Customer Reviews

Field Guide to Harry Potter

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Other than the first few chapters, I found that this book is a wonderful reference to the Harry Potter book series. I did know about J.K. Rowling's life story and how she wrote her books. This went a little more in depth about that and her background.

I found the religious portions interesting as well as informative. It brought to my mind that things are not all what they seem to be. One does not know everything about the religious aspects that are brought to light in the Harry Potter books. When one reads them, the individual probably does not realize the effects of religion in those books. They are reading the books because it is Harry Potter and are not looking deeper into the stories.

"The Field Guide to Harry Potter" is just that. A 'guide' so that those who read it will get a better understanding of the underlying themes of the individual books. This makes one want to read the books over and over again, as I have done.

Field Guide to Harry Potter

In this book you will find a very useful index of names, places etc from the Harry Potter books. There is also a nice but short biography of J.K. Rowling. Otherwise there is nothing revolutionary in it.
But for a big fan like me this is part of a HP collection.

As a Seminary student, I love the Potter books. It's refreshing to see them cast in the proper light as great Christian works. Duriez makes a strong case for this as he explores every facet of Harry Potter including biography on the life of the author J.K. Rowling. There is no doubt that Duriez has done his homework.

In addition, one will find a timeline of the events as well as a glossary of many of the people and items. If you can have only one resource on an overall look at Harry Potter, I'd choose this one.

If you are looking for a good reference book for Harry Potter, this is the one to get. The A-Z section alone is worth the price of the book. Plus, if you've forgotten some of the storyline, you can refresh your memory here.

I must say, I was as pleased as punch with this useful little delight of a book. Now I am aware there are many upon many Harry Potter books out there, all hellbent on studying and picking apart the book. And I've read some of them and found many of them fun. Harry Potter, in my humble opinion, is a series certainly holding some literary merit.

But suppose you are not interested in deep philosophical thoughts or ramblings? What if you just want a handy-dandy reference guide. Dare I say... a field guide?

I foudn this one absolutely perfect. Save for the most intrinsic and subtle of details (we can't reach everything!) this provides wonderfully quick information for any question one might have. You can't remember the details of some event/place/person? This is easy to use in a jiffy and just a pure lot of fun.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the brief biography of J. K. Rowling. It was interesting, to-the-point, and personable. Heck, there's a lot to be said about the duality of this book. Fabulous references.

All in all, I can't think of a better way this book might have been organized!

"How refreshing to finally see the Harry Potter books be given the respect they have deserved all along from Christian writers and publishers! The Field Guide to Harry Potter puts the monumental works of J.K. Rowling in the literary context of great Christian writers of the past - which is where they belong. Besides all this, it was a delight to read. Those who are bereaved of reading the Harry Potter books after the seventh now have a field guide not only to Rowling's works but to the rich historic tapestry of similar literature into which it has been woven and from which many of its varied threads were gathered."

Connie Neal,
Author of: Wizards, Wardrobes, and Wookiees: Navigating Good and Evil in Harry Potter, Narnia, and Star Wars (InterVarsity Press, 2007)

The Gospel according to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002; revised and complete edition Spring 2008)

What's a Christian to do with Harry Potter? (WaterBrook Press, 2001)