Customer Reviews

The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a good book that covers a lot of basic mythology, folklore, superstition and history, and (tangentally) connects it to the Harry Potter series.

First, the good stuff: it includes a lot of entries (accurate - so far as I can tell) about a lot of supernatural creatures, beliefs and other topics. Want to know the different mythologies of the phoenix from different countries, and which parts J.K. Rowling made up for her books? It's here. Want to know the historical beliefs about unicorns, how they differ from the "classical" interpretation of the glowing white horse with the long slender horn, when (and possibly how) these beliefs came about? You got it.

Also good: there are many helpful illustrations. The writers treat the superstitious beliefs of different times and places with a certain respect, not saying "man, they were idiots for believing in ghosts!" or anything like that. But skeptics won't be disappointed, either. For example, when frankly talking about how many alchemists were charlatans who only pretended to create gold with the "sorceror's stone" (or, more accurately, the philosopher's stone) --- it even tells you HOW it was possible to fake this wondrous transmutation. Nice.

On to the bad stuff... actually, not BAD stuff, but things you should know the books is NOT about.

While it uses the Harry Potter books as a jumping off point, it doesn't really go into depth about the HP series. For example, no entries on Argus, Remus or Minerva (despite some famous residents of Hogwarts who bear those names, often as none-too-subtle cues on their characters). It won't comment on the (rather obvious) symbolism of Dumbledore having a pet phoenix, when one of his hallmarks is giving people a second chance.

[Still, it's rather disturbing to read the negative reviews of some people on Amazon who refused to read the book simply because it was about the mythology of magic, and not enough about Harry + co. Don't get me wrong - I love Rowling's work. I bet she'd be a little dismayed to learn that her writing has caused some readers to be interested in only her writing, and not inspired them to read more about different, if related, subjects.]

The book also shouldn't been seen as an in-depth guide to mythology, but then, it wouldn't be easy for any one volume to do that. Vampires, for example, get 2 pages here, but whole books could be written just on the mythology of vamps in different cultures (and pop culture).

There's some mention of literature - Bram Stoker is referenced in the vampire entry, the one on cauldron's refers to the famous "eye of newt" scene in MacBeth. But there's only a little of this. No commentary on the influence of, say, Tolkien, on Rowling's work.

Including "Harry Potter" in the title of this book is quite possibly a bid to increase sales. That being said, it's a good read, and a solid intro to the mythology of the magical.

The Sorcerer's Companion greatly enriches the experience of reading the Harry Potter books. Rowling's imagination has a basis in folklore - this book tells the reader all about hinkypunks, grindlylows and kappas. The reader learns about what arithmancy means, its history, and how to do a little of it. The subject matter of the book is so broad; this book is hard to put down and it's not even fiction!

The book's subject matter is compelling and engrossing. The Kronzeks' writing style is also excellent. The style is friendly and appropriately interesting for children as well as fascinating for adults, just like the Harry Potter books.

The Sorcerer's Companion is also a really gorgeous book; the front cover has a beautiful illustration and what seem to be foil details; it looks like an old-fashioned tome. The pages are rich with graphics and lush detailing. These things don't detract from the words but make the whole experience of reading this book even more satisfying.

This book is terrific for kids and grown-ups!

This is easily the best of the small cottage industry that's sprung up, offering unauthorized Harry Potter books. The Sorcerer's Companion is a brief encyclopedia to real world magic and myth used in the Harry Potter books.

The authors cover arithmancy, grindylows, witch hunts and much more in a style that's suitable for kids, but meaty enough for adults. I like to think I know a fair bit about such things, and I found myself learning quite a bit.

Hopefully, when JKR one day actually authorizes a book (maybe incorporating information about the people, places and things in the books), she'll give the Kronzeks a call.

This is a must buy for anyone wild about Harry.

I bought this book for a friend's birthday this weekend. I was a little apprehensive, since I've heard that some of the Harry Potter companion books and such that have come out are pretty disappointing. However, this one looked good, so I took it home and decided to flip through it. I was amazed at how wonderful it was! It had detailed illustrations of Mandrakes, Hippogriffs, Unicorns, Manticores, and LOTS MORE. It tells you the legend of the basilisk and where you can find a basilisk today. It explains, with four pages of shapes and their meanings, how to read tea leaves (very interesting). The story tells the tale of how a king in Europe funded an entire war with a single unicorn horn. Did you know that Nicholas Flamel was a real person who actually dedicated his life to alchemy? I didn't, but I know now! SUCH AN INTERESTING READ and VERY WORTH THE MONEY. All of my friends at the party have called dibs on reading it when my friend was done with it, and I get first turn, I can't wait! Anyway, it's very fascinating and pretty educational too, yet it's related to Harry Potter, which makes it 10 times better! BUY IT!

