Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first three Potter books, so far, have been largely mysteries. But while the first two had a flavor of whimsy, this time it's far more in line with the tradition of the genre. So much so it starts with a murderer on the loose. It's even initially conveyed in the pompous manner that only the British are specially equipped to present. Point is, there is a noticeable tone shift in this book, as if shit started to get real.

While I could nitpick several things to death, there is one major problem I have with the book, so I'll focus on that. It's something you see a good deal in literature using third-person limited, particularly with British authors, and that's eavesdropping.  Potter can't know everything, and not just because he's a C+ student at best, but rather because the plot remains elusive from him. This is either done because the plot elements are posed against him, or because other characters keep it from him. This forces Potter, and as consequence the reader, to literally hide in a corner and listen to other characters grab their copy of the Daily Prophet to take their exposition dump. Personally, I've always found this method to be lazy, and typically means the author didn't have any other way to further the plot. But, even Shakespeare did it, so I guess even the best write themselves into a corner.

There are other problems of course. The pacing ramps up too quickly in favor of a more surprising resolution. Ron has nothing to do. Everyone is unjustly worried about a group of evil wizards who can't even kill a thirteen-year-old. Gryffindor is always favored even though Slytherin is clearly the best house. But I don't want people to think I didn't like this book. I did. It still has much of its charm, regardless if the murderous, more personal, tone subdues that somewhat. The ending is also bittersweet, which I appreciated considering it would have been too easy to go either a dark or happy ending route. While the overall structure feels more traditional, the ending left me satisfied the series kept true to itself.

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