Note: Lian Dolan will be appearing at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing on Thursday, June 27, at 7 p.m. I was lucky enough to have a fantastic...
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kipacha, July 4, 2011 (view all comments by kipacha)
The whole HP series is based on alchemy. Hence why the first book was titled HP & The Philosopher's Stone (renamed for US versions only). Why do I mention this? Well in alchemy there are 3 stages to create a Philosopher's Stone (i.e. the turning of lead into gold). There's a black, white, and red stage. Book 5 in the series is the Black stage of the alchemy process. Hence why Sirius Black dies at the end and why the entire book is dark. I think J.K. Rowling does an excellent job of continuing her alchemy theme & symbolism. And the HP series would NOT be complete without book 5. It is necessary to the story. It is the first stage of turning Harry into the Philosopher's Stone - which is why his polyjuice potion in Book 7 is gold.
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Jack Thomas, January 2, 2010 (view all comments by Jack Thomas)
This is the summation of the Harry Potter & friends association. It shows how important friends can be when seemingly overwhelming things happen to ordinary people. Everything before and after this book in the series supports this central theme.
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stretchmarkspice, January 1, 2010 (view all comments by stretchmarkspice)
This, book 5 in the Harry Potter Series, was my favorite book of the decade. Filled with adventure, romance, and heart-wrenching loss, OotP is the adolescence of the series. Much of the wonder and playfulness of the earlier books is left behind, as responsibility, hardship, and destiny take hold. It also was an excellent illustration of what harm can be done by prejudice and zealotry.
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Ehsaan, July 11, 2007 (view all comments by Ehsaan)
I think the name of the movie and also off book is nice but if u ask me i will suggest Harry Potter And The Ministry Of Magic, Harry Potter And The Dumbledore's Army or Harry Potter And The Mysterious Prophecy.
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Harry Potter #5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Used Hardcover
J K Rowling
0 stars -
0 reviews
$4.95
In Stock
Product details
870 pages
Arthur A. Levine Books -
English9780439358064
Reviews:
"Review A Day"
by Laura Miller, Salon.com,
"If [Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire] was the work of a born storyteller still sorting out her technique, Phoenix is the smooth product of a natural at the top of her game. Phoenix is even longer than Goblet, but it never idles or slackens. There's less reliance on startling tricks and reversals and more attention to the underlying organic structures of art. Rowling's hold on the steering wheel doesn't wobble, either. You can feel that she knows just what she's doing, weaving in the threads of the series' larger themes as they grow deeper and richer....With the aptly-named [Dolores] Umbridge...Rowling has created her best bad guy yet....Rowling steps briefly out of the conventions of the genre to send a shiver of reality through her imaginary world. It's a sign that wherever she takes us next, we can't expect the old rules to apply anymore. But that, after all, is what growing up is all about." (read the entire Salon review)
"Review"
by Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times,
"Although it takes a while for the gears of this immensely long novel to mesh fully, the author's bravura storytelling skills and tirelessly inventive imagination soon take over, braiding together the mundane and the marvelous, the psychological and the allegorical with consummate authority and ease."
"Review"
by Deirdre Donahue, USA Today,
"The book richly deserves the hype....Order of the Phoenix allows the reader to savor Rowling's remarkably fertile imagination."
"Review"
by Deepti Hajela, The Miami Herald,
"It was worth the wait. And then some....[M]ost striking, the range of emotions is larger, and not just Harry's....It all makes for an engrossing read."
"Review"
by Phil Kloer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
"[Rowling's] Potter saga...positively teems with imagination and creativity."
"Review"
by Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly,
"Is [Phoenix] as good as the other Harry Potter books? No. This one is actually quite a bit better....[A] slam dunk....Dolores Umbridge...is the greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter....I think Harry will take his place with Alice, Huck, Frodo, and Dorothy, and this is one series not just for the decade, but for the ages. (Grade: A)"
"Review"
by Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice,
"Rowling hasn't yet written an ungraceful sentence...and her often nasty epic has evolved nicely....Lovely literacy phenom or not, Rowling's books are virtually 100 percent cliché and cliché byproducts....Originality is overrated, it seems, particularly when you're appealing to the madness of crowds."
"Review"
by Michael Cart, The Los Angeles Times,
"Rowling does her usual page-turningly good job. Although this is a complex novel, the high energy level almost never flags, thanks in part to the author's ability to create vivid scenes and set pieces."
"Review"
by Elizabeth Ward, The Washington Post,
"[G]o read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the...sheer comic exuberance even in the midst of high drama....Jokes, gags and memorable put-downs pop up on nearly every page."
"Review"
by Lev Grossman, Time,
"Just when we might have expected author J.K. Rowling's considerable imaginative energies to flag...she has hit peak form and is gaining speed....[Rowling's] prose, always a serviceable, unshowy instrument, is stronger and more confident, and she has become a virtuoso plotter, a master at snappy pacing, able to stun and surprise at will."
"Review"
by John Mark Eberhart, Kansas City Star,
"[A]t 870 turgid pages, [Phoenix] is the least satisfying in the series. The plot is cumbersome. Most characters haven't bloomed; they've only aged. Settings are befogged by vague writing. Worst, though, is the excess....Order of the Phoenix is a case of too much adding up to too little."
"Review"
by Robin Vidimos, The Denver Post,
"Rowling continues to deliver her unique magic. And while it involves spells, eccentric characters and a wonderful world where we'd all probably like to spend some time, the real magic involves a very personal, often difficult, battle between good and evil that continues to give a reason for hope."
"Review"
by Mark Lawson, The Guardian (U.K.),
"Some authors write series for commercial reasons but this book confirms that, for Rowling, the architecture of a seven-book sequence has always been artistically driven....What remains clear in this fifth installment of the story is that Rowling is a very hard writer to dislike."
"Review"
by John Leonard, The New York Times Book Review,
"J. K. Rowling is the real magician....[The book] starts slow, gathers speed and then skateboards, with somersaults, to its furious conclusion....Order of the Phoenix is rich and satisfying in almost every respect."
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
As Harry enters his fifth year at wizard school, it seems the bonds of friendship and trust have never been more sorely tested. Lord Voldemort's rise has opened a rift in the wizarding world between those who believe the truth about his return, and those who prefer to believe it's all madness and lies — just more trouble from Harry Potter.
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
In the richest installment yet of J. K. Rowling's seven-part story, Harry Potter confronts the unreliability of the very government of the magical world, and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts. Despite this (or perhaps because of it) Harry finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty and unbearable sacrifice. Though thick runs the plot (as well as the spine), readers will race through these pages, and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back.
"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,
We could tell you, but then we'd have to Obliviate your memory.
"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,
The next volume in the thrilling, moving, bestselling Harry Potter series will reach readers June 21, 2003 — and it's been worth the wait!
We could tell you, but then we'd have to Obliviate your memory.
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