Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons? [Hardcover]

Nancy Solon Villaluz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 2008

What did Harry Potter sneak past YOU?

You've read all of Harry Potter, now what? Is that really all there is? Well.... it just depends on how you look at it.

Considering J.K. Rowling's cleverness, it would be sad -- and also wrong -- to think we've fully deciphered all 4,000 pages of Rowling's Harry Potter books. Far from it! In fact, thanks to Rowling's humble genius, many of Harry's deepest secrets and veiled themes still remain completely unnoticed... by multitudes! Yet Rowling wasn't silent about Harry's secrets oh, no. Unbeknownst to most fans, Rowling spent 10 years fighting off the book-burners, and scattering a plethora of clues about Harry's true nature, and her real intentions. The problem is that they're buried in thousands of pages of interviews, hard-to-find transcripts, documentaries, and a very long trail of obscure clues, if anyone cared to follow them. What's a curious Potter fan to do?

Not to worry! Author Nancy Solon Villaluz already invested 5 years fervently researching it all for you, in ''Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons?'' It's the first Potter analysis actually seeking to help fans view Harry through the most interesting perspective of all: J.K. Rowling's eyes. Inside, you'll plunge into a challenging, in-depth analysis of Rowling's named influences, her interviews, and, of course, all of her Harry Potter books. You'll learn a myriad of surprising things about Harry and Rowling that most people never suspect, all-the-while tackling the long-ignored mysteries of Hogwarts' school motto. (Which is Latin for, ''Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon.'')

Dull, dry research? Never! Bring your imagination on this thought-provoking journey of discovery. Travel paths, dodge dragons, and have tea as you examine oodlesof compelling evidence. Discover:
++ What surprising things influenced Harry...and how?
++ How does Rowling view herself, her writing, her success, and Harry?
++ Does Harry Potter actually promote witchcraft? How so... or how no?
++ What critical thing did Rowling finally admit was ''always obvious'' to her in the Harry Potter books... and why wasn't it so obvious to us?
++ Does Rowling view herself as an Atheist, a Christian, or something else... and what might that mean for Harry's readers?
++ What incredible secrets does Harry Potter still hold after all these years... and where's the proof?
++ Does Harry actually follow Rowling's no-tickling school motto advice? Or did Rowling have something else up her sleeve?

So whether you've read Harry Potter only once, or a dozen times, there is still so much more for you to discover... quietly lingering in the subtle depths of Harry Potter's own pages where few even suspect. Come look through Rowling's clues, and you will see the hidden treasure trove patiently waiting for anyone brave enough to approach the Sleeping Dragons' lair. Do you dare come along?

Editorial Reviews

Review

''An amazing new book about Harry Potter....This book does more, goes deeper, tells more, explains more, finds out more: in short, this book takes off where [John] Granger ends....This lady has done a TON of research, more than anyone I've ever read on this subject. I was enormously impressed. Elephantinely impressed.... Bottom line: This is the best Harry Potter in-depth uncover-all-secrets-the-author-tried-to-hide book ever.'' -- AMERICAN CHESTERTON SOCIETY,

'I thought I couldn't learn any more about Harry Potter....It took this book by Nancy Solon Villaluz to prove me wrong. Talk about the tip of the iceberg! Once I signed on to her quirky style...the book revealed itself, like Dumbledore, to be more than just a funny old schoolmaster. I am pleased to have discovered this treasure.'' -- REGINA DOMAN: Author 100,000+ copy bestseller Angel in the Waters.

''Perhaps the most informed analysis of Rowling's thoughts and inspiration yet published.... Using plenty of direct quotes and by taking the reader on a literary journey of discovery....Villaluz digs deeper into the right root -- the Rowling-dug root -- than anyone. Villaluz is on the right track, and Sleeping Dragons is the best Harry Potter analysis I've read to date.''--GILBERT MAGAZINE,

''A rich resource of interesting facts and analysis....Comprehensively researched, the book explores what Ms Rowling intended to do with these books. This is done through compelling analysis and research, compiled painstakingly.... Fans of the series will be immensely pleased to discover hitherto little known gems...This book is the first in a proposed trilogy, and based on this, I must say I'm looking forward to the second and third books!'' ----OFFICIAL AMAZON.COM prestigious ''VINE VOICE'' REVIEW, national ''TOP 10'' REVIEWER

About the Author

Nancy Solon Villaluz has been a Potter fan since 1999, but would rather not ''prattle on'' about herself here (feeling that any Gilderoy Lockhart-ish claims would only cause her readers a bit of nausea). Instead, she prefers to lavishly inform you about Harry & Rowling in,

Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons?

