Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FOUR STARS

After the fiasco of the Triwizard Tournament at the end of his forth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, Harry Potter was involved in a terrible incident that saw the death of fellow champion Cedric Diggory and the Lord Voldemort's rebirth! Yet none but Professor Dumbledore are keen to believe Harry's tale and, worse still, Cornelius Fudge (the Minister of Magic) believes Voldemort's apparent rise is a plot of Dumbledore's to seize power. Fudge is desperate to cover the whole thing up and has begun a vicious slander campaign at Harry and Dumbledore's expense. Fudge has even gone as far as appointing Dolores Umbridge as the Hogwarts 'High Inquisitor,' a position he has invented to control the spread of rumours at Hogwarts itself!

Yet Fudge's closed-minded fear does not deter Albus Dumbledore. The headmaster is busy at work and re-establishes the Order of the Phoenix - a secretive group that is dedicated to defeating Voldemort and his campaign of terror whatever the cost. Harry is quickly drawn into the group and must use all of his wits if he is to survive his fifth year of study and ready himself, friends and peers for the war to come . . .

The Good
The Order of the Phoenix is the point where the Harry Potter story begins to grow darker and J. K. Rowling's writing becomes more gritty as she delves into the atrocities Lord Voldemort is committing as he gathers new and old Death Eaters alike to his cause. Rowling has put a lot of thought into the story and it is more a tale of intrigue like the early novels in the story were. I found the twists and turns of this book very exciting to read and she's really beginning to set the precedent for later instalments of the series.

Rowling has also done a brilliant job with Umbridge's 'love to hate' character. Umbridge is truly a despicable woman and her actions frequently left me seething to rage, even though Umbridge cannot be called 'evil' in the same way as Voldemort and his followers are. Yet there are different shades of darkness and Umbridge is certainly not good or innocent!

The Bad
Once again there is nothing to fault with this book per se and the only issue I have with it is a bit of upset involving one of my favourite characters and a certain, mysterious archway . . .

My Thoughts
The Order of the Phoenix continues the Harry Potter series in a darkening instalment that finally sees Lord Voldemort return to power and begin preparations for a new war to purify wizard-kind. It's exciting, superbly written and is almost impossible to put down!

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FOUR STARS

Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft & Wizardry promises to be his most exciting one yet. True, the inter-house Quidditch league has been cancelled this year, but this is due to the fact that Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament - a competition that hasn't been seen for a terribly long count of years! The representatives of Durmstrang Institute are arriving for the competition from Scandanavia, along with those from the French, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

Each of the the three world renown magical schools will have a champion chosen by the Goblet of Fire, who will compete against each other throughout a series of dangerous and possibly fatal challenges for the glory of their school. Yet there are those who seek to ruin harmless fun and twist it to their own purposes. Even as Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour and Victor Krum are chosen as champions, so is Harry Potter in a mysterious and unprecedented violation of the tournament's rules! Yet Harry is bound by magical contract to compete, despite his fears and those of Albus Dumbledore that something sinister is afoot . . .

The Good
The Goblet of Fire is one of the most exciting instalments of the series so far and has several interesting aspects to its story. The first is the feature of the Quidditch World Cup (which was sadly left out of the adapted movie), which sees Harry and the Weasley family travel via portkey to see Ireland play Bulgaria somewhere in the English countryside. As well as being fun and novel to read about, it gives a nice introduction to Krum, the early activities of Voldemort's Death Eater's and builds an essential backstory to the 'Triwizard Conspiracy' as a whole.

As well as the beginning, the Triwizard challenges are also great fun to read about and J. K. Rowling has detailed Harry's anxiety and misgivings about competing well. I admit that although I am a fan of Quidditch of the matches Rowling describes, Gryffindor winning almost every match can get a bit repetitive. The absence of the school's league in this book helps give a nice break from it and means it's even better in the next book when it all kicks off again!

The Bad
Once again, I have nothing to fault with the book and Rowling has done a fantastic job bringing her world and characters to life!

My Thoughts
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire is one of the most exciting and unique books in the series and continues Rowling's story in the same manner of literacy excellence as its forebearers. The characters are lively and realistic, it's exciting and Rowling writes with a vivid, flowing style that makes the book almost impossible to put down!

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FIVE STARS

Harry Potter has just finished his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That year was a dangerous time and saw several attacks on muggle-born students when an eidolon of Lord Voldemort opened the fabled Chamber of Secrets. Harry played a large role in saving the school and, as the summer holidays draw to a close, he's hoping for a quieter year.

Yet fate seems to have its own ideas and the notorious murderer Sirius Black has escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban. Harry doesn't know why, but the Ministry of Magic has suddenly taken an unprecedented interest in his personal safety and he soon comes to suspect that the murderer may be connected with his past and the first war against Lord Voldemort. Harry and the staff of Hogwarts are on high alert, but Black has his own ideas and was a master trouble-maker when he studied there, knowing several ways into the school's grounds that even Dumbledore doesn't know exist . . .

