Customer Reviews

Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter (Analysis of Book 5)

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Author Galdriel Waters has done a good job with her Book 5 Analysis Guide. Be advised that this book covers only Books 1 to 5, and NOT Book 6 of the series. I consider author Galadriel Waters along with author Daniel Lawrence of the ULTIMATE UNOFFICIAL HALF-BLOOD PRINCE BOOK 6 TRIVIA BOOK to be the two best resources for HP fans and each author has their strong points. Waters discusses character development and concentrates her guide on numerous possible theories concerning HP subplots. Author Daniel Lawrence is known by legions of fans as an expert on actual HP insights, facts and little-known JKR doctrine. My suggestion to HP fans is to first read this guide by author Waters to fully grasp books 1-5 and then immediately read the ULTIMATE UINOFFICIAL HARRY POTTER HALF-BLOOD PRINCE BOOK 6 TRIVIA BOOK by Daniel Lawrence to discover the subtle clues and mysteries found inside Book 6 and GOF Movie 4.

The authors of this book, who also wrote a book analyzing Books 1-4 in the "Harry Potter" lexicon, are true fan of J.K. Rowling's works, and it shows. They take "Order of the Phoenix" apart chapter by chapter, explaining literary and historical references and pointing out nagging questions and mysteries that still must be answered.

For instance, Remus Lupin's last name comes from the Latin word for wolf. Obvious choice, since he's a werewolf. (My year of high school Latin has finally come in handy!) But does the use of Remus as the first name, from the mythology of Remus and Romulus, mean that he is doomed to die?

While most of their assumptions are spot on, some are a bit over the top. As a friend of mine whom I lent this book to said, if J.K. Rowling did all the things they are attributing to her as she was writing these books, she'd still be writing "Sorceror's Stone" and the world would not have heard about Harry Potter.

Despite this, it's a fantastic read. I initially bought the first book to show my sixth-grade son what literature analysis should be like. I ended up reading it instead of him, and enjoying it so much that I am currently in the process or rereading all the "Harry Potter" books so I can find the evidence to determine if Snape is evil or not.

I recommend this book -- and its predecessor -- to anyone who anxious to read Book 7 and wants to do some sleuthing of their own while they wait.

This is a very good review book of the first five books in the series. Good analysis and organization, this book is a good reference to books 1-5 in the series.

Like most HP fans, I also recommend the newly published ULTIMATE UNOFFICIAL HARRY POTTER HALF-BLOOD PRINCE BOOK 6 TRIVIA BOOK by author Daniel Lawrence for even more insights and clues to HBP Book 6 and the new GOF Movie 4. I consider Authors Waters and Daniel Lawrence to be the leading experts on HP info. I highly recommend reading the above to become an expert and true fan of HP.

I absolutely loved Galadriel's guide to Books 1-4, and this one does have all the same imformation, but the format change does make it a muddier read. In the first guidebook she would site a passage (with page number) and then discuss it in a seperated section. Now she has combined the two without any page numbers and in more of a 'free form' style.
It's still a quality guide, just harder to get through.

Once again Wizarding World Press has asked and answered some of the most intriguing questions that arise in book five of Harry Potter. This is recommended as an essential part of a Harry Potter library.

This is Galadriel Waters and friends' take on the FIFTH book--not the most recent entry--in the Harry Potter series. Unlike the first volume, which analyzed the first four books by raising questions and then answering them, this one provides few answers--but plenty of provocative questions. There are frequent references to another JK Rowling book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and I suggest you have it with you as you read.

Each chapter is analyzed in light of things that have happened earlier (in the first four books as well as this one). Wordplay is one of the main "clues" Waters investigates; she's certainly found puns and anagrams that I had overlooked, although I think at times she may be seeing word clues that aren't really there. Nonetheless, she has obviously put a great deal of hard work into this area of the book. She also has some interesting hints on what may have been going on at 12 Grimmauld Place that the characters overlooked.

The last section, Book 6 and Beyond, was the most interesting to me. Here are analyses about the strategic positions at the end of Order of the Phoenix, discussions of possible character participation in the next book, Half-Blood Prince, as well as of the prophecy and Frequently Asked Questions.

I don't know whether it's because this analysis is coming out 2 years after book 5 was published, or maybe because I read the "New Clues" book and this is simply redundant; but I didn't particularly enjoy this book as much as I did when I read the Guide to books 1-4.

I loved the first Guide because of its analyzation, but this one took it a little too far. Consider the fact that the first guide covered 4 books in about 400 pages, and this guide covered just book 5 in about 300 and you'll understand my point.
Everything was a "running bit" which we were supposed to "keep our eyes open" for, but seriously a lot of the "hints" were just overanalyzation of the text. There were so many "running bits" that I'm quite surprised that the word "and" wasn't pointed out as one. It got quite irritating after awhile. The only thing that was more irritating than the "running bits" was the constant mention of the Hintoscope/Sneakoscope whirring, blinking, screeching etc.

The author also seems incapable of leaving well enough alone. Even after JKR has dismissed several rumors (Snape being a vampire, a Lupin/James switch, Mark Evans being a significant character) the author is still trying to support these ideas--hoping, I guess, that JKR is trying to deceive her fan base.

If you have the "New Clues" Guide already then don't waste your money buying this as well. If your stumped by some of her elusive suggestions which she presented in it then you can always go to the website she gives on the back of the book where other fans have worked out the answers to the clues. Either way, if you've read book 6 already you'll see that your way beyond this analysis in that you will already know what was an accurate hint and what was merely an overanalyzation. That fact alone might make the reading of this new guide a bit tedious for you.

Because I enjoyed the guide for books 1-4, I had to get this guide as well. It didn't disappoint. I enjoyed their writings, their fresh ideas, and their predictions for the next book. Though I didn't always agree with things being said, they did give me ideas on which to think about. Interestingly enough, I found that my thinking is right on target with these Harry Potter sleuths. I can hardly wait for their guide on Book 6. Maybe it will be out before Book 7 is finally released.

I am a fan of Ms. Water's books. My title "A fun and makes-you-think read" says exactly how I feel about her books, including this latest one. It is researched speculation. The idea is the speculations makes you think and come up with your own theories which may agree or disagree with the ideas presented in the book.
She comes up with ideas which would never even have occurred to me. That is what makes it fun. If you are a Harry Potter fan (even if you are over the recommended age of 9-12) this is a book for you. We need these books to get through the long waits between JKR's books and this latest one will occupy a lot of wait time. Thanks Ms. Waters

The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter is my favorite series of all the books which have been written analyzing the Harry Potter books, and as a big Harry Potter fan I have read most. This guide to the "Order of the Phoenix" is a must read for all true Harry Potter fans. Reading this book is like having 3D glasses for the Order of the Phoenix. This book was written before the release of "the Half Blood Prince" and I was truly impressed by the number of clues the authors noted. In particular, there are many "beware of Snape" warning statements. However, the part of the guide that I enjoyed the most was the wealth of information it provides demonstrating how often J.K. Rowling uses mythological themes as clues or to provide depth to her writing. The information in this book regarding the connections between Harry Potter and mythological themes was superbly researched. This is not surprising given that the authors are described as amateur scholars of ancient in mythology.