Pottermania

A note on criticism: This is the first time I've ever offered an opinion of a book, album, movie, etc. on my blog. Typically I think written criticism of any art form is largely a waste of time, a pastime for those who (like myself) could never produce even a lousy piece of art, so instead critique those who try. Seriously, if I like "X" I don't really give a rat's behind if someone has painstakingly written a well-reasoned, thoughtful and compelling argument on why "X" is a piece of garbage, ill-suited for consumption by anything brighter than a house plant. Art is not science, or ethics, or morality, or politics, or religion. Like those realms, art is important, but unlike them, one's personal opinion of art is about as worthless as a one legged man at a butt kicking contest. Professional critics are bad enough, but the Internet has spawned legions of malcontents and fan-boys eager to prove that what they hate/like is awful/great. So don't expect an actual review or anything approaching thoughtful analysis here, it's all my ill-informed personal opinion. Of course I reserve the right to savage anything that actually *is* bad IMHO :-)

Potter Spoiler Alert: I give nothing away! My wife reads this and would kill me if I did!


Between a new and busy job, training (not enough) for the 24 Hours of Great Glen, and expanding our apartment into a real home I haven't had much time to read the last four months. I'd started Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1) several months ago and was enjoying it quite a bit. But, as it was the first of three quite lengthy tomes and my reading time was reduced to infrequent 15 to 20 minute streches before bed, I reluctantly put it aside.

While on a short vacation I picked up Jay Lake's short debut novel Mainspring. That proved mildly entertaining, it's steam punk premise, that the world is literally a giant clockwork fashioned by God and it needs a rewinding, goes a goodly ways. Unfortunately some very odd plot turns in the last third of the book diminished my enjoyment. If you are a voracious fiction reader it's probably worth checking out, but if your time is limited or you are typically sci-fi/fantasy averse, then look elsewhere, this book isn't likely to please you.

That brings me to the real point of this post. You may be aware that Arthur A. Levine Books recently published a little book by Joanne Rowling, the last in a series of seven. I think that some of the earlier books may have been made into feature films as well, ahem...Anyhow, regardless of what I say here, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is going to sell a whole lot of books. And to that I say, "go forth an conquer Harry!". Rowling apparently is the first person to ever become a billionaire as a writer and this book shows why. I couldn't put it down and sacrificed a lot of sleep to finish it off. It was an absolute joy to read, it wraps-up all the loose ends I could think of (and some I forgot about) and in no way leaves the door open for any obvious sequels (e.g. Harry Potter and the Quest for More Money is not right around the corner). I guarantee that anyone who reads it will love it (since 99.999% of potential readers will already read the preceeding six books I feel pretty safe here, since it is certainly as good as these that have come before it). My only caution is for really young readers, this book is decidedly harsher than the others, but hey, life is pain.

ptb