An ambitious theme for a juvie book: personal freedoms & the nature of "truth" in time of war

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	• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) J. K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré Scholastic Paperbacks, 2004 - 870 pages average customer review:based on 5870 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Hem...hem...a wicked read!

The fifth instalment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is not only the most voluminous tome in the series [870 pp] but also one of the best.

The story gets tremendously darker, as Harry and his friends Ron & Hermione find their fifth year at Hogwarts plagued not just by the looming OWL [Ordinary Wizarding Level] exams, but also blatant interference by the Ministry of Magic in the running of the school, in the person of Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minsiter of Magic [spineless Cornelius Fudge], the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and also the ministry appointed Inquisitor.

Then of course, there is the ever looming presence of the evil Lord Voldemort whose moods Harry finds himself troublingly able to channel, to his immense horror. There are plenty of chills and thrills here, and the of course we have the Order of the Phoneix, a select group of aurors who are determined to protect Harry from the Death Eaters & Voldemort. There is also student rebellion, esp in the from of Dumbledore's Army, led by none other than Harry himself. There are so many plot twists in this book, that one cannot help but read on with bated breath, despite the length of the book.

There are new creatures that fascinate and intimidate, such as thestrals, a giant, some old familiars like the centaurs, and also new charms, and spells [Ligimency, Occlumency]...many other fascinating aspects that make for an absorbing read.

Harry finds himself battling his inner demons, trying to lead the DA as best he can, as well as trying to get through adolescence without too much awkwardness, especially with reference to his crush on Cho Chang, the pretty Ravenclaw seeker. Ron finds himself in two new positions that test his discipline & mettle, and Hermione as always tries to be the voice of conscience.

This is an extremely well-plotted narrative, that flows seamlessly from the earlier books, and is thoroughly absorbing, right till the climactic, thrilling end. Of course, for better understanding, its best read after the earlier books in the series. Highly recommended!

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Enjoyable, but Exhausting

I have thoroughly enjoyed each one of the Harry Potter books. With each installment of the series, I have thought they have gotten increasingly better. For me personally, the series REALLY began to take off in the third book. The plot started getting darker and darker (which I like). I thought that Book 5 at some points seemed to have high points and low points. Professor Umbridge's character is SO unlikeable, I almost wanted to put the book down and stop reading. I suppose that is a mark of a truly great author, but at times I felt her character was over the top.

Overall, I really really liked Order of the Phoenix however, I feel the book is simply a prelude to the final books six and seven. You can see the pieces of the puzzle begin to form together towards the end of this book. I can't wait until Books 6 and 7 to find out what finally happens between Harry and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

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HP Fevor!

I've had a chance to read all 7 books. Book one reeled me in.. and I have yet to be bored or disappointed. I have always enjoyed fairy tales.. and this series of books is just that. I find Rowling's work to be better suited for the mystical minds of adults rather than small children. I will not allow my kids to see the movies due to them being sooo very dark in nature. Rowling's has quite the imagination for story telling. The audio tapes/cd's are the best. Jim Dale does a wonderful job of bringing all the characters to life, breathing such diversity into each character. It's really hard to turn the tapes/cd's off once I begin to listen to Jim Dale's incredible narrating skills. I think Dale should be given more or better credit for Rowling's work because he takes the books to a whole different level of frenzied excitement. His skill at changing and modifying his voice for each character is truly amazing. Order of the Phoenix (book 5) is a must read. I highly reccommend getting a copy for yourself to keep in your collection for years to come.

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An ambitious theme for a juvie book: personal freedoms & the nature of "truth" in time of war

I'm not usually one for writing reviews of later books in a series, because it's notoriously difficult to discuss such books without giving away spoilers, or overlapping what's already on the book's dust jacket. Accordingly, I usually prefer to review an entire series, rather than any one book within it. That having been said, I do have one thing to add, regarding this book - I was startled by the author's ambitiousness with this particular installment. I was very surprised, in a book targeted primarily for a younger audience, to see the author dealing with such mature real-world subjects as:

* Attempts by the government to limit/curtail personal freedoms during times of national crisis & war, and to launch things like crackdowns, takeovers of private universities, and inquisitions. Hello 9-11. Hello Kent State University. Hello Tiannamen Square. Hello WWII internment camps for untrustworthy citizens. Hello Russian gulags for political prisoners (ala azkaban). Hello Spanish Inquisition. Etc ad infinitum.
* Attempts by the mass media to create/control "the truth", and otherwise manipulate public perception. Hello state-controlled mass media in north korea, communist china, and "Pravda" of the former USSR. Etc ad infinitum.

Pretty heady subject matter for younger readers.

The author did a good job with this installment, but the page count was a bit much, and the book came across as a bit bloated and rambly at times ... but it's still on par, enjoyability wise, with the rest of the series. A bit overly ambitious, perhaps (for the intended audience), but still a solid offering.

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Fantastic book, I am glad to have read it before the movie!

This was the first of the Harry Potter books I have ever read. I am deployed over seas, saw it in the library, liked the movies and knew this one was coming out to the theaters soon so I read it. Great book. I was sorry to see the movie did it little justice and left so much out. Mrs Rowling really does a great job transporting us into her imagination and the story and this was a fantastic read. I certainly recommend it to any potter fans. If you have never seen the movies before or read the books preceeding this one, then I would start at the beginning. It is a good place to start. Since reading this I have burned through Half Blood Prince and am about to finish the Deathly Hallows. I have not been this addicted to a series since the Dragonlance Chronicles and Blood of Kerensky Trilogy and highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys fantasy, fiction, and certainly the Potter saga.

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