English language
Published July 8, 1999 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and is the third in the Harry Potter series. The book follows Harry Potter, a young wizard, in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along with friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry investigates Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner from Azkaban, the wizard prison, believed to be one of Lord Voldemort's old allies. The book was published in the United Kingdom on 8 July 1999 by Bloomsbury and in the United States on 8 September 1999 by Scholastic, Inc. Rowling found the book easy to write, finishing it just a year after she began writing it. The book sold 68,000 copies in just three days after its release in the United Kingdom and since has sold over three million in the country. The book won the 1999 Whitbread …
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and is the third in the Harry Potter series. The book follows Harry Potter, a young wizard, in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along with friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry investigates Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner from Azkaban, the wizard prison, believed to be one of Lord Voldemort's old allies. The book was published in the United Kingdom on 8 July 1999 by Bloomsbury and in the United States on 8 September 1999 by Scholastic, Inc. Rowling found the book easy to write, finishing it just a year after she began writing it. The book sold 68,000 copies in just three days after its release in the United Kingdom and since has sold over three million in the country. The book won the 1999 Whitbread Children's Book Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and was short-listed for other awards, including the Hugo. The film adaptation of the novel was released in 2004, grossing more than $796 million and earning critical acclaim. Video games loosely based on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were also released for several platforms, and most obtained favourable reviews.
One of my favorite books of the Harry Potter series.
5/5
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This third Harry Potter book marks a much darker style that will permeate the fourth one much stronger and fully come out in the fifth.
The beginning takes place at the terrible Dursleys again, but the wizard world meddles with the Muggle world from the third page, at first in a humorous way, but then very soon in a completely unexpected way.
Rowling's uncanny talent for the perfect plot shows first signs of fatigue, as the major plot points are announced long in advance. Still, there are many details woven into the story almost flawlessly, and it is so much fun to read that the reader should be able to forgive almost anything.
(alcoholism/transmisogyny)
I do not even know where to begin with this one. Holy shit. Okay. Well.
Demographics for any wandering eyes who see this review and don’t know me, because knowing such things for certain impressions on certain books can matter quite a lot (sometimes): I’m a gay trans man in my late twenties whose only prior exposure to this franchise has been through cultural osmosis and seeing the first and last films when they came out (long story). Knowing one’s enemy can be quite the boon, hence my taking the time to read these books.
Here is the thing about Harry’s third adventure at Hogwarts; there isn’t a single lukewarm thing about it. There are parts I find brilliant and parts I find repulsive, with the only middle ground being that Quidditch match descriptions make for an excellent substitute for melatonin. I have never read a book this scattershot …
(alcoholism/transmisogyny)
I do not even know where to begin with this one. Holy shit. Okay. Well.
Demographics for any wandering eyes who see this review and don’t know me, because knowing such things for certain impressions on certain books can matter quite a lot (sometimes): I’m a gay trans man in my late twenties whose only prior exposure to this franchise has been through cultural osmosis and seeing the first and last films when they came out (long story). Knowing one’s enemy can be quite the boon, hence my taking the time to read these books.
Here is the thing about Harry’s third adventure at Hogwarts; there isn’t a single lukewarm thing about it. There are parts I find brilliant and parts I find repulsive, with the only middle ground being that Quidditch match descriptions make for an excellent substitute for melatonin. I have never read a book this scattershot in its quality, hence the three-star score I settled on.
I guess I’ll separate this into a list of pros and cons. No need to listen to me rattle on for more than necessary, right?
PROS:
1. Lupin and Sirirus are men to swoon for. The babygirl barometer shattered when I first read about Lupin gently nodding off in the train upon his first appearance. And what's better than one hot man than two hot men who no doubt have and will know each other biblically?
2. While I won't go into explicit detail, the entire set-up and execution of the mystery at-hand provides exquisite payoff. I'm actually a little angry at how airtight it all is apart from Queen Terf forgetting about Lupin's affliction for September.
