When I first heard LIVING A BOY'S ADVENTURE TALE by Norwegian band A-Ha from their magnificent Hunting High and Low album, I sort of associated it with the fantasy movie Never-ending Story. Hmm. But U2's STORIES FOR BOYS is a close second.
But after finishing the seventh and final Harry Potter book, the Deathly Hallows, it has now officially displaced Never-ending Story as the official book to that song. At least that’s how it is in my book anyhow.
Deathly Hallows was a satisfying read. There were the usual parts that that dragged out; some paragraphs that seemed disjointed and out of place but JK Rowling sure knows how to keep you riveted in spite of that.
I began reading the series with the release of the second book (that I bought it at Borders in Hong Kong). While I first thought that they were books for young adults, eminently, beginning with the Goblet of Fire, the tone, mood, and storytelling had greatly changed. Most series are written in trilogy form, but Harry Potter is like the World Series in seven games. It has its highs and lows, great drama, cliffhanger endings, action, comedy, and ultimately, a winner in its ultimate offering.
Does it answer the dangling questions from the series? For the most part, yes, but it also creates new ones. Whether JK Rowling will write any more sequels or feature any other characters is anyone’s guess at this point. But I did love the redemption of Severus Snape and the epilogue 19 Years Later.
Conversely, I loved the film adaptation of the order of the Phoenix. It brings back some of the charm of the Sorcerer’s Stone yet the edginess of the Prisoner of Azkaban. Perhaps my fave of the film series so far.
"From the shadows, boy meets man."
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