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| Value for Money | 9/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 8.3/10 |
By jschattman on 19th Aug 2005
| Value for money | 10/10 |
|---|---|
| Overall value | 6/10 |
 jschattman's recommendation | |
Rowling is a master of timing and detail, as she proves again in Order of the Phoenix. The final chapter masterfully ties together plot threads that Rowling has teased us with, as early as book one.
Even after 5 books, Rowling still has not run out of imagination in helping us envision the world of wizards and witches. She continues to delight us with new spells, magical creatures, and hilarious turns-of-phrase.
The characters in the book remain true to themselves, and act and speak exactly as their character, and not the plot, demands.
There is a heavy dose of Deus Ex Machina in Order of the Phoenix. The number of times Harry and his friends are rescued from doom by the convenient appearance of Dumbledore, centaurs, giants, and other plot devices strains credulity.
Rowling could also hire a more assertive editor. The first 300 pages are little more than shouting matches, uttered threats, and forebodings.
Harry himself has become positively unlikeable in this book, and I found it hard to keep cheering for him. He unleashes tirades and tongue-lashings at everyone around him, including, and especially those who are trying hardest to help him.
Rowling is a master of control, as she proves again in Order of the Phoenix. Characters' motives and off-screen actions are withheld and then revealed with perfect timing. The final chapter masterfully ties together plot threads that Rowling has teased us with, as early as book one. Even after 5 books, Rowling still has not run out of imagination about the world of wizards and witches. In this book she continues to delight us with just-for-fun tidbits, like chess pieces that tremble in fear of being captured, and a "bad guy" who gets turned into a slug on the Hogwarts Express and "left on the luggage rack to ooze."
Best of all, the characters in the book remain true to themselves, and act and speak exactly as their character, and not the plot, demands.
But the book has its problems too. There is a heavy dose of Deus Ex Machina in Order of the Phoenix. The number of times Harry and his friends are rescued from doom by the sudden and convenient appearance of Dumbledore, centaurs, giants, and other plot devices strains credulity. Stories are more exciting when characters escape danger using their own wits, rather than relying on outsiders to rescue them. Rowling should also have hired a more assertive editor. Entire paragraphs and pages could be lifted without injuring the story, or her otherwise delightful style. In this installment, she has become too indulgent in unnecessary dialogues and repetitions of characters' feelings. (I yawned after reading for the 12th time, that Harry was furious with Snape). The first 300 pages are a very slow read, as they are little more than shouting matches, uttered threats, and forebodings. Rowling should have cut to the "good stuff" (pages 301-766) faster. The book's biggest weakness is that Harry himself has become unlikeable, and I found it hard to keep cheering for him. He unleashes tirades and tongue-lashings at everyone around him, including and especially those who are trying hardest to help him. And his utter insensitivity to a girl who develops a crush on him, almost turned him into a villain for me.
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