Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Goblet of Fire is the big, transitional book that takes this series to the next level. The world expands, Voldemort returns, and Harry takes some important steps on the road to adulthood. It's nearly twice as long as the previous book, which I remember being super excited about when it first came out. This time around I was a little worried about the length. But it turns out (and I should have remembered) that this book is still excellently paced. It drags a bit at the end when two entire chapters are devoted to exposition and monologuing, but up until that point the story moves along really well.
This is one of the first books that I can remember waiting for. I didn't have to wait long, less than a year. But I was still incredibly excited to finally get my hands on Goblet of Fire. I had elaborate plans to read the entire thing in one sitting, much as I had with Chamber of Secrets. It was a bit long for that, and I wasn't really allowed to skip family meals. But I came as close as I could, wandering around the house with my nose stuck in this book.
The ending of this book (well, up until the exposition) is really thrilling. Almost as thrilling as the ending of Prisoner of Azkaban (though let's be honest, nothing else can compare to the twist that Black has been a good guy all along). As many times as I've read this, it was still surprisingly hard not to cry during sections of it. Although it didn't help that Voldemort's resurrection has now been more or less replaced by this (start at 3:00):
If you haven't watched A Very Potter Musical, you should really go do that. It's a lot of fun.
I was also distracted by another change in the text, though this one was deliberate. In the first edition of this book, Harry's father comes out of Voldemort's wand before his mother. This mistake was widely shared, and I remember the smug feeling that came with feeling more detail-oriented that the author. The mistake was, of course, corrected in later editions. This was my first time reading a later edition, and I actually think the scene works better the other way around. Mistake or not, emotions are sometimes more important than facts. Especially when it comes to a good story.
This book isn't my favorite in the series. It may even be my least favorite. I'll have to wait and see. But it's hard to argue that it ought to be shorter. There's a lot going on here, with the widening wizard world and a more complicated story. It fits that the books grew to accommodate the complications.
After this book came out, the world had to wait three years to find out what happened. It was at this point that I dove headfirst into fanfiction and the online fandom. In my mind there's a clear divide between the first four books and the last three books, with dozens of alternate futures for the characters. I'm definitely more familiar with the first four books (not that I haven't also read the later books multiple times), and my opinions about them are firmer and more informed by nostalgia. This is the point in my life when I was exactly the same age as Harry and his friends, which makes me feel even more connected to this story.
This is one of the first books that I can remember waiting for. I didn't have to wait long, less than a year. But I was still incredibly excited to finally get my hands on Goblet of Fire. I had elaborate plans to read the entire thing in one sitting, much as I had with Chamber of Secrets. It was a bit long for that, and I wasn't really allowed to skip family meals. But I came as close as I could, wandering around the house with my nose stuck in this book.
The ending of this book (well, up until the exposition) is really thrilling. Almost as thrilling as the ending of Prisoner of Azkaban (though let's be honest, nothing else can compare to the twist that Black has been a good guy all along). As many times as I've read this, it was still surprisingly hard not to cry during sections of it. Although it didn't help that Voldemort's resurrection has now been more or less replaced by this (start at 3:00):
If you haven't watched A Very Potter Musical, you should really go do that. It's a lot of fun.
I was also distracted by another change in the text, though this one was deliberate. In the first edition of this book, Harry's father comes out of Voldemort's wand before his mother. This mistake was widely shared, and I remember the smug feeling that came with feeling more detail-oriented that the author. The mistake was, of course, corrected in later editions. This was my first time reading a later edition, and I actually think the scene works better the other way around. Mistake or not, emotions are sometimes more important than facts. Especially when it comes to a good story.
This book isn't my favorite in the series. It may even be my least favorite. I'll have to wait and see. But it's hard to argue that it ought to be shorter. There's a lot going on here, with the widening wizard world and a more complicated story. It fits that the books grew to accommodate the complications.
After this book came out, the world had to wait three years to find out what happened. It was at this point that I dove headfirst into fanfiction and the online fandom. In my mind there's a clear divide between the first four books and the last three books, with dozens of alternate futures for the characters. I'm definitely more familiar with the first four books (not that I haven't also read the later books multiple times), and my opinions about them are firmer and more informed by nostalgia. This is the point in my life when I was exactly the same age as Harry and his friends, which makes me feel even more connected to this story.
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