Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Author: J.K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: B+

It’s back to Hogwarts, and as Harry and his friends return for their third year.  As is customary in these books, both the reader and Harry are introduced to greater elements of the wizarding world, in this case the magic world beyond just London and Hogwarts.  Just before Harry returns to school there is an unprecedented breakout at the wizard’s prison, Azkaban, and the deranged madman Sirius Black is on the loose – and looking for Harry Potter.  In the hunt for Black the guards of Azkaban are let loose, and Dementors come to Hogwarts.

One of the things that I loved most about this book was the fact that it broke down the previous conceptions of the divisions within Hogwarts.  Previously it’s been depicted that good people are not in Slytherin and the best people are in Gryffindor, but here we’re being shown a different perspective of things.  Not all Gryffindors are good, therefore presumably not all Slytherins are bad.  This theme really become ones that captures the series; divisions among peoples and yet the ways that we must also come together.  I love, love, love, love this theme and the ways in which it pops up throughout the series.  Previously, even the more mischievous of Gryffindors have been inherently good, while all the Slytherins we know are bullies.

The title of this book, however, is somewhat misleading. While the crux of the climax is in fact about the Prisoner of Azkaban, the book itself is more about fear and a manifestation of fear itself, the Dementors. I think the book could have easily been titled Harry Potter and the Dementors of Azkaban, although the use of two new words might have been a bit too much – with the word “Prisoner” and the similarity between the words “Azkaban” and “Alcatraz” we can assume that the one is some sort of jail. Point is, this book is more about Dementors and what they represent – both for Harry and the world around him – than Sirius Black and the threat he poses, although that is an important part of the overall story of the series. I really like what the Dementors say about the wizarding world. They pose this very real threat to humans in general, as their presence sucks the joy out of a person and can drive them insane and their kiss can suck the soul out of a human – here Rowling tries to answer the question “what’s worse than death.” They represent fear in itself, but the question that people don’t necessarily think about when confronted with them – but I think Rowling is trying to raise – is what can you make of a government that utilizes such a force? And what happens when that government tries to stop using them, or worse when they stop using the government? This threat is far more enticing, and scary, than the Dementors themselves.