As my first entry into everything Harry Potter is a bit unusual, I must say that I’m quite the fan of Harry Potter. Starting with the Sorcerers’ Stone in a small little corner of a Wal-Mart Layaway while waiting for the clock to strike midnight so that the Nintendo Gamecube would be released, I have now read all 5 Harry Potter books, seen both movies, and have liked every bit of the time I’ve spent on reading the books and watching the movies thus far. I read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire all on an 8 hour trip to Gatlinburg, TN. Now that I’ve finished JK Rowling’s latest offering, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the wait for the sixth and seventh books will only be so much as pain inducing.

Bit O’ ‘arry Potter Past
It’s been 3 years since the last Harry Potter book came out, the Goblet of Fire, though unlike others, I hadn’t got into the Harry Potter “scene” until November 2001, though I didn’t know about the 5th book until sometime later. So really, I’ve only been waiting for Rowling’s latest offering for about a year or so. Those reading that don’t know, each book ‘Volume’ is suppose to represent each year for which Harry Potter is at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogwarts. There are 7 years total, and so there are still 2 more books left to be written and read, the entire series having a different “plot” as you could say, only the longing story of Lord Voldemort is what strings the books together. It’s not like the Final Fantasy series where only the name stays the same, but like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.

Anyway, before going into further details, Harry Potter is a wizard. Harry’s not no ordinary wizard though, at the very young ole’ age of 1, he was attacked by an evil wizard named Voldemort (Tom Riddle), which however, did not go over to well. While Harry’s parents had been killed in the midst of saving Harry, Lord Voldemort’s attempt to kill Harry Potter backfired on him, and so Voldemort was drained of all his powers, and Harry was left with a lightning shaped scar (or “skaa” as Ron Weasley’s character says it in the Harry Potter movies) on his forehead. In order to keep him safe until he was ready, Albus Dumbledore (headmaster of Hogwarts) left Harry with the Dursley‘s, who are disgusted with anything to do with this “parallel” world to that of their own (they’re rather conceited I’d say), though they still take him in.

10 years later, on Harry’s 11th birthday, he learns about what his real life should be, and thus begins his years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That’s about all you should know though, or else I’d be getting into reviews of the rest of the books. Harry’s life though isn’t an easy one, having to deal with the Dursley’s for two months over summer break, then going back to school to a barrage of stresses that most full grown wizards shouldn’t have to go through, and so as I read through the books, I was kind of perplexed as to why nothing was explained about Voldemort’s attack on Harry, or why Harry got the scar.

Leading up to my finishing the Order of the Phoenix, I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for my questions about Harry and Voldemort’s “quarrel” when Harry was a baby, and they came. Though more questions arose after the book, a lot of answers about that night Voldemort lost all his powers are answered in the Order of the Phoenix. A lot of Harry’s past is discussed all within a few pages of one chapter near the end of the book, and a LOT was explained through those pages to a bitter understanding.

The Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in the series, therefore is Harry’s 5th year at Hogwarts, thus his age being 15. The Order of the Phoenix is a fattening (not to mention intimidating) 870 pages, and is over a hundred pages longer than the Goblet of Fire, which was long in its own right. The Order of the Phoenix starts out once again with Harry living at the Dursley’s home on Privet Drive, though something very unordinary happens to Harry while he’s heading home with Dudley one hot evening. Harry and his cousin are attacked by two Dementors (the guards of the Wizard Prison Azkaban), and after Harry uses magic to defend him and his cousin from them, a letter is sent almost instantaneously that Harry has been recommended for Expulsion from Hogwarts and is to attend a hearing later that month at the Ministry of Magic.

Harry isn’t expelled, but life going back to Hogwarts wasn’t going to be any easier than it has been ever since his first year. In the ending events of the Goblet of Fire (minor spoilers for those who haven’t read the fourth book), Lord Voldemort has returned to a physical form, and so an old anti-Voldemort group that had been disbanded when he lost all his power to Harry Potter when he was a baby, called the Order of the Phoenix, and was founded by none other than Albus Dumbledore. The Order is comprised of many familiar characters from Harry’s past years at Hogwarts, such as Madeye Moody, Remus Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius Black, a real surprise Severus Snape (as much as you may think he’s evil, he’s certainly not), and of course Albus Dumbledore - while a couple new characters like Kingsley and Tonks are introduced to the series, which look to be some promising characters in future books.

Going back to Hogwarts wasn’t going to be as much fun as Harry was hoping it would be, though, because even though Harry had been face to face with Lord Voldemort not more than 2 months ago, the Minister of Magic’s Cornelius Fudge would NOT believe that “He-who-must-not-be-named”, and so the Daily Prophet was reporting non-stop at how Harry is just looking for fame, basically saying that he was LYING about Voldemort’s return.

