June 21, 2003

post-Potter

Finished Order of the Phoenix, but don't worry, no spoilers here.

The
tone of this book, especially at the beginning, seems quite different .... which I
suppose is not too surprising, as Rowling herself must be a different person now,
with three years passed and a new marriage and new child. Somehow the Muggle-world
scenes seem more American, more modern, less fantastic. The scenes with the
Dursleys are less of a Roald Dahl-ish caricature. I would very much like to know
whether this book had different American and British versions; I think they
stopped that nonsense a couple of books ago but I'm not sure. (I know the art is
different; I just mean the words. And by the way, this is the best cover art
yet.)

Harry himself is suddenly a teenager, not a child. And yes, the
good guys are a bit more ambivalent, including Harry himself, who did something at
one point that shocked me to the point of gasping out loud. Despite the darker
tone, though, there were quite a few laughs out loud. And even, I think, a Doctor
Who reference.

There are fewer cliffhangers in this one, but still,
she'd BETTER not wait another three years! Reading this one has reminded me of a
few more questions, an so I will be updating my previous "predictions" entry, but
for at least the next month or so I will keep it strictly honest and only put in
predictions I had at the end of Book 4, whether or not they panned out.

Posted by dichroic at June 21, 2003 08:17 PM
Comments
Post a comment









Remember personal info?