When Darkness Falls Upon Hogwarts... (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J. K. Rowling)

Member Name: GramiWay

Product:	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J. K. Rowling
Date:	01/07/09 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Much darker mood, more gripping plotlines, interesting character moments

Disadvantages: Not many really. Definitely one of the stronger books in the series.

Poor Harry Potter. As well as creating one of the most fascinating, fictional worlds in literature, JK Rowling also knows how to put her hero through trauma after trauma and the fourth installment in the world wide success juggernaut that is the Harry Potter series is no different.

The collection of seven books revolving around the adolescent trials of the boy wizard and the rest of the hidden magical community have had a huge impact on society, appealing to children and adults alike. 'Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire' is further credit to Rowling's writing talents as she continues to steer her story towards darker pastures whilst still retaining that exciting and vibrant world that bewitched groups of children in the first place. As characters grow and new challenges arise, any good writer needs to evolve and adapt or face their work being boring, reflections of their previous offerings. Rowling manages this successfully breathing a whole new thread of life into the wizarding world.

The fourth book begins shortly before the title character Harry Potter begins hi fourth year at Hogwarts school. The book introduces various foreign wizards and different cultures giving it even more realism to our own and we also witness the Quidditch World Cup. Rowling is brilliant at describing the events of the fast and ferocious match that it really makes you feel as if you're part of the spectators as the action moves so quickly and her words just dance across the page to echo them.

Darkness soon rains upon Harry's parade though as the Quidditch after party turns into a rallying protest for those of Voldemort's followers that are still active. As the dark wizard's mark is shot into the sky, it's the first in a number of terrifying events that signals the gripping events at the end of the novel.

However, upon returning to Hogwarts, the students discover that the ancient Triwizard Tournament is going to be held at the school with competing students from Hogwarts and two other magical institutions. Cue the wonderfully funny Fleur Delaclour and of course star Quidditch player Viktor Krum, who are the champions for their respective schools and cause a bit of a strain in Harry's peaceful group dynamic. No Harry Potter novel would be complete without teenage angst and Harry shockingly finds himself entered into the tournament and a participant much to the initial disgust of the school and everyone around him. With Hogwarts against him and Ron convinced that Harry is just after more glory, things are not looking good for the teenage wizard. To top it all off, he has to keep in secret contact with his fugitive godfather Sirius, he begins having unrequited feelings for fellow student Cho Chang and he finds himself caught up in Hermione's new vendetta to give house elves equal rights to humans. Hermione is on top form as in every book and brings a ray of light and often humour with her neat and structured ways. Her character continues to blossom outside of her high intelligence and constant bickering with Ron and Rowling uses her as a more important character this time round, rather than just a sidekick.


Rowling weaves even more mysteries and suspense filled drama as with every other book in the series so far, there is not a dull page in this book and even if it seems like there are certain parts that make no sense or have been stuck in for filler, they all seem to morph into her final plan and come together nicely at the end.

There are more characters than ever to absorb this time round such as the repulsive journalist Rita Skeeter who provides much of the tabloid 'trashing' on our main characters or of course the giantess Madame Maxime, who serves as a potential romantic interest for Hagrid. Mad Eye Moody is also on board as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and brings a rather paranoid and humourous approach to the subject. Rowling knows that she is plunging into dark, dark roots in 'The Goblet of Fire'. There are rather a lot of pages that just flow with explanatory dialogue, but she balances this out brilliantly with a unique blend of comedy and action that will appeal to both young and old alike. The Triwizard tasks are in particular brilliant sources of interest as they almost leap out of the book and ooze into you consciousness allowing you to explore and feel every single emotion as described on the page.

Of course, there's a reason for all this dark mark business and crazy tournament and of course an underage wizard being mysteriously entered into it - Voldemort. Without giving too much away, the final chapters of this book are explosive and are the darkest and deadliest in the series so far. Rowling knows how to create a terrifying villain with no remorse and no fear and she has delivered that in the form of Lord Voldemort. Dark and scary times lie ahead for Harry Potter and indeed the magical community as a whole, but with writing like this, you can be certain that whatever happens next, it will be just as flawless as the first four books. If you haven't read 'The Goblet of Fire' yet or indeed any of the series -where the hell have you been?

Summary: Book 4 and still never a dull moment etched on it's pages