Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So, it's over. The end of an era. Millions of kids will probably never again read for pleasure. A part of me is sad the story is ended, but it's good to see it come to an exciting and fitting conclusion. JK Rowling isn't the best writer in the world, but her books are easily understandable and gripping. One doesn't read Harry Potter books, one inhales them. Besides a couple hours and about 80 pages on Monday, I read the whole thing in two days. While working eight hours both days. That's how quickly they go despite the thickness of the spine, and how much I wanted to know what happened.

Despite what you may think about her writing style, Rowling has created one of the most intriguing, entertaining, and fully developed fictional worlds in pop culture history. Tolkien comes to mind when you consider how much there is to know about the society and history and family trees and every detail she's come up with. It's really pretty staggering. The story has always been focused on Harry, his relationships with friends and allies, and his quest to defeat Voldemort. But all that other information is there, in the background, filling in the gaps. The main plot continues to twist and turn, with new developments and surprises popping up everywhere. It's the kind of thing you simply cannot just guess from speculating on clues. A lot of key details were guessed at correctly by astute fans based on hints she left everywhere, but there's still plenty that nobody had any idea about. She really does quite a job of tying together loose ends and bringing back old characters. Some criticize this, and it can be a bit contrived, but it works. The series deserves such a richly woven conclusion.

In the early going, the book can be a bit depressing. Before the story really kicks into high gear, things happen once in a while, but there's a lot of worrying and hopelessness. There's a pervasive sense of dread and unhappiness that can start to wear. There's the predictable arguing and separation for a while before they come to their senses and save each other. It's a little annoying and clichéd, but it doesn't bother too much. As it goes on, it builds and builds to the huge, epic climax. There are revelations, adequately-described battles and plenty of surprises, as well as deaths. At least one significant character has been killed in each book since the fourth, but the floodgates have been opened and plenty meet their untimely end here. Some of them are unexpected, and all are a little saddening. The series has really matured along with its original audience. While the plot is interesting, part of me misses Hogwarts. It's crucial to the story, but the main characters don't actually attend classes in the book. It wouldn't make sense for them to do so storywise, but it's still unfortunate.

It had to end some time, and luckily it does in very satisfying fashion. Little was left unresolved, and despite the darkness of the book, the end is definitely uplifting. A fitting conclusion to one of the best fantasy stories of our time.