Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is an English novel by JK Rowling released in 1998 by Bloomsbury. It is the sequel to the widely acclaimed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

It features the protagonist from the first novel, Harry Potter, a wizard now starting his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry and his friends Hermione and Ron begin to get back into the routine of magic lessons and Quidditch practise, when strange things begin to happen. Students are being found petrified in the corridors of Hogwarts, and messages are being scrawled on the walls proclaiming that the "Chamber of Secrets" has been opened. Harry and his loyal friends must solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets and face what lies within if they are to stop the evil that has taken over Hogwarts.

This book is much darker than the first and certainly scarier than the first, particularly the scene with the giant spiders. It does also contain a great deal of humour, particularly in the form of Gilderoy Lockhart, the bumbling new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. The narration by Stephen Fry -who narrates all the books in the series - is as usual, excellent. He narrates with great passion and enthusiasm, and manages to get into the roles of every character and switch between them with amazing ability. He manages to convey suspense and humour equally well, and his voice which is deep and commanding yet at the time time very calm draws you into the story and does not let you go.

An amazing book, transferred brilliantly to CD.