The Good
The Prisoner of Azkaban was always my favourite Harry Potter book when I was growing up and that certainly hasn't changed now. Re-reading the story was very nostalgic and I quickly lost myself in Rowling's wonderful world of magic and imagination. Once again, Rowling's story is excellent, being well-paced and properly developed. Her characters are as dynamic and realistic as ever and the book doesn't lack for excitement.

One of the other things I really liked about this book is how it goes into Harry Potter's past and Rowling has begun to build a backstory for Harry's origins, of his parents and the first war against Lord Voldemort that is critical to the overall series, but is also fun and interesting to read about.

The Bad
Once again, there is nothing I didn't like about this book and even the hardest critic would struggle for negative points. Despite being a children's book, it still stands up to an adult's mind and is a real gem for all ages of reader alike.

My Thoughts
The Prisoner of Azkaban is a superb instalment of the Harry Potter series and did not disappoint me. The book is exciting and full of all the magic and characterisation that first made me fall in love the series all those years ago . . .

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FOUR STARS

Harry Potter is very different from other teenagers, mainly because the summer holidays are his least favourite time of the year and he dreads having to spend those hot months with the Dursley's in Private Drive. For Harry Potter is not like normal boys. He is a wizard and spends most of his time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the fantastic has common place,

And so he waits patiently in the muggle world for his second year at Hogwarts to begin, excited and full of anticipation. But Harry soon finds that not all is what it seems this year at Hogwarts and old forces that are full of chicanery are at play. The Chamber of Secret's has been opened for the first time in 50 years. The deadly monster that lives there has been unleashed and it is set on but course: to continue the iniquity of Salazar Slytherin and purify Hogwarts of all muggle-born students . . .

The Good
J. K. Rowling continues her Harry Potter series with a fantastic book that's full of suspense and intrigue as she unravels the mystery of a sinister plot. She has established the events well and even leaves clues throughout the book as to what exactly is going on, which are fairly obvious if you already know the story beforehand and is yet another example of how clever her writing is. Rowling has stayed true to the dogma she established in The Philosopher's Stone and the book is bursting with magic and imagination in every page!

Rowling's characterisation is simply superb and she had an uncanny way of bringing her world and characters to life. Her prose style is very light and flows easily meaning that I read chapter after chapter without stopping for a break as I do in some 'heavier' works that require more concentration. I think this is largely due to the fact that the series is aimed for children and young adults, but, her colourful writing and characters make the book just as enjoyable for adults!

The Bad
Like I said before, this is Harry Potter . . . What could be bad about it?!

My Thoughts
The Chamber of Secrets continues Harry Potter's great Hogwart's adventure in a vivid, page-turning style and makes a great instalment to the acclaimed series. Rowling has shown once again why her books have been so successfully and I had a lot of nostalgic fun reading this book!

Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FIVE STARS

Harry Potter is a normal boy, even if he is a bit downtrodden by the aunt and uncle he lives with. Harry's life at 10 Private Drive leaves much to be wanted: he is bullied by his family, forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs and has very few possessions, let alone friends! You can imagine Harry's surprise when he is visited by a giant of a man, a man who claims he is the grounds keeper for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

For Harry is a wizard and his mundane life becomes one of spectacular imagination in an instant. Not only does he have magical powers which he can hone in one of the best wizarding schools in the world, but he quickly finds out that he's a celebrity. Harry Potter is the Boy Who Lived, surviving not a car crash as the Dursley's had told him, but being murdered by Lord Voldemort himself--the most powerful and evil sorcerer who has ever lived!

Yet not all of the attention Harry receives is for the best and, aside from new friends, he draws the eye of an evil that has been in hiding for the past 11 years. This evil, which should not be named, has its attention fixed on Harry, Hogwarts and a rare artificial of unimaginable power that is being hidden there--the philosopher's stone . . .

The Good
I grew up on Harry Potter as a child, being lucky enough to be at that perfect age when J. K. Rowling was actually writing them for my age! I remember falling in love with her characters and world from the first few pages of The Philosopher's Stone and reading this again (after about 10 years) was very nostalgic. What really impressed me though, was the sheer number of things I had missed or taken for granted as a child and I had forgotten what a talented writer Rowling actually is. Her characterisation and dialogue is simply stunning and she created a whole host of unique, believable characters that can easily be related to in a staggeringly short amount of time.

What's more, is now I know what's going to happen in the series (as I imagine you do), I was amazed at how ever clever Rowling's writing is. The book is filled with hints and clues to not only what's going to happen at the end of the first, but hints at what is going to happen in later books! Rowling clearly knew exactly where the series was going right from the start, which only adds to the depth of the world and proves the ability of her writing!

I don't really need to talk about the quality of the story here, since you'll be more than familiar with it, but why not? The Philosopher's Stone is an exciting book that's full of magic and imagination. It quickly drew me into the hidden world of wizards and witches and has left me with many day dreams of being a wizard at Hogwarts myself! This book is as good a reads for adults as it is for children and leaves the reader wanting for very little!

The Bad
It's a Harry Potter book . . . What more needs to be said?!

My Thoughts
Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone starts what is undoubtedly one of the greatest modern series in fantasy. The fact that it's so loved speaks as a testament to its quality and, if you're more familiar with the films than the books, it's high time you read them. Rowling writes with a fun, enjoyable style that you just breeze through and you can have read a dozen chapters before realising it. The book (and series as a whole) has a prized place on my Shelf of Fame and is truly deserving of that status!

