J.K. Rowling's The Decline of Wizard Civilization Part 2: The Punk Years
Written: Jul 07 '03 (Updated Jul 21 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: An Excellent, Sprawling Book from J.K. Rowling.
Cons: A Bit Too Long & Harry's a Pain in the A-ss.
The Bottom Line: While it's a bit too long, Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix is an excellent, spellbinding book from J.K. Rowling's series. (4.5 out of 5).
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| thevoid99's Full Review: J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the ... |
“In light of Lord Voldemort’s return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort’s gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust.”
Albus Dumbledore in his speech in the last chapter of Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
Those words said by Dumbledore never spoke truer as the J.K. Rowling’s acclaimed Harry Potter series has returned with its fifth book, Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix. Before we begin on the subject of the fifth book, we must return to the previous series and the events that led up to Voldemort’s return and the dark overtones for Book 5.
***WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS OF THE PREVIOUS BOOK***
When we last left Harry Potter in the Goblet of Fire, the story began very ominously with Voldemort showing signs of heavy emotions as he is feeling weak from the curse that he tried to put on Harry, when he was a baby, that rebounded on him. Harry woke up one day but thought it was just a simple dream. Then when he left with his friend Hermione Granger, Ron and his family the Weasleys for the Quidditch World Cup, things seem to be fine. Suddenly, a group of masked men called Death Eaters emerged from the campsite, wreaking havoc, and one person cast a spell in the air, which was the old signal of Voldemort.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts for their fourth year as an old wizarding tournament is returning for the first time in over a hundred years. With two other schools from France and Belgium competing, the Triwizard Tournament was supposed to be a great event for all students but it starts to turn disastrous when Harry got selected as a fourth champion mysteriously. Harry wonders who put his name as he suspected an old Death Eater named Karkaroff, the head of the Belgium school Durmstrang. Harry survives the first two tasks on the tournament but on the third task, he and fellow Hogwarts student and school champion Cedric Diggory, touched the Triwizard cup that turned out to be a Portkey that transported them to another place.
Diggory is immediately killed by Wormtail (the man who betrayed Harry’s parents), as Harry saw Lord Voldemort’s resurrection thanks to three key ingredients, the bone of Voldemort’s father, Wormtail’s skin, and Harry’s blood. Soon, a group of Death Eaters arrived to learn of Voldemort’s resurrection as Voldemort plans for an onslaught against Dumbledore. Harry duels with Voldemort as he battles some Death Eaters and took Diggory’s body back to Hogwarts by using the Portkey. Harry learns that the Death Eater was Barty Crouch Jr., who had disguised himself as Harry’s Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher Mad-Eye Moody. Dumbledore questions Crouch Jr., through the influence of a Veritaserum, as Crouch Jr. revealed that he killed his father and was the one who had put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire and had smuggled himself out of Azkaban when people thought he died.
For Harry, it seemed like the ordeal was over after he told Dumbledore and Harry’s godfather Sirius Black about what happened during his confrontation with Voldemort. Unfortunately, all hell breaks loose when Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge summoned a dementor to perform the Kiss on Barty Crouch Jr., as Dumbledore tries to tell Fudge that Voldemort has returned. Fudge is in disbelief as everyone including Professor Snape tries to tell him that Voldemort is alive as Snape reveals himself to be a former Death Eater with a mark on his arm as Karkaroff fled due to fear of the Death Eaters he betrayed. For Harry, a new dark feeling would emerge as he returns home for a bleak summer.
***END BOOK 4 SPOILER***
While the previous books in the series all had different storylines and an array of twists and plots, the one thing they all had in common was a sense of childlike innocence. In The Order of the Phoenix, that innocence is gone. What Voldemort took from Harry in The Goblet of Fire wasn’t just his blood but his innocence as well. The Order of the Phoenix is a more complex book than any of the previous four. J.K. Rowling knew immediately that the characters in Harry Potter have to grow up and go to new territories so yes, The Order of the Phoenix is a much more mature story than any of the books. There isn’t anything innocent or as juvenile in the first four books as the series gets a bit darker and more complex. One of the most talked about things that led up to the book’s anticipation is death and yes, someone major does die in the book as it leads for a new transition for J.K. Rowling from a simple children’s story to something a bit more realistic.
