communication breakdown

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (2000)

[ 9 / 10 ] With the highly-anticipated fourth entry in her series about everyone's favorite boy wizard, J.K. Rowling has upped the ante considerably, producing a much more thorough and compelling novel than all of its predecessors. Undoubtedly it was a risky venture to write a "children's book" that spanned more than 750 pages - many younger readers and casual fans are likely to be turned off by the size alone. However, those who do brave the book's girth will find a highly entertaining and imaginative novel which opens exciting new doors for the Potter franchise...

The 4th installment is in essence focused around a single event - the resurrection of the Triwizard Tournament, an ancient competition between the three main wizarding schools. Hogwarts is the host school, while the others send a contingent of possible competitors to stay at Hogwarts for the length of the contest. The other two schools - Beauxbatons and Durmstrang - are new to us as readers, but they are both a large part of this story. However, we might as well refer to them as France and Germany, because everything about the students reflect these nationalities. This is one of my (few) gripes about the book, that the visiting competitors were cookie-cutter stereotypes; it would have been nice if Rowling infused as much creativity into these characters as she does with every other part of the novel.

Renown for its difficulty and danger, and ended long ago for causing the death of too many competitors, the Tournament has been reopened by the heads of the three schools, with new restrictions to improve safety. The most notable of which is that only 6th year students and above may compete, eliminating Potter & Co. All potential contestants must add their name into the Goblet of Fire, an impartial "judge" which will select one name from each school to act as Champion and compete in the tournament. When the Goblet acts unpredictibly, the contest is thrown into a lurch and the stakes increase considerably.

The Tournament is comprised of three tasks, each separated by several months in order to give the Champions a chance to prepare. These tasks, and the preparation for them, account for much of the novel's size. While I will not reveal the nature of the three tasks, I will say that they are some of the many examples that the author's penchant for imagination and creativity is still alive and well. However, since most readers will likely have digested the first three novels in the series, note that plenty of familiar elements are here - the annual arrival of a new Dark Arts teacher, the sometimes-turbulent friendship of The Potter Trio, conflicts with Malfoy, bad ideas from Hagrid, and even a little Quidditch in the opening chapters.

Another primary focus of the book which is worth mentioning is the Dark Arts. For the first time the students have a (new) Defnese Against the Dark Arts teacher who is highly knowledgeable about the use and counter-use of Dark Magic. In addition, Voldemort and his followers begin to take on a major role. Harry begins the book with a dream about Voldemort which affects him for the rest of the novel. Shortly after, Harry and his friends attend the Quidditch World Cup, and mayhem ensues afterwards when someone conjures Voldemort's personal symbol in the sky for all to see. Many discussions occur throughout the book about the Dark Lord's followers: who was convicted, who was sentenced to prison, who avoided prison, who renounced Voldemort, who still serves him. There is more danger and more evil in this book than any of the others.

In many ways, "The Goblet of Fire" represents a turning point for our young protagonist and his friends. They have reached the midpoint of their studies, and as they begin to inch closer to their wizarding exams, their lessons become more serious and focused. The children are also reaching adolescence, and thus are beginning to develop emotional and relational maturity. The book also concludes with a shift in the battle between good and evil - one which I will not reveal here, except to note that it is both exciting and chilling.

A book of this size is likely to either bore you to tears or keep your eyes glued to the pages, and luckily Rowling does not disappoint. I picked up the book one night with about 150 pages left to read, and could not put it down until I was done. Gone are the charm and innocence of the early entries of this series - they have been replaced with a more captivating, robust world in which the characters are more complete, motivations are more obscure, decisions are more difficult, and consequences are more severe. The ending will leave you hungry for more, which is exactly what you'll get, since the 5th novel is even bigger than this one. I only hope that it is as enjoyable of a read.