The Divine Talisman - Eldon Thompson

RATING: FIVE STARS

When Torin, the young king of Alson, drew the Crimson Sword from the ruins of Thrak Symbos, he had know idea what he would unleash upon the world. Like his friends, like every living soul, he had no idea that the ancient talisman was a key, a key that held the insidious illysp trapped in the desolate void between universes. The monsters that seeped through the unlocked doorway were more terrible than anyone could imagine and steal the bodies of the recently deceased. The illysp enslave the very soul of their coil and use it to perform acts of unspeakable cruelty.

Torin left Alson to seek the last vestiges of the Finlorian Elves, the people who had first unleashed this horror and then locked them away. But his quest, as noble as it was, failed and Torin returned to the shores of Alson without the answers he sought. He returned to his capital city in the midst of a coup led by his chief general, a coup in which cost him more than just his crown. Alson was left as broken as the other nations of Pentatia, having no way to defeat the illysp swarms that are bearing against them.

Starving, afraid and beaten, the ever dwindling numbers of humanity forget old banners and country borders. They group together, accepting help from races they once shunned to resist the illysp. Attack after attack wears them down and their own soldiers rise against on the battlefields after being killed. Worse still, a new leader of the illysp has risen. Known as the Boundless One, this leader recognises the power in Mount Krakken, of possessing the very dragon that Allion and Kylac Kronus had so valiantly slain less than a year ago . . .

The Good
Eldon Thompson has finished The Legend of Asahiel off with a stunning book that is the best in the series yet! The story is fast paced and harrowing, filled with epic battles that only grow in scale as humanity is worn down by weakness, despair and lack of numbers. It's a true story of humankind fighting to save its its very right to exist and leaves little to be desired.

Furthermore, Thompson has finally corrected many of the little 'bugs' that annoyed me in the earlier books. Despite being fictional soul-enslaving spirits, his antagonists seem much more real then they have previously and no longer 'smirk' and 'snigger' at the evil things they do. His writing makes them seem much more like beasts in The Divine Talisman, which I think makes them all the scarier. His protagonists, too, have improved. You might remember me saying that they are too weak and docile in the earlier books and the horrors they have lived through had not really affected them in any way. His main characters are finally beginning to be changed by their suffering, growing colder and losing hope. As well as adding a realistic depth to them that the earlier instalments of the series was lacking, Thompson has clearly had a lot of fun delving into this and it adds an interesting aspect to the story.

Thompson has also introduced a number of new story arcs and PoV characters into the book, which helps to invigorate the story and allows him to come to a satisfying conclusion to both the book and the series as a whole, which he might have struggled to do plausibly otherwise.

The Bad
There isn't really much to criticise about this book and Thompson has really found his feet as a writer, producing a story of interesting characters, exciting events and a good pace, all on an epic scale of world disaster!

My Thoughts
The Divine Talisman is a fantastic end to a pretty good fantasy series. It's exciting, full of battles and has pages that burst with magic! It's a great example of what fantasy can be when it's done well and concludes The Legend of Asahiel nicely, while leaving it open for his characters to feature in sequels.

The War of the Worlds - H. G. Wells

RATING: FIVE STARS

Earth is a planet rich in resources. Its pristine oceans and verdant lands glitter upon it like facets on a spinning jewel. It has air to breath, water that falls as rain and heat from the nearby Sun. Humanity is blessed, unlike another race whose world died eons ago. The Martians covet Earth and have been studying it for countless generations, analysing our strengths and weaknesses. Planning and plotting to take what humanity has and make it theirs.

It is in the Nineteenth Century that the Martians finally commence their attack and launch their war machines upon mankind, a race who has never seen anything like them nor has anything to match them. The countryside of Southern England is soon over-run, its denizens blasted from their quiet lives by Martian heat rays and instruments of death.

One man is stuck in the midst of this carnage, lost from his wife and all those he has ever called friend. The man must take risks and use every thread of intelligence he has if he is survive the day and tell his tale of the Martian invaders and how he evaded them . . .

The Good
The War of the Worlds is certainly deserving of its fame and I found the book nearly impossible to put down. H. G. Wells has excelled once again and has produced a story of terrifying ambition and scope. Wells has really thought about the technology of the Martians and the weapons they bring to bear, thoroughly explaining how they use such weapons tactically throughout the book.

The main protagonist (who, as ever with Wells, isn't named in the story) is easy to like and I really got the sense that he has no idea what to do and is merely surviving through the common sense and intelligence we all have. The characters the protagonist meets through his journey are as interesting as him and really come across as individuals, coping with the carnage around them is different ways as people would in real life.

The Bad
Nothing. There's nothing I didn't like about The War of the Worlds.

My Thoughts
The War of the Worlds is undoubtedly a timeless classic of science fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and H. G. Wells has proved himself a master of the genre yet again, producing a truly masterful novel. It has a proud place on my Shelf of Fame and is a must read for all of you readers out there! Especially now it can be bought from Amazon as an ebook for virtually nothing!