Golding? Orwell? Lewis? Martin? All truly magnificent tale spinners, but none of them are as enthralling as my all time fave, Ms. J.K. Rowling. For those of you who have read Harry Potter, you are well aware of the skill with which she weaves her compelling tale over seven books. For those of you who have not yet indulged in the saga, you should most definitely rush out and do so now.
Do I hear you asking why out there? Lucky you, I’m about to tell you.
Ms. Rowling creates a magical world where good versus evil, that is typical of many children’s authors. Yet Harry Potter is so much more than another book about obviously good versus obviously evil. Her characters are human. A few of the more popular characters blur the lines of good and evil; keeping many readers guessing which side they would come out on in the end. Her world reflects our world. Our prejudices, undying love, betrayals, and hope are in her vision of world filled with wizards, witches, and muggles. Her history is our history. Her present is our present. Ms. Rowling didn’t leave out the teenage angst, first love, realizing that your idols are fallible, your parents not perfect, the loyalty of friends, and the sacrifice of life for a cause greater than yourself. She throws in politicians invading the educational system, taking over the media, smearing the other side with published lies, and the apathy that overtakes those who don’t believe they can make a difference.
My absolute favorite element of Ms. Rowling’s writing is her amazing use of foreshadowing. Granted, this technique is not something I realized the first time I read the series. Trust, if you have read them once, read them all again. You should find yourself awestruck at how well laid out and shockingly subtle her foreshadowing technique is. It blows my mind to ponder how much effort she must have put into foreshadowing alone.
Her world may be a magical world that is hidden to all muggles, but her world is so admired and well loved because it is decidedly human in its workings.