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A review by beaconatnight
Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban by J.K. Rowling, J.K. Rowling
4.0
When compared to the first two novels, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a significantly more mature work of fiction. I suspect there are few people who wouldn't put it at least in their top-3 of the series. The fanfare is in no small part due to a climax that doesn't cease to give.
When I say climax what I'm talking about is actually more than one third of the book. The rest is essentially build-up about an escaped mass murderer and about how the school no longer a safe place. Or it is again, but only because of the Dementors haunting the place. The only space to take a breather is the village of Hogsmeade with its attractions for older students. For Harry, who wasn't able to convince his uncle to sign the necessary paper, going there is yet another grievance and stress factor.
The whole scenario seems darker. People are not just good or evil anymore. They are constantly afraid, they drink, they severely bully, they want to kill. Ron and Hermione quarrel for months. That is, people are more human. For me this meant that the world came more to life. Perhaps the reason why the reader will now fully sense the danger in the air.
The before-mentioned climax is so great because of its complexity and for how fell things fall into place. We learn that Harry's father played a very dirty trick on Severus Snape during his formative years, one that left him bitter for years. It really puts things into perspective. At the end he plays the part of the villain. That's what we feared he would be all along; only that he is motivated by injured pride rather than pure evil.
Pure evil, that lies elsewhere, with the followers of Lord Voldemort. Like Sirius Black, the escaped prisoner of Azkaban. There is very good evidence that he's after Harry. I enjoyed how his backstory eventually ties into Harry's own. Like his new favorite teacher, Remus Lupin, the group of friends are all Animagus. It's not greatly motivated or anything. In fact, it seems a bit silly that Harry's father and that other kid consciously became humans that can turn into animals. Still, it was a thrilling reveal.
Hogsmeade was and still is the place for secret gatherings. I liked that, it gave you the cool resistance-fighters vibes. There is talk of some secret and of people as containers of information. Not exactly sure whether this meant anything in any deeper sense, but it sounded like science fiction to me (which is good). There was betrayal, rage, lust for vengeance. Frankly, it's all a bit silly in its simplicity, but it well fit into the darker theme.
The climax very unexpectedly draws from another staple of science fiction. We know that Hermione attends numerous classes literally at the same time. Turns out, the attends a single class at a single time – only that numerous versions of her are at different places in different time threads. Yeah, time travel, I love that. And I appreciate how this is revealed only at the moment we go all-in in the time-travel action to save Black who turned out to be the (mostly) good guy and godfather of Harry's.
Another dark moment was when Hagrid's hippogriff was executed per judicial discretion. At the moment you'll think it dead for good and you feel Hagrid's pain. It's great how this becomes part of the plan to safe Black. There is an even better scene where the plot really comes full circle. Harry thought he saw his father cast a spell – the famous Patronus charm – to save him from the Dementors. Only that what he saw was him himself. In a great twist on the Grandfather Paradox, he was able to finally do what necessary because he knew he could do it. He did do it after all. Or he will have done it, as soon as he gets do it.
The novel also features by far the most exciting Quidditch season to date. The matches are described in more vivid and comprehensible detail. To be honest, it finally made me understand why it mattered whether there were any points other than for catching the Golden Snitch (it's not obvious, is it?). They even lose for once! I think the novel does a much better job at conveying the general fever for the game.
It's easy to see why The Prisoner of Azkaban is held in so high regard. For me there are still too many shortcomings in the narrative to make it rank among my fantasy favorites, but it's still a lovely book to read on a cozy day.
Rating: 4/5
When I say climax what I'm talking about is actually more than one third of the book. The rest is essentially build-up about an escaped mass murderer and about how the school no longer a safe place. Or it is again, but only because of the Dementors haunting the place. The only space to take a breather is the village of Hogsmeade with its attractions for older students. For Harry, who wasn't able to convince his uncle to sign the necessary paper, going there is yet another grievance and stress factor.
The whole scenario seems darker. People are not just good or evil anymore. They are constantly afraid, they drink, they severely bully, they want to kill. Ron and Hermione quarrel for months. That is, people are more human. For me this meant that the world came more to life. Perhaps the reason why the reader will now fully sense the danger in the air.
The before-mentioned climax is so great because of its complexity and for how fell things fall into place. We learn that Harry's father played a very dirty trick on Severus Snape during his formative years, one that left him bitter for years. It really puts things into perspective. At the end he plays the part of the villain. That's what we feared he would be all along; only that he is motivated by injured pride rather than pure evil.
Pure evil, that lies elsewhere, with the followers of Lord Voldemort. Like Sirius Black, the escaped prisoner of Azkaban. There is very good evidence that he's after Harry. I enjoyed how his backstory eventually ties into Harry's own. Like his new favorite teacher, Remus Lupin, the group of friends are all Animagus. It's not greatly motivated or anything. In fact, it seems a bit silly that Harry's father and that other kid consciously became humans that can turn into animals. Still, it was a thrilling reveal.
Hogsmeade was and still is the place for secret gatherings. I liked that, it gave you the cool resistance-fighters vibes. There is talk of some secret and of people as containers of information. Not exactly sure whether this meant anything in any deeper sense, but it sounded like science fiction to me (which is good). There was betrayal, rage, lust for vengeance. Frankly, it's all a bit silly in its simplicity, but it well fit into the darker theme.
The climax very unexpectedly draws from another staple of science fiction. We know that Hermione attends numerous classes literally at the same time. Turns out, the attends a single class at a single time – only that numerous versions of her are at different places in different time threads. Yeah, time travel, I love that. And I appreciate how this is revealed only at the moment we go all-in in the time-travel action to save Black who turned out to be the (mostly) good guy and godfather of Harry's.
Another dark moment was when Hagrid's hippogriff was executed per judicial discretion. At the moment you'll think it dead for good and you feel Hagrid's pain. It's great how this becomes part of the plan to safe Black. There is an even better scene where the plot really comes full circle. Harry thought he saw his father cast a spell – the famous Patronus charm – to save him from the Dementors. Only that what he saw was him himself. In a great twist on the Grandfather Paradox, he was able to finally do what necessary because he knew he could do it. He did do it after all. Or he will have done it, as soon as he gets do it.
The novel also features by far the most exciting Quidditch season to date. The matches are described in more vivid and comprehensible detail. To be honest, it finally made me understand why it mattered whether there were any points other than for catching the Golden Snitch (it's not obvious, is it?). They even lose for once! I think the novel does a much better job at conveying the general fever for the game.
It's easy to see why The Prisoner of Azkaban is held in so high regard. For me there are still too many shortcomings in the narrative to make it rank among my fantasy favorites, but it's still a lovely book to read on a cozy day.
Rating: 4/5