What book are you reading, and what do you think of it?

[ZLoth]

This is long overdue, but I have some friends who want to know my impression of the seven Harry Potter books after completing the full-cast audiobooks. Before starting, I want to make sure of the perspecitive I'm coming in on:

• I'm a science fiction fan who is in their mid-50s, so probably not the target audience. This, I'm seeing and questioning certain plot points which might be overlooked by a younger reader.
• This muggle (ordinary human with no magic skills) is familiar with bits and pieces of the Potterverse, such as Harry Potter is a wizard and that Hogwarts is a school for wizards.
• I have not read any of the seven published books.
• I have only seen brief clips of the movies. Yes, Alan Rickman is iconic as Professor Snape. By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Worvan, remember Nakatomi Plaza!
• I have not listened to the audiobooks by either Jim Dale or Stephen Fry. Based upon their previous works, both are excellent narrators, although I will give a slight edge to Stephen Fry.
• And, yes, I'm familiar with the backstory of J. K. Rowling and how the books came to be. For purposes of this commentary, I'm focusing on the books.

While I will try to keep this spoiler-free as much as possible, as I am covering seven books, there will be minor spoilers.

Although not explicitly stated in the books, the timeline that the books take place is between Summer, 1991 and May, 1998. (this roughly corresponds with the books release from June, 1997 to July, 2007). This means that there is a contrast between what London and the world was in the 1990s verses the world of 2026, including the use by a character of a film camera. Adding to this fact that the books use the plot device of providing extreme contrasts between the dull and boring Muggle world of ours verses the seemingly Dickenesque Wizard world filled with interesting and unusual characters. One contrast that I noticed was between the "we are absolutely the perfectly normal and dull family" of the Dursleys, Harry Potter's foster family, complete with his spoiled "can't do any wrong" spoiled bully cousin Dudley who mistreats Harry so badly that I'm surprised child welfare isn't called verses the dirt-poor yet love-rich Wesley family.

Then, there is the core trio of Ron Wesley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter. Ron comes from a long-time wizarding family that have all attending Hogwarts to the point that the sorting hat sighs and says "Another Wesley", but who provides us with the wizarding insights we need. Hermione, on the other hand, was born from two muggle parents, but is easily the smartest member of the group. Initially, she is off-butting as a "know-it-all", but soon becomes a beloved character. Because this is a trio, there is often the use of the two-one narrative strategy where there is two insiders and one outsider. You also see this with the Blue Man Group.

Then, there is the protagonist Harry Potter. Most of the books are told from his perspective, and right away, you can tell that Harry is a very flawed hero. The first part of the first book introduces him as the unwanted foster kid who is badly mistreated by his foster parents and bullied by his cousin. Yet, strange things keep happening to him and complete strangers keep bowing to him. Then, as he approaches age eleven, he finds out that not only that "You're a wizard, Harry", but a famous one because of what happened when, somehow, he defeated a big bad known as "he who shan't be named". Yet, being unfamiliar with the wizarding ways, he is a fish out of water, and thank goodness Ron Wesley is his guide. Harry also makes mistakes along the way which has universe-impacting decisions. I also feel that Harry get a bit whiny the further we get into the book series, although I also understand it is part of his frustration as well as his warnings go unheeded and worse, being manipulating in ways he does not agree with.

The big idea, however, is that the Harry Potter series is a coming of age story not only for Harry Potter, Ron Wesley, Hermione Granger, and the students of Hogwarts, but also the interactions with the Wizarding World as well. You can easily divide the books into three sections: The Early Years for books one through three, The Teenage Years for books four through six, and the Dark Year for the final book as the author flips the narrative upside-down, destroys some key items which would have been useful as well as kill off some beloved characters.

The big question, though, is "Did I enjoy the series?" The answer is yes, with some minor reservations. As I'm viewing this from an older adult perspective, I'm questioning some of the plot points and setting that might be overlooked by a younger audience. Still, at one point, I was having fun with Alexa, Amazon's assistant, by asking silly questions like "Which is smarter... Dudley Dursley or a stop sign?", "What advice would Brigadier General Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart give to Draco Malfoy?" (reference to _Doctor Who), and "Would Hagrid/Snape make a good High Court Enforcement Agent?" (reference to Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away). I still feel that the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is the weakest book of the series as it carries the burden of introduces the characters, world building, and "we're not sure if this book will take off".

One big question that comes up with full-cast editions of audiobooks is "Is the book abridged?" Absolutely not, and I think it would enrage to Potterverse fandom if it was abridged.

When it comes to the voice casting, I feel that most of the voices were spot on. Cush Jumbo is excellent as being the narrator, and I have my favorites as Mark Addy being Rubeus Hagrid and Hugh Laurie bring Albus Dumbledore being standouts. I also recognize Michelle Gomez as Professor Minerva McGonagall who also portrayed "Missy" from Doctor Who, as well as several other actors from both series of Doctor Who having cameo parts. One particular cameo is David Holmes who was Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double and was paralyzed in a set accident, yet comes back to voice Stan Shunpike in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Yes, I realize that noone can replace the iconic Alan Rickman as Professor Snape, but I feel that Riz Ahmed dud a pretty good job in the role. What was most jarring to me and listeners was some of the recasting of voices after book three made necessary because the characters were older. It did take some getting used to.

I also see Amazon's/Audible's strategy in commissioning this full-cast audiobook series. The hook is that the Harry Potter series is a beloved book series, and provide that as a entry point to the world of audiobooks. Then, that new listener may go back and listen to either the Jim Dale or Stephen Fry versions of the book, or target other, well known books such as Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones), The Martian, Project Hail Mary, or Dungeon Crawler Carl. With digital distribution, smart phones, and Bluetooth, it's easy to listen to audiobooks in the car rather than the local radio stations, and yes, I have listening to audiobooks while soaking in the pool to escape the Texas heat. While the Jim Dale version of the audiobooks may be available through your local library, the full-cast editions are a Amazon exclusive, and you are recommended to get a audible subscription plan to obtain the books.

Anyways, off I go to the universe of Dungeon Crawler Carl.