3. Trelawny is a really fun character, and I like how she's presented. I get the feeling that Jo doesn't like her from the way she's described in the narrative (put a pin in that), but that's okay, because whatever Faustrian deal she made to get this book as good as it is doesn't mean that I have to care what she thinks.
4. Harry seeing an apparitition of his father through himself at the end was well-done and very sweet. I also quite liked how well the Buckbeak execution scene was handled. Made some tears bead up even for my clogged-up eyes.
5. I actually kind of like the rules surrounding the Time-Turners. A three hour time limit makes for a really smart handicap, though I still think it was foolish for Jo to introduce time travel in the first place through something that is both easily produced and given out to schoolchildren.
What is good in this book is really good - like surprisingly good. It's leaps and bounds more impressive than either of the last two books.
However.
CONS:
1. The child abuse that parades itself at the beginning of each book thus far remains to be viscerally upsetting to sludge through. Doesn't help that the author hates fat people so much that she'll just have Aunt Marge spout out some of the most hateful dialogue I've ever read in a YA novel all the while Jo describes her as having a mustache. Get it? Because she's evil. Thanks, Jo. Nice to see your true colors as early as 1999.
2. Speaking of which, the internalized misogyny is at an all-time high here. Evil women are described with way more venom than the men. There's a syltherin girl described as being 'pug-faced' and Hermione, normally the beacon of respecting her teachers, hates Trelawny so deeply for no real discernable reason whatsoever apart from a small comment that Trelawny was well within her right to make (that experience can sometimes make for better learning than books).
3. Quiddich is boring
4. Hagrid is infuriating in this book. I'm sorry, you expect me to feel bad for a man who botches his first day on the job so badly that it results in one of his students getting a foot-long gash in his arm? And the wild thing is that Jo clearly wants me to root for him! All because Malfoy was the one who was injured! He literally bleeds all over the paddock and yet Harry scoffs at him for 'not really being injured' EXCUSE ME?
5. This gets its own slot despite also being about Hagrid, only because it's my least favorite scene in these books so far. There's a small part of one chapter where the kids meet Hagrid in his hut. He's clearly very drunk. Eventually, Hermione, who is, again, a thirteen year old child, has to be the one to gently tell Hagrid that he's 'had enough' and helps clean him up. It reads as Rowling attempting humor, but all I can picture is a child being forced to take on the burden of an alcoholic guardian. It's disgusting, honestly, especially since it continues on with Rowling's uncomfortable trend of using alcoholism as a punchline. The fact that Hogwarts, a campus primarily made up of 11-17 year olds, doesn't have any sort of prohibitory measures towards drugs is insane to me.
Okay, I'm out of steam. This took a lot out of me. Shout out to my trip sitter for these books, you know who you are, bestie. I'm gonna not spell check this and take a nap.
Det blir visst ei Potter-bok i året på meg. Jeg setter nok fremdeles mer pris på verden Rowling har skapt enn jeg gjør selve historiene. Denne boka legger opp til at våre helter skal avdekke skurken og hans plott gjennom bruk av magiske kart, gamle fotoalbum og smarte resonnement - men det er jo ikke det de gjør. Heltene snubler seg gjennom nok et skoleår, samtidig som det foregår litt av hvert rundt dem som de egentlig ikke gjør særlig for å finne ut av. Likevel har de etterhvert tilfeldigvis overhørt en del, slik at det er bare de siste puslespillbrikkene de må bli fortalt om til slutt. Jaja. Siden verden er så spennende, fungerer det likevel. Jeg liker også godt de nye tilskuddene til karaktergalleriet, og jeg sluker jo tidsreiseplott.
