I have been an avid reader of the Harry Potter series of books for some time and since the announcement of the publication of the latest book this upcoming summer, I’ve been looking forward to seeing what is going to be happening to Harry Potter and the rest of the characters in the story.

I’ll admit – I’ve never been one to really dissect the Harry Potter series, instead I’ve just enjoyed reading them – and seeing the movies. However, I had kept hearing how the author J.K. Rowling had dropped hints throughout the books on what would eventually happen at the end of the series and had also been dimly aware of the multitude of discussions and ideas that had been swirling around the Harry Potter series.

Well, it came down to Amazon sticking this book on my list of suggested items before I realized that some people were a lot more involved in the Harry Potter universe than I was.

So it was that I ordered myself a copy of The Plot Thickens…Harry Potter Investigated by Fans for Fans. The book is a compilation of discussions, theories and thoughts about the Harry Potter universe and the characters that inhabit it. The topics are varied and include investigation of character motives, the real use of some objects and conjecture on the possible final conclusion of the series.

What do I learn?

First if you haven’t read all of the Harry Potter books that are available, you will likely be confused as all of the articles reference multiple books in the series and if you don’t at least have a certain familiarity with the series, I’m willing to be you’ll be pulling out the books and trying to find the sections that are being discussed (I know I did, and I’ve read all the books at least twice).

Also while the goal of the book isn’t plot spoiling, the book does offer a certain amount of information about each book that will likely give away each book’s story if you haven’t read it yet.

So if you’re still hanging in there – any serious Harry Potter fan will find some stuff in the pages of The Plot Thickens… that will not only get them thinking, but will get them referring back to the books to see why they never thought of that before.

The articles are broken down in 15 different ‘chapters,’ that cover almost all aspects of the Harry Potter series. The chapters include:

Magic and the Mind
Right near the beginning of Book 1 (The Sorcerer’s Stone) we learn that a wand chooses the wizard, but elsewhere in the series there’s contradictory evidence – what can be made of it? What about that sorting hat? What was it really up to? These are just some of the ‘big picture’ ideas that are covered in this section – which is basically an introduction of the magic world.

Birds of Feather
Not only about the feathers of the Phoenix, this section looks at why Harry Potter is like a Phoenix, the interpersonal chemistry between Harry and Albus Dumbledore and how Lord Voldemort might use the Owl Post system for evil purposes.

The Prophecy and the Legend of Godric’s Hollow
What is really going on with Harry Scar? Articles in the section take a look at why Harry got the scar that he has, along with a detailed look at his Mother, Lily. There’s also an exploration of what really happened when Voldemort attacked the Potters, a look at the attack on Neville Longbottom’s parents and how both Harry and Neville are “children of the prophecy.”

Bloodlines and Blood Feuds
How can all these pureblooded wizard families be at the last of the lineages? The dwindling lineages are explored, as is the fact that Harry’s Aunt Petunia may know a lot more about the wizarding world than she lets on.

Wacky Weasleys
This chapter takes a look at the Weasleys, exploring the personalities, abilities, history and possible future of each member of the Weasley clan.

Love Potion #9 ¾
For those of us who wonder if there’s something between Hermione and Harry, this is where to look. What of Hermione’s relationship with Krum and where does Ron fit into all of this? Most of all, what did Harry’s mother see in his Father as it appears when they were both in Hogwarts, there was no love lost between them.

Mischief Created: The Marauders
What was it that brought together the 4 friends that included Harry’s father, Sirius, Lupin and Peter Pettigrew and what eventually went wrong that Peter would betray the Potters to Voldemort?

Traveling Picture Show
One of the more esoteric chapters in the book, the authors of the various articles try to consider how the moving portraits and photographs of the wizarding world work. Is Albus Dumbledore able to use them to see almost everything in the wizarding world? Do they offer some sort of immortality to the subject of the photograph or portrait?

Shady People and Places
There are quite a few places in the wizarding world where most people would probably want to stay away from including St. Mungo’s. Then what of all the people of the Harry Potter series that seem to be hiding something? There are discussions on Neville’s Gran, Gilderoy Lockhard, and Alastor Moody to name just a few.

The Ministry of Magic: Employees Only
What kind of social statement (you’d be surprised when you think about it, how many she does make throughout the series) is J.K. Rowling trying to make with her presentation of the Ministry of Magic? It’s almost completely corrupt, being easily bribed and seems more interested in protecting itself than the wizarding world.

Objects of Mystery and Things That Go Bump in the Night
Throughout the series we come across several items or places that aren’t really explained. The authors here try to explore several different things including mirrors, the Veil on the arch in the Ministry of Magic, the Chamber of Secrets and the Lake next to Hogwarts.

Symbolism: Reading the Runes
Here the writers take a look at all the symbolism in the Harry Potter series (of which there is plenty).

Time… and Time Again
The only outright time travel we’ve seen in the series is in Book 3 when Harry and Hermione travel back in time to save Sirius, but there are hints of time travel in other portions of the series and the writers have come up with some other interesting ideas about time in the series. Ever consider that Ron, Harry and Hermione are really younger versions of Dumbledore, Voldemort and Professor McGonagall and they are trying to prevent Harry from becoming evil? Yeah, it can make your head hurt, but it’s an interesting chapter in the book and makes you really think about the series.

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble: The “Potions Master”
Guess who gets the most space in The Plot Thickens…? It’s Professor Snape. This chapter includes exhaustive articles on the various aspects of Snape. Is he truly loyal to Dumbledore? What are his true motives?

Who Is The Half Blood Prince?
The reality of why I got this book – this section will be out-of-date in a few months when the latest book of the series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is released, but in the meantime, the best we can do is consider the clues that J.K. Rowling has left for us in the previous books and in the statements that she has made about the new book.

We know that Harry and Voldemort aren’t the half-blood prince, so who is?

What else is in the book?

There’s a quick introduction that looks at Harry Potter fans around the world, followed by a section that explains how the book was compiled. At the end of the book is a cross-reference for the UK and US versions of the Harry Potter books followed by a bibliography for the articles.

Thoughts

This book isn’t for everyone. Casual readers of the Harry Potter series would probably not want to be bothered with the minutia of detail provided here or with all the speculative theories – which can be quite detailed and extensive.

More interested readers of the Harry Potter series will probably enjoy this book, I know I did. While I realize that the only person who really knows all the secrets about Harry Potter and his world is J.K. Rowling, it’s fun to consider and wonder and that’s what The Plot Thickens… lets the reader do.

While some of the discussions travel pretty far out into speculation, I found most of the articles to be quite enlightening. Perhaps some of what is discussed isn’t what J.K. Rowling meant to convey when she wrote the stories, but it gives you something to think about.

I think for me, the biggest realization about the entire series is just how much social commentary is built into the Harry Potter series. Over and over J.K. Rowling tries to convey that the bigotry of the pureblood wizards and their desire to ‘cleanse’ the wizarding world only leads to the evil of Voldemort and could cause the eventual destruction of the entire wizarding world. It is love, understanding and acceptance that is what ultimately supports everyone and those that shun that (like Voldemort and the Death Eaters) will eventually fail.

I doubt every article will be of interest to everyone, but anyone who’s wondered about the Harry Potter universe in more than a superficial way should be satisfied with this book. In fact, I bet after you finish this book – you’ll be back to reading the whole series again, trying to pick up on what you might have missed the first time.


Recommended: Yes