Harry Potter

I saw the latest Harry Potter movie last weekend, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I enjoyed it; it's a good installment in the series. I particularly enjoyed watching the delectable Emma Watson. On the survey I took after the movie, I selected Snape as the most interesting character. His dual nature is central to the plot and brings the only interesting mystery.

However, I have decided not to read the last two books. As much fun as the movies are, the books are not well written. The prose is plain. The plot is simplistic and depends on single unbelievable elements. But what bothered me the most about the books (at least the first five) is that Harry himself is a very weak character, hardly ever acting on his own. He was always being led by others, especially Hermione. She was the true heroine of the stories. At least in the sixth book he is enabled to act on his own with the death of his mentor.

This essay by Harold Bloom expresses some of the sentiments I feel on the books.