J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter--two names I even detested muttering some one month ago. Just the very mention of them by my Rowling-devotee mates had my facial muscles twitching and contorting and a

snide comment would quite involutarily follow ’’Can’t you lot grow up? Still indulging in those fairy tails..uggh!!’’ I didn’t know at that time that one month further down the lane, I would be one of those gazillion aficionados burning the midnight oil vying to read just that large page till eyeballs became soringly red (So now you know the reason behind my short decamp, don’t you?).

Without further ado, let me review all of them one by one and re-fresh my memory in the process with the beautiful world of witchcraft and wizardry which resides in these writings...

.::Harry potter and the Philospher’s Stone...the tale revisited::.

Probably no human reading this review would be oblivious of this wonderful first tale which starts with the handing over of a scarhead baby at the doorstep of no.4, Privet Drive. It then moves on to reveal that the real hero of this story is this scarhead itself--namely Harry Potter, who though adopted by his mother’s sister (Aunt Petunia) and her husband (Uncle Vernon), lives a lonely, cornered life full of abandonment, ridicule and rejection. Residing in a dingy cupboard under the stairs, his life takes a complete turnaround as letters from nowhere start barging into the house. Grossly irritated by the sudden influx of these mysterious mails, Uncle Vernon Dursley finally decides to go into a far-flung sea-bathed island. But alas, the message in the mail has to be given to 11 year old Harry, and it is indeed disposed by a giant of a being--Hagrid, who unfurls the mystery behind Harry’s scar, the murder of his parents by Lord Voldemort (the darkest wizard of the century reduced to practically nothing after the curse he had inflicted on Harry rebounded on him) and informs him, that the boy indeed is a ’’wizard’’, and needs to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to polish his skills (which Harry is all too happy to accept!).

What remains ahead is a world never seen, felt or heard of. A world of witchcraft and wizardry that lurks quite parallel to the normal Muggle (non-magic people)-inflicted domain, albeit invisibly.

And it all really doesn’t end here. The Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft is a dream castle full of objects both intimidating and enchanting. Sorting, that’s done by a singing hat, subjects that revolve around potions and transfigurations, mirrors that show the heart’s deepest desires fulfilled and games that are played on broomsticks, its exactly the stuff dreams are made of. But amidst all this, lies a stone, an elixir of life that, even though guarded fabulously is in danger of possession by the Dark Lord who hopes to regain his lost power by obtaining it. And there’s one person who can stop this...is he successful? Read the book for the answers.

.::The analysis revisited::.

Storytelling: ****

If in one word, I had to sum up the storytelling, it would be ’’Magical’’. Its so virtual, yet the expertise of the author is such, that the book in no time embraces you with its utter simplicity. As the reader is as oblivious of the oncoming new world of Hogwarts as the main protagonist Harry, within no time it hooks as the boy with the scar slowly discovers this world. The author’s first step, undeniably is to present Potter as a hero, and that is very smoothly done by provoking sympathy in the reader’s psyche with Harry dealt as an outcast in the first few pages. In fact, this pain of parent-loss does form the real soul of the book, and Rowling does ensure that it remains etched in the reader’s mind, book after book, page after page.

And then the author simply transforms the book into a prelude to the magic-world, which of course appeals heavily for it holds the key to the reader’s wildest fantasies and whims. And she doesn’t shy away from trying every trick in the book by making it wilder with every turning page. In a slick-paced narrative, she immaculately touches the heart in the episode where Harry comes across as the Mirror of Erised (the yearning that Harry displays for his parents is so wonderfully realised!) and pumps up the reader’s adrenaline in her specklessly original descriptions of Quidditch and the feverishly adventurous climax.

What also makes the whole reading experience wonderful are the fleeting, playful references that this book makes to history, legend and literature. Its just a matter of discovering that you realise this work is not another figment of imagination. Not only does it have some deep-seeded roots in the form of phoenixes, centaurs, goblins, elves, trolls, the names of magicians (Did you know that Nicholas Flamel was indeed a historical alchemist?), but the very concepts of magic, sorcery and alchemy date back to the ancient Egypt and Arab world, and what Rowling does is simply sew this ancient science of magic into a modern world and blooms up a winning, never-seen-before combination which can’t be shrugged off as yet another ’’Alice in Wonderland’’.

Characterisation: ***

Just observing the crispness and the slickness of the Philospher’s Stone means that except for Harry’s character, no other character is really delved into. As this book forms a preamble to a gigantic series, the author spends almost all the pages building the new world of wizardry around the reader and makes him drink the characters as they are. Very simplistic, uni-dimensional and inflexible, the characterisation is purposely kept simple to make it all appear straightforward.

So the reason behind the stern-ness of Professor Snape or McGonagall is practically unknown, though the cuteness and child-like innocence of Harry’s two buddies-- the silly Ron and the intelligent Hermione, who play a pivotal part right towards the climax is absolutely wonderful. Ditto for the warmness that Hagrid and Dumbledore exude and the wrath that Draco Malfoy fires.

Literary Value: ****

There’s absolutely no wonder that Rowling is a writer par excellence. Although her style had me intimidated at first, just watching her use different speech styles to differentiate between the characters, her conviction in applying absolute terminology-laden language to make the whole tale believable and her graphical style to make it all plausible is something that deserves nothing short of accolades. So if you have a wild imagination, there couldn’t be a better treat for your grey cells.

.::The final words revisited::.

First published in 1997, The Philospher’s Stone still retains almost all the sheen that it encompassed 6 years ago. However, its simplicity is its strength and its weakness. Being simply written and striking just the right balance between pace and content, magic and emotions, it makes a fabulous intoductory book to the successive, complicated titles. But, this simplicity also takes away a bit of repeat value. Atleast I can’t imagine myself reading it all over, for, on a retrospect it is fictitious and consequently, cliched at places. But now with an excellent film to boot, reading Harry Potter and The Philospher’s Stone has become a tad more enjoyable (You’ll particularly enjoy nit-picking the finer details that the film jumped!) and hence remains highly recommended!!!

Happy reading, and do feel free to express yourselves in the comments section till I re-apparate with another Harry Potter review...watsay?

Shanti:::Karan

Plot Revealed In The Review:	Somewhat revealed
Purchase Price (INR):	GBP 6.99 (Rs.500)
Purchased From:	Internet