It’s always a delight to go back to a beloved series. My favorite fantasy series of all time, perhaps, is the magical world of Harry Potter. Quite recently, I chanced upon three books written by the author on Pottermore, and without further ado, bought it. This book, the third in that series, brings a little more knowledge about that world.
Every book goes through its phases. The author writes it, and then plans for the next in the series (if it is part of one). There are parts that are left out, character sketches that undergo slight modifications, parts of that world that are there in the first book but have to be looked at in the other parts, and sometimes even suppressed. In this book, Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide, the author shares some aspects of the series that may have originally been in her plans for the books, but didn’t materialize. She also gives some explanations that add to the back story of many parts of the magical world that are beloved to Potterheads across the world.
Firstly, this is not a part of the Harry Potter series, so any reader starting to read expecting details of battles or dialogues etc. will almost certainly end up disappointed. I didn’t, and I could see that there was magic there, but it’s more observational, explanatory and even historical. The Harry Potter series played a big part in my life, and continues to do so, so I could bring myself into that world again with ease. It was fun to know things like the name of a ghost that was initially in the plans for the book, but never made it there, or the character sketch of a certain wizard whose character in the book had made me laugh out loud. There’s the history behind the Hogwarts Express too, and about the sorting process. These are a part of what you can look forward to in the book, but I won’t give out actual details about each so you can enjoy them and be enchanted by them when you read.
I wished the book was longer, maybe a Hogwarts textbook like Hogwarts: A History. It saddens me that it ended so quickly. But there are two other books to read and enjoy, so that’s something I look forward to happily. Thankful to have a bit of magic back in my life, and yes, this is a book I would read once again.
| Book Details | |
|---|---|
| Title: Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide | Series: Pottermore Presents #3 |
| Author(s): JK Rowling | Genre: Fantasy |
| ISBN/ASIN: B01JLXET7G | Publisher: Pottermore |
No payment was taken for this review. The views expressed here are mine, and they remain uninfluenced and unbiased.
(© Vinay Leo R. @ A Bookworm’s Musing
26th August 2017)
A Bookworm's Musing 
It must have been such a treat reading bits and pieces about your fav magical world. 🙂
definitely. you should read too, Bhavs. 😀 fun book!
You got to know about them quite recently?! really? After all the hype surrounding their release. I had preordered these books and gulped them on the day they got released.
Great review. Finish the other two, they were even better than this one if I remember correctly.
Been a bit wary of the new books since Cursed Child didn’t completely live up to expectation, so I may not have given much attention to the hype. 😛
Despite being a Potter fan, I had no idea such a book existed. So thanks for this post. We have seen ‘behind the scenes’ of movies or the parts that didn’t make it on screen. This is a first that I know of for a book series. I shall put it down in my ‘to-read’ books.
Glad to come across this blog. Good Luck to you Vinay!
I hope you read it and enjoy it a lot. 🙂 I did.
Apparently I need to get on that Pottermore site. Interesting. Thank you for letting me know.
Have fun. 🙂