Are The Harry Potter Books Really Any Good?

Question

I have never read any Harry Potter books or seen any of the films but after trying to watch The De Vinci Code on Sky Movies last night (and switching over after 45 minutes as it was so naff), I was wondering whether the Harry Potter books are just as useless as The De Vinci Code and people are just being taken in by a collective hysteria, ie. a modern day emperor's new clothes?

Pepsi-bandit: They read the De Vinci Code and that is blatant, boring rubbish.

Some people are like sheep. They just like to follow what others do!

Answer 1

Of Course They Are!!!

Answer 2

Just as you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, nor should you judge a book by it's film adaptation.

The Harry Potter books are very good, and not purely for kids, especially the further into the series you get. The style of the first book seems to be aimed at children, the second book is less so, and by the third book it's really not at all. The films are okay but they leave out a lot and are not nearly as good as the books.

It does seem that there is a lot of hype in regards to the book, but that is not to say that the books are not any good. The hysteria with this last book can be put down to the fact that it is the last book, and people have been excited to have their questions finally answered. To conjure up that amount of interest has to suggest that there is a good reason for it.

As for the Da Vinci Code, the book is actually very good, but the film is absolute rubbish.

Answer 3

They ARE actually very good, and this comes from a usual critic of literature (I like to write my own, and I like to hear my own thoughts mostly).

My brother got into those books while in grade school, and eventually I started to read 'em, from volume 1 through 3, and then the 4th as soon as it came out. Since he was still in school, I eventually surged past where he was on the books.

Eventually I couldn't put it down! I was actually spending an entire day just sitting in a victorian chair, reading the book! I would then be doing something else later on and think, "Man, that Harry Potter show is cool. I want to watch it again..." not realizing that my own vivid imagination coupled with the books were not a TV show, but a book! The movies kinda ruin it, because the way they made some of the characters look was not the way I had pictured, and Daniel Radcliffe isn't a very accurate-looking HP. His hair "sticks straight up," according to JK Rowling.

...I've only read about four other books in my entire life, "Call of the Wild," "Dragon's Milk," and a few others about the supernatural. The HP books ARE definitely good. It's not hype. I hate reading. It's boring, but not when I read those books. However, I haven't read anything past volume IIII.

Answer 4

I used to enjoy both the books and movies immensely. However, I had trouble getting through the fifth book (it's so long, there's too much shouting, the character I hate most of all is introduced and gets too much "screentime" for her own good, there are too many dull moments, the overall plot seemed like a thinly-veiled political statment, and a character I really like was killed off in the stupidest fashion). I gave the sixth book a whirl, but it was much worse (the romances and characterizations sucked, and there's nothing else about the book that could overcome that- frankly the whole thing read like a bad fanfiction story). The seventh was hardly an improvement onthe sixth, unfortunately (it was worse). I have no interest in seeing the last three books on film- I hated the books themselves that much.

I still like to read the better fanfiction stories though- and watch the DVDs of the first four movies as well as play the video games. The books, however- even the first four, are just collecting dust on my shelf.

Answer 5

I didn't look at a Harry Potter book until early 2002, and there were already a few of them out by then. I was just too busy!

I went to the first film (Christmas 2001) merely out of curiosity, and was absolutely blown away, so I got the books out of the library, and soon after just went and bought my own copies. The books have a lot more detail in them than the films, and this makes them rich reading indeed. I love them, prefer them to the films, to be honest.

Just go to your local library and borrow the first one, if you don't like it you can always bring it back.

The Da Vinci code is just an expression of people's cynicism regarding the Catholic church, and I had heard the legend years before the book came out.

Answer 6

Okay, let me tell you a story which will answer this question for me. When I was younger I hated reading books, most I found incredibly boring, when we had silent reading time at primary school I'd either take out the joke book or sit behind a random one and daydream. Then I started watching the Harry Potter movies, I thought they were pretty good (The first two were out at this time) but I wasn't a huge fan or anything. When the fifth book came out everyone was making a huge fuss about someone dying in it, so my Mum decided to get a copy for me and my brother and herself to share. I loved it. I couldn't stop reading, I finished before my brother or mum and soon after that I started reading more in general. Now I'm almost 17 and my shelves are filled with books. I don't know how Jo does it, whether she puts subliminal messages in the books, or children really are just captivated by the magic of them, but I know I was.

Answer 7

The Harry Potter books, in my opinion are entertaining which is the first thing to make these masses of people enjoy them. It's an underdog story with magic. People tend to like those elements in a story. Also, the books are simply written. This is the second reason they are so hugely popular.

There is nothing incredibly wonderful in the way they are written, or even in the story itself, but because of the entertainment aspect and the fact that they are easy to read, they have become the phenomenon that the series is today.

I'm not going to lie. I love the series and was among the people to get Deathly Hallows the day it came out. But don't expect these books to be especially well written.

Answer 8

The books - and the films - are excellent. As I've just stated in a previous answer - I too thought it was hype until I saw one of the films. That was me - hooked!! Started reading all the books and have seen all the films. I've just finished Deathly Hallows and was disappointed - because it was the last book. J K Rowling is a brilliant author and she pulls you into her stories. But like everything else, you won't know until you've tried. Let us know if you do!

Edit: Artemis - I actually think most people assumed wrong because JK had hinted that main characters would be killed off. And I would certainly read the books again - every single one of them and I'm not a child who had difficulty reading them in the first place - I'm an adult!

Answer 9

Honestly, I do believe that they got popular from people saying, "Hey this book is kinda good, you should read it" to all of their friends, and so on to almost everyone Europe, then in America, and soon other countries. They aren't exceptional, but they have a certain element for everyone. They have a little romance, a little thriller, a little fantasy, so almost everyone can find something they like in them. I believe that they are not useless, but they tend to bore me when I reread them since they are predictable. Did you hear all of the assumptions for book 7? Almost all of them were correct!

By the way, have you read the Georgia Nicholson books by Loise Rennison? I was just wondering because 'naff' is a word that I had never heard before reading those books.

Answer 10

It takes two to Tango - the book and the reader.

Both HP and De Vinci have much to offer, but HP is orders of magnitude better for me. Begin reading the first book - if it doesn't do anything, move on. I never did like Lord of the Rings - didn't even finish half a book, but that doesn't in any way detract from its greatness.

Answer 11

The Harry Potter books, in terms of writing style, aren't anything special. However, the idea itself is the amazing aspect of it...and therefore the books are worth the read.
I believe the same thing of the DaVinci Code...the idea is the main interesting factor. If you're after good writing, try Shakespeare.