Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Not fifteen minutes ago, I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I am under strict orders not to reveal any spoilers to my wife, who has yet to read it. And since I only read it so fast so as to avoid having hte plot ruined by on-line spoilers, I shall do my best to keep my review spoiler free.

I enjoyed this final book. I thought that Rowling did an admirable job tying up all the loose ends. She even did so reaching back through other books. There were a few times when I was absolutely bewildered as to what she was talking about; thankfully, she would then gently remind me and I would sit in my chair, stunned that she had pulled something out from that far back.

Turns out that my predictions about the plotline were waaaaay off. I only got one death prediction right (and then, I didn't get the circumstances right at all). Well, actually, come to think of it, I kind of saw another death coming but that one also didn't play out the way I thought it would.

What really struck me were the number of Christian references that pop up throughout the book. Rowling quotes two separate Bible verses in short order at one point. There's some parallels between Christ and Harry that I won't get into. I don't know if the latter is a Joseph Campbell Power of Myth kind of thing. Personally, I'm hoping that the rumors I've heard that Rowling is a Christian is true and she was tipping her hand a little.

Would I let my son read this book? Sure. But like all things, I'd want to be there to explain things and put it all into context. It'll be interesting to see what Rowling comes up with next. I have my doubts that she'll be able to top this, but I'm more than willing to giver her a chance.