The Order of the Phoenix is filled with all sorts of problems like Cornelius Fudge trying to take Albus Dumbledore out as Headmaster of Hogwarts, a continued search of Sirius Black even though he is innocent of the crime he was committed of (and served for), and a new witchlike lady sent in from the ministry as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge. Aside from Harry having weird dreams where he feels like he is actually there (which of course are used to build up the ending of the book), the Ministry of Magic is trying to take over Hogwarts and Professor Umbridge was appointed High Inquisitor, and overall makes Harry’s life (along with teachers and other students) a living hell.

The Order of the Phoenix does a great job at building up for THE best ending in any of the Harry Potter books yet, and I was more baffled about certain things in this than I was the first four books at all, almost twice as much. While many questions in the Order of the Phoenix were answered in an explanatory matter, many more questions also rose from the book, and so that gives the sense that the sixth book will have a great deal of explaining to do on things. Basically, the Order of the Phoenix builds up around to what ends up to be the best ending than in any of the other four books, and while keeping from giving any spoilers, I must say that the action and sense of urgency was a very fulfilling feeling.

The Order of the Phoenix had a lot of directions that it could have gone in, since the first 3 books were leading up to what would be the resurrection of Lord Voldemort, though it took the definite route at a much more darker feel, and ultimately to the final battle of Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Who knows though? As far as anyone knows (except for Rowlings of course), the seventh book could leave off before Harry and Voldemort even have a final bout, though sensing at how bad the tension between Voldemort and Harry was in the Order of the Phoenix, I doubt the series will leave off without their final duel.

Teenage Angst - Isn‘t JK Rowling a girl?
It seems that Harry has hit that teenage angst/puberty thing a little late, because at the age of 15, he sure does have a VERY bad temper. While I wouldn’t have minded a few shouts here and there throughout the book, it seems as though someone stuck a stick up Harry’s butt, because there was maybe 3 or 4 times throughout the entire book where he would EVER have a sensuous conversation WITHOUT moving into a shout, often times giving me resentment towards Harry.

Fiction or not, if I had a friend that ever went off on me for the simplest things without little to no provocation, he’d be sorry that he ever opened his mouth because my fist would be in it faster than a running cheetah. I’m sorry, but I don’t ever remember at the age of 15 (last year) going off like that, especially since the “temper” usually happens when a teenager goes through puberty. If you ask me, 15 is a little late to be going through puberty, so it got me to thinking at whether J.K. Rowling was thinking this through or not when she gave Harry this temperament.

One of the things that bugged me the most about JK Rowling is she is indeed, a GIRL, and so she put too much PMS into Harry's attitude. Guys aren't usually like that, it's usually the girls who p*ss off like that.

Characters/Character Development
Thankfully, most of the characters from the past 4 Harry Potter books appear once again in the Order of the Phoenix at one time or another, while some new ones were also introduced. Dumbledore is of course back, as well as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Sirius Black, Lupin, Mad Eye Moody, Lord Voldemort, Cornelius Fudge, and all the other Professors, while new characters to the series include Dolores Umbridge (you know that old hag of a teacher almost everyone has had one time or another in their lifetime?) and various members of Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters (his followers). There was also a kind of brief, but still surprised appearance of a pretty important character from the Chamber of Secrets, so that was an interesting bit to read.

Unfortunately due to Harry’s terrible temper, there wasn’t much more development between Hermione, Ron, and him, as rarely could he ever have a conversation with someone before he went on an outburst on them. Also, Harry seems to be the dumbest person ever as to not see when a girl likes him, and in complete stupidity says the absolute WRONG things, and also guess what he does...that’s right, he goes on a tangent with her too. Really now, do you not have enough decency to harness your temper in front of a potential future girlfriend? This makes me wonder how he loses his temper in the sixth and seventh books, if he ever does. I swear though, if I have to read another 800+ pages of Harry yelling uncontrollably, I won’t be able to finish the book.

The Second War
Aside from Harry’s obvious STUPIDITY at not realizing how much of a jerk he’s being, I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. While I’d recommend anyone to read this book, it doesn’t really matter that the book is super long, because obviously if someone’s going to start reading the fifth book, they would have tried to read through the first 4 books first, and so there’s no “common” reader about it. If you liked the first four books, then there’s a very good chance you’re going to like this one. If you’ve never read any of the Harry Potter books and this one has grabbed a certain interest, then I HIGHLY recommend reading through the first 4 books before starting this one. While each book is a “story” in its own entity, there is still a very strong connection between all of the books to where you can’t just pick up and read in the middle and expect to understand anything. Character’s are built up, backdrops are built up, etc. If you can stand 870 pages of Harry constantly exploding upon his friends and even the people that he knows mean the most to him, then the Order of the Phoenix is a must read. The books nature is also MUCH more dark as the previous books, and at certain points kind of matures into more adult themes, but it was kind of evident that that was where the series was going to have to start going. After all, Lord Voldemort isn’t some cheese ball, he’s a for sure killer and will stop at nothing to get to Harry.

happy reading

Recommended: Yes

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