Since it will reveal much more important things to you in a much more compelling fashion.

***Please note: this book is not authorized by J.K. Rowling, her publishers, or Warner Bros. and is solely for the purpose of literary analysis, criticism, and commentary.***

Product Details

• Hardcover: 338 pages
• Publisher: Ramance Press; 1st edition (November 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979422981
• ISBN-13: 978-0979422980
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #934,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Deal of Research in a Creatively Fun Work, November 24, 2008

By 

Nancy Carpentier Brown (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons? (Hardcover)

This book is a must have for every Harry Potter fan who has an intuitive feeling that there's more to these books than meets the eye.

Author Nancy Solon Villaluz has done a tremendous amount of research, reading every Rowling interview, listening to every podcast and radio interview, and by using Rowling own words and hints, has uncovered secrets and patterns that help the reader to understand what Rowling really wanted to do with these books.

But besides all of the research, Villaluz shows herself to be extremely well read, quoting everything from Dickens, to Monty Python, to John the Baptist, to Dante, to Thomas Aquinas, to Michael O'Brien. She's also very familiar with the other Inkling's books, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and can compare and contrast the three with ease.

I found this Sleeping Dragons book, written as a journey in a creatively non-fiction way, to be a confirmation of what I'd only half understood about the Harry Potter series before. I found myself smiling, laughing, and agreeing through virtually every point made.

I believe that if you have an interest in Harry Potter's deeper meaning, if you are concerned about your children reading Harry Potter because of what might or might not be in the series, if you've tried to prove to friends or relatives that Harry Potter is OK, but without really having evidence in hand to prove it: you do now. This is the book. This book has all the evidence.

26 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, November 28, 2008

By 

Denise M. Roper (Houma, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons? (Hardcover)

Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons? by Nancy Solon Villaluz is a thoroughly researched in-depth analysis of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels. In this book the works of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien are compared favorably with the novels of Rowling. The author hails Jo Rowling as a modern-day "Inkling" writer, and I wholeheartedly agree, having done a mountain of research on that particular subject myself. This book is the first I have read that examines the influence of Elizabeth Goudge's The Little White Horse on Rowling's Harry Potter Septology. It also contains a very detailed list of Rowling quotes pertaining to her religious beliefs, and what her intentions were in writing the Potter series. A surprisingly long listing of references to Christianity in the Potter novels is also of interest in this first volume of an intended three-part series by Villaluz. This book was written in a very creative style, almost like an adventure novel, although it is a scholarly work. The illustrations by the author's husband, Ramir P. M. Villaluz, are a delight, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the deeper meaning and hidden symbolism of the Harry Potter novels, especially if you are familiar with the excellent books and lectures on Harry Potter by John Granger.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harry Potter: you're probably missing more than you think., July 8, 2009

By 

S. Mulligan (MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons? (Hardcover)

By the end of this book, Harry Potter fans will be hooked by the unprecedented, excellent education that this book provides on Ms. Rowling, herself. I sure was. Likewise, Harry Potter foes will surely be left with their jaws hanging down to the floor.

This book provides the most comprehensive look at Rowling's intentions and her hidden Harry Potter secrets that I've ever read, and I've read them all. The unique narrative style sets this Potter analysis apart from the pack: so does the incredible amount of research (Just chapter 4 alone makes this book worth the price of admission... wow!), and so do the tantalizing facts that gives us a fresh, long-overdue look into Rowling's deeper story. The research is very thorough, yet entertaining, and the ideas are not only mind blowing, but very wisely reasoned out and supported by little known facts that are brought to light brilliantly.

Notably, this is the only Potter analysis I've seen ever planned as a complete trilogy; it has a flawlessly beautiful layout; cool modern font usage, and each chapter begins with its own Potter-worthy original illustration. And it's in hardcover yet! Overall, this book is a highly impressive presentation worthy of the Harry Potter series.

This book now sits next to my 7 Harry Potter books as a valuable reference that I peek into frequently. I'm excitedly waiting for the second installment.