Simmering on some things

I have many thoughts going on that I feel I need to write about at some point but now is not that point. Over the weekend I was Harry'ed by a teenage Potter and as I am a dork, I wanted to comment in hopefully more authoritative ways than the average Washington Post review (which I found to be decent but sort of missing the point).

The latest Potter book is, in my opinion, by far the best. For a long time, I refused to read the Potter books because I knew what they were from the start - a dumbed down kids take on the genre. As a lifelong Tolkien fan, I have a pretty high threshold for what I consider excellence in that genre and I knew that Potter could never add up. Still, I picked up the first book at my mother's house one time when I was visiting (it was either that or a James Beard novel or A-C of the 1962 Encyclopedia Brittanica and not even my thirst for knowledge extends to reading an encyclopedia).

My suspicions were confirmed relatively quickly. Rowling is not in Tolkien's league. But, that doesn't mean that she's not a very good author and that the books aren't entertaining. In fact, they are enjoyable, they appeal to a diverse audience, and they're easy to read. After reading all six books, a couple things are clear. First, Rowling's talent lies in forging a relationship between the main characters and the reader. She's not a descriptive author at heart. Book 6 is especially telling. There are several points where you read a lovely, flowery description of scenery or events and, while quite well done, almost stands out of place amongst the text simply because it is so unusual. No, her strength is in the dialogue and the development of characters. And, second, the series is, as expected, ultimately little more than a simple tale of how love conquers evil. (And I'm not giving anything away here.) I know that this is a lovely message to give to children and since children are the target audience, I have no real problem with it. But I will always be a bit perturbed that the books lack the complexity of Tolkien or Robert Jordan.

At any rate, back to the issue at hand. Book 6 is quite good mostly because it's essentially the Empire Strikes Back of the series. By that, I mean that it's much darker than the previous five to the point that some media outlets are warning parents to be a bit more observant and involved in discussing the book with their kids. As an adult, I find that laughable given everything else that I've read, but hey, it's a fair point for a 10-year old. But really, this is exactly what the series needed - a dark book with some twists that leave readers either gasping, smugly nodding, or both.

One thing that you really notice, however, is that Rowling has taken a decidely political turn in this novel. There are several points where she is making clear statements about a certain political figure here in the UK, points that have essentially no role in the story and stand out as biting social commentary more than anything. But, for the most part, that type of stuff is muted. So don't worry, she hasn't gone Tom Clancy on us or anything.

The criticism I have with the books, and the series as a whole, is that for those really paying attention, it's starkly apparent what is going to happen next. The foreshadowing is ultimately not very sophisticated and the reader finds himself awaiting for events to occur that are almost predestined early in the series. While that makes nice for the kiddies, as an adult reader, it dilutes the quality of unfolding story. Of course, I'm not really complaining. She didn't write this for me, she wrote it for an 11-year old.

The other big criticism I have is that after living in London for almost a year now, the book has lost some of its luster. Maybe it's because I have the UK version and the language is a bit less refined. But judging from the review I read in the Post, I think that they used similar or the same language choices in the US. Tolkien, for example, sure as hell didn't use UK slang in his books and I imagine he's rolling in his grave over Rowling's use of the word "snog", just to mention one example. I guess in the end, knowning the UK like I do, the series has lost a little of its luster.

After finishing book six (and it's utterly shocking conclusion), I'm convinced that book 7 will be the best of the series. Every reader knows what has to happen for the series to conclude, but there are a lot of subplots that have to be tied up as well which means book 7 promises to be action packed and enjoyable. Since I don't want to give anything away, some of the truly annoying parts of the first 6 books are clearly not going to be a problem any more.

I'll conclude this little mini-review with this: Rowling is a model in how to write fiction. She started with a basic premise (love conquers evil), built a storyline around that premise, developed characters to meet that storyline, and made a billion dollars. Most importantly, she played to her strengths, didn't worry about critics like me who feel her story is overly simplistic, and focused on her target audience at all times. People say "talented writer" a lot, but I'd say that there are tons of "talented writers". It's the ones that can put it together the way Rowling has that are authors. So I'd say her story gives hope to us all (although I won't hold my breath for a billion dollars any time soon.)