The Order of the Phoenix continues Harry’s journey into being a wizard but the young, childlike innocence of Harry is gone. Now comes a much more frustrated, angry, and complex Harry as he enters the age of a teenager, who at times can be a pain in the *ss but there is many reasons for him acting the way he does in Book 5. The Order of the Phoenix is about Harry trying to learn about what was going in light of Voldemort’s return as he is forced to learn about his own destiny and the people around him as he learns some truths that really destroy a bit of mentality. One major factor that is noticeable in the fifth book is that it’s a bit more rebellious than the previous four as Harry, fellow students, and some teachers have to contend with not just the Ministry of Magic but also a new DADA teacher named Dolores Umbridge, who seems to parallel the ultra-conservative authority of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. While some might not like the book’s darker, ambitious overtone of the Order of the Phoenix, it is still an enjoyable read from J.K. Rowling as Harry Potter returns after three years of anticipation.
The book begins with Harry Potter at home in 4 Privet Drive laying down outside of his house hearing any news on something mysterious that might lead up to Voldemort. Unfortunately, nothing came on Voldemort as he finds himself frustrated with the lack of news not just from the Muggle world but also from his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who were forced not to say anything to him about Voldemort. Harry’s bleak home life at his relatives the Dursleys have gotten worse as his cousin Dudley has now become more of a thug and a boxing champion who likes to make threats on anyone. One night, Harry decides to taunt Dudley with his wand but the fun stops when two dementors lurk around Privet Drive and Dudley almost gets the dreaded Dementor’s Kiss until Harry performed the Patronus charm on them to save Dudley. Harry with help from a neighbor named Mrs. Figg (an old woman who turns out to be a Squib who watches Harry from any intruders) as they send Dudley back to his house.
Dudley’s parents are shocked over what happened a series of owls fly around the house with letters from the Ministry wanting to expel Harry from Hogwarts but was stopped by Dumbledore as Harry has to go to a hearing about his crime. For Uncle Vernon, all the magic and what had happened to Dudley was the final straw as he decides to kick Harry out. That doesn’t happen when a Howler was sent, not to Harry but Aunt Petunia. Petunia said that Harry must stay at home. A few days later, Harry finds his old DADA teacher and family friend Remus Lupin at his house along with a few other wizards including the real Mad-Eye Moody, the crazy Mundungus Fletcher, and a witch named Tonks, who likes to have her hair changed to pink, which is probably a reference to J.K. Rowling’s punk past as she states the Smiths and the Clash are her favorite bands.
Harry goes with them to an old house that was once the family home for his godfather Sirius Black and learned that the Weasleys were staying there. He finally sees Ron & Hermione, as Harry is furious at them for not telling him what’s going on. Harry learns that not a lot was going on because Voldemort is trying to keep a low profile as he meets up with Ron’s twin brothers Fred & George, little sister Ginny, and the eldest Weasley sibling Bill. Harry also learns that another of Ron’s eldest brother, Percy had a falling out with family since Ron’s father Arthur is siding with Dumbledore and Percy chose to stay loyal with Ministry and move out of the home, to the woes of mother Molly. His role now becomes from someone pompous and ambitious to the level of being an *sshole as he later writes to Ron to make him end his friendship with Harry which increases the tension between Percy and his family.
Harry goes to the Ministry for a hearing with Arthur as he testifies for his action with help from Dumbledore and Mrs. Figg as he gets cleared. Harry is happy that he is cleared as he gets ready to go back to Hogwarts where he learned that Ron & Hermione were selected as prefects for Gryffindor house while Harry wonder why he didn’t become one. Harry returns to Hogwarts where he meets up with fellow Gryffindor Neville Longbottom and a friend of Ginny from the Ravenclaw house, Luna Lovegood. Unfortunately, life at Hogwarts this time around isn’t as fun for Harry. Some students including a few of Gryffindor classmates believe he’s a psychopath while he had to endure the taunts of his rival Draco Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe & Goyle. He thought it couldn’t get worse until he gets into trouble with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge, who also works for the Ministry of Magic.
