In Light of a Darker 'Doctor Who'

[SPOILER WARNING: This post contains mild spoilers from the first two episodes of series 8.]

Many people predicted that this would happen.

Yes, with the advent of Peter Capaldi's incarnation of the Doctor, we've seen a massive tonal shift for the show.

The Doctor himself has become more abrasive, less cuddly and harder to understand. Indeed, with only two episodes having aired to date, we've already seen the Doctor doing distinctly edgy, dark and disturbing things, things we wouldn't have expected from many of the other Doctors.

Certainly, the twelfth incarnation of our favourite Time Lord looks to be a more prickly persona than others he's had in the past, but I would argue that this is neither uncharacteristic, nor is it necessarily a bad thing. I've heard many viewers expounding their views about Capaldi's interpretation of the role as saying that he's too rough and scary and not at all like other Doctors before.

To this I would point out that each and every incarnation has had some terribly dark moments; the
first Doctor goes to bash a caveman's skull in in only the second episode of the very first series! From there, we go to the third and fourth Doctors, both of whom could be capable of a macabre moment; however, what many viewers (either children of the sixties and seventies or new fans watching the old episodes) fail to notice is that this darkness is often hidden behind a veil of humour.

Naturally, any Doctor Who fan worth their salt would point to the sixth Doctor as a perfect example of the Doctor's darkest personality. Often cold and uncaring, Colin Baker's version of the Time Lord had the potential to be utterly chilling in his ruthless and domineering nature. However, as mentioned before, the overall colours of his costume and the style of the show at the time bely this Doctor's true nature.

Only now, when we have a version of the programme which is filmed and edited in such a way that it compliments the darker side of the Doctor's new found personality do we see the shadow in the Doctor's soul.

Dark? Yes. Gritty? Undoubtedly. But thus far we've yet to see Peter Capaldi's Doctor do anything utterly unforgiveable. I would be remiss if I left out the horrifying moment in the series opener 'Deep Breath' where the Doctor leaves Clara behind because "there's no sense in us both getting caught". Indeed, it was that moment which, for me, cemented this incarnation as one of the most cut-throat to date.

However, while this action (and others) can be deemed questionable or risky, we've yet to see anything from which the Doctor cannot recover.

Even a moment from last Saturday's 'Into the Dalek' wherein we think the Doctor is about to save the life of an endangered soldier, only to discover that the Doctor was merely using his death as an opportunity to track the Dalek antibodies is understandable. The Doctor states there was nothing he could do to save the man's life so why would he risk himself and everybody else for something couldn't make any difference? At least in death he was able to help the rest of them complete their mission.

Admittedly, however, the Doctor's reaction to this is pretty dark, considering he's frankly uncaring
and cold about it - my fiancée turned to me during the initial viewing and stated defiantly "Matt wouldn't have done that!" - and while I agree that no he wouldn't have reacted that way, he would still have made the same choice, just with a lot more apologising.

With the dawn of Capaldi's tenure aboard the TARDIS, I feel that we're seeing a Doctor more in keeping with each past regeneration. In 'Deep Breath' the Doctor said of the Half-Face Man "Question; you take a broom, you replace the handle. Then later you replace the brush. You do that over and over again. Is it still the same broom? Answer: No of course it isn't!" - now, while this serves as a perfect metaphor for the Half-Face Man himself, we also see the Doctor glimpse his own reflection.

He doubts that he is the Doctor any more. He's changed his face and his persona so many times, there's not a trace of the original him left...

While I find this a poignant and powerful moment, I would argue the exact opposite. For the first time in the show's history, I would say that this Doctor is more the Doctor than any other. He feels like the complete sum of his parts. The logical next step after the mad, professorial Matt Smith is, of course, the calm and confident Peter Capaldi. Long may he continue. The Doctor is in safe hands.


For more of my writing on Doctor Who, be sure to click here to see some of my work as one of WhovianNet's WhovianNetters! Don't forget to check out the work of my colleagues, too!

Gypsy Jazz, Django Reinhardt, & Lés Beau Djangles

Bet you thought I was dead, what with the lack of blogging lately. I must apologise... The reason for my lack of posts is mainly because I've been writing lots of other content for lots of better, more interesting online things than this! (If you're interested click here for music, or here for Doctor Who.)

Django.

