quote:Originally posted by Farmgirl: I can't do that.
Because to me it is all one, long, complete story. I pick any out would just seem --- weird.
FG
Same here. Her writing style is getting better as the books go on, but there's also the fact that I've read the first three more often than I've read the later ones, so the later ones still seem kind of new and exciting. I could never choose a favorite or put them in order, though.
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Prisoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire and Half-Blood Prince are tied for me Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Order of the PhoenixPosts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I do enjoy the darker tone to the newer books, but I really miss the sense of wonder in the mundane. And the last two books were so repetitive; there were long stretches of the books that I wanted to end so I could get on with the story. None of these books needs to be 800 pages, she just needs an editor again.
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Funny, the New York times review I read of HBP applauded her 'slower' jaunt through the characters and story-telling this time around. They said it's part of what made her writing more for adults.
I disagree with that, but it's my own personal tastes. From posting back and forth with OSC about why I like and don't like certain of his books, I discovered that I like the plot. I like it when stuff happens. HBP was rather disappointing at times because I'd look and say "Wow. I only have 200 pages left. Nothing has really happened!" I think that's also why I like Goblet of Fire and this particular reviewer didn't. GoF was CRAMMED with stuff happening and the reviewer called it something like 'frantic.' Different strokes I guess.
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Yea HBP was slow until the end. I personally don't mind books like that because I like to use books as an escape to another world and even the slow parts do that for me - as long as they're not too slow of course. Someone told me that the first five chapters of Eye of the World were slow and hard to get through, but I didn't find them to be so because it was setting up a background for more necessary things.
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I felt the same way about Fellowship of the Ring. Everyone harped on and on about how slow that one was, and I loved it. The detail and relationships were wonderful.
Hm. Maybe I'm not a plot person. Maybe I'm only a plot person when I'm reading the 6th book in a series and am dying to know how it's going to turn out. (Incidentally, I was referring to Heartfire vs. Crystal City in my last post and it falls into the same category. I'm impatient when it comes to plot in a long series.) Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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I also thought Fellowship was the best of the series. Doesn't everyone? It's not the slowness that bothers me, it's the hammering home of the same point over and over again. Ok, I get it, can we move on please?
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You mean in HBP? What point was that if you don't mind my asking? (I can't remember, I need to read it again.)
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Haha, I had issues with FotR. I could not get through it, but that was a few years ago. I even had issues getting through The Two Towers and I haven't gotten back into it. (I left off at the spider part, which is exciting, but still).
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(Holy Cow, you're almost at the end! You've got to press forward into Return of the King!! It's so worth it, for heaven's sake!)
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I know I know, I have them sitting in my room and they're on my list of books to read, they just get pushed aside when I find things like OSC books that I've never read or new HP books. Someday, someday...
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3 Prisoner of Azkaban 4 Goblet of Fire 6 Half Blood Prince 1 Sorcerer's Stone 2 Chamber of Secrets 5 Order of the Phoenix
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You can't stop at Shelob!!! That's the very end of the boring crap! I could barely get past Fellowship and the first book of Two Towers. Books 4, 5 and 6 in Lord of the Rings are the best ones! Power through!
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6 Half Blood Prince 3 Prisoner of Azkaban 4 Goblet of Fire 1 Sorcerer's Stone 2 Champber of Secrets 5 Order of the Phoenix (Harry was such a Prat! Understandably, but he was still a prat.)
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1. Prisoner of Azkaban (because I love Lupin so much, and Sirius also) 2. Half-Blood Prince (because it was generally excellent) 3. Sorcerer's Stone 4. Order of the Phoenix (sometimes I like OotP better than SS) 5. Goblet of Fire 6. Chamber of Secrets
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Hmmmm that's pretty hard! I just feel the story is still incomplete. In order of enjoyment maybe...
PoA (I loved the time turner) OotP (more fun with Sirius) HBP SS GoF CoS (which is the one JKR says has the most hints about what is to come so I have to read it again!)
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"I do enjoy the darker tone to the newer books, but I really miss the sense of wonder in the mundane. And the last two books were so repetitive; there were long stretches of the books that I wanted to end so I could get on with the story."
I really agree with this. The 1st one is full of wonders and gives you the warm, fuzzy feeling inside. The last 3 had better plots and were more interesting. Prizoner was just plain awesome. And I never really liked #2. I guess my order is: #3 #1 #5 #4 #6 #2
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Yours and mine are almost identical bev. Just switch the last two and we're twins! (And actually we might already be twins. I can't decide which I would put in last place.)
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quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: You can't stop at Shelob!!! That's the very end of the boring crap! I could barely get past Fellowship and the first book of Two Towers. Books 4, 5 and 6 in Lord of the Rings are the best ones! Power through!
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Prisoner of Azkaban was so far and away my favorite I can't really put the others on order.
Well, that is not true. The first one is my next favorite.
Harry is on a journey that I had to take/have taken, having lost a parent when I was too young to remember, and PoA hit that nerve most stronglty in me. Aside from a song by Crow Greenspun called "It's No Secret," no one else has ever come as close to the feelings I have had about this.
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POA is definitely my favorite, and GoF probly comes in close second. HBP is good, but I think I'd have to reread it a couple times before I know where it stands. OoP was good, but I just can't get through it again, it's too painful, so I don't really know where it stands with HBP.
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No one has gotten the exact order I would place them in (at this particular moment...it changes all the time) either. Really close, but not quite identical.
