Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Every kid has those big emotional impacts that forms them when they're growing up. Those experiences that shapes them, moulds them into the sort of adult they become. I'd always liked reading as a kid, but it was this book that made me a completely helpless bibliophile. I regret nothing.

It begins when Harry Potter's parents are killed by a Dark wizard, leaving him to the not-so-tender care of his only living relatives, the non-magical Dursleys. Then he learns he's a wizard, on his eleventh birthday. It finally explains all the weird stuff that has always happened around him. Now, Harry's off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn magic. But dark clouds are on the horizon, and over the course of the year Harry will find himself embroiled in a mystery with terrible consequences.

My first encounter with Harry was at the age of 8, and frankly I wasn't even hooked until I read the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Over the succeeding years, I've read these books more times than I can count; the very first copies I've ever had are little more than tightly scotch taped tatters at this point. As an adult reading them again after so long, the last time I did being over 5 years ago, I thought it would be interesting to try and approach them with no preconceptions.

The first thing that strikes me is how rich J.K. Rowling's writing is. At a mere 310 pages, with font targeted to children, this book does an incredible amount of storytelling, an economy of words like I've never seen. Not only does Rowling build a simple world, she also pays an amazing attention to detail, not only laying a sturdy foundation to tell her story, but also laying the groundwork for plot threads and details to come for much, much later in the series.

At times, her writing seems to take on a slightly whimsical tone. A very much lighter tone than the sort heavy in your average Neil Gaiman book. I felt this works well, given the intended target of the book, and also serves to amplify the magical feel of the story in general at times. It's not a literary tool she uses very often, but it is there, especially at retrospective moments.

Her characterization is top notch. She introduces her characters and firmly makes them unique in y0ur mind right off the bat, from the main characters to the most minor. A mere mention of a name chapters after the introduction is more than enough to recall precisely who she is referring to, and to conjure a corresponding mental image.

But most of all, this re-read brought the magic back. I originally gave this one a 4 star rating, but after experiencing it again after so long, picking it apart, seeing all the little details that come into play in later books, enjoying my return to this world that was such a huge part of growing up for me, there's no way I can give a book I quite simply enjoyed so much anything less than 5 stars.

Some experiences just stay with you for a lifetime, and this is one for me.