captaind's Full Review: J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of A...
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third in the Harry Potter series. You can read it and still enjoy it without having read the first two, but you’ll enjoy it a lot more if you have read the preceding books (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s [Philosopher’s] Stone & Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) first.
The Characters
Harry Potter – a young boy whose parents were of the magical persuasion. His parents were killed by the Dark Wizard Voldemort when he was just a year old, but somehow he not only survived Voldemort’s attack but also drained him of his powers. He was subsequently brought up by…
The Dursleys – his Uncle, Aunt, and cousin, who are “Muggles” (non-magical folk), and are deeply ashamed of Harry, his parents, and in fact all of his kind. He is forced to stay with them during the summer holidays. Their role in life is to make Harry’s life as miserable as possible and they know he’s not allowed to practice magic in the holidays, though if they push him too far he might lose control and his magical abilities might express them in… unusual ways. This happens in a very amusing way (though not amusing for them).
Ron – Harry’s best friend, a boy his age (they are both now 13) who comes from a wizarding family – but a poor family, so he’s a bit up tight about money. He and Harry get into all sorts of trouble, somewhat aided by Ron’s impulsive nature, which is usually offset by the personality of Harry’s other best friend…
Hermione – who is extremely studious and is completely against breaking the rules… well, most of the time…
Draco Malfoy – Harry’s enemy from the first time they met, from a very rich wizarding family, basically dislikeable in every possible way.
They all go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where most of the action takes place.
Albus Dumbledore – the Headmaster of Hogwarts, a very wise and kind man, also happens to be known as the greatest, most powerful wizard of his generation… but rarely shows this power overtly.
Professor McGonnagal – the sort of teacher that Hermione would approve of (and vice-versa), very much plays by the rules and very strict, even with her own House (Hogwarts is divided into 4 Houses - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. She is head of Gryffindor, but does not favour her own students above others, very unlike…
Professor Snape – head of Slytherin, who favours them above all others very obviously, whose favourite student is Draco, and who has a particular hatred for Harry – nothing Harry’s done, but something his father did long ago…
Hagrid – the Gamekeeper, who was expelled in the past but whose name was finally cleared by Harry & co. in the last book, has now been appointed as teacher for the Care of Magical Creatures… surely this can only lead to disaster?!?! We shall see…
Professor Lupin – a newcomer to the school, teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts (a role that has traditionally been rather short-lived at Hogwarts). He also seems to have a secret of some kind…
And of course there’s the eponymous Prisoner of Azkaban, who goes by the name of Sirius Black, a feared magician who is the only person to have ever escaped from that prison (the name of which instils even more dread than the names of the prisoners it houses). Rumour has it that he’s headed towards Hogwarts…
The Plot
Though the book isn’t a great deal longer than the first two (317 pages compared to 251 in Chamber of Secrets and 223 in first book), the plot here becomes much more complex (the final section of the book is absolute genius) and the characterisation is a lot deeper (As you’d expect the further along the series it goes, but it’s very well done.) For a while it seems much like the other two books – very readable, very enjoyable, but perhaps a little too predictable. That changes as the tone of the book starts to get a little darker, and once the real action starts, it defies you to work out what’s going to happen in the next sentence, let alone on the next page. The intricate weaving of different plot elements together, and events from different time periods, is superbly crafted.
This is definitely a step up from the previous Harry Potter books, and even more enjoyable for adults too, as Rowling has started to weave in some elements that children may have trouble grasping or not spot at all, but that lend an extra depth to the proceedings. The level of writing seems to be progressing in keeping with Harry’s own development throughout the series. Perhaps it’s not quite in the same league as The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis for having different layers depending on who’s reading it, but for sheer enjoyment and intrigue, it cannot be beaten. It also won the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year award, and while I can’t say I’ve read any of the competition :-), I don’t think any writers of the other short-listed books could possibly begrudge Rowling that award.
Incidentally, the characters mentioned above are merely the tip of the iceberg. There are many interesting characters in this book, and most are memorable for one reason or another, and have their own part to play in the story. This time though they fit seamlessly into the parts, rather than seeming to have been written into the book for the specific role they play in the story. Harry himself is a much deeper character than ever before, and the emotional battle he fights with himself at several points throughout the book is very well conveyed. There are also a number of fantastical creatures that bring their own character to play in the book. The action sequences are tense, there’s plenty of emotion in the slower scenes, and it never gets boring.
What more can I say? I loved it, and it’s by far the best of the first three books. 5 and a half stars!
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