Harry Potter News and Commentary
Professor Joel Hunter, one of our favorite Potter thinkers here in the pub and contributor to Harry Potter for Nerds, needs some research assistant. It’s a quick and easy survey: Rank the seven Harry Potter Books from least favorite to favorite.
Then, feel free to come back here, tell us how you ranked them, and why! Use the ranking system from the survey. 1 is least favorite, 7 is favorite.
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{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
The middle ones (place 3, 4 and 5) were very hard to place. I decided on;
1. Chamber of Secrets
2. Goblet of Fire
3. Order of the Phoenix
4. Philosopher’s Stone
5. Deathly Hallows
6. Prisoner of Azkaban
7. Half-Blood Prince
It’s easier for me to say why I like the first few the least than to say why I like the last few the best. I think the books I placed lowest, in general, contained less of a direct Voldemort threat and therefore felt less urgent. Until the climax. There was less of an ‘oh oh’ feeling throughout the book.
Azkaban and Half-Blood Prince had a lot more of a connection to Voldemort. And the reason, for me, Half-Blood Prince came out on top was that in that book we learned a lot more about Tom Riddle and therefore was a more satisfying story than Azkaban was.
As I said the middle three were harder to place for me and seemed a bit more gut feeling and random as choices.
Look forward to hearing from everyone here.
Victoria
1. Order
2. Goblet
3. Chamber
4. Philosopher’s Stone
5. Half-Blood
6. The Prisoner of A
7. The Deathly Hallows (being best)
I’ve only read them once, so I’m not too sharp on them at present. I know I LOVED the third and last one, and that in 4 and 5 I got a little bored/less interested. A little. They were long and the main three characters were a little less likeable in those, I thought.
The finish was so amazing, I had to put it there. The third book was just incredible. Tight story, wonderful all the way around. That book guaranteed I would be invested in the characters. Great series.
Oddly, I’m having trouble remembering where I put a couple of them. I did the survey a few days ago. Here’s what I *think* I did.
1. Goblet
2. Prisoner
3. Stone
4. Chamber
5. Half-Blood Prince
6. Order
7. Hallows
Order was my favorite, and it actually took a few reads through Hallows for me to finally change that. Love me some dark night of the soul story.
Chamber used to be my least favorite until HBP made me realize just how much she’d set up in that book. Goblet will probably never be unseated as least favorite, mostly because the plot still feels so forced to me.
I took the survey Thursday or Wednesday, I think.
1. Goblet
2. Half-Blood Prince
3. Sorcerer
4. Chamber
5. Azkaban
6. Order
7. Hallows
Hallows is a lock at #7. As is Order at #6. Depending on my mood, Chamber & Azkaban can flip-flop around between 4 & 5. Same with Sorcerer & HBP at 2 & 3. Goblet is pretty much always at #1. It also suffers, though, because of connections between it & the awfully bad movie bearing its name.
However, despite their ranking in relation to each other, I still overall love each book & enjoy reading each one.
I’ve never really thought about it… I guess mine would go something like this:
1. Hallows
2. Goblet
3.Chamber
4. Sorcery’s Stone
5.Order
6.Half blood
7. Prisoner
Yeah I think that would be the way I ‘d rank them
1. Half Blood Prince
2. Chamber of Secrets
3. Goblet of Fire
4. Deathly Hallows
5. Order of the Phoenix
6. Sorcerer’s Stone
7. Prisoner of Azkaban
I loved all of the books, so it was hard to rank some of them. Prisoner of Azkaban has always been my favorite. I love everything about it. I also just love Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry discovering he’s a wizard and learning about the magical world— I’m SO sentimental about all that.
Order of the Phoenix— I agree with Travis Prinzi. Love Harry’s dark night of the soul.
My least favorite has always been Half-Blood Prince— it felt too much like just a set up for the final book, with Dumbledore teaching too much. I did like Chamber, but I put it as second to last because so many things in there were so improbable— everyone seeing the basilisk through something else so no one died being the main one—-that it always bothered me.
I loved both Hallows and Goblet Hallows the better of the two.
They are all great books and it was a fabulous, stupendous series.
I think the thing that bothered me most about Chamber, which actually is enough to make me flip Stone and Chamber around, was the moment when Harry and Ron decide not to tell the whole army of Hogwarts teachers that they’ve discovered the entry to the chamber, but just Gilderoy. That still makes no sense whatsoever to me.
I did this a couple of days ago, and may I just comment how all over the map we are about our favorites? Though I will say I am temperamental about HP and my favorite often depended on my mood at the moment.
