Harry Potter and the Deathly Snores
There are no spoilers in this.
It wouldn't break my heart to save people the unholy slog through this poorly plotted, averagely written book for them to know the ending.
First off I will start with a question. Has the Harry Potter series now become so inexorably linked to the idea of making children read again that this is now the ultra low benchmark modern literature has to attain? Notwithstanding authors such as C S Lewis and Roahl Dahl, what about the other modern day authors such as Garth Nix, Philip Pullman or Chris Wooding? Better written books, but perhaps not as well marketed?
I read the Deathly Hallows with a sense of foreboding. Perhaps the unconscious weight of expectation had gotten to me. More realistically I feel that after The Prisoner of Azkhaban the quality of the series had gone into rapid decline. When you have captivated your audience with the first instalments then perhaps you feel less obliged to deliver. For whatever reason, having finished the book I was left with a sense of "So that's it?"
The way the plot is moved along is more pacey than the previous 3 books. There are sections of the plot that leap along, or are drawn out that at points I actually was shouting at the book "It's so obvious! Why are you drawing out this bit??" There is not much in the way of character development, and the sense of redemption that Rowling attempts to introduce in some of the principles feels both inevitable and tacked on.
Worse is the sense of doubt that she attempts to cobble on. Frankly, it's ridiculous and insults the readers intelligence to think that they would, even for a moment, doubt Dumbledoor's integrity. So, Rowling, you say Harry was a pawn throughout the whole series - you don't say! Given that one of his friends in Hermoine(sp?) is far more intelligent and competent, I found her dumbing down in this book questionable.
Despite its flaws, it was a passable read. I doubt that I will be coming back to the series again now. Unlike The Chronicles of Narnia or the Abhorsen trilogy I cannot see any value in revisiting Harry's world. For someone who based their books off Star Wars I find her lack of understanding of the value of repeatedly visiting that universe perplexing to say the least.