December Daily: Harry Potter on its own merits

[resonant]

james asks: Which (if any) Harry Potter book is the best totally on its own, with no meta or context or fanfic to bolster it up?

First I eliminated Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. They're too tied up in the 7-book arc to be accessible to someone who hasn't read the rest of the books, and frankly they needed some editing that they didn't get. If you weren't already in love with the universe and the characters, I'm not sure you'd read them and say, "These are good books."

Then I eliminated Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone, because if you take it on its own instead of with its series, it's a children's book. It's the door into everything we all loved, but taken on its own, there's not enough to it.

At that point, left with Books 2 through 5, I was at a loss. So I punted the question to the kidlet, who just re-read the whole series last month.

After some thought (but not really very much thought), the kidlet said, "Prisoner of Azkaban. Because Voldemort doesn't dominate the whole plot. He's part of the worldbuilding."

Also: the Marauders in person, and their relationship with Snape; Dementors and Patronuses or possibly Patroni; Buckbeak; Time-Turners ...

I can't disagree.


Go here to add your own question.


1.
2.
3. mific: Do you enjoy Christmas more, or less, now the kidlet's older?
4. armadillo1976: Dec 4. From the perspective of a parent of a big(ish) kid, what do you remember most/best from the time your kid was 1-2?
(Asking as a mom of a 1.5 year old, terrified that she is going to forget all the love and beauty and mess of these times...)
5. grammarwoman: what's a go-to comfort meal for you?
6. cesperanza: What three things do you find unexpectedly sexy?
7. jesse_the_k: What's a garment that's well-loved by fandom, to the point of fanonization, that you really don't care for. Examples might be Fraser's hat; Ronon's gun; Sherlock's coat...
8. monanotlisa: What's the hardest thing to write for you, and how do you get around it and yet write it?
9. china_shop: Thoughts about writing original fic vs writing fanfic, whether it's different processes, different feelings (or the same process, and the same feelings), or whatever.
10. julad: What was publishing Exog like for you? The good, the not so good, the unexpected.
11. reginagiraffe: what was the best birthday present you ever got? (You can supply your own definition of "best".)
12. james: Is there a tv show or movie that you would pay a billion dollars to get either a re-working of an episode or a sequel to? (It might not cost that much. Millions.) Because sometimes fanfic isn't enough, you just need to see it on-screen.
13. mific: If you had to give up one of your 5 senses (you know, to save Atlantis or Benton Fraser's life, or suchlike), which would it be and why?
14. james: Which (if any) Harry Potter book is the best totally on its own, with no meta or context or fanfic to bolster it up?
15. james: Who is the most obscure composer, band, or individual musician that you adore?
16. zulu: best vacation/break you ever had?
17.
18. kass: What do you enjoy most about parenting a kidlet of this age?
19. kass: what fannish character is bringing you the most joy right now?
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25.
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27. muccamukk: Moments in canon that still emotionally resonate with you, many years later.
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Comments

[out_there]

Huh. Interesting.

I've never actually read the books -- I read the first, years ago, and never got around to reading the others. But I've recently discovered I can borrow ebooks from my library and read them on my phone, so I think that's a good excuse to try the series.

[amalthia]

I thought the 3rd book was most accessible/stand alone. Though the 4th is a close second in this regard.

[miella]

I waited until they were all out, then binged them all in a month. I still couldn't tell you what happened in which book, but I was glad I didn't space them out, because I probably wouldn't have finished the series that way. Apparently their WIP game would not have been strong enough!

[james]

I still have not read the Half-Blood Prince. :-) No reason, just never got around to it.

[watersword]

Yeah, Prisoner of Azkaban is the only book in the series that I actually like. The rest of I put up with for fandom.

[out_there]

I have limited patience for WIPs, unfortunately. Having to wait a few years between books does not suit me. (Unless it's something like the Discworld series, where it's a series but each book is a stand-alone story. If it's The Wheel of Time -- or any other huge sprawling story -- I lose track of people and lose interest.)

Even Hunger Games only worked so well for me because I read it after all books were published and could binge-read.

[resonant]

I never actually read book 7, just listened to the audiobook on one long, long drive down to North Carolina.

In one way, a well-done audiobook can be an improvement over print, since the reader can do things like provide distinct voices for characters who've been written to sound alike. The reader for the HP books does a great job of interpreting accents.

But on the other hand, a scene or section that would drag a little in print really drags in an audiobook, where you can't read faster or skim if you're getting bored.

[resonant]

I like them all better in the rosy glow of memory than I did while I was reading them.

And I like them better having read some of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians knockoff series, which is so arid by comparison.

[resonant]

I agree.