Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Author: J. K. Rowling

First line: The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.

Why you should read this book: Rowling finishes up her bestselling series with slow-paced aplomb, overt spectacle, and a moderate yet restrained body count, tying up every loose end with enough intimate details to satisfy the most diehard fans. Every character makes a true showing according to his or her inner nature, legends abound, and the battle between good and evil is settled once and for all. Much darker and more bellicose than the rest of the series, but not beyond reason for the intelligent and well-adjusted child.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You take umbrage at authors becoming so successful that no editor would dare to suggest that their novel would be even more perfect without a hundred fifty superfluous pages of beloved characters standing around, scratching their rears, wondering what's going on (or you take the deaths of fictional characters extremely personally).

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