1.Order of the Phoenix
4. Goblet of Fire
3. Sorcerer’s Stone
4. Chamber of Secrets
5. Deathly Hallows
6. Half Blood Prince
7. Prisoner of Azakaban- favorite
After many conversations on this site, I have come around to Order, and it is only on the bottom because something has to be there. I like the adventure in Goblet and the chilling graveyard scene, and Rita Skeeter, which is why it edges out OOTP. But Azkaban has always been my favorite- I tended to lean toward the books which had no direct conflict with Voldemort, and enjoyed the stories with more complex villains and more puzzles to solve. Camber used to be my least favorite until listening to the audio version, which forced me to go slier and realize how much set up is in that story.
So, there’s most of my rationale, though sometimes it is hard to separate the canon into 7 books. For example, “Silver Doe” is one of the most beautiful chapters in the entire series, they Hallows is my #5. So there are gleaming elements in each book that keep that individual story from being a “waste” or just a bridge to the next one.
So there’s my 2 cents
For me:
1. Stone
2. Chamber
3. Goblet
4. Half-Blood Prince
5. Hallows
6. Order
7. Prisoner
Ah, Travis, but that’s because you look at it from the perspective of a grown man with responsibilities & family. If you were a teenage boy it would make perfect sense to ignore every other competent teacher & go to the one you’ve constantly derided as a fraud & a flop.
On the other hand, maybe it really doesn’t make any sense whatsoever….
All this makes me wonder, is there anyone who likes the books in the exact order of their publication?
Travis, I agree with you. And I couldn’t imagine that Harry, Ron, Fred and George all just went up to the common room and sat there all afternoon when they knew Ginny had been taken to the Chamber of Secrets! I think all four of them would have been tearing the school apart looking for the Chamber, even if they had no idea where it was. I think the teachers would have been doing the same, rather than just sarcastically telling Gilderoy to do it. Why didn’t Harry and Ron immediately act on what they had found in Hermione’s hand? They had discussed that the entrance might be in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom before hearing that Ginny had been taken!
I think the plot of Chamber is brilliant, but I don’t think JKR took the time and thought to make it tighter and more believable to her her readers. (I think she had baby Jessica to take care of plus was teaching French classes at that time, writing Chamber at night, so that might explain it. I think she had gone off public assistance and no longer had time to write full time in cafes.)
Mine:
1. Chamber of Secrets
2. Goblet of Fire
3. Half-Blood Prince
4. Prisoner of Azkaban
5. Order of the Phoenix
6. Philosopher’s Stone
7. Deathly Hallows
Loved all the odd-numbered books better than any of the even-numbered books.
Also, I have a very hard time choosing between Order, Stone and Hallows. Order is my favorite just for itself, for the character portrayals and, as Travis said, the ‘dark night of the soul’. Stone holds a special place in my heart for the week I spent reading it over and over again, falling in love with Harry Potter, hating the thought of taking it back to the library even to get the next book. Hallows is beloved for its resolution.
Likewise, Chamber and Goblet are sort of tied for least interesting, least re-readable (and yeah, least believable, although I find Goblet much more of a stretch than Chamber.) But even the least of these–I re-read Chamber a couple months ago and was totally blown away by how wonderful it was.
Jenna,, I also liked the odd numbered books better!
And I also go back and read the ones that are not my favorites and absolutely love them. All the literary criticism is fun and worthwhile, but the fact is that none of us would be here on a web site devoted to the books if they weren’t all amazing.
Here’s my ordering:
1. Goblet of Fire
2. Chamber of Secrets
3. Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Half-Blood Prince
5. Sorcerer’s Stone
6. Order of the Phoenix
7. Deathly Hallows
Deathly Hallows is my favorite for the combination of metaphysical and life & death issues that arise and get treated in fascinating ways. Also, Hermione is such an awesome heroine with her brilliance and bottomless handbag. Order of the Phoenix is a close second for all of the great political philosophy, rebellion, and education issues it surfaces. Then comes Sorcerer’s Stone for its perfect introduction of the Hero’s Journey and all of the key moral elements the magical trio possesses: friendship, love, courage.
HBP and POA are good in different ways and fairly interchangeable for me, and Goblet will always be my least favorite for reasons others have already noted. Chamber was the loose end that fell where it did.
I’m just back to acknowledge and apologize for the typos. Sick in bed makes for poor proofreading. I am having fun catching up with all y’all though.
Aw, no fun being sick, PotterMom05! Hope you feel better shortly. And typos happen.
phoenixsong58, yes! You’re so right.
cbiondi, we ranked ours almost exactly the same.
And I love your points about your three favorites (which I share.) DH is splendid in its treatment of death and metaphysical thought, and as PotterMom05 pointed out, it has some of the best scenes. The Silver Doe–and that awesome debate between Hermione and Xenophilius–and The Forest Again and King’s Cross, of course.
revgeorge, I seem to remember one of the Muggle- or PotterCast guys stating several years ago that he loved them in order of publication, first least, last most. I just don’t remember who it was.
