Library day!
I feel like a little kid again: I got to chill at the Library for two hours solid today! Oh, it made my week! After the initial disappointment of not being able to find the books that I wanted (Ender's Shadow, American gods, and Howl's Moving Castle), I dug up some other books by similar authors and then sat down to read...Harry Potter.
Yep, we were one of the families that didn't read 'em when they first came out. But that's behind and, although I am going to respect what I sense would be my father's wishes and not bring them into the house, now I blew through (at my scanning creep) the first one (a surprisingly thin book, compared to all the hype that surrounded it)...I stopped about 2/3 of the way through before I had to go.
My take (gasp! An unpublished person has the NERVE to review the AMAZING that is JK Rowling? Yesh. Yesh I do.): eh, pretty fun read for a typical Hero's Journey story. Dialogue is pretty fun and the characters each have a very good distinct voice. I really enjoyed Dumbledore's eccentricity, until I realized that it was a big over-the-top in some parts. Almost like the theory that inserting pickle or banana into whatever sentence you say will immediately make it comic genius. ERM not-so-much.
I also am disappointed in her lack of world-building when it comes to the Magic system. Which was a letdown after her brilliant descriptions of Harry's introduction to the whole world. The magic seems very, very vague and (therefore) lends itself to Deus Ex Machina.
And now I've run out of things to say. So over all....have a happy day.
3 comments:
Hurrah! I have to say, the first book's my least favourite. They get (thankfully) less cutesy after that. Will be curious to see what you think of the rest of if you stick with them! :-D
Agree with the person above me, whoever he or she is (ahahahaha). The books mature with the characters, and the later books elaborate MUCH more on the 'magical' world and introduce many more aspects of it, although admittedly there aren't encyclopedias' worth of back-story on everything as is the case with, say, LotR.
Well, yeah. It's hard to compare worldbuilding with Tolkien... XD
But I am honestly enjoying it! Probably finish it next Thursday when I'm at the library again.
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