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William Matheson's Journal
Jul. 29th, 2007
04:04 am - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: A spoiler-free mini-review
At this moment, I have finished Harry Potter. Now you know why I didn’t want to buy it; why buy a book that you’ll be finished with in two-and-a-half days?
Page-turner? Yes. Well, it is except for some boring bits in the middle, especially times like when a character is reading a long excerpt of Skeeter, full of such sanctimoniousness that it stretches plausibility, even as an intentionally badly-written book-within-a-book. It was during these times that I would put down Deathly Hallows and exclaim, “Wow, this book sucks!” In Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling continually breaks the old fiction writer’s rule, “show, don’t tell,” and it’s safe to say that her spasms of artlessness sometimes rankled my feathers. (It is rumoured that before she hit upon the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling’s original title was to be Harry Potter and the Two Friends With Whom He Spends the Entire Book Planning Their Next Move.)
Then again, it’s hard to see how she could have done otherwise, because she sure had her work set out for her. For a finale of this magnitude, subject to this kind of scrutiny, Deathly Hallows is as good as it could possibly have been. This is no small compliment, as I mean this sincerely. It is not like, as I have done in the past, desperately trying to find things to like about Revenge of the Sith. This is one of those very rare human experiences where the experience itself is fully commensurate with its anticipation. It is not like The Sopranos or the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine finales.
It would be hard to say much more without giving away significant spoilers, but I will say that, at least for me, the book largely lived up to and sometimes even exceeded my expectations. On the up side, Deathly Hallows delivers the exhilaration we’ve come to expect from the series, and it also does a good job of answering outstanding questions from previous instalments. On the down side, this book does a good job of answering those questions – to the point of excessive tidiness. (Again, it is not like The Sopranos finale!) Still, you have to admire how various revelations and mechanics all come together in lockstep, and you feel the impact of her having conceived of and written the ending long ago. You look back on things even as far back as the first or second books – which in my case I haven’t read for over a year! – and go, “Woah.”
One thing I admire Rowling for (although I don’t always agree with it) is her utter refusal to pander or pamper readers with this volume. Even its title is somewhat confounding; the “Hallows” of Deathly Hallows refers to its obsolete meaning, “relics.” (I had thought it meant some sort of valley!) Rowling also has no qualms about referring to recurring minor characters, obscure animals and plants, and other such things with a narrative impunity that will have the reader running back and forth between the book and Wikipedia. They’ve also made no effort to annotate any of the more rarefied British colloquialisms, which I feel is an unnecessary frustration. As for the usage, though, it adds a certain flavour that I’d be daft to complain about – blimey, now ‘ey’ve got me doin’ i’!
I can only say now that I’ve enjoyed these books immeasurably, and will inevitably read them again. I may even watch the films, even though they seem to be much more sedate than what I’ve been imagining while I read. I’d break the reviewer’s wall and say, “Thanks, J.K. Rowling,” but that would be simply barbaric, and it would only add to the inane cacophony already out there in Fan Land. But how can you not be sentimental at the end of such a long journey?
So, now what?
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tiredJul. 27th, 2007
05:44 pm - William Matheson and the Hard-to-Borrow Book
I HAVE IT!
(click here for the mini-set)
Finally, soon I'll be able to browse Wikipedia, LJ, and countless other places without fear of spoilers! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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accomplishedJul. 18th, 2007
01:37 am - Deathly Hallows + DVDs + Tour de France + Radio 3
I got some pretty promising DVDs from the library tonight: Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers (the last Babylon 5 TV movie; it never aired in Canada), Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (I’ve been waiting for it since before Christmas; it takes forever because it’s a Young Adult DVD with a 7-day loan period), and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Never seen, never seen, never seen sober.