Travis, thanks for linking to my survey and thanks all of you for your contributions. I will share the results in due time. Here’s a quick rundown what I’m doing with the data. I’m going to do a simple descriptive statistical analysis on the poll results. Although I know the sample will cross categories of age, gender, ethnicity and so on, my independent variable is “# of times I’ve read the entire series.” Meanwhile, I have research assistants applying a proto-structuralist analysis to each book in the series (and the series treated as a single tale) to determine how well they “fit” to the fairy tale narrative structure. We’ll see if the two data sets correlate in an attempt to answer this question: “Can we explain (at least partially) the devotion of HP readers by the books’ correspondence to fairy tale narrative structure?”
1. Goblet of Fire
2. Half-Blood Prince
3. Chamber of Secrets
4. Philosopher’s Stone
5. Prisoner of Azkaban
6. Order of the Phoenix
7. Deathly Hallows
I was a bit surprised that so many people put the Goblet of Fire as their first choice until I realized that the books were ranked from LEAST favorite to best. I am definitely with the fans of the odd numbered books.
I had to get in on this one
And now I am sitting here staring at number one and not knowing which book to put here…. I will go backwards then!
7. Deathly Hallows
6. Prizoner of Azkaban
5. Order of the Phoenix
4. Goblet of Fire
3. Half-Blood Prince
2. Philosopher’s Stone
1. Chamber of Secrets
I changed my mind twice!
I remember being slightly dissapointed in one of the books after my initial read and thought it was Half-Blood Prince, but now I am not sure. It could have been Order. Chamber of Secrets is only at the bottom because I feel emotionally attached to every book except that one. That was harder than I thought it was going to be.
Hallows is the favourite though, bar none.
Like Jenna, I favor the odds. (May the odds be ever in your favor? Oops, wrong series.)
Least favorite (although I love them all) to favorite:
1. Goblet (I had a hard time getting over the Polyjuiced Mad-Eye thing).
2. Chamber
3. Prince
4. Order (Luna is so wonderful, but the competition is pretty stiff)
5. Stone (the gateway to the Wizarding world. I read it aloud to my students every year, and the opening lines give me chills every single time. The line about the magical book that people just can’t stop reading makes me smile too. And meeting characters for the first time, all over again.)
6. Prisoner (Lupin, back story, re-examining assumptions about characters)
7. Hallows (darkness, triumph, Neville!, and further exploration of the theme of choice as introduced by Professor Dumbledore years earlier)
I’ve just finished another read-through of them all, so this has come at a good time! I enjoyed them all yet again, but since you’ve forced me to make a choice…
1. Goblet (least). Too much set up at the beginning so the end can work. And I don’t think it does. Moody/Crouch.
2. Chamber.
3. Prisoner.
4. Stone. This one got me hooked. Amazing that there were even better ones to follow!
5. Half-Blood Prince.
6. Hallows. The epilogue keeps it from #1
7. Order. I hated Umbridge far more than I ever hated Voldemort. Fred & George’s leaving gave me more satisfaction than Voldemort’s death.
1. Hallows
2. Order
3. Chamber
4. Prisoner
5. Stone
6. Goblet
7. Half-Blood Prince
I really like Goblet. It was full of holes and seemed to have had a last minute re-write but I enjoyed the ride more than any of the other books.
HBP was excellent. I loved the increased amount of Dumbledore we got and how aware we become of the fight that Harry has been involved in.
1. Sorcerer’s Stone
2. Chamber of Secrets
3. Order of the Phoenix
4. Goblet of Fire
5. Half-Blood Prince
6. Prisoner of Azkaban
7. Deathly Hallows
I too just finished a reread a couple months ago. I love them all, of course, and it’s very hard to rank them, especially Order and GoF. And it’s especially hard because subsequent reads are different than the first. Also, I like the odd numbers best, but this will not show in my rankings. In every book, I love the Dursley scenes, and it’s hard to beat the ones in SS and DH, with HBP a close second.
While SS was entrancing on first, even second readings, introducing me to the magical world, now it seems a bit plodding. My favorite parts of CoS are the chamber sequence enacting the gospel, Gilderoy, and creepy Tom Riddle.
Order is like 72% cacao chocolate–so dark and so rich, and I appreciate it more with each reading. Umbridge is far more fascinating than Voldemort. And hooray for Neville, Luna, and Ginny. However, it’s overlong with repetitious details, and bulky in the middle. Even Rowling thinks so.
