communication breakdown

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) (1999)

[ 9 / 10 ] The third book in the Harry Potter series is without a doubt the best thus far. The tone of the book is significantly darker than the first, and definitely has a more "grown-up" feel to it. Any adults who have lost their sense of youth and have avoided this series because they are "kids' books", take heed: such claims no longer hold any water...

The books opens with familiar beginnings - Harry's dreaded summer days at the Dursleys'. In his younger days, Harry had bided his tongue and accepted the constant abuse and neglect from his adopted family. But from the start we see a new, older Harry Potter - he's nearly 13, almost a teenager, and beginning to develop that sense of independence to go along with his "healthy disregard for the rules". A visit from Uncle Vernon's sister, who says some some horrible things about Harry's parents, pushes him to the boiling point: he has had enough. Harry packs his things and leaves home in the middle of the night, carrying his trunk and owl behind him.

This seems serious enough, since he has nowhere to go. But Harry eventually makes his way to the wizarding world only to find out that his problems are just beginning - Sirius Black, a murderous criminal who has spent 12 years in the wizard prison of Azakaban, has escaped. Even worse is the reason he supposedly escaped: to kill Harry Potter...

Harry and crew make their way to Hogwarts and find some big changes. There are two new professors - the mysterious Professor Lupin, who Harry & Co. meet on the train, and Hagrid, who is teaching Care For Magical Creatures. Perhaps the biggest change, however, are the presence of the Azkaban guards, terrifying creatures who are posted at every entrance to Hogwarts in search of Sirius Black. Their chilling presence puts a damper on the magical innocence of the school.

The guards, and the persistent thought of Black's escape, provide a constant sense of tension for the students and readers alike. Just as we start to forget that Black is somewhere out there on the loose, something happens and and we realize how frightening it is to spend every minute looking over your shoulder.

All of the elements that made the first two books such a success are still here - the relationship between Harry/Ron/Hermione, the feud between Potter and Malfoy, the eccentric professors, and even quidditch. For those who love the quidditch aspect of the books, you will not be disappointed - it is definitely given more focus here than in either of the previous books. Concerning professors, the two which we see the most are Lupin and Professor Trelawney, the Divination teacher. Trelawney is either a gifted seer or a nutty quack, depending on who you ask. She makes crazy predictions throughout the book, and noone likes going to her class - but it seems that there's more to her than meets the eye.

Lupin really steals the show as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. It doesn't hurt that he actually knows what he's doing, which is a welcome change from his predecessors, Lockhart and Quirrell. More importantly, however, is that he is a warm and compassionate Professor - he takes a real liking to Harry, and seems to understand him. He volunteers his personal time to help Potter with a personal problem and the relationship that forms between them is the first real bond we've seen between student and professor (with the exception of Potter and Dumbledore, which I consider to be of a different nature altogether).

Another sign that the children are growing up is that they are starting to show some real emotions, seen here through the feud between Ron and Hermione that persists for a large portion of the book. This is different than the teasing which we see in the first book - there are real emotions involved here, as both are upset and blame the other for the problems (with Harry caught in the middle). I think this is an excellent addition for the character development of the Trio, because it really develops their friendship as being multi-dimensional - every good friendship has trials, and becomes stronger as a result of them.

What I like best about this book are the several major questions which appear early on, but aren't answered till the end, leaving you wondering and guessing throughout the story. What is the deal with the myserious Lupin, and what is his relationship with Snape? What is the truth behind Trelawney's predictions? Why does Harry keep seeing bad omens throughout the story? How does Hermione stay on top of all her coursework, when she's taking several more classes than everyone else? And last but not least - where in the world is Sirius Black?

I want to throw in a comment here about two other characters which I really like - Fred and George Weasley. I'm not often a fan of characters in a film or book which are just there for comic relief. But I'm willing to make an exception for these two, because they are just so darn funny. And I don't mean smile-and-maybe-laugh-to-yourself funny, I'm talking about laugh-out-loud funny. I'm pretty sure that I had a good laugh every time these guys had a line in the book, which is a fair amount in the early parts of the story. Plus, I get the feeling that these two are going to take on more significance down the road in other books. But at this point in the evolution of the story, they're just pure fun, and I'm OK with that.

In conclusion, everything you want in a story is here. Action and adventure. Laughter. Genuine suspense and a great story. Excellent, imaginative writing (i.e., the Marauder's Map!). There's even an ending which isn't perfectly wrapped up with a hopelessly happy ending, which I can respect - we know there's more books in the series, so why must every book be a story unto itself? I loved this story, and I'm really excited to see what J.K. Rowling has in store for the rest of this series...