Quick Deathly Hallows reactions
I read it like I read all my favorite books - skipping around. So I guess I've read it about 1.5 times by now, and there's no hope of these responses being in order.
Yeah, overall I thought it was a good book and (except for the epilogue, which didn't happen) a fitting ending to the series. Still dunno how it compares to the others - I guess I'd rank it about equal to OotP, better than HBP, GoF, and CoS, and not quite as good as PS or PoA.
- Hello, Christ-figure. I don't understand why fundamentalist Christians are afraid of this book: it tells practically the same story as the New Testament. Baby born to humble mother, marked by the religious/magical leaders of the day as the savior, grows up with special powers, performs miracles, loves unconditionally, eventually goes willingly to his death to save mankind, and is resurrected. Would be funny if 2000 years from now, the dominant religion is Potterism.
- Ooh, flawed!Dumbledore. I liked all the backstory this book had, both with the Dumbledores and with Lily/Snape. Did we ever find out what Aberforth's unfortunate incident with a goat was, other than it being his Patronus?
- I cried during the Prince's Tale chapter.
- Oh, Luna. You kick ass in this book. It's too bad that your house blew up, but I'm sure you'll find a real Crumple-Horned Snorkack horn eventually
- Where was Ginny? Probably off snogging Dean or something. Beware those ex-boyfriends. Or maybe Neville - girls love the hot resistance leader.
- Anyone else sense some Luna/Dean? Hmm, maybe there was a Luna/Dean/Ginny love triangle. That'd be hot.
- Dumbledore still does seem kind of omniscient - how the hell does his portrait know the details of how Harry will be transferred from his aunt and uncle, after his death? Also, the idea of dead!Dumbledore pulling the strings seems a little farfetched.
- Death in the HPverse doesn't seem quite as final as death in the real world. I mean, after you're dead, your paintings can still talk/think/converse/scheme. You can come back via Resurrection Stone. You can come back via Priori Incantatem. It makes me wonder why Harry was so torn up about his parents deaths: since photos are apparently thinking, talking incarnations, couldn't he just open the scrapbook that Hagrid gave him at the end of his 1st year? It'd be like talking to your parents via webcam while away at college.
- OBHWFWTF?!?!? I'm going to pretend the epilogue didn't happen. It really doesn't tell us anything other than Harry ends up with Ginny, Ron ends up with Hermione, Neville ends up professor, and they have lots of sproglets. It would've been much nicer to leave it out and let us draw our own conclusions. And where the hell is Luna? She's not even mentioned in the epilogue. Ah well, I can pretend she's having a steamy (dreamy?) affair with Harry behind Ginny's back.
- Dumbledore must be a master chess player.
- Voldemort almost seemed like a pathetic ninny, hunting after wandmakers because Harry's wand is bigger than his. I mean, this is the guy who the wizarding world is terrified of?
- So. Many. Wand. Jokes. Possible.
- The Deluminator's such a cheap plot device.
- Well, now we know what the "gleam of triumph" in Dumbledore's eyes at the end of GoF was about
Yeah, overall I thought it was a good book and (except for the epilogue, which didn't happen) a fitting ending to the series. Still dunno how it compares to the others - I guess I'd rank it about equal to OotP, better than HBP, GoF, and CoS, and not quite as good as PS or PoA.