There’s something very entertaining about Goblet; it has several plotlines, and we get a larger view of the magical world with the dragons, lake creatures, house elves, giants, the spooky maze, the World Cup, the Forbidden Curses, and the creepy graveyard scene (though Voldemort wasn’t as scary in person). I like Hufflepuff Cedric and the teen romantic stirrings. As I find it a more pleasurable read than Order, I’ve ranked it above Order, though Order is the better and deeper book.
HBP has a light, elegant feel after Order, and features the great Prime Minister and Spinner’s End chapters, Dumbledore’s visit to the Dursleys, the wonderful Dumbledore sessions, the cave, and the Draco plotline (where, for the first time, Draco becomes a Real Boy who draws our sympathy).
Azkaban would be my favorite, if not for DH. It introduces us to the dementors, surely one of Rowling’s best creation/metaphors. We have Remus, Sirius, Severus, the Time Turner, Harry’s connection to his parents, and the fantastic Shrieking Shack scene.
But DH tied up the story so beautifully, and was so beautifully internal. And DH is like GoF in that it introduces a wide range of characters and plotlines. And what’s not to love about resourceful Hermione and her beaded evening bag? We finally get Snape’s backstory in The Prince’s Tale, Harry’s Hallows obsession as key to his maturity, The Three Brothers, The Silver Doe, The Forest Again, and the marvelous Epilogue.
So, that’s my ranking. How weird to do it!
Arabella, your simile for Order is so spot on- the book’s subtitle should be “Please read with a cup of strong coffee.” It is true that Umbridge seems like an undone character- there is so much there, and then she just fades away in DH, for all of her evil what else can happen to her?
And I agree, it was so weird to rank them. I felt like I needed a clarifier: “still able to re-read more than almost any other book on my shelf” because even Order which I ranked lower, is better than a lot of books I’ve read.
1. Order
2. HBP
3. DH
4. Goblet
5. Chamber
6. Stone
7. Prisoner
I should preface my remarks by stating I ultimately enjoyed all of the books, but have become more jaundiced in recent years. I do love the Harry Potter universe dearly though.
7. I read Order when it first came out, staying up all night, and swore I’d read no more HP books. And didn’t for four years until my kids started reading and I relented. I like them all and even this one better now, but the bloat…
6. Half Baked Plot. I don’t think JKR intended him to be that way but Dumbledore has been either incompetent and/or criminally negligent the entire series it seems to me. He should have told Harry far more about what to do about the Horcruxes, and at least foreshadowed the Hallows. Still, its probably the funniest book of the series.
5. It has many great moments, but the epilog spoiled it. Where’s the growth? Why was Draco not in prison? Why is Ron confounding muggles behind his wife’s back? Why does Hermione put up with it? Why does Harry still have to reassure his kid that Slytherin is not evil? And worst of all: the name Albus Severus.
4. Where the bloat starts to creep in, and the series looses its children’s story moorings to the detriment of the later books.
5. Is there a funnier sequence in the whole series than the Death Day Party?
6. Where it all started. What a fun read!
7. Has it all. The wonder and fun of the earlier books and an entertaining plot.
1. Prisoner Of Azkaban
2. Chamber Of Secrets
3. Half-Blood Prince
4. Goblet Of Fire
5. Sorcerer’s Stone
6. Deathly Hallows
7. Order Of The Phoenix
I’ve known Order is my favorite for a few years, but otherwise haven’t thought too much about how I’d rank the books as far as favorites. I love the character development, rebellion (DA/Order), and fun in Order and Hallows. I’m particularly fond of the first chapter of PS/SS.
GoF is my least favorite of the movies, but I like all the different story lines woven together, and the introduction of a whole cast of new and international characters — really gives the books a new scope. And Voldemort’s return is appropriately terrible.
After that, it gets harder. 1-3 may all be somewhat tied for me. I think HBP is maybe the best written of the series, but I start to get annoyed by the shipping. I enjoy reading Dobby, Gilderoy, and Riddle in CoS. I like Lupin in PoA, but it took the movie for me to really appreciate his character. All this said, even my least favorite HP book ranks pretty high in my list of favorite books.
I can tell immediately which book is my favorite, but ranking the rest of them was very hard because I think I mostly like them all the same. Still, I tried:
1. Goblet
2. Chamber
3. Philosopher
4. Half-Blood Prince
5. Order of the Phoenix
6. Deathly Hallows
7. Prisoner of Azkaban
Prisoner has been my favorite from the beginning, it was the book that made me really fall in love with the series and it is also the book where my favorite character appears for the first time on scene. I am also a sucker for backstory, that’s mainly why I rate HBP higher than some of you. DH is of course very emotional and it also gives us a lot of backstory. Dumbledore’s story was a big surprise for me.
