In Review

21 November 2008 23:32 BST

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Published by Bloomsbury, out in hardback now, 607 pages, list price £17.99 but heavily discounted at many major retailers.

In a nutshell…

Heart-racing, apocalyptic, bewitching series finale

What's it all about?

The evil Lord Voldemort - He Who Must Not Be Named - is rising to power once more, and has begun to purge the wizarding world of all opposition to his dark rule.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Harry Potter sets off to fulfil the quest his mentor Albus Dumbledore left him at the end of volume six: to find and destroy the mysterious objects in which Voldemort has hidden parts of his own soul in a bid to achieve immortality – and then to kill the Dark Lord himself.

Who's it by?

JK Rowling really needs no introduction; as the creator of seven books that have captured the imagination of children and adults alike across the world and led to a fan following in the millions, she’s one of the most recognisable names in the publishing world.

As an example…

"I shall attend to the boy in person. There have been too many mistakes where Harry Potter is concerned. Some of them have been my own. That Potter lives is due more to my errors than to his triumphs.

The company round the table watched Voldemort apprehensively, each of them, by his or her expression, afraid that they might be blamed for Harry Potter’s continued existence. Voldemort, however, seemed to be speaking more to himself than to any of them, still addressing the unconscious body above him."

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster

With 7.2 million copies sold in the first day of release and the fifth Potter film currently drawing viewers at cinemas worldwide, the eventual film adaptation of Deathly Hallows may be expected to break yet more box office records.

What the others say

"We have been a long way together, and neither she nor Harry let us down in the end." Alice Fordham, Times Online

"Deathly Hallows is, for the most part, a sombre book that marks Harry’s final initiation into the complexities and sadnesses of adulthood.” Michiko Kakutani, New York Times Book Review

So is it any good?

Rowling has created a riveting end to her series which delves into the history of some of her most beloved characters while driving forward the plot with nail-biting set pieces. If the action occasionally wavers through the long exposition and debriefing scenes that tend to be a feature of the Potter novels, it’s easy to forgive.

While Deathly Hallows is lacking in the whimsy and youthful charm of some of the earlier books in the Potter canon, flashes of the earlier humour still exist. When these brief moments of levity break through the darker tone, it’s a pure delight.

The much publicised character deaths never fail to shock, despite their occurrence in faster and greater numbers as the plot advances, and there isn’t a single character that you won’t mourn.

Even if you’ve fallen victim to the pre-release plot spoilers that have been posted on the internet by people that Rowling’s lawyers would probably like to see subjected to the Cruciatus Curse, there are still plenty of surprises and twists to keep the reader immersed. In all, it’s a magical farewell.

9.5/10

Rebecca Malings