Also on the library front – I’m 66th in line (out of 398) for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and the Halifax library system as a whole is ordering 82 copies. I placed my hold the day it came up in the catalogue as being on order, which was the day they announced the title and the release date. (Okay, why am I not buying this book, you ask? Because I’m Scottish and when the mood strikes me, I’ll go to absurd lengths to save a buck, and the more absurd, the better! Besides, I didn’t buy the OTHER books, so buying one would inevitably lead to buying them ALL, which is more money that I’m willing to part with right now. Okay, when I am rich and famous, I will stock my library with Harry Potter reprints. But not now.) But I found out tonight that Rapid Reads don’t count – that is, I can’t place a hold request on a Rapid Read. (That’s good news for those of you with cars – if you want a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and you can finish it in a week, just go to any branch* before it opens on Saturday and pick it up. I have it on good authority that library staff aren’t allowed to borrow Rapid Reads until a regular client borrows and returns the particular item.) Anyway, this means I won’t be getting Deathly Hollows on Saturday – 18/82 are Rapid Reads, 82-18 equals… 64. D’oh! So I have to wait for either 1) two holds to expire (5 business days) or 2) two copies to be borrowed and returned.
* - Keshen Goodman, Alderney Gate, Bedford, Spring Garden Road Memorial, Dartmouth North, Cole Harbour, Captain William Spry, J.D. Shatford (where the heck is that??), Halifax North, Sackville, Woodlawn, and Tantallon will each have at least one copy. Musquodoboit Harbour and Sheet Harbour will only have regular copies, so don’t drive out to Sheet Harbour in hopes of being the first person in Atlantic Canada to legally read Harry Potter for free.
Don’t tell me to just buy it, because as I said, I get a lot of masochistic enjoyment out of saving a buck. Most of my reading material for school last year came from academic and public libraries. Oh, the guy at the information desk at Keshen Goodman tonight asked me when he was looking it up for me, “Harry Potter and the what? What’s it called again?” If you can imagine! =)
So it’s looking to be a VERY good coming week, entertainment-wise. Did I mention the Tour de France is also on? You can catch it in the mornings on OLN / Versus. It’s thrilling! The scenery! The strategy! The athleticism! These guys are averaging nearly 40 km/h, uphill! (To compare, I’ve broke 60 only one recorded time, coming down Bluewater Road in Bedford.) It’s reasonably easy to get into, too; although I wish they had little indicators for each racer on your screen like they do for NASCAR. =) If you’re trying to pick out someone in the Pelaton who isn’t wearing the yellow jacket, you might as well forget it.
Oh, and just a little something for everyone who’s ever worked Sprint-Nextel Customer Care, at TeleTech, or elsewhere: This song should be familiar to you. =) And for everyone in general, let me tell you that Radio 3 totally rocks! (A stream that plays some of the music they broadcast is available here – in as little as a day, you’ll totally be able to fake being an indie rock expert!) The music is consistently good, and I really think Radio 3 needs to go terrestrial. I really miss their Radio 2 simulcasts, but I can’t justify buying Sirius just to hear Radio 3.
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thoughtfulApr. 24th, 2006
08:28 pm - William Matheson and the Half-Baked LiveJournal
You can count on William Matheson’s LiveJournal for all the up-to-date, cutting-edge information on arts, technology, travel, and whatever the heck I feel like writing – twenty days behind, censored, and up-to-the-year. If you’re looking for news and reviews on the latest trends and hot new* releases, you need look no further than William Matheson’s LiveJournal.
* - New: Anything released since 1989.
I’ve recently finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It was a great book, but it was surprisingly short. It’s been said that it’s better to receive it as a “part one,” and I agree.
…
You know those times when you’re writing a capsule review and then someone phones you with heartbreaking news?
…
Prince was, despite its frequent treads on the paths of the darkness inherent in everyone, a very funny and heart-warming book. There was one particular instance when (minor spoiler ahead) Slughorn gave a brief eulogy to Aragog. You’ll have to read that far to see what I mean. I had to put the book down, I was laughing so hard.
Before long, I reached the end, both of the book and the currently available Harry Potter titles. Now I am a Harrywin addict without a fix. How long will it be until Book 7? Years, maybe! This is terrible!
But imagine how it would be if I hadn’t taken it up so recently? My wait will be nothing compared to the waits of true long-time fans between volumes of the series.
…
I can’t concentrate on this anymore. I’ll be back later with the report from de-briefing in Montréal.
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