I think Goblet is the book I reread less than the others, so I put it at the bottom. It doesn’t mean I don’t like it because I do. And while I still hate the ending of Order of the Phoenix, I am very fond of it all the same. Backstory again, the one I had been waiting for since Prisoner of Azkaban.
I wish we’d all thought to include about how many times we’ve read the books. That would be interesting, too. I’m glad joel had that question in the survey. It will be interesting to see the results! I love reading everyone’s reasons for why you ranked as you did.
The overall theme seems to be that pretty much all of us have our particular favorites & least favorites among the series but that as a whole we love the series. Which is definitely true for me. In fact, I have a hard time reading any one particular book in the series without having to read all of them.
Unfortunately I also know of people who have rejected the whole series because they didn’t like Deathly Hallows or the Epilogue in particular or because they didn’t like how the shipping wars turned out.
Really, Rev? I think that’s just goofy. How you could not see the ‘ships happening from about book 3/4 is beyond me. I think I said to my husband while we read Order “Oh, Ron and Hermione are Han and Leia, Harry is Luke. Of course.” Especially after the Cho fiasco. I liked Harry ending up with Ginny, because it cemented him as part of the Weasley family, but Harry as a Lone Ranger works for me just as well.
The “reading the series” question was a bit touch, because Hallows hasn’t been out long enough for me to have read it ten times. So I’ve probably read the ENTIRE HP sequence 4-5 times, but individual books more than that. And then I would read, say Travis’s book, then go back and reread certain chapters of certain books. Or watch the movies, and reread certain chapters. So 10 times was really a ballpark, rounding up kind of answer- I hope Joel doesn’t use that as a primary variable. It was nice of him to pop on and tell us what he’s up to with the research.
But it is interesting to me how, unlike with many other series, “true” HP fans have such different favorites. I mean, we are all over the map. There are some trends, like the people with Order as their favorite seem to have the same top 3 faves.
It seems with many serial stories, some books are shining stars and the accepted “best of the bunch”. Maybe that’s more true with movies now that I think about it. And we had had similar discussions here about Star Trek, Star Wars, Seasons of Buffy, etc. So perhaps an interesting topic to revisit, which I”m sure we will to some degree after Joel publishes his results.
Hurin, by the way, I have to tell you that I got a good laugh out of your saying that Dumbledore was either incompetent or criminally negligent the entire series. Yes, I think we really had to suspend disbelief in a few places, being completely under the spell of the story. If we look at Dumbledore realistically, the number of times he let the young trio handle things and figure things out, or was oblivious to things himself, is pretty funny. It struck me the most clearly when he instructed Hermione that “three turns should do it” in Prisoner. He was right there with them and was still in the hospital wing with them when they returned to the present moment; why wouldn’t he have just gone with them to help them? LOL! But I’m glad he didn’t.
revgeorge,, it’s pretty amazing, isn’t it, that someone could read the entire series (clearly they must have liked it enough to read thousands of pages. . . ) and then decide with the epilogue that they didn’t like the whole thing!! Couldn’t they just ignore that part?:-)
Never too late, phoenixsong58. I marked that I’d read the books ten or more times, but I know I’ve only cover-to-covered DH six times. Book 1? I have no idea how many times I’ve read it. A lot. But overall, I chose the high number because for a few years I’d just pull any of them off the shelf and read whole sections over and over, which makes it impossible to guess at how many actual times I’ve been through them.
Arabella and PotterMom05, all of the sudden I really, really want some dark chocolate and a good cup of coffee and Order. So much.
1. Chamber
2. Goblet
3. Half-Blood Prince
4. Stone
5. Prisoner of Azkaban
6. Order
7. Deathly Hallows
DH gets my favorite spot because it shows Harry’s full maturity to manhood with amazing leadership and self-sacrifice. Order of the Phoenix gets runner-up for the introduction of the Order characters, and the Ministry chapters. Prisoner gets third for the introduction of Sirius. Stone is next for introducing Jo’s amazing world. Goblet is scored low because the book feels like a diversion from the natural flow of the story. Who cares about a Tournament when all the other cool things are happening. Chamber is last due to the unbelievable examples already given. However, I am intrigued by all of the setup comments and am looking forward to the next time I reread the series.
Wow!
So many of you have got it so wrong!
PotterMom05 said, “Really, Rev? I think that’s just goofy. How you could not see the ‘ships happening from about book 3/4 is beyond me.”
Really!!
Yes, the pairings should’ve been at least somewhat obvious early on. The writers of the movies seemed to have picked up early on about the tension between Ron & Hermione. Now, I liked the shipping aspects of the stories a lot, which is why even though I ranked it low among the 7 other books, Half-Blood Prince is still a great read for me. But I could never figure out the people for whom the shipping became more important than the overall story itself. Especially to the point where they won’t even read the series because who they wanted to end up with whom didn’t.
