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Admittedly it is the best book I have seen for any Christians who are looking for an intelligent alternative to set against the less than totally convincing and intellectually sound argument that, as Stan Shunpike might have said, (had he been a fundamentalist), "Course 'Arry's evil, 'cos 'e's a wizard, inee?'
This book is not just for Christians, its much too good for that. Its for anyone who has read the Harry Potter books, anyone whose children have read them, and for anyone who is intrigued by the phenomenal success of the books, whether they've read them or not.
Even if you decide that the analysis in terms of specifically Christian symbolism, themes, and answers to questions about the meaning of life, love and death are a stretch, this book still provides an intriguing analysis, and one worth considering. It is by no means a Christian tract or an attempt to bend fiction to the cause of evangelism. It takes the books on their own terms as part of an English literary tradition, a tradition that has frequently made use of Christian symbolism and imagery, even while using the metaphor of magic as a means of making the transcendent tangible.
Of course if John Granger is right and the Harry Potter books are an attempt to smuggle a message past the watchful (C.S.Lewis) or sleeping (J.K.Rowling) dragons that guard us against such things, then maybe this book risks letting the kneazle out of the bag and putting the pixie among the pigeons, even before the complete series is written and published.
I consider myself a decent reader but, to be honest, it's amazing how much I missed in Rowling's books that John Granger has captured in great detail. From the themes in each of the Potter books to the hidden meaning of most of the character's names--the detail and analysis will astound you if you are a Potter fan. If you'd like to see a serious treatment of Rowling's world as literature--and benefit from the experience--this is your book.
If you are a Christian reader who has felt a bit guilty in your love (or your children's) for the Potter books I urge you to buy this book. The loud, opposing voices in the Christian media have created a dangerous image for Rowling's stories and you may know people who have warned you not to let Harry Potter into your home. This book gives you the other side of the story and it does it with a great analysis of all the themes. This will help you see why the fears of many people (many of whom have never read a single Harry Potter book) are misplaced. It explains why when you read the books you couldn't see what the negative warnings were all about and indeed, you felt just the opposite.
I always enjoy hearing (or reading) Granger's explanation of the alchemical imagery and structure in the Harry Potter novels. Once the reader understands the basics of alchemy and its uses in great literature, it is possible to appreciate the rich layers in these novels so much more. I think that appreciation of the alchemical structure and symbolism, following a grand tradition in British literature in particular, is fundamental to really understanding these books, and this is an area of analysis of Rowling's work not previously touched on by many (or any?) scholars. The chapters in Granger's book relating to the symbolism replete in the Harry Potter novels, as well as the name meanings, are also a joy to read.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book-by-book analysis, which is perhaps an excellent starting point for Christians who are skeptical or even hostile to Rowling's novels. Granger's analysis of each of these books is so compelling that it should foster questions and reflective thought in even the staunchest of critics. I now also have a greater understanding of why I favor the 3rd and 5th novels in the series so much (the 1st, 3rd and 5th novels being more introspective, while the 2nd and 4th novels are more focused on the greater world around Harry).
I think this is easily one of the greatest commentaries on the work of J.K. Rowling. As one promotional reviewer noted, it will make Christians who love the books appreciate them all the more, and it will give Christian critics much to consider. But, I want to emphasize that this isn't just a book for Christians; Granger's fundamental thesis and his explanations of alchemy and doppelgangers should have appeal to all Harry Potters fans, regardless of religious persuasion. I heartily recommend this book to all the Potterphiles out there!
The author lays out his bona fides early on to be deciding whether books may be pro- or anti-Christian. He is a father who does not even allow television in his house and originally read Harry Potter to screen it when one of his children brought it home. He expected to forbid it and only wanted to be able to say what exactly is wrong with it (if only every modern Pharisee were so thoughtful) and instead found the book in the aligorical tradition of the Narnia series. The characters and settings might be wizards and magic, but he lays out a case that the subtext and underlying story is more New Testament.
On the one hand he lays out the differences between the sorcery banned in the Bible and portrayed in the book. I'll shorten it to say the bible condemns INVOCATIONAL magic which CALLS demons and powers from the "other side" as not just profane, but a bad idea because those beings rarely want to do what you want them to. J.K. Rowling's characters do INCANTATIONAL magic by NAMING the thing they want--light, disarm, etc. And the word became flesh. This he argues is different and not the threat the former type of magic poses. Granger explains it much better.
And on another track he lays out the similarities between Harry's story and Biblical narratives we are "supposed" to read. The sacrificial love of Harry's parents that gives him life, the decents into death and figuartive rebith in each of the stories, the paralells each character has with biblical characters and those from more accepted Christian literature like C.S. Lewis. He makes a great case these stories are not simply religion neutral but actually about a spiritual and even Christian struggle and journey.
Sometimes he may go too far, as all high-powered literary criticism and analysis has a danger of doing. As he goes into the links between the alchemy used in the stories and the way the names of the characters relate almost every page of the narative to ancient alchemical practices and symbols. This part is either way out on a limb or Rowling has written a much deeper work than many people have previously guessed.
In any case, this book helps to explain that mysterious "it" quality Potter has found and so many other children's books before and after have not. And it will help you tell that pious aunt why she is so wrong about your favorite books.
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