I am not exactly an unbiased soul when it comes to reviewing a Harry Potter book. My Potter reviews wax lyrical, are full of praise and admiration and rarely do negative words get typed in.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix however was a little roadbock to my motherhen express. Too many pages, too much information and too, too rambling in it’s narrative. Do a vanishing hex on a handful of chapters and it would have been another perfect gem from Rowling’s desk.
The basic premise of the fifth book was that the magical world is now divided into two warring factions :
a) Those who believe that Voldemort is back and are taking the necessary steps to face the possibility of a second war and
b) Those who don’t believe that Voldemort is back and are taking every unnecessary and abysmally foolish step to thwart Team a)
Harry Potter has returned to his fifth year in a troubled state. The wizarding world at large (except for his loyal friends) believe that Dumbledore has gone senile and Harry is nothing more than an attention seeking git. Harry has to deal with people thinking and voicing out loud that the Potter lad has finally gone...to put it a tad inelegantly...potty. He has to face the simpering wrath of Prof.Umbridge, the newest Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who has been planted by the Ministry to keep her noxious nose in the affairs of Hogwarts. He has to bear the mixed romantic blessing of an interested Cho Chang; who snogs him and weeps all over his cloak at regular intervals.
But all this pales in comparison to Harry’s newest problem. In his dreams, Harry appears to be travelling into the mind of Voldemort. He seems to share an undesired mental link with The Dark Lord. Whether Voldy is ecstatic with joy or bloodthirsty with rage, Harry senses it. While this situation might prove to be useful to Dumbledore and other members of ‘The Order of The Phoenix’, it has a nasty sting at it’s tail. The mental link is reciprocal, which means that Voldemort can also make roadways into Harry’s mind....delve into his darkest secrets and worst of all....actually possess him.
If Rowling would have stuck to this basic plotline, it would have been an engaging read. No meandering, just straightforward story-telling. Sadly, it unravelled into a heavy lo-oong winded read.
On the plus side, new characters like Tonks and Luna Lovegood make an interesting addition. Bellatrix Lestrange is deliciously deranged. Sirius Black, my favourite bad boy, got enough pages devoted to him to exhibit varied nuances of his character. The roles of Ginny and Neville Longbottom are smartly fleshed out, laying the groundwork for future full-fledged appearances.
Harry makes a departure from his perfect-hero portrayal. Gone is the unsure, slightly shy, self-deprecating, wee Potter lad. What we now have is an impatient teenager who exhibits bouts of rage tempered with confused silences. Hermione and Ron provide able support to their grumpy best friend. Sadly, their fledgling romance has been put on the back-burner. Dumbledore is magnificent in his stellar role as “The Only One He Ever Feared”.
The one good thing about this book is that Harry may finally learn why the darkest, wizard ‘moste-eville’ has been hounding him since his childhood.
In all, Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix could have been shorter and less of a stomach-crusher. It’s a long tale with flashes of brilliance and one distinctly heart-wrenching moment.
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