Welcome to the magical world.. inhabited by the witches and wizards in colorful robes..a world where clocks don''t keep time,but show the whereabouts of members of the family;where a wave of the wand repairs broken bones and sets injuries right;a world where figures in portraits & pictures aren't stationary;a world where a baby miraculously escapes the murderous attempt of the darkest wizard of all times..Welcome to the world of Harry Potter.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,the 5th book in the Harry Potter series,is a creation of J.K.Rowling,who before HP was just another struggling unknown writer in England.As made aware by the media(and in many's opinion, hyped too) the 5th book's arrival in bookstores was anticipated world over,a mad rush like never seen before.
About the Story
The 5th book starts where the 4th one,HP and the Goblet of Fire ended.Lord Voldemort(did you just wince at the mention of his name?) who failed in his attempt to kill Harry as a baby,has returned to power in bodily form,with the help of his loyal supporters called Death Eaters.But nobody believes Harry and Dumbledore(Harry's mentor and headmaster at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry,where Harry studies).
Harry is spending his summer holidays with his muggle(read non-magic)relatives.Besides the frustration of being ill-treated by them,Harry is mad with rage because his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger fail to keep in touch with him,also he has no news about the on-goings of Voldemort after his return.Some days after an attack by Dementors(they suck your soul out your mouth by performing 'the kiss'),Harry is visited by his ex-professors and some other wizards and taken to the headquarters of The Order of the Phoenix,a small army of wizards & witches,lead by Dumbledore,who have joined forces against Voldemort. Here Harry is also reunited with Sirius Black,his Godfather who is an escaped murderer in the eyes of the wizarding community.
Harry,after nearly being expelled from his school by the Ministry of Magic,returns to Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione,to start their 5th year.Much to everyone's surprise,Ron is made house prefect and Hermione,the girls' prefect(no surprises there).Besides the usual subjects like Charms,Divination,Potions,Transfiguration,there is a new professor for'Defence against the Dark Arts',a post that's supposedly jinxed. Professor Dolores Umbridge, this latest addition is from the Ministry,slowly imposes her norms and rules much to the annoyance of the whole school(baring a few).Harry once again is in the news for the wrong reasons,with detentions galore from Umbridge.She's also appointed the 'Inquisitor' by the Ministry & her interference in school matters is at its height,with her being at crossroads with Harry most of all.To add to Harry's woes,he has these visions in sleep(not quite dreams)that seem to be connected to the thoughts and actions of Voldemort.Dumbledore appoints Snape,Harry's most hated professor,to help him fight the visions.
5th year is also about appearing for O.W.Ls or Ordinary Wizarding Levels. Among the other on-goings at Hogwarts,Harry and Cho-Chang seem to have some kind of a teenage romance going on,Ron enters the Quidditch team(a popular wizarding sport played on broomsticks),Hagrid the half giant,and a close friend of the trio,re-appears at Hogwarts after a long mysterious disappearance,Hermione helps Harry to secretly start a club where he teaches Defence against the Dark Arts to some fellow students(since Umbridge refuses to provide them with practical training in the same).Fred and George Weasley,Ron's twin brothers in their 7th year,are having the time of their lives selling their pranks and goofy products to the students at school(they plan to open a joke shop in the near future,they're daredevils to the core).Due to circumstances,Dumbledore is made to resign from the headmaster's post.In the meantime,Harry's visions seem to get stronger and deadlier, until one of them leads Harry and his friends all the way to the Ministry of Magic.After a grueling fight with the death eaters,he once again comes face to face with the Voldemort himself,who escapes once again with the help of a loyal death eater.Dumbledore comes to the rescue of Harry.He confronts Dumbledore with his questions and Dumbledore reveals a disturbing secret to Harry,about why Voldemort wants him dead..Thus ends his 5th year at Hogwarts.
About the Book
A lot seems to be going on at the same time,in the book. This makes the book fast paced( you'll finish reading it in a breeze,despite the 766 pages).But the numerous new names and many events might leave the reader somewhat confused.
There are lots of differences in the book compared to its predecessors.For one,Harry is more angrier and has frequent raging outbursts.He is projected as a typical teen facing usual teen crises,like his constant struggle to create a good impression on his crush,his jealousy because Ron is a prefect etc.
Dumbledore has a near disappearance throughout the book,he's present very rarely,except for the last few chapters.The smaller characters,mostly Harry's friends Ginny Weasley,Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood(how Rowling has come up with interesting names like that baffles me) are given a good amount of importance and have somewhat crucial roles to play.The character of Umbridge is well-etched.On some occasions,Dobby the house-elf,also Harry's friend makes an appearance.The mannerisms in which Rowling describes the behaviour of these elves is rather interesting..example,the way in which the elf punishes himself for saying something that he wasn't supposed to. Also,the inter-house Quidditch matches that are normally prominent in the HP books, have taken a back-seat.The scenes between Umbridge and the vice-principal Minerva McGonagall,do nothing less than highly amusing the readers.
The feeble yet subtle romantic moments in Harry's life are surely a new addition that might continue in the next two books one can't help but wonder who his new crush will be. Any guesses?
Final Verdict
For a not-so-decent price,HP and the Order of the Phoenix is surely a good buy if you are a Harry Potter fan.(Me, I'm a self-confessed die-hard HP fanatic) The language of the book is simple enough for children to follow, yet it is such that adults are equally hooked to it. Creativity and imagination at its best. The question is,why is it so popular world over?
The answer could well lie in the fact that the book takes the readers into a fascinating,enchanting,magical world where one boy has triumphed against the greatest evil force there ever was. Escapism? Maybe. Sure,the magical world has its share of evils(not to mention dirty politics and corruption)just like the real world..but the ultimate triumph of hope and love over evil is truly what has earned Harry Potter(hence Rowling)the appreciation and popularity that others can just dream of but never achieve.
Conclusion
As of now,I'm still reeling under the book's hangover.Whats more,I had a dream last night,about Voldemort chasing me & I wasn't even Harry Potter :))
To conclude,all I can say is..its gonna be a long wait till the next book in the series is out in bookstores.
So till then,happy reading and yes,get ready to be charmed!!