Nok en gang var lesinga fornøyelig akkompagnert av podkasten Pottergenerasjonen. Det hjelper godt for å få sammenheng både frem …
Det blir visst ei Potter-bok i året på meg. Jeg setter nok fremdeles mer pris på verden Rowling har skapt enn jeg gjør selve historiene. Denne boka legger opp til at våre helter skal avdekke skurken og hans plott gjennom bruk av magiske kart, gamle fotoalbum og smarte resonnement - men det er jo ikke det de gjør. Heltene snubler seg gjennom nok et skoleår, samtidig som det foregår litt av hvert rundt dem som de egentlig ikke gjør særlig for å finne ut av. Likevel har de etterhvert tilfeldigvis overhørt en del, slik at det er bare de siste puslespillbrikkene de må bli fortalt om til slutt. Jaja. Siden verden er så spennende, fungerer det likevel. Jeg liker også godt de nye tilskuddene til karaktergalleriet, og jeg sluker jo tidsreiseplott.
Nok en gang var lesinga fornøyelig akkompagnert av podkasten Pottergenerasjonen. Det hjelper godt for å få sammenheng både frem og tilbake i bokserien, og for å nøste opp i deler av boka som er litt uklare. Det å høre dem diskutere deler av boka, gjør også at jeg tar stilling til ting jeg neppe hadde via en tanke om ikke.
Snape is the one continuing element of these books that I always severely question. Why would you, as an author, present people with such a dangerous person as a teacher without even asking any questions about it? Like, that could be a minor theme, and Rowling never really engages with it because she doesn't seem to know how she wants to view teachers as people.
It's one thing to hold grudges against people (Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, in this instance) for things they've done to you, but it's an entire other thing when your teenage grudge continues to plague your life and your profession (and, as a result, the relationship that you should be building with your students). This is something that I can, from experience, discuss. In the international school circuit, you often work with the children of your colleagues (and while it's preferable that you like them, …
Snape is the one continuing element of these books that I always severely question. Why would you, as an author, present people with such a dangerous person as a teacher without even asking any questions about it? Like, that could be a minor theme, and Rowling never really engages with it because she doesn't seem to know how she wants to view teachers as people.
It's one thing to hold grudges against people (Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, in this instance) for things they've done to you, but it's an entire other thing when your teenage grudge continues to plague your life and your profession (and, as a result, the relationship that you should be building with your students). This is something that I can, from experience, discuss. In the international school circuit, you often work with the children of your colleagues (and while it's preferable that you like them, it sometimes happens that you don't). If I let my feelings for my students' parents cloud my judgement, I would be treating so many kids badly. I'd hope that my boss would talk to me about this and set me straight (or straight up fire me for too many transgressions, let alone outright abuse).
The child of a person (or the godchild of a person) is not guilty of the crimes of the parent or guardian. The fact that a grown man is taking out his teenage feelings on the child of someone who he felt betrayed by is beyond disgusting. And it still leads right back to my constant question: What is happening in Hogwarts' management that they enable this behaviour? And why does Rowling never make this a question that is asked or considered?
It just perpetually frustrates me that no one seems to be actually managing the school and ensuring that it is a safe place to be, even in the background. Maybe it's just Minerva on her own, yelling at everyone to fix shit because they're all too busy holding grudges or acting mysterious while being overly-well-informed but doing little else than spouting cryptic messages.
That said, the events of this book are a bit more interesting, though I'm still of the opinion that Quidditch scenes are beyond boring and provide further evidence that they care little about student welfare and are in desperate need of a child welfare check. The fact that Harry can't go to Hogsmeade because his abusive aunt and uncle didn't sign the permission form but can play in a Quidditch match (especially during a massive rainstorm with a near-tornado) is ridiculous. They're fine with him flying around on a broomstick with little protection and a potential for extreme injury, but he can't just go hang out in town at a tavern. Again, no questions asked about this kind of logic.
The introduction of Lupin, Sirius, and the Marauder's Map is one of the better aspects of this book. Having Lupin excitedly describe how Sirius, James, and Peter just casually broke the law in order to become Animagus and keep him company during his turns is quite nice. Though, as for Peter, while this book fleshes out that part quite nicely for his existence as Scabbers, it's disappointing in review of the previous two because there was so little done to even hint at that other than to say he was "passed down" and missing a toe, so it feels like it wasn't originally mapped out nearly as well... Sort of like it was more an accident that Scabbers could be something more important.
