and for myself as a fan.

The 3 year wait between books found me rereading over and over the previous 4 books. I wanted to get to know the characters better and become close to them. I knew that with the return of the main villain that the 5th book was going to be one to remember. I also found myself talking about the books to other fans. I discovered that the Harry Potter fan base was enormous. It was kind of like a support group. We were all there waiting for the next book and willing to discuss the happenings of the previous 4. I knew Rowling had created something spectacular and I was happy to be a part of it.

Finally after such a long wait and faulty internet rumors the 5th book entitled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released. I rushed out and got the book the day it came out and read it in one sitting. It took me nearly 24 to finish the book but there was no way I was going to put it down after having waited so long. Now here is the part where I talk about the book. Ok are you ready? Here we go.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opens to find Harry straining to get through another summer at the Durlseys. This summer had been made more unbearable by the fact that the previous school year ended with the death of Cedric Diggory and the return of Lord Voldemort. So Harry was doing everything he could to find out if there had been any attacks to muggles of unexplained disappearances in the wizarding world. We see him sneaking around to listen the news and receiving the Daily Prophet by owl. His relatives are suspicious as normal but refuse to even acknowledge the existence of magic much less Harry’s desire to watch the news. So Harry has taken to hiding and listening to the news from outside under a window. Jumping at any loud noise and quick to pull his wand. Also any questions or letters he has sent off have been received with the vaguest of replies from Ron, Hermione or Sirius. He has basically been left in the dark.

Harry’s cousin, in the meantime, has managed to shed his baby fat and become a prize boxer for his school. He and his gang have been know to terrorize the neighborhood and all the local children. Harry has gotten so fed up with being left in the dark he decides to antagonize Dudley one night while walking home. In the midst of this they are both attacked by Dementors. After narrowly saving Dudley’s life we are introduced to the first of many new characters in Mrs. Figgus. Turns out the neighbor that used to torture Harry with her cat stories is indeed a squib and spy for Dumbledore sent to protect Harry. She helps Harry bring Dudley home where he gets reprimanded by his Uncle. While all this is happening Harry begins receiving owls from the Ministry of Magic first telling him he is expelled for using magic outside of school grounds an that his wand was to be destroyed. Followed by letter from Dumbledore and Mr. Weasley demanding Harry stay put and wait for the trail to determine his expulsion. We also find out that Harry’s Aunt Petunia knows a lot more than she has ever let on. She knows that the Dementors are guardians of the wizard prison Azkaban and that by admitting Harry to live there he would be safe from Voldemort.

3 nights later Harry is befriended by members of the Order of the Phoenix. They show up at Harry’s house to remove him and take him to the Orders headquarters. Here he finds Hermione and Ron as well as the other Wealseys. We also find out the house, though cleverly concealed from muggles, is actually the home of Sirius Black.

Part 2 coming soon