Prisoner of Azkaban Half-Blood Prince Goblet of Fire Sorcerer's Stone Chamber of Secrets Order of the Phoenix
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Goblet of Fire Prisoner of Azkaban Philosopher's Stone Order of the Phoenix Chamber of Secrets
And I haven't yet read Half-Blood Prince, but I'm told it's quite possibly the best one yet. I'm currently in 1077th position on the waiting list at the library. Yesterday it was 1106, so this is an improvement.
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Prisoner (Always my favorite) Prince (Liked what Jo did with it) Goblet (Triwizard Competition!) Stone (Oldie but Goodie) Order (Okay plot, but jeez Harry...) Chamber (Just never was real fond of it)
Some people have similar lists to mine, but none are identical...yet...
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Prisoner of Azkaban Half-Blood Prince Order of the Phoenix Sorceror's Stone Goblet of Fire Chamber of Secrets
My opinion of Goblet of Fire is irreparably tainted by the sheer dripping idiocy of the plot. It has one of the biggest plotholes in all of children's fantasy, which is really saying something.
(It's like Batman Begins; the film was done well, but the scheme at the center of the plot was mind-numbingly dumb.)
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I have more or less the same order as Tom! Hurrah! (Our three and four are switched around; but as I said earlier, my three and four are sometimes the other way round.)
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Prisoner of Azkaban Half-Blood Prince Order of the Phoenix (Dumbledore blasting away Fudge and a couple of Aurors makes this book for me) Goblet of Fire Chamber of Secrets Philosopher's Stone
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quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: My opinion of Goblet of Fire is irreparably tainted by the sheer dripping idiocy of the plot. It has one of the biggest plotholes in all of children's fantasy, which is really saying something.
(It's like Batman Begins; the film was done well, but the scheme at the center of the plot was mind-numbingly dumb.)
I may be an idiot, but what's the problem with GoF? Sorry, it's been awhile since I read it.
I got the plot hole with Batman but still thought it was a great movie.
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The Prisoner of Azkaban; The Goblet of Fire; The Half-Blood Prince; The Philosopher's Stone; The Chamber of Secrets; The Order of the Phoenix.
I liked the cange of dynamics and style in the Goblet of Fire, but the problem is that it still has an empty middle. Nothing happens there. The Order of the PHoenix is even more so, where she wasted hundreds of pages for writing fluff.
But the Half-Blood Prince is better in the sense that you actually know what happens; though my greatest joy was reading the Prisoner of Azkaban.
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quote: I may be an idiot, but what's the problem with GoF? Sorry, it's been awhile since I read it.
SPOILER WARNING! . . . The whole plot hinges upon the idea that Voldemort has arranged for one of his Death-Eaters to infiltrate the school as a teacher. Voldemort resolves to bring Harry to him so he can complete the ritual needed to return him to power, and arranges for a portkey to be created that leads to his destination.
The object chosen for the portkey, inexplicably, is the enormously well-guarded Triwizard Trophy, which Harry won't have the opportunity to touch unless he wins it. In order for Harry to touch the trophy, it is necessary for Voldemort's agent to sneak Harry's name into the tournament, cheat on Harry's behalf, and use his lessons as a trusted teacher to ensure his victory. And even then, Harry actually ties and nearly loses, meaning that someone else is teleported along with Harry to the ritual grounds (where Voldemort, knowing the hour of the tournament, has been forced to prepare for Harry's possible victory due to the fact that he too is at the mercy of the Triwizard Tournament schedule.)
This is ridiculous.
Had Voldemort simply asked his agent to enchant a pencil as a portkey, and then asked that agent to wait for a time Voldemort wished to perform the ritual, and then simply had that agent ask Harry into his office and, while there, ask Harry to bring him a pencil, the entire plot of the book would not have had to have happened.
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But that's the whole point, Dvonstod; that way the book is twice as "interesting" because everything just fits in. Similarly if you tonate a bomb when it's 1 second from asploding.
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GoF explained why there couldn't be a portkey on the Hogwarts grounds... some magical countercurse.. How the Triwizard cup just so happened to be able to be one.... beats me.. Or it's been a while since I've read it.
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I agree there would be a lot easier ways to get to Harry, but I think LV likes to spread as much terror as possible and make a big show of things. Harry messed things up by living. All the HP books have a kind of Scooby Doo feeling were the evil plots are needlessly complicated and the only ones smart enough to stop them are three meddlesome kids.
Of course JKR was also trying to make it fun and interesting. Sometimes you just can't analyze things too much, you have to sit back and enjoy the ride as long as it maintains your suspension of disbelief. I didn’t have this problem with GoF, I thought it was within the character of LV to arrange something like that.
War of the worlds wasn't a very good movie for a lot of reasons but mainly you couldn't believe that one man would be that lucky. But on the other hand it wouldn't be a very interesting story if he is killed after ten minutes
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OK so I have some free time on my hands... I thought it would be fun to do anyway.
This is the overall favorites of the books based on all your answers. I calculated them by basically giving 6 points to the first book 5 points to the second book and so on. I gave 1 point to the books that haven't been read yet.
Here they are:
Prisoner of Azkaban came in first with a wopping 131 points!
Goblet of Fire came in second with 107 points
Half Blooded Prince came in third with 92
Sorcerers Stone came in fourth with 78
Order of the Pheonix came in fifth with 65 points
And Chamber of Secrets gets a low 51 points
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