Hatrack River Forum: OSC's review of Harry Potter!

This is topic OSC's review of Harry Potter! in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Brian J. Hill (Member # 5346) on :

I know there's a bunch of you who don't often visit the other side, so I thought I'd link to it here.

Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :

That's cruel! Brian, that was LOW.

Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :

Well, in all fairness to Brian, it was short-term cruelty and lowness... [Wink]

Because it's up on the Rhinocerous Times site now. (Yeah, it's there - he saved it for the end.)

Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :

And it has spoilers aplenty, but he gives more than fair warning first.

Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :

Ugh... the Other Side. I would not stoop to sully myself.

Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :

An OSC review with spoilers? Crap, that means I can't read this one. I'm only on the fourth Harry Potter book. [Grumble]

Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :

Ok. Let's get down to business here.

*********SPOILERS LIKE CRAZY****************
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A) OSC thinks that Dumbledore isn't dead....I don't believe that because I think Harry will have to face Voldemort alone. There's a line in the book that says

quote:

And Harry saw very clearly as he sat there under the hot sun how people who cared about him had stood in front of him one by one, his mother, his father, his godfather, and finally Dumbledore, all determined to protect him; but now that was over. He could not let anyone else stand between him and Voldemort;

I think that Harry will have to do this himself. The loss is real, and the meaning of Book 6 would disappear for me if Dumbledore cropped up and saved the day at the end of book 7. Doesn't Book 6 seem like Dumbledore is just getting things ready for his departure? I don't think he would worry about preparing Harry if he knew that he could leap up and protect him when all is said and done.

OSC's talk of the phoenix is rather convincing though, but I'm going to hold my ground on this one (until I'm proven wrong, but then no one will care that I was wrong. [Smile]

)

B) He mentions that Snape gave Harry what he would need to fight Voldemort by emphasizing the nonverbalized spells and use of occulemency. This is SO true, and another reason that I can't believe Snape is bad. He actually did good work as Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. He taught them about the spells and you notice later that they're writing about how to deal with Dementors. (Even though Harry disagrees with Snape about that....hm. That could be meaningful.) I think Snape worked this year to prepare them all and Rowling couldn't show us very much of that, because then we'd know for sure that he's a good guy. [Smile]

This is the first book where the emphasis was taken OFF of the DaDa class.

C) OSC thinks that Harry's scar is a horcrux. Ugh. I know we've had this discussion before, but nothing that Dumbledore taught Harry about Horcruxes supports that. That would mean that it was an 'accidental' horcrux and I just don't think that's what they're all about. Voldemort liked trophies. He would have had an object prepared to be the Horcrux caused by James'/Lily's/Harry's death, not have created one accidentally out of the flesh of someone he was supposed to have killed. So I don't agree with that one, but that's only until I'm proven wrong again. And again, I don't think anyone will care by then. [Smile]

Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :

Once again, Narnia makes my point much better than I would have myself...:grumbles: [Smile]

I might be leaning toward point C, though.

Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :

Has OSC been ignoring our HP speculation thread? I mean, we've dealt with many of these points in a way I think is quite logical...

Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :

Agreed...but it is rather a daunting read, don't you think? [Smile]

Posted by MandyM (Member # 8375) on :

Daunting read certainly! It took me longer to read that thread than it did to read the book.

Posted by Starr R (Member # 8361) on :

quote:
It took me longer to read that thread than it did to read the book.

Same here! I'm still reading my way through that thread. Some fascinating stuff there.

Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :

I have to admit that I lost momentum around the 14th page. That was after a few weeks of following it pretty carefully.

Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :

Narnia, that's basically my entire theory about book six in a nutshell. Thank you for describing it so eloquently. [Smile]

Those are exactly the things in OSC's review that stood out to me too.