Insanely sane

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

2008-07-27T04:00:00.002+05:30

The third installment of the highly successful Potter Series: Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban is of a much darker nature in comparison to its predecessors. In this book Harry comes face to face with the Dementors; the terrible guards of the wizard prison Azkaban; whose mere presence leeches out all the joy and warmth out of a place and brings out ones most terrible fears to the fore making the person miserable and cold. The book is about a prisoner Sirius Black; a convicted mass-murderer; who has escaped the inescapable wizard prison and how his past is intermingled with Harry's past. Follow Harry as he discovers the truth of the manner of his parents death and how he unmasks the traitor amongst his father's best friends. Alongside the main storyline the book is filled with the usual fill of magic, quidditch, fights between friends, dangerous beasts such as Hippogriffs and Werewolves and the echoes of a prophecy.

An excerpt from the book:

There was a soft, crackling noise, and a shivering light filled the
compartment. Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames.
They illuminated his tired, gray face, but his eyes looked alert and
wary.
"Stay where you are," he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got
slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him.
But the door slid slowly open before Lupin could reach it.
Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Lupin's
hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was
completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry's eyes darted downward, and
what he saw made his stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from
the cloak and it was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed,
like something dead that had decayed in water...
But it was visible only for a split second. As though the creature
beneath the cloak sensed Harry's gaze, the hand was suddenly withdrawn
into the folds of its black cloak.
And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow,
rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than
air from its surroundings.
An intense cold swept over them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in
his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest,
it was inside his very heart....
Harry's eyes rolled up into his head. He couldn't see. He was drowning
in cold. There was a rushing in his ears as though of water. He was
being dragged downward, the roaring growing louder. .
And then, from far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified,
pleading screams. He wanted to help whoever it was, he tried to move his
arms, but couldn't... a thick white fog was swirling around him, inside
him-

Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets

2008-07-27T03:15:00.004+05:30

The journey continues with the second installment of the smash-hit Harry Potter series: 'Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets'. Alongside the usual characters of the wizarding world Rowling introduces another species known only to wizardkind: the House-elves. Harry is warned of a plot to kill him and when he returns to Hogwarts he finds that a new terror has begun to take hold of the castle and a certain section of students. Follow Harry as he tries to discern the plot to kill him and unmask the person behind all the horrors being visited on the castle and its inhabitants, comes face to face with a phoenix, giant spiders and a deadly tree known as a Whomping Willow. Journey alongside Harry as he discovers the truth behind certain abilities that he possesses all the while enjoying quidditch and magic. The book culminates in Harry coming face to face with Lord Voldemort albeit a much different Voldemort from the one encountered in the previous book. This book lays the foundation for the end of the series as per the author Ms. Rowling.

An excerpt from the book:

The candles burned lower and lower, making the light dance over the
many moving faces of Lockhart watching him. Harry moved his
aching hand over what felt like the thousandth envelope, writing out
Veronica Smethley's address. It must be nearly time to leave, Harry
thought miserably, please let it be nearly time...
And then he heard something - something quite apart from the
spitting of the dying candles and Lockhart's prattle about his fans.
It was a voice, a voice to chill the bone marrow, a voice of
breathtaking, ice-cold venom.
"Come ... come to me.... Let me rip you.... Let me tear you .... Let me kill you . .
. ."
Harry gave a huge jump and a large lilac blot appeared on Veronica
Smethley's street.
"What?" he said loudly.
"I know!" said Lockhart. "Six solid months at the top of the bestseller
list! Broke all records!"
"No," said Harry frantically. "That voice!"
"Sorry?" said Lockhart, looking puzzled. "What voice?"
"That - that voice that said - didn't you hear it?"
Lockhart was looking at Harry in high astonishment.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone

2008-07-24T22:59:00.004+05:30

This is the first installment in the Harry Potter series. Follow Harry through his first year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and WIzardry. In this book Harry finds out the truth about himself and his parents death. His journey to Hogwarts where he makes new friends and enemies as well, learns spells and potions and studies wizarding history as well as magical creatures. Join Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as they struggle to get to the sorcerer's stone which is a legendary magical object which turns anything it touches to gold and also is used to make the Elixir of Life which can make the person drinking it immortal. The book culminates in Harry coming face to face with his nemesis Lord Voldemort.
This is a fantastic start to a thoroughly enthralling series by J.K. Rowling. The book scores on being simple. easy to read and having characters to which you can connect instantly. It lays a strong foundation of magic on which the entire series is based and its plot is seemingly not quite complex (though this has turned out to be a grave misconception). The best part is that all the characters are in some way or the other humane i.e. they have their strengths, weaknesses, fears and pangs of jealousy intermingled with all the might and magic.

An exceprt form the book:

Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't
move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to
unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's
head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the
spot.
Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there
should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most
terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red
eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.
"Harry Potter..." it whispered.
Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move.
"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor ... I
have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always
been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds.... Unicorn
blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... you saw faithful Quirrell
drinking it for me in the forest... and once I have the Elixir of Life,
I will be able to create a body of my own.... Now... why don't you give
me that Stone in your pocket?"
So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He
stumbled backward.
"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join
me... or you'll meet the same end as your parents.... They died begging
me for mercy..."
"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly.
Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see
him. The evil face was now smiling.
"How touching..." it hissed. "I always value bravery... Yes, boy, your
parents were brave.... I killed your father first; and he put up a
courageous fight... but your mother needn't have died... she was trying
to protect you.... Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have
died in vain."
"NEVER!"

The Harry Potter Series

2008-07-24T22:39:00.003+05:30

Well to start with I would like to introduce you to my favourite genre of books which is Fantasy Fiction. I would like to begin with reviewing the Harry Potter Series authored by J.K. Rowling as I feel it is a basic introduction to the world of fantasy fiction. This series would serve as an entry-level into the world of fantasy fiction as it is well planned , has easy language, a smooth narrative and well-structured characters. The plot is based on the aeons old battle of GOOD v/s EVIL.
The protagonist, Harry Potter, at the age of one was attacked by Lord Voldemort, the greatest evil wizard to have ever lived, for reasons unknown. In the process Lord Voldemort loses all his powers while the baby boy survives with only a scar on his forehead and this feat makes Harry Potter immensely famous in the wizarding world. But this is only the beginning of the series. Follow Harry as he learns who he truly is and what his destiny is through this epic 7 book series containing the everlasting characters such as Albus Dumbledore, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Severus Snape, Rubeus Hagrid alongwith Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter.