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Jul. 20th, 2007 11:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickHere is the once-over-lightly rendering of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, A Review.
First off, we're going to look at my predictions and how I did.
1. Voldie really does die. Yep, he does. He throws the AK at Harry, who throws Expelliarmus. Spells collide, Voldie's wand rejects him (it's complicated, the business with the wand) and Voldie gets hit with the rebound AK. I don't know if this counts as Harry kills him but that's how I'm scoring it.
2. Also, there will be Harry and Ginny. And their three children in the epilogue. Yo.
3. Personally, I really hope Hagrid dies. He does not. One failure.
4. It is my considered opinion that Snape is a good guy He is a good guy. Not a nice guy, but a good guy.
5. Good guy or not, Snape is going to die. And he does. Voldie kills him in the aforementioned Business With The Wand.
6. Lucius Malfoy will totally not survive. Actually, he does survive... he and his wife both. Two failures.
7. Draco is going to not-die I get half a point on this one. Not sure he ever turned, but he does live. Two and a half failures.
8. Ron and Hermione will hook up. This wasn't even difficult. Practically a gimme.
9. Neville will be more heroic than we have heretofore noticed him being... probably something with herbs. Wrong about herbs, right about the more heroic, if you consider Drawing the sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat and offing the big Nagini snake of Voldemort right in front of the Dark Lord a heroic act.
10. One of the twins (Fred and George) is going to die. And full marks on that for me, damn it. They kill Fred.
Ten predictions, two and a half failures. Well, hell, that's *nearly* a passing grade, innit?
The book is *long* The wandering around and looking for horcruxes part kind of drags a bit and the battles (of which there are many) are kind of confusing... but action-packed.
The moral complexity (and there was rather a lot of it) was fun, though. I'm not sure this is entirely a children's novel. The big wrap-up scene on the myffic train with the dead headmaster and the flayed infant thing? Weird. Not very child-friendly. O'course it's Voldie, or what's left of him on that plane, but still. Eeww. Also liked the treatment of D's past. That was very interesting, indeed and I liked how we got three perspectives of the same story (one from Messes-With-Goats, one from the Skeeter woman, and one from the Ghost of Albus or whatever).
I was glad to see that Harry finally got the shits of D. not telling him things, too. The not-telling would have driven me batshit about three, maybe four books ago.
I suspect that the fanfic writers get a huge bone (hur*hur) thrown to them on the Albus/Gellert front. That was kind of surprising, really. And, y'know, he's *pretty*. Golden hair in curls. Handsome. Yep. I can see that working.. Fanficcers, start your engines. Tell me *all* about the greater good.
We got some loose ends tied up -- finally the story of the Bloody Baron, which was kind of interesting. Also we get why the hell Albus trusted Severus, which I was not thrilled about but at least it was a reason. Shitty reason, but a reason. I said there hadda be one, you know.
In all, not a bad read. I'll have to pick up a copy tomorrow so that I can read it again without going blind -- the pdf I pulled off the torrents is passable but not the best and I really would like a book.
First off, we're going to look at my predictions and how I did.
1. Voldie really does die. Yep, he does. He throws the AK at Harry, who throws Expelliarmus. Spells collide, Voldie's wand rejects him (it's complicated, the business with the wand) and Voldie gets hit with the rebound AK. I don't know if this counts as Harry kills him but that's how I'm scoring it.
2. Also, there will be Harry and Ginny. And their three children in the epilogue. Yo.
3. Personally, I really hope Hagrid dies. He does not. One failure.
4. It is my considered opinion that Snape is a good guy He is a good guy. Not a nice guy, but a good guy.
5. Good guy or not, Snape is going to die. And he does. Voldie kills him in the aforementioned Business With The Wand.
6. Lucius Malfoy will totally not survive. Actually, he does survive... he and his wife both. Two failures.
7. Draco is going to not-die I get half a point on this one. Not sure he ever turned, but he does live. Two and a half failures.
8. Ron and Hermione will hook up. This wasn't even difficult. Practically a gimme.
9. Neville will be more heroic than we have heretofore noticed him being... probably something with herbs. Wrong about herbs, right about the more heroic, if you consider Drawing the sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat and offing the big Nagini snake of Voldemort right in front of the Dark Lord a heroic act.
