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Update: There are no spoilers in this review. **Rock

OK, I admit it - I am a Harry Potter fan. I further admit to getting caught up in the "Pottermania" leading up to the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, this final chapter in the tale of Harry Potter. So, Kelsey and I headed up to Barnes & Noble around 11PM to pick up our copy.

Before I get into the review, a quick note about the release party at B&N. It was packed. I have never, ever seen that many people in that store - including the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (book 6). There were easily over 1,000 people at our B&N, all waiting for a copy. I was number 300 in line (reserved copy folks got to go ahead of those who were buying on the spot)so we would up waiting only 1.25 hours for our copy, leaving about 1:15AM.

I read two chapters that night, and decided that I needed to get some sleep so I could be rested when I tackled the rest of the book the next day. I must say that I had not planned on reading it straight-through - but the book was so, fast-past, so engrossing, and so compelling that to do so otherwise would have prevented me from concentrating on anything else at all. I wound up finishing it Saturday evening at around 11:30PM.

This book differs greatly from any of the previous HP novels in a variety of ways. First, this book is much darker than the rest. While Harry's world may be one that is a fantasy, it is a fantasy world rooted with the goods - and bads - of our own universe. There is a palpable sense of fear and dread in this world - and there is no "cut and dry" definition of what constitutes good and evil. The characters in Harry Potter's world (including Harry himself) come complete with all of the human frailties and shortcomings found in us all. Good has a touch of grey, while evil may be redemptive. The only possible exceptions may be Lord Voldemort and Delores Umbridge, who are both sick with delusion and power (oh, and maybe Bellatrix LeStrange, who is just a nutter).

JK Rowling doesn't hold back in this book - and we're no longer a reading a cute kiddie tale either. Evil is everywhere, everyone is suspect, and death is an all-too-common occurance. Be forewarned: beloved characters die here, because, well, war is hell - even in a fantasy world. Sometimes we witness their deaths, and we feel the survivor's pain; othertimes the deaths occur "off camera", and we find out about them when Harry does - and the shock hits us the same. The book brings us to the lowest of lows, builds up the tension until we almost can't stand it anymore, and then delivers a cathartic climax that will literally make you leap for joy. Finally JKR provides us with an epilogue that satisfies your curiosity about the main characters, without telling you everything. What a great way to end.

Overall this is a tight, fast-paced finale to what will go down in history as one of the greatest fantasy epics of all time. I have always said that there are really two types of authors - those whose works require some "effort" or work upon the reader's part to get through them (and sometimes it is worth it, such as in Frank Herbert's Dune), while there are other books that are effortless to read - the Harry Potter novels fall into this latter category. This final book is an effortless read - and the visuals are so complete that it almost feels like you're watching the much-anticipated final movie (scheduled for 2010, from what I have heard) already.

Brilliant book - and I must admit that I am very sad that this will be the last one. Well, I was going to reread it again anyway, to pick up on the things I missed - I guess there's no time like the present...

Rock
**I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.