I really tried to resist this series. For one, I was no longer in the sci-fi/fantasy mindset and two, I was no longer a young adult. The attraction was too much and I finally gave in after the fourth book was published. My supervisor and her son had been reading the books and it was just too much. I found myself instantly pulled into the world of Hogwart's and the wizards of England.
It's amazing just how fabulous the UK can make fantasy sound. Their oral and written history add to the current trends in fantasy publishing. They have clans in Scotland, constant unrest in Ireland and druids in most of the UK. The rich history and superstitions, along with the myriad of religions just add to the enchanting stories and worlds that develop.
Rawlings put a lot of thought into her world. Not only does she incorporate magic and supernatural (two very importants aspects of fantasy), she makes it plausible by using latin derivations for spellwork & incantations; real plants available today; mythical creatures found in ancient texts (such as a hippogrif); adolescent angst set in a normal school; and the ever ready "good versus evil" background. She explains away unnatural events as natural phenomenon or vice versa. There is just enough truth to sometimes wonder, could it really happen?
Why do stories pull us in and how do the authors achieve that? Here is a great author destined to follow the footsteps of JRR Tolkein.
Bookworm at Edwards CO signing
6 months ago
