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Book Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) (2003)

[ 8 / 10 ] With the release of the fifth book in the Potter series, J.K. Rowling ups the ante from the critically-acclaimed "Goblet of Fire", both in length and depth. It is quite voluminous at 870 pages (certainly not for the faint of heart), but for the most part, the pages are utilized effectively. "Phoenix" represents a leap forward for the series, particularly in terms of character development. Rowling expounds upon the vast mythology laid down in the fourth book, and turns out a novel rich in danger, mystery, and most of all, relationships...

WARNING: Spoilers below...

At the close of the fourth book, Harry had won the Triwizard Tournament, and had successfully fought off Voldemort yet again, despite witnessing first-hand the death of one of his fellow students. That experience alone would be traumatic for such a young boy, but to make matters worse, the fifth book begins by painting us the picture of a troubled wizarding world. Danger is everywhere, as Voldemort plans his return behind-the-scenes. Mysteries abound, as people seem to act under the pretense of bizarre motives and intentions. And if that wasn't enough, the majority of wizardkind seems to deny that anything is wrong. Through Voldemort's masterful deception, and the ulterior motives of the Minister of Magic, very few people seem to believe Harry's story about the return of the Dark Lord. He struggles with this burden for most of the book, unable to convince the world, including most of his schoolmates, that he is not lying. As a result, Harry often feels alone throughout the novel. It is in dealing with these bouts of isolation that we see Harry begin to mature.

Despite the problems swarming around them, our main characters have plenty of time for self-development. Ron really comes into his own as an individual apart from his brothers. Hermione reveals deeper seeds of loyalty for her friends than we've yet seen, as well as her depth of caring for other creatures. Other characters develop too - we learn a lot more about Fred and George Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Cho Chang, among others.

But as expected it is Harry who develops into a more complete character than all the rest. Perhaps more than the other four books combined, we really get to peer into the mind of Harry Potter, and explore all of his feelings. Harry truly runs the gamut of emotions throughout the course of the book: joy mixed with anxiety as he experiences his first crush, the pressure of upcoming exams, anger towards authority figures for treating him like a child, confusion stemmed from an incomplete understanding of his role in current events, and extreme sadness as he copes with the loss of someone close to him. As a character study, "Phoenix" is an excellent portrait of the complex feelings that every adolescent feels, especially one who is conflicted with a difficult life.

Futility seems to be a theme throughout the book. From start to finish, it seems that nothing ever goes as hoped for our young trio. Most of the time, things fall apart completely - from failed relationships, to horrible new teachers, to Quidditch, and so on. In the course of a single book, Harry is almost expelled, constantly yelled at, tortured, banned from Quidditch, ignored, lied to, accused of lying, nearly torn apart by magical creatures, attacked by dangerous murderers, and forced to cope with death. How much can one boy stand? I don't have many things to pick on in a book of such high quality, but I must say that I tend to not enjoy stories where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. But that's exactly what happens in "Phoenix" for most of the novel.

While I'm on the subject of criticisms, I might also add that it takes quite a long while before anything of substance happens in this novel, so long that I started questioning whether or not the action was ever going to pick up. Rest assured that it does, and it eventually pays off with yet another thrilling and powerful climax in which the author draws upon the depth of the world she has created to paint a harrowing portrait of good versus evil. But to reach this point requires a bit of patience on the part of the reader, which (to be fair) is not uncommon with a book of this length. Just be prepared that the pace of this book is much more deliberate than all of the previous entries.

All in all, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is an excellent read, and like all of the novels in this series, you are likely to fly through the pages, despite the intimidating size of the book. J.K. Rowling has a unique talent for combining wonderfully creative imagery with a highly-entertaining and captivating storyline, and as such, the fans keep coming back for more. She leaves us not so much with a cliffhanger as an ominous warning for things to come. Though hard to believe, it is possible that Book 6 could hold even darker and more difficult times for Harry Potter. We can only hope that the development which he and his friends expeienced in this book will serve them well in the future.