On top of that, I've been practising some guitar with a good friend of mine. We've formed a guitar duo dedicated to the idea of playing a style of music known as Gypsy Jazz. The reason for this odd name is because the style was spearheaded by an incredibly gifted musician named Django Reinhardt.

Django was a rare talent; he completely revolutionised the way people look at the guitar. Born into a Romany gypsy family in 1910, Django was always surrounded by music and, to cut a long story short, he became a virtuoso on the banjo-guitar at an early age. Things seemed set for Django and he felt confident and happy that he would be a successful French musician. As with all good stories, however, tragedy struck, and at the age of 18 Django was caught in a fire. Much of the left side of his body was badly burned and his fretting hand was left gnarled and twisted after the accident. He had little to no movement in his third and fourth fingers but retained mobility in his first two fingers. It was this which provided Django with a small ray of hope and, while healing in a French hospital, Django retaught himself how to play.

With the dawn of the Jazz Age Django seemed poised to take the world by storm. Forming his band, The Quintet of the Hot Club of France, Django and his compatriots quickly became some of the most highly regarded players on the jazz scene.

Django and an early example of the Selmer Maccaferri
guitar with which he would become synonymous.

Django later died in 1953, having left an enormous legacy of terrific guitar jazz behind. On top of this, he truly created a new style of music and guitar playing which would go on to inspire (either directly or indirectly) almost every guitar player to follow him.

The music of Django is truly remarkable and, as mentioned before, my friend Dave and I have formed our own Gypsy Jazz guitar group. Named Lés Beau Djangles, we play a mixture of covers, originals and twists on modern songs.

Before playing this style of music I was unaware of just how complex and layered a style can be and, thanks to gypsy jazz, I've found myself growing not just as a guitar player, but as a musician in general. If any guitarists out there are considering playing this style, I would urge them to do so.

From an early age I was besotted with Django's music and never truly believed I'd find myself playing it - I always thought it would be too hard and too complicated for someone like me to even grasp the basics. How wrong I was. With a little perseverance and hard work I believe anyone can pick up even the rudiments of the style!

While I haven't been at this for very long, I feel I'm on the way to eventually maybe getting somewhere with this and I'd recommend you do the same! With amazing players like Robin Nolan giving excellent free lessons on YouTube, what excuse have you got?

Take a look below at Dave and I playing 'Djangologie' and be sure to like us on Facebook! Until next time, chums, keep swinging!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

As Brits, we often find ourselves being indoctrinated with American culture. We're shown American TV programmes and American films, we're fed American foods, we listen to American music and we use American innovations.

Yearning to breathe free.

As a child, I became obsessed with American culture due to the prevalent depiction of "the American Dream" the entire ethos of New York. A hangover from the very first immigrants to set foot on Ellis Island and read the inscription on the Statue of Liberty:

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free."

It was this shameless display of hope which so captured my imagination. As a child, nothing speaks to an over-active imagination quite like a land where anything is possible, where sky scrapers line the streets and children play stick ball in the road. Where music can be heard from all corners of the city and jazz fills the air in a smoky swirl of ecstasy.

Because of this obsession, I ended up, even to this day, being interested in a lot of facets of American culture. Comic books have always been a big thing for me, they feel so quintessentially American (well some do) that I would often use them as an escapist portal into an ideal, super-hero filled America.

Young Baseball fan, around 1941.

The other thing that I've always been interested in is Baseball. This is probably due to its' history as the
nation's pastime. The game could have been played (in some form or another) as early as 1744, however, this wouldn't have been anything like the Baseball played today, or even when it really took off in the States. However, it has been an integral part of American history and is played with as much fervour and enjoyment today as it always has been.

It has truly captured the imaginations of, not just the American people, but a vast number of fans around the world.

As I've said, I always had a passing interest in the game. When I was 11 I got a Baseball glove for my birthday and I thought I was the coolest little bugger in the playground because of it (that didn't last long!). I would play catch with my friends and try to emulate what I'd seen in films or on TV. Street-wise Brooklyn youths playing stick ball and chewing huge wads of bubble-gum in the 1940s. That was the Baseball ideal for me.

Babe Ruth

More recently, however, I've been watching films like "42", about seminal player Jackie Robinson, and a fantastic (if a little dated) biopic of Babe Ruth starring John Goodman simply entitled "The Babe". It was these films that really
rekindled my interest in the sport and got me reading up on the game. I began to find I
was a lot more interested in it now than I