As much fun as it is to rank the books in order of our personal preference and to read the comments of others, does anyone else wonder if it isn’t a little like “Which do you like best, your hands or your feet, your eyes or your mouth?”
As often noted in the comments, a book that might rank low is often (or always) an important set-up to the next book…maybe why some like the odd #s better than the even #s (?). I can’t or won’t imagine the series of seven with any less than the complete series…so the least popular book is not less important than any other; and whether I like it or not, it is as essential to the enjoyment of the series as any other. A shorter response would be “the H.P. book I’m reading right now.”
I agree with you, Dave. Even the books I ranked lowest I always adore when I’m reading them, because they have more great things in them than imperfections. (There is no such thing as perfection in this world, anyway.) They are a complete series that needs every part. I love the whole series and they are my favorite books. I’ve read all of them well over ten times, and I imagine I will go on reading them for the rest of my life. (Currently I listen to them over and over in my car. When I finish Deathly Hallows, I begin again on Sorcerer’s Stone.It’s like being with old friends.) But ranking them is just another chance to discuss these wonderful books, so I’ve enjoyed it!
I listen to them over and over again in the car as well. Certainly makes an otherwise long and dreary commute less so.
My rankings (from best to least liked):
7. DH
6. PoA
5. HBP
4. GoF
3. SS
2. CoS
1. OotP
Order was just too long and drawn out. I realize JKR had to pack a lot of stuff in there – but I still think the Grawp story-line could have been omitted without detriment to the rest of the story or Hagrid’s character development. I really did not like Harry’s vinegar-y attitude in this one. I appreciate that he is supposed to be a snotty 15-year-old and I agree he has been misused but, come on! I guess this just reflects the fact that I am now an adult adult (read: old).
SS and CoS seemed light and breezy reads. I fell hard for the series with PoA. I realized it wasn’t really kiddy lit with GoF when Cedric was killed. That shocked me. HBP was just fun. And I absolutely love DH. I think it is so much more nuanced and better written than all the preceding books. I even liked the camping. (!) But I did have to stop for a while when Hedwig died – to me it felt like she was being swept out of the story for convenience.
1. Chamber Of Secrets
2. Order Of The Phoenix
3. Philosopher Stone
4. Half-Blood Prince
5. Goblet Of Fire
6. Prisoner Of Azkaban
7. Deathly Hallows
I really adored the last book, because of the fact that I was already in love with the series and tought it couldnt get better, but it did! Its such a great book, its a lot more mature and it has more explict philosophy meanings than the others. I tought it explored a lot the characters personalities and I felt like I always revifing all the others books into only one! Its a pretty amazing finale, sincerely lived up to my expectatives. Prisoner Of Azkaban has always been the most personal to me, Im not quite sure why, but I think there is so many important things that happens on this book even tought there is no direct contact to Voldemort. And other thing that really captivated me on this volumn is that I identified a lot with, because I read on about the same age as the trio had and I just kept thinking how did a fictional writer would have such knowledge about my adolescence. The Goblet Of Fire amazed me a lot because it makes you think hardly to get the pieces togheter and solve the mysteries. Its wonderful. Then the Half-Blood Prince, I guess I put it on a higher position because its when I got fascinated, almost captivated, for Tom Riddle and his past. I think it was really interesting to get into his mind and know more about his life so they could defeat him. The Philosophers Stone was, obviously, the first one Ive read so it couldnt be on the lowest position. Its when all the magic started, it was magical for me. The Order Of The Phoenix and The Chamber Of Secrets are not in the lowest position because I dont like them (I love all of them you see) but just because… the others has particularities that makes them more special, to me. So thats it
Coming in a bit late here, but oh how I love see some love for Order of the Phoenix! I feel as if I get weird looks from people whenever I mention how much I love it!
Here’s my list:
1. (least) Sorcerer’s Stone
2. Half-Blood Prince
3. Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Goblet of Fire
5. Chamber of Secrets
6. Order of the Phoenix
7. Deathly Hallows.
This was NOT an easy assignment. These books are good friends. How does one point to one and say they like this one more than another. Still I did my best and tried to give somewhat of a reason.
Although I liked all the books here is my list from Least liked to Most liked
1- GF – because although the Tri-wizard tournament made sense and was needed for the books to follow, using it to get Harry to the Riddle’s graveyard did not make sense. If Mad Eye/Barty Crouch Jr. could arrange a port key for the maze, he could have done it at any point in time. Loved the graveyard scene. It was FANTASTIC!!!
2- CS – I had to put something in this position.
3- PA – A good book, but not one of my favorites.
4- PS – This is where I met Harry, learned there was a magical world and wished I was not a muggle.