I feel strongly about Azkaban being the best book in the series. It may be not as complex as Order of the Phoenix or as crushing as Half Blood Prince but on this re-read I feel it deserves a place at the top. I'm loving the re-read (third time I will have gone Book #3-7) and looking at hints of foreshadowing, slow reveal of prophecies and evolution of characters.
"[...]Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance...."
"Hagrid would like that," said Dumbledore,[...]
Took a long time to get to Hogwarts...
Hooray for finding the UK version.
I have to admit this book was an improvement on the first two. You still have the same old crap, Harry lives with the mean foster parents, he goes on a train, he does lessons, Snape is mean, all adults are completely oblivious to what's going on around them, except for Dumbledore who is was too high to give a shit about it, Hagrid cries, Hagrid gets drunk, Hagrid likes an animal, the ginger one and the girl argue, Harry plays quidditch and is sooooo amazing at it, Draco gets the short straw again and gets bullied by Harry and OFSTED still hasn't turned up even though a kid breaks a leg and another nearly loses his arm to a flying horse.
Even though all that got repeated Rowling this time managed to find time to fit in a mini plot, that felt well written and I found it interesting, …
I have to admit this book was an improvement on the first two. You still have the same old crap, Harry lives with the mean foster parents, he goes on a train, he does lessons, Snape is mean, all adults are completely oblivious to what's going on around them, except for Dumbledore who is was too high to give a shit about it, Hagrid cries, Hagrid gets drunk, Hagrid likes an animal, the ginger one and the girl argue, Harry plays quidditch and is sooooo amazing at it, Draco gets the short straw again and gets bullied by Harry and OFSTED still hasn't turned up even though a kid breaks a leg and another nearly loses his arm to a flying horse.
Even though all that got repeated Rowling this time managed to find time to fit in a mini plot, that felt well written and I found it interesting, I'm not converted though!!!!! The miniplot wasn't good enough to warrant more than two stars. I think the next book might be longer so I'm hoping that it may finally be a good book and I can see what all the hype is about this Potter kid. Ya never know, it might even earn itself a vomiting unicorn.
Easily my favorite HP.
April 30th, 2013
Prisoner of Azkaban is the point at which the Harry Potter series begins to move beyond the light-weight childrens books that started it off.
It's a gentle transition, more obvious in hindsight that it would be during a first reading. It shows up in various ways, not least when we discover the cause of Snape's hatred of Harry. And while irrational, it is understandable.
But perhaps it is most obvious in the end of the book. Yes Harry pulls off yet another victory of sorts, but it's a sour victory. There's no sense of triumph this time. No clean win. No enemy vanquished.
There's also a sophistication to the story telling that wasn't there before as all the different plot elements are carefully woven together before the climax.
We are starting to see the complexities of adult life bleeding into school ever so slightly. Things aren't simply black and white …
Prisoner of Azkaban is the point at which the Harry Potter series begins to move beyond the light-weight childrens books that started it off.
It's a gentle transition, more obvious in hindsight that it would be during a first reading. It shows up in various ways, not least when we discover the cause of Snape's hatred of Harry. And while irrational, it is understandable.
But perhaps it is most obvious in the end of the book. Yes Harry pulls off yet another victory of sorts, but it's a sour victory. There's no sense of triumph this time. No clean win. No enemy vanquished.
There's also a sophistication to the story telling that wasn't there before as all the different plot elements are carefully woven together before the climax.
We are starting to see the complexities of adult life bleeding into school ever so slightly. Things aren't simply black and white any more.
The Prisoner of Azkaban may be my favorite book in the entire series. We have the depth that is missing from the early books, but without the lack of editing that shows so clearly in later ones and with the back story actually serving to drive the main plot forward rather than slowing everything down.
Perfect book to be read during school days
This is my favorite of all the Harry Potter books. I think the plotting is among the tightest, and her style is better than it was in the previous two. And it introduces one of my favorite characters, too. Love, love, love.
