The end of an era

Generally, if a book or movie series is released, the last one will nearly always disappoint. It's essentially playing the odds for the entire time, and many classics are marred by their later chapters. The Godfather series. The Star Wars series. The list I'm sure could go on and on eternally, but the point is, rarely do series end well, and almost never do they end on high notes.

Harry Potter does.

With Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, JK Rowling has crafted her magnum opus. She has created not only her most fully realized, her most tragic, her most funny, and her best written book, but she may have raised the bar for all writers of series', filmic or book related. The final chapter of the series combined everything that worked so well in the first six books, fitting in nearly every character and giving many of them very triumphant moments, and actually managed to successfully tie up almost every loose end brought up within them. Sure it brought (many) deaths upon us, but none of it felt wasted, as nothing in the entire book did. No chapter, no word, no piece of punctuation. This is the fastest and most action packed book of the series.

At 1:30 pm today, 36 hours after I purchased the book, I finished the book fully satisfied, smiling from ear to ear, but with a hint of sadness, as I knew this would be the last time I read a new Harry Potter book. I had a bit of happiness however, as I knew any time I wanted to revisit the wonderful world Rowling has created, I just need to open the first book and start again. I just might.

One thing, I wanted to note. Harry Potter may not be literature, but it is a brilliant way to escape into an incredible universe full of wonderful characters, touching relationships, and simply magical atmosphere. If you are someone who discounts the book series because its a children's series, do not. Pick up the books and read them, they are worth every second you spend with them. Count me envious of you, I wish I could forget the whole series and read the whole thing again, for the first time. End diatribe.