5- OP I really liked this book. I might switch this and HBP.
6- HBP – This is where is where I started having more respect for Snape.
7 DH – Because it took all that was learned in the other books and made sense of it. This and all the other books were put into a cauldron, heated up and broken down to their most basic parts, and what was left was purified into the resulting simple, but perfect ending.
“7 DH – Because it took all that was learned in the other books and made sense of it. This and all the other books were put into a cauldron, heated up and broken down to their most basic parts, and what was left was purified into the resulting simple, but perfect ending.”
Beautiful…and alchemically succinct.
Why thank you Arabella. That was very nice of you to say.
BUT I want to change my my opinion of my #1 book. The Goblet of Fire. I have rethought my position on this. Having Harry take part in the Tri-wizard tournament was, indeed, important. He needed to go through all of the alchemical stages to be able to work his way through another purification.
It was also important to continue the Gothic theme.
So, I am going to change my order. I would like to switch #’s 1 and 3
1- PA
3- GF
And I am not going to think about it anymore or I will make more changes and not only drive everyone else crazy, but ME crazy, too.
A newbie to this site I feel like I’m intruding on a conversation betwen friends. So I’ll be brave and butt in. I’ve read each about a dozen times – the details keep drawing me in, the learning is different everytime.
And as for ranking: if Dumbledore is right and it’s our choiecs that determine who we are I wonder what the following says about me.
#1. Goblet of Fire. Adored it at first, still love it for its adventure and its setting up of the hero’s journey. Nowadays I find Harry to be a bit “wet” compared to the Harry of the earlier books, something about him doesn’t quite gel with the growth that he’d undergone in books 1-3. Having said that, the graveyard scene remains one of my favourite powerful moments in the series.
#2. Philosophers Stone. Only because it’s so quick and the character portrayals are somewhat comic book . But that I suppose comes from knowing so much more about them now…it’s hard to read it without the fuller knowledge, so it becomes harder to appreciate for what it is.
#3. Something has always troubled me about this. I can understand Dumbledore NOT going with Harry and Hermione when they turn time. What I have never been able to understand is how Lupin would leave the Marauders Map lying open on his desk. He was one of its creators. Surely he would have by habit or instinct uttered the phrase “mischief managed” before dashing off to the whomping willow and the shack? Harry’s leaving of the cloak at the entrance to the tunnel is also kind of out of character to me, kind of clumsy. All of this is of course redeemed by the introduction of 2 characters who connect Harry with his past, and who by their nature show that nothing is indeed black or white.
#4. Chamber of Secrets. For a long time this ranked as least favourite but a recent re-read reminded me of how tautly the suspense was created, and how the comic relief was in fact dark and a presage of the issue of ego and power addressed so well in OoTP. Somehow this book now seems like the true introduction to the series, PS becoming a preface. It’s in this one that the whole saga is opened out to bigger forces and ideas.
#5 Half Blood Prince. In the best film-noir traditions this is dark and action is at times both minimal and profound. It’s full of unease and portents, it’s the one to be read on a cold stormy day. The early chapters are brilliant imho for what they say about people in times of fear. And the death of Dumbledore a courageous act on the part of JKR.
#6 Order of The Phoenix. Longwinded, poorly edited and meandering it still is my second favourite. Wonderful characterisations: the introductions of Luna and Dolores a perfectly balanced double act. Growth in independence of action and making decions and standing by them. And some wonderful funny “stuff you” moments. Harry’s Patronus during the exams one of my favourite moments in all the books. As is the real emergence of Hermione’s cunning manipulative streak. And Minerva…god I love her in this book, her dislike for Umbridge – I can truly hear her speaking the name “Dolores” with acid dripping disdain. It’s in this book that I truly developed an affection for her and admiration for her values. And again the final showdown scenes are perfection. It was a risky thing to have the showdown between Dumbledore and Voldemort this far from the series conclusion, and JKR pulls it off with imagination and powerful magic….which leaves
#7 Deathly Hallows. Like a juggler bringing all the flying balls to rest this is an act of sheer audacity and confidence. It improves with each reading, never fails to satisfy and still – even now – provides enough cause to explore again and again. The Skeeter biography of Dumbledore raises so many issues about books, reading and the veracity of the written word: that this should find a place amongst the resolution of a hero’s action quest I find incredible – it takes real mastery of writing to manage those two different things so seamlessly.