For adult and older teens who want to know about Harry Potter's world this is a marvelously entertaining book. The Hippogriff, the Red Cap demon and the house elves who populate the Potter series all come from European or Eastern folklore. Nagini, the evil snake companion of the evil Voldemort is taken from ancient Indian myths. The centuars in the Forbidden Forrest come from Greek mythology. Hagrid the half giant can trace his literary lineage back through centuries of English and Irish tales. The more you read this book the greater your respect for J.K. Rowling will be. She obviously studied Brittish folklore before she sat down to write. Thanks to the Companion I now know that Nicholas Flannel and his wife were real people and that Flannel was a well known alchemist in his day who claimed to have created a Philosopher's stone. Using this historical figure in the her first book was a brilliant stroke. If you are fond of folklore this is the book for you. If you haven't read the Potter books becuase you thought they were just for kids this book may make you curious enough to pick one up.

This is a great book! Not only is it packed with amazing facts, but the actual book is georgous and the illustrations are sensational (some scary, some very funny). I especially enjoyed the sections on magic and the different types of magicians in history. Also very cool is the information about fake unicorn horns, why potions were made from things like bat's blood and animal parts, the history of invisibility cloaks, and the story of the real Nicholas Flamel and the Sorcerer's Stone. The authors have done a lot of research (and, obviously, so did J.K. Rowling) and there's a surprise on every page. This is a book for all Harry Potter fans, kids and adults. Bravo!

To everyone who said, "Oh, that's Latin!" when Wingardium Leviosa first showed up, or knew what a mandrake was for right from the start, this book is for you. It is much more detailed and interesting than other companion books and explains a lot more than just Harry Potter. As an avid reader of fantasy for years I learned plenty about Tolkien and Lawhead too. As a history major I also appreciated the brief but accurate descriptions of medieval beliefs.
As a Christian I was somewhat uncomfortable with the full explanations of arithmancy and tea leaves, prefering to leave those firmly in the setting of fiction. But, everyone has done number puzzles since they were 10 and any reader of Harry Potter knows how indiscernable tea leaves can be.

Setting that aside, the whole book turns the whole "Harry Potter is occult" movement on its head by showing how Rowling has recreated nothing more than a mythical medieval world that has everything to do with the Greeks and the Romans and old wives tales and nothing to do with any particular religion today. The worldview of the book is a very Modern one. Geomancy, arithmancy, and astrology are explained because the authors obviously believe they are absolute bunk because scientificly, they are bunk. However, religion is not scientific, so the explanations are sure to cause some people to be concerned.

The book has quite wisely stuck with the "facts" of beastiaries and historical figures and doesn't try to make doubtful connections of meaning (the word "Quidditch" doesn't mean anything, Rowling has said so many times, so I wish everyone would stop trying to come up with its meaning). Altogether, it is quite enjoyable to learn what a manticore is and where the belief of its existence came from, along with reproductions of original woodcuts from medieval manuscripts. This book is definitely Western Folklore 101, and in this post-modern world, that type of book is well needed.

Of the paltry number of Harry Potter reference guides on the market, this is perhaps the best. It is better organised and more in depth than the overrated "Magical Worlds of Harry Potter," and better researched than Elizabeth Schaefer's terrible "adult" sourcebook. The information is accurate and concisely presented, and covers a wide range of subjects, from the nature of hippogriffs and goblins to the truth about the Dark Arts. The parts people are likely to find most interesting are the guides to the various forms of divination mentioned in the novels. There is much the book could have included, but what it did include was entertaining and informative. However, though it offered a glimpse into the brilliant mind of Harry's genius creator, it failed to do her complete justice; there are no references to Rowling's knowledge of Greco-Roman mythology for instance. One thing that really bothered me; in a long list of acknowledgements, there is not one mention of JK Rowling. At least the author of "Magical Worlds" knew who was buttering his bread.

The difinitive Harry Potter reference guide has yet to be written, but until it is this work will open your eyes to a wider world and hopefully encourage younger people to research other topics.

This new companion to the Magical World of Harry Potter was totally cool! And no it was not written by J.K. Rowling. It had everything you would want to learn about Harry Potter books. I think this will make future Harry Potter books more interesting to read. In this book you will learn about the history of the broomstick,reading tea leaves ,witch persecution,Grindylow, and Hermoine's spell on Draco Malfroy! A totally hilirious book that also holds the key to tons of information on Harry Potter! Now we Muggles can learn a lot more about the magical world of Harry Potter! This book was intriging and fun all at the same time! I highly recommend you read this book and all the other Harry Potter books and The Magical World of Harry Potter!

This is a very well researched book. It is an encyclopedia of almost all things in Harry Potter. It talks about there history in folklore, literature, religion, culture and simply its general history as well.

A few examples are faires, Hinkypunks, an extensive section on witches and witch burnings, a passage about why witches were women, animal persecutions (Buckbeak wasn't the first!),tea leaf reading, astrology, alchemy, divination, the real Nicholas Flamel, arithmancy, and definately not Harry's favourite, Potions.

This book present fact and myth together, never getting boring. At the end of each topic, the exact situation in the novel of that topic is told. Reading Harry will never be the same, it will be better, now i understand where the marvellous JK Rowling got some of her ideas, and i will also have a deeper understanding of everything in the novels.

A great guide to people who love fantasy and Harry Potter, as well as a wonderful reference for budding writers. A must read!