Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)

This book saved the series for me. 2010-08-26

Reviewer: Donald M.Davis

Don't get me wrong, I liked the first three books, but they didn't blow me away. They all felt juvenile, and it felt as though Rowling was almost afraid to make the stories darker. I haven't yet finished the Order of the Phoenix, so I can't commentate on the series as a whole. I can say that this book changed my feelings about the series from that of an enjoyable juvenile adventure to a full-blown epic that must be experienced. It is a slow book for the first five hundred pages, but it really picks up at the end. The entire book is worth reading for the end. Don't quit reading, because you will be blown away when you get to the third task in the Triwizard cup. After this book, I have full faith that my time is being well invested when reading this series. I can't wait to see where Rowling takes the series in the last few books.

Fires are not easy to put out. 2010-08-07

Reviewer: Anthony R. Cardno

As with the three earlier books in the Potter series, if memory serves correctly this is my third time through Goblet. I've read it twice, and now listened to it on cd. Overall, I still love the story and the way it basically changed everything. While Prisoner of Azkaban, my favorite Potter book (and movie, to date), was a bit darker than its predecessors, the danger still felt a little bit removed and the book still maintained a somewhat lighter tone. With Goblet, Rowling turns Harry's world upside down and almost from the start the book feels darker; the joy and wonder of the Quidditch World Cup, people tend to forget, is preceded by Harry "dreaming" about Lord Voldemort killing a Muggle and beginning his return to power. The bad stuff doesn't start with the Death Eaters and the Dark Mark at the Cup, but it certainly escalates from that point.

Experiencing the book for the third time, I was once again struck by how well Rowling builds on earlier throw-away comments and sets the stage for the later books. She allows her teen characters to grow, while most of her adult characters remain infuriatingly predictable. We can see Hagrid's blast-ended skrewt experiment ending badly before it even begins, and we know Hagrid will have at least one "I should not have told you that" moment; Dumbledore will be so focused on keeping Harry safe that he will neglect to share the very information Harry needs to make the smart decisions that will keep him safe; McGonagall will be stern and motherly at the same time; Snape will have those one or two moments where he vaguely threatens Harry and obstructs Harry's path but will ultimately not be a major part of the storyline .... except that, while all of that happens, Rowling actually gives us reasons this time. We get a bit more of Hagrid's history, we get to see just why Dumbledore is so distracted, and we start to see the Snape of the movies. In the first three books, Snape is a speedbump in the road and not much more. In this book, Snape quite literally is indirectly responsible for a character's death (had he not delayed Harry from seeing Dumbledore, Barty Crouch Sr might not have died) and in the final pages we see that he is going to be more than just a menacing teacher from this point on. Rowling expands even the secondary characters' roles (with the Madame Maxime subplot for Hagrid, and the heightened involvement of the adult Weasleys), and her page count expands to accommodate that change in story-style.

She also introduces at least one intriguing new character: Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. Moody quickly became a favorite character of mine, and remains so. Even after what I think is one of the best plot twists in the Potter series (if not all of series fiction). Listening to the book, I found myself even more attentive to Moody's scenes than I am when I'm rereading the book. And yes, the clues are all there early on, once you know where to look.

Some people have said that upon rereading Goblet, the teen relationship angst comes across as more forced than on the first read. I didn't find that to be so. Because while spurned feelings and requited attractions motivate the characters at various points, those emotions are still not the main plot (unlike at least one other YA urban fantasy series of great popularity, or so I've been told). Harry's interest in Cho and jealousy of Cedric, Ron's jealousy of Hermione and Krum, the poor Patil sisters stuck with dates who won't even pretend they're interested, even the ease with which Fred (or is it George) asks Angelina (or it is Katie) to the Ball ... all of this fits into the book as fine character work and subplot without taking our attention away from the main plots: the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the Return of Voldemort.

Unfortunately, there is one spbplot that annoyed me on the initial reading, annoyed me again when I reread the book, and still annoys me listening to the book. As wonderful a reader as Jim Dale is (and he is stretched to prove himself in this book, not only due to the length but due to the number of speaking characters to be interpreted), even he cannot generate any interest or excitement in the SPEW sub-plot. Way too much time is spent for a subplot that is ultimately dropped mid-book and not revisited in any of the remaining books. Yes, it's an important development for Hermione's character that she takes up the mantle of gaining equality for a down-trodden race. And yes, I'm sure in adulthood she worked tirelessly at the Ministry to finally get house elves the respect they deserve. But an already long novel could have been 50 pages shorter if Hermione's Crusade had been cut out or at least mentioned less frequently. Perhaps my largest disappointment of the Potter series is that this major subplot ultimately went nowhere. (I can foresee certain arguments having to do with events in Half-Blood Prince which were cut from the movie version, and in Deathly Hallows. I would ask that if you feel the urge to debate me / tell me I'm wrong, you try to be as vague as possible. I know of at least one person reading this blog regularly who has not read the books and so far has managed to not have any of the major events of DH spoiled for him before the movie comes out (which he will see opening weekend, as he has every other Potter movie, I'm sure).

