Harry Potter

Unless you have been living under a rock - or just could not be bothered - you would have at least heard the news that the 7th and final book of the Harry Potter series has been released much to the delightfully anticipation and solemn realization of many. Delightful since this is the concluding book; and solemn since it marks the ending of a tale that has spanned a decade.

Truth be told, I was not an early fan of the Harry Potter series. In fact I had merely dismissed it as another work of fiction when the first book appeared during my teens. I am not one who enjoy modern works of fiction since I have found them to be rather shallow in nature. However, as a kid, I did however remember reading the works of Enid Blyton and thoroughly enjoyed them. When I hit my teens most modern fiction books out there really began to feel repetitious with heavy borrowing from one another. And there never was a compelling series to commit myself to.

My interest in Harry Potter only started during the long holidays when I was done with school. In my country, that mean after the exams that one has to take during Form 5. By that time, four Harry Potter books have already been released. My mom had somehow procured them from one of her friend's daughter who was studying overseas. Moreover, by this time, I was curious about the hype and controversy that the Potter series had spawned. The hype was undeniable so much so that one of my more radical church friends (forgive him as he was (is still?) young and naive), brainwashed by his church, condemned the book as a vessel for demonic works.

It was by reading the four books in my hands at that time that I think I understood how Harry Potter could captivate the hearts of children and adults alike. There was an endearing quality to it. It did not dismiss the acts of violence as most other children's book would have done; neither did it superficially inject violence into the series. Sacrifices do have to be made sometimes for the greater good. Moreover, its conversations were not cloaked under the shroud of pretense: adult conversations (be they muggles or wizards) will always be punctuated with implied swearing. It is this honesty that separates this book from the works of the other authors who try too hard and yet at the same time, reveal too little human nature.

Anyway, it was certainly fun reading the last installment of the series. I was determined to finish it as soon as possible to avoid the possibility that my girlfriend would spoilt the ending for me. She has already attempted to do so by flipping to the last few pages of the book and reading the text aloud. Without spoiling it for anyone else, I would say that the ending brought a nice satisfactory conclusion to the series. It was a most appropriate ending after the midst of sadness that had transpired during the last few books of the series.

Now, if you'd excuse me, I must search for some other series to follow.