10. One of the twins (Fred and George) is going to die. And full marks on that for me, damn it. They kill Fred.
Ten predictions, two and a half failures. Well, hell, that's *nearly* a passing grade, innit?
The book is *long* The wandering around and looking for horcruxes part kind of drags a bit and the battles (of which there are many) are kind of confusing... but action-packed.
The moral complexity (and there was rather a lot of it) was fun, though. I'm not sure this is entirely a children's novel. The big wrap-up scene on the myffic train with the dead headmaster and the flayed infant thing? Weird. Not very child-friendly. O'course it's Voldie, or what's left of him on that plane, but still. Eeww. Also liked the treatment of D's past. That was very interesting, indeed and I liked how we got three perspectives of the same story (one from Messes-With-Goats, one from the Skeeter woman, and one from the Ghost of Albus or whatever).
I was glad to see that Harry finally got the shits of D. not telling him things, too. The not-telling would have driven me batshit about three, maybe four books ago.
I suspect that the fanfic writers get a huge bone (hur*hur) thrown to them on the Albus/Gellert front. That was kind of surprising, really. And, y'know, he's *pretty*. Golden hair in curls. Handsome. Yep. I can see that working.. Fanficcers, start your engines. Tell me *all* about the greater good.
We got some loose ends tied up -- finally the story of the Bloody Baron, which was kind of interesting. Also we get why the hell Albus trusted Severus, which I was not thrilled about but at least it was a reason. Shitty reason, but a reason. I said there hadda be one, you know.
In all, not a bad read. I'll have to pick up a copy tomorrow so that I can read it again without going blind -- the pdf I pulled off the torrents is passable but not the best and I really would like a book.
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Date: 2007-07-23 02:05 pm (UTC)Mine arrived on time with the free shipment. Woot. Just finished, sigh.
Your point about Gellert is heartening - in the afterglow of the book (is it just me, or was this book a much higher quality of writing than the earlier ones, or the earliest at least?) I was thinking that she had not left any handles for fanfic, although on reflection, there are big gaping rents begging for treatment in re: Draco's experiences... But Gellert is a good, nay, great one.
Whoop, toddler waking up. I know I received your new address, but seem to have misplaced it, cannot recall whether there is a _ or - or nothing between which and chick.
Herbs and Neville
Date: 2007-07-23 05:28 pm (UTC)Also, there were definitely some passages that I was giggling at. I'll have to reread to recall exactly where they were, but there were some seriously funny comments about wands in particular.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-24 12:22 am (UTC)I do agree with someone on my fl (can't remember exactly who right now) who pointed out one fairly major piece of bad plotting. Having the scene in the woods where Harry, Hermione, and Ron just happen to be in the right spot when the goblin and the 2 humans come wandering along while also on the run, and the humans and the goblin just HAPPEN to discuss information that Harry et al really need to know was bad writing. There were other more probably ways for the information to be obtained, having them all just be in the same random patch of woods at the same time while all on the run and hiding from the authorities is a bit contrived.
Other than that I really didn't have any complaints. I think it made sense for Snape to have been in love with Lily (and probably foreshadowed to some degree, now that I think about it, in some of the earlier books). And talk about slashers - I have already seen stirrings about Harry/Draco based on that scene where Harry rescues him from the cursed fire, and the look on the train platform in the epilogue. I expect a fairly strong wave of fic to come fairly soon.
Though I do also have to wonder at the Gryffindor sword coming back out of the sorting hat at the end, since the last we had seen it a that goblin had it and was running to hook up with other goblins in the bank. Since the goblins felt it was their treasure, and they have their own magic, I would have thought they would have locked it up tight with protections and all. I am just a little curious as to JR's rationale that the sorting hat could make it appear again. And I note that she does not even TRY to explain it. It's just there, when needed, as it was when Harry needed it in the earlier book. Oh well,
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Date: 2007-07-24 02:16 pm (UTC)Not in offing the snake.
But that's just me.
But then, people who Really Want to be Con Chair...probably shouldn't....
Sue M.