And the one thing that this has that will ensure its place for me as the best? The Prince’s tale and the subsequent beauty of the forest scene, the final bringing out into the full light the extraordinary role that Lily Evans plays in this series…it reveals itself so quietly and so delicately across the books, it’s presence hardly noticeable at first before emerging as the most powerful force of love in the series. For me the Princes Tale chapter is not about Snape. It is about Lily, and how the power of love from her, and for her, is what set this whole series in motion. In the moments in the forest when Harry sees the people he loves it is her presence, her words, that in so many ways are the emotional resolution of Harry’s growth:
“you’ve been so brave”
In four simple words Harry’s emotional journey through 7 books is complete. It’s so well done.
Enough from me.
darcy58, welcome! Grab a butterbeer and find a permanent spot at the table. Some of us here are longtime acquaintances, but we love new friends.
Your selection and reasoning were so enjoyable to read, and your explication of DH, especially of Skeeter/reading and Lily’s importance were spot on.
I very much look forward to your input on other posts.
darcy58, I used to know a bunch of the people here by reading their posts, but due to a physical problem, I have been away for quite some time. So I also feel like a newbie again. Still, the subject matter is a uniting factor here and the people are still very friendly.
I really enjoyed your post. It outlined so many of the things I have also felt. For example, the point you made about the books being “poorly edited” was something that really bugged me about PS1 when I first decided to read the book. Rowling often used the same words over and over again to the point where I started making lists of all of her favorite words. Luckily, either her vocabulary increased or the editing of the books got better over time. Or maybe the story distracted me from the editing issues. I know there are definitely places several of them could have been edited better. I believe she did have a tight deadline to get her first book to the publisher so did not have the polish it should.
PA3
As far as Harry being careless with his invisibility cloak and leaving it in odd places, I also noticed this bad habit of his. After a while I just felt he was a typical kid and was careless about not picking up after himself. It was actually refreshing to see the Chosen One never became perfect or stopped being a bit of a slob.
You are absolutely right about the Marauder’s map. Lupin should have, indeed, known better, but if he had uttered the phrase “mischief managed” Snape would not have shown up to cause problems.
DH7
After an uncountable number of readings, I STILL cannot read the Prince’s Tale or The Forest again without crying.
Thank you for your insightful comments. I hope you will keep coming back and sharing with us.
Arabella and Moe W: thank you so much for the seat at the table. I’ll certainly be back. At the moment I’m enjoying reading so many things here, and only wish I’d discovered The HogsHead earlier so I could post on things that are perhaps now past their interest date.
People often comment on older posts and generate new conversation, just like this one, so feel free.
Welcome back, Moe!
Welcome, darcy58! Have you noticed that we also have a forum where you can talk about anything you want?
Now, PoA being my favorite book, I have to take Lupin’s side. I believe he was so stressed when he found out that Pettigrew was really alive and that Sirius was on his way to the Shrieking Shack, that he forgot about everything else, including wiping the Marauder’s map before heading after Sirius. For twelve years, he had believed him to be the traitor and now his whole world was turned upside down because Peter “the hero” turned out to be the turncloak. People are prone to do stupid things in such moments and I think JKR had him spot on here. Just my two cents, of course.
Minerva, excellent points. I also should have taken Lupin’s emotional state into account. Of course he jumped and ran, without even thinking about “blanking” the map, when he saw both Peter Pettigrew’s and Sirius Black’s names on the map. I would have done the same thing.
Welcome back, Moe and a resounding welcome to Darcy too! Please don’t leave the table, as new comments keep our conversations from getting stale.
Darcy I did see one of those famous book quizzes to rank your favorite books, or maybe it was the movies, and then what it says about your personality. It was clever, but I find myself drawn to different books in the series at different points in my life, which is really the beautiful thing about these stories and what makes them so timeless.
@PotterMom05 When I do those quizzes I tend to nominate “Harry Potter” and leave it at that – really it’s one book in 7 parts, as opposed to the work of Jane Austen which is one story told 7 ways.
My rankings of the 7 parts of HP do change depending on where I am in the cycle of re-reading.
@Minerva and Moe W …hmmmm…interesting, you are challenging my perceptions of Lupin’s response and giving me something to comtemplate. I have always seen him standing, aghast at what the map is showing him, and as he takes this in he does “manage the mischief” in a way that reflects his sturdiness of character. My questioning of him leaving the map open comes from feeling it out of character based on how he reacts to other incidents in the lead up to this event – his quick unflurried handling of Peeves, the purposeful decision not to have Harry tackle the Boggart, and the coolheaded on his feet thinking when on meeting Harry and Snape he understands so quickly that Harry has the map. In short he’s cool in a crisis. Resolute, quick thinking, and above all else calm. I’ve always felt that would not have been different even though his 12 year long understanding of Sirius/Pettigrew had altered. In some ways he says as much when he enters the Shrieking Shack and tells Harry and the others how he came to be there. His language is collected and fact based – he’s a man who by nature remains in control even under stress. So there you have it, how I came to question the open map on his desk.