Fantastical fantasy fare (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling)

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling
Date:	31/08/09 (6 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written and characterised

Disadvantages: Not quite edgy enough at this point

Generally speaking, I'm more of a film person than a book person, but I thought that, after having seen the first six Harry Potter films, I would at least give one of the books a chance, to see what all the fuss is about. I assumed they'd just be fairly middling populist fare that's well-written but not really much more than standard fantasty stuff. I'm not exactly wrong, I don't think, but I can certainly understand the appeal, especially as crackling reading for kids.

Where rags-to-riches writer Rowling succeeds is with her immense descriptions - she manages to characterise extremely well, and her young wizards, notably the protagonists, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, are living, breathing personalities that really do move off the page into the reader's imagination.

The premise is fairly simple - a young boy finds out that his deceased parents were wizards, who died trying to save him, and so now he must enrol at the Hogwarts academy to hone his own skills as a wizard.

As an introduction to the series, Rowling is smart to make procedings lightning-paced, tailor-paced to keep the attention of even the youngest children. Although I do find the book gloriously overhyped as a whole, I recognise why it has such popular appeal - it is slick, brisk writing at its most accessible. Rowling has made a lot of money, and a lot of people very quickly fell in love with these characters. It's a read that's fast paced enough to keep kids glued, whilst dynamic enough that adults reading to their children won't be bored out of their minds or condescended.

As a cultural milestone, there are none like it.

Summary: Overhyped but still impressively crafted