Umbridge becomes a pain for Harry as she makes him to a week’s worth of detention, making him miss Quidditch practices, with Ron now being the new keeper, and makes him behind for the heavy load of homework as his O.W.L.S. exams are approaching. Harry also contends with his feelings for Cedric Diggory’s former girlfriend Cho Chang. Eventually, Harry has to talk with Cho while leading a new secret class on Dark Arts Defense. Still, he has to deal with Umbridge, the Slytherins, and all sorts of trouble as life at Hogwarts start to become a living hell. Especially since he eventually gets banned from Quidditch and he also finds himself in pain from his scar as he starts to enter Voldemort’s mind. For Harry Potter, his life takes drastic turns as he becomes more and more unsure of himself.
While it’s easily a better book than The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix isn’t the best book of the series but an enjoyable one. J.K. Rowling definitely strays away from previous formulas in the book including strange events that go on at Halloween and strange twists. Automatically, you know what character to either love or hate in this book, particularly Umbridge who is a B*TCH that you love to hate who even makes Professor Snape’s antics towards Harry juvenile. The character developments are a bit stronger than in The Goblet of Fire.
While Harry at times is a bit annoying as a typical teenager, he remains the heart and soul of the series. He even becomes a leader of sorts when he heads up a new Dark Arts Defense club teaching students some spells, hexes, and jinxes. Hermione meanwhile, loosens up a bit but still being the clever, uptight girl until she too begins to rebel against Umbridge. Ron grows up a bit, especially since he is now part of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and provides the comic relief for the story. While the famous trio gets to grow a bit, we also see more of some of our favorite old characters. Sirius Black’s role is much bigger since we see him act very sullen early on as he struggles with the fact that Harry isn’t really his father and has hard time whether being Harry’s best friend or his godfather. We also see a bit more of Snape, while he is still vindictive to Harry, he does help in the art of Occlumency where we something surprising from Snape in relation to Harry’s father that almost gives sympathy for Snape’s loathing towards Harry.
Another old character that is now more enjoyable to read is Neville Longbottom. Now in the past, we know him as the clumsy, trouble-making kid but in The Order of the Phoenix, he finally gets to kick some *ss for once and he’s already showing way more promise than anyone in the series. Even Ron’s little sister Ginny has a bigger role, now that she’s gotten past her crush with Harry. She plays a more pivotal role as she helps Harry, whenever he feels not talking to Ron & Hermione, through his troubles and ends up becoming his replacement as seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Even the trouble making twins Fred & George Weasley brings out more hilarious antics as they’re in their final year of Hogwarts and they leave the school with a bang. There’s even a few funnier moments from some of those old characters, including the strict head of Gryffindor House and Transfiguration teacher Professor McGonagall as she too rebels against Umbridge and at one point, she tells the trouble-making Peeves, “it unscrews the other way”.
Aside from Umbridge as a new character, the character of Luna Lovegood is an enjoyable character that brings a bit of freshness to the story. Providing some comic relief while helping Harry with his problems at school. Yet, the story does go into teenage love in the book, particularly for Harry and Cho Chang but unfortunately, after reading it, you will realize that Cho isn’t really worthy of Harry and already at Harry Potter sites, she is not liked very much by fans. Of course, there’s also Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins causing trouble as they try to cause havoc for Harry and make things worse when they work for Umbridge. Still, there’s some other famous characters we love like Dumbledore, Lupin, and the lovable half-giant Hagrid but they don’t appear very much in the book, Hagrid eventually comes in the beginning of the second half of the book, after a mission to send envoy to the giants and no, he doesn’t die. Lupin’s role in the book has really dwindled somewhat and that’s a real disappointment since he is needed more and is a friend of Harry’s father, aside from Sirius. Dumbledore only pops up a bit frequently while strangely, avoiding Harry’s eye until the end of the book.
While Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix is an excellent book, it’s not exactly a masterpiece but more of a transitional phase from children’s to something more epic. Some fans will end up asking for more questions and the answer J.K. Rowling provides isn’t the answers we expect. Some will be a bit disappointed by the lack of time some characters will have as well as the book’s darker overtones. Still, it is an enjoyable one from J.K. Rowling. The length of the book might be too much for some since it’s a lot longer than The Goblet of Fire while The Order of the Phoenix is better than its predecessor. While it remains an essential part in J.K. Rowling’s series, let’s hope the next book is a bit shorter and the wait won’t have to be as excruciating. For now, Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix is the book of the summer.
Harry Potter Reviews:
The Novels: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire - Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows
The Films: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire - Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix - Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince - (Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (I & II))
Recommended:
Yes
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