I could natter on for pages yet, I'm sure. I haven't talked about the representation of sensationalist media in the form of Rita Skeeter. I haven't talked about Karkaroff and Krum, or the concept of other nation's schools of magic (I've always wondered why Rowling didn't use an American school, since the books were already selling so well over here. Might have been a nice nod to her American fans. Then again, the portrayal may have been unflattering.) But this is a review, not an essay. Overall, Goblet is my second-favorite book in the Potter series. Great character development, great new characters introduced, lots of groundwork laid for the second half of the series and especially for the next book.

Preparing the Battleground: Death and Foreboding 2010-07-24

Reviewer: M. L. Asselin

The fourth installment of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series breaks slightly from the pattern established by the first three volumes: the bookends of Harry's purgatory with his dastardly muggle relations, the Dursleys, remains, but there is also a lengthy prologue that sets up the return of Lord Voldemort. The first part of this prologue, we soon learn, is experienced by Harry as a kind of midsummer night's dream, and since it causes his lightning scar to burn, he recognizes it as an omen of some sort. Then, with his summer at the Dursleys fortunately interrupted by an invitation from the Weasleys to attend the Quidditch World Cup with them, a second section of the prologue--this about unusual events surrounding the Cup--unfolds to further introduce plot elements before the typical Hogwarts school-year story structure resumes.

The story of HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE is built around the Triwizarding Cup, a periodic year-long contest held between Hogwarts and its continental counterparts, the Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy. For the Triwizarding Cup, each magic institute selects a champion to represent the school; in this instance, with the contest being held at Hogwarts, Harry Potter is secretly selected to be a second champion from Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, believes that Lord Voldemort will use the games to try to kill Harry.

THE GOBLET OF FIRE is the longest installment to date in a series that features ever expanding volumes. What this means for the reader is not necessarily a corresponding increase in action, but more exposition: there are pages where characters talk at length--give speeches in fact--explaining what is happening. This book is also the darkest up to this point, with long passages of almost unmitigated gloom and featuring the unexpected death of a long-standing character. Moreover, the conclusion sets up the dark times ahead as the wizarding world is thrown into upheaval and sides are being drawn at the news that Voldemort has come back.

I found the narrative of this book lagged a bit compared with the earlier volumes, which all featured a more brisk pace. That combined with the pall of death and the almost unrelieved sense of foreboding (the first expressions of romantic interests arise, providing some light moments if not comic relief) made this not quite as fun to read for this reader as the first three books. However that may be, THE GOBLET OF FIRE was honored with a Hugo Award in 2001.

Reprint Edition 2010-06-27

Reviewer: N. Wawrin

We all know the Harry Potter books are amazing. However, this review is about the appearance of the books rather than the contents.
I recently decided to complete my HP paperback collection. I originally read all of the books in hardcover but I had bought a few in paperback years ago because they're easier to throw in my purse and carry around.
When I went to the store to buy the rest of the books in paperback I found that they had redone the whole collection when they released the complete set. I don't know why they decided to replace the back cover art with a blank background and change the multicolored argyle spines to monochrome, but I think it takes away from the personality of the books.
So I had been going all over town in search of the original prints. I was lucky to find an original CoS behind a stack of reprints at a Meijer but that was it. Imagine my happiness when I went on Amazon and saw that the product description for GoF said 2002 edition and the "search through the book" showed the original print with the back cover art. (I also ordered OotP - same story there.) However, when it arrived, IT WAS THE DREADED REPRINT EDITION. Of course, they let me return it, but I was very heartbroken and disappointed. Amazon let me down for the first time.

So, for those who love and enjoy the full art of the HP books, you will be thoroughly disappointed with this version. Good luck with your search for first edition!

ok 2010-06-24

Reviewer: krys

I thought I had selected hard back and got a soft cover instead. But all the others that I requested as a hard back, came as a hard back.