In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling does exactly what I wanted her to do in The Chamber of Secrets: she both ups the stakes for the series as a whole, and takes Harry as a person in unexpected directions. Despite the fact that Rowling still feels the need to review everything that happened in the previous books during Azkaban’s opening chapters, she’s a bit cleverer about it here than she was in Chamber of Secrets. I just love the opening paragraph: Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework, but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of the night. And he also happened to be a wizard. There’s an abrupt break with the Dursleys not long into the book, however, and it soon becomes apparent that things are going to go in quite a different direction from the previous two books. Harry is suddenly out on his own, alone, possibly sought after by the Ministry of Magic (due to illegal use of magic against the domineering Aunt Marge), and with a crazed murderer on the loose, who turns out to be his godfather, the man who is known to have betrayed his parents. Of course, Harry does not remain alone for long, as the school year begins and he returns to Hogwarts. But is an air of danger pervades the book even after he joins his old classmates and teachers. Is even Hogwarts safe anymore? What makes this installment a winner is the characterization. The layers are slowly beginning to peeled back. Harry is more than just a boy hero and fish out of water here: he is a young man with the chance for vengeance placed before him, and he must decide whether to take it or not. Hermione is finally given the chance to do something again, having been petrified for a large part of the previous book. And I feel that we see more of the real Snape here than we ever have before … although I am still unsure who the “real Snape” is. As for the new characters, I love love love Professor Lupin (imagine saying that about a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!), and Sirius Black is fascinating. I’ll say no more. There are some great individual episodes as well. It’s nice to have Quidditch restored to some prominence; I missed it in the previous book. And the Christmas feast, with McGonagall egging Professor Trelawney on, is hilarious. The climax and denouement take up a much larger page count than in either SS or CoS, and during that section I was alternately excited, terrified for the protagonists, saddened, and moved. When Dumbledore takes up his role as General Purveyor of Platitudes (as he inevitably must near the end of every book), he comments on how an act of mercy binds the forgiven to the forgiver in a unique way, and how such an act may have important consequences in the days to come. This is well-handled by Rowling and reminded me of the Bilbo/Gollum situation in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. But then he comes out with some hogwash about Harry finding his father “inside himself.” What the heck? You have to keep your eye on Rowling. Sometimes she has something important to say, and sometimes it’s just nonsense. This is easily my favorite of the HP books so far, and I look forward to continuing with the series!

This was my favourite Harry Potter book for a long time, and it still ranks right up there. The first two books were fun, but this is the point where I became emotionally involved with the series. There's a lot of tense stuff in here amidst the usual humour of this enchanting world. Harry has to deal with his parents' deaths in a more active way as he comes face-to-face with the man who's responsible. He struggles with fear, made tangible in the form of the Dementors. His friendships are also tested somewhat as Ron and Hermione quarrel, dividing the trio. And finally, at the end, he has to deal with a truly heartwrenching disappointment. Aside from that, the book is nicely plotted. It kept me guessing the first time through, but in retrospect it's easy to see the clues J.K. Rowling planted along the way. And while Voldemort doesn't appear in person, he's always present in spirit. The book grows darker and darker as his shadow looms over the action, threatening to spill over in the next book. Overall, an excellent read. Definitely recommended, but read the first two books beforehand so everything makes sense.