Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
(473 total words in this text)
(17669 reads) 
Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he
hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he
really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the
dead of night. And he also happened to be a wizard.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the story of Harry's
third year in Hogwart's school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once more Harry feels
suffocating during summer holidays, trapped in the Dursley's residence, and
once more he is looking forward to the time school year starts. Unless all other
boys of his age, Harry hates summer and he loves school...
This year, Harry Potter is up to face a peril much greater than anything he
had come up against before. The whole wizards' world has been upset by the terrible
news of infamous Sirius Black escaping Askaban, and they are afraid he will
search for little Harry to finish the work of his old master. Extra care has
been taken, and professor Lupin has been called to take up the Defense Against
Dark Arts teaching position, since he is on of Dumbledore's trustees. Unfortunately
the ministry also intereferes, and the terrible keepers of Azkaban are called
to guard Hogwarts.
The story marches prodictably in this (much longer) book 3 of the series. More
Quidditch games (and Harry's first loss as a seeker) and more spells (but some
really great ones, indeed). And this on until you reach the last 100 pages of
the book. Then Rowling simply brings eveything upside down, and in 100 pages,
she fully compensates us with a most breathtaking finishing.
In the Chamber of Secrets, we had accused her that she did not investigate
Harry's background enough, and that she lacked of innovation, giving a simple
sequel. Now, with the prisoner of Azkaban, she seems to be doing exactly this:
We have the chance of learning details about Harry's parents, we get to know
his godfather and the man who betrayed his parents, we learn more details about
their death. Now the plot is becoming more tight, and the background on which
it will be unfolded, more clearly set out. This, combined with the shock of
revelations in the end of the book, makes the Prisoner of Azkaban a formidable
reading, which can be directly compared in matters of quality to the first book,
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone! |
