Category: Fantasy

willow?

Posted on by Greig

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

J.K. Rowling

The third book in the Harry Potter series achieves the best balance between the central plot, subplots and the overall story arc. It’s also the first book where it really feels like Rowling’s world becomes hers, rather than a tasteful mix of elements from earlier children’s literature.
Finally the paranoia and danger of the wider wizarding world begins to seep through. Things happen that will have real repercussions for the rest of the story arc. The characters start to grow and you can see the will become more than the archetypes the were at the outset of the series.
From here on in the books become less tightly structured and have more flaws but the world and the story arc only become more interesting.

Rating: A-

diary?

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

J.K. Rowling

This second book in the series is the weakest of all the Harry Potter books. It’s too similar to it’s predecessor and feels like it’s treading water in terms of the greater story arc.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s still a fun read and has a couple of great sequences. I particularly love the diary of Tom Riddle and whole Polyjuice potion storyline.
I guess it’s the almost videogame structure of the plot that makes it feel more generic and weak in comparison to the later books. It’s all very linear in a ‘solve this puzzle’, ‘play this sports section’, ‘gather these items’ and ‘face the big bad’ way (Lego Harry Potter is one the best games I’ve played in years by the way). Now the flaw of the later, larger books is that there’s too much in the matter of sideplots and digression. Failing to have any of that makes this book seem kind of perfunctory.

Rating: B-

cupboard?

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

J.K. Rowling

So I saw the final film installment of the Harry Potter saga the other week and it gave me the impetus to do something I’d been meaning to do for a while; to re-read all the books.
This is in part to experience the world as Rowling wrote it, shorn of the film maker’s interpretations and compromises. The other reason is that I’ve only read the last book once – and a very quick read it was. So there’s a lot of things that I can’t remember and I’m sure there’s a lot of nuance I missed throughout the entire series that I never picked up on.
The first book is a great kids book. It’s not terribly original but very well done with a consistency of tone and world building that would pay dividends as the series grew into a phenomenon.
It’s a quick, fun read within a recognizable tradition of boarding school (magic or otherwise) stories. The greatest pleasure of this re-read is identifying the number of things that are seeded here that come to fruition later in the series. Though it’s hard to tell what’s a deliberate plant – some things gain signifigance in an almost haphazard fashion.
Another enjoyable aspect of the book is getting to know characters again that aren’t terribly well served by the films. Ron and Hermione are richer and more interesting people in the books. In the celluloid version of the series I feel that they were reduced to comic foil and brain respectively.
One thing that I definitely noticed this time through are that there’s a lot of negatives in the depiction of fat people.
I like this book and it’s an enjoyable gateway to a series that is ultimately a very rewarding read.

Rating: B+

nowhere?

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Fire and Hemlock

Diana Wynne Jones

Sadly Diana Wynne Jones died on the 26th March after a long battle against cancer. Always a favourite author of mine, I read as many of the obituaries and memorials as I could find online, it was reassuring to realize that many mourn her passing as much as I do.
I grew up with her Chrestomanci books, especially Witch Week and The Magicians of Caprona, and while I’ve tried to read as many of her books as I can get my hands on – one title that I’d never read kept cropping up in these articles – That’s the book I’m reviewing today.
Fire and Hemlock tells the tale of Polly Whittacker. As the book starts she’s a university student back living at her grandmother’s house during break. As she reads a book of short stories one day she realises that another set of memories has risen in her head. Most of what follows is Polly taking us through her memories, telling tales of becoming an apprentice hero and her friendship with Thomas Lynn. Typically for a Jones character, her family background is complicated, this time it’s a divorce and as she grows older you see the impact of that event and her gradual realization of both her parent’s flaws. It’s masterfully done.
The main plot is a retelling of the old Borderland myth of Tam Lin, there are no elves but there is magic.
The book, as you’d expect, is magnificent. Thrilling, funny and moving. I can see why so many of her fans totally love the book. Fire and Hemlock hasn’t suddenly become my favourite, though it might now be in my top five Jones books.
It’s going to be a sad day when I’ve finally read all of her books – because there’s nothing like reading a Diana Wynne Jones book for the first time. I hesitate to admit this but she’s the only author that’s inspired me to steal a book! It was very difficult to find some of her books before the Harry Potter phenomenon helped bring all her books back in print. Anyway, a copy of one of her Chrestomanci books found it’s way home one day with me after I spied it (I tried very hard to cover my tracks and make it look like it wasn’t simple theft and I doubt anyone noticed).
Please read as much of Diana Wynne Jones as you can – Fire and Hemlock would be a fine starting place.
Below is a list of links to every review I’ve done for a Diana Wynne Jones book while I’ve been keeping this blog:
Hexwood
Witch Week
Archer’s Goon
Charmed Life
The Pinhoe Egg
Conrad’s Fate
Howl’s Moving Castle
The Homeward Bounders
Witch Week
The Magicians of Caprona

Rating: A

karass?

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Among Others

Jo Walton

This wonderful book somehow gets right to the heart of what it feels like to grow up as misfit teen, with only the comfort of libraries and their science fiction & fantasy books to keep you company. It really reminded of why I decided to become a librarian…
The plot is that fifteen year old Mori finds herself farmed off to a girls boarding school after running away from her Mother and being placed in the care of a Father she doesn’t know. She’s too smart for her own good, walks with a cane after an accident and speaks with a Welsh accent so she definitely doesn’t fit in at her new, posh English, school.
The book follows her as she makes her first steps in getting to know her father, come to terms with her past and her introduction to fandom.
Among Others comes with my highest recommendation. Please read this book – you may not love it as much as I do, but I guarantee that you won’t regret it.

Rating: A+

tyger?

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A Princess of Roumania

Paul Park

This alternate world fantasy novel came to me highly recommended by a friend.
While I certainly found it contained some very original twists on familiar fantasy tropes and I enjoyed reading the book, I just can’t see myself reading any further in the series.
I’m not motivated to find out what happens next.
As a side note I described the plot and a couple of the characters from the story to a Romanian friend of mine and he found it hilarious…
So, in summary, it’s well-written and has some fresh ideas but somehow lacking that magic ingredient that keeps you wanting to learn more.

Rating: A-

hare?

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I Shall Wear Midnight

Terry Pratchett

i shall wear midnightAnother excellent outing for Tiffany Aching.
I hate to spoil a single second of it – so many great moments.
OK the book really does need you to read all the Aching stories before it carries it’s full weight but it will work as a standalone.
As always – if you don’t read Pratchett do try him out.

If you do – buy this.

Rating: A

coven?

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Wyrd Sisters

Terry Pratchett

This, the 5th Discworld book, is the first where Pratchett really finds the style and tone that he would use for the majority of the rest of the series.
A brilliant parody of Shakespeare, Witch stories and fantasy in general it also happens to be the first book in the Witches sub-series (Granny Weatherwax appears earlier in Equal Rites but that’s more of a standalone DW book).
If you’ve never read it before I very highly recommend it.
It’s a great wee book that I’ve knocked down the score of because there are better Pratchett books out there now and I’m way too familiar with the book now and have rung much of the humour out it – even though I’ve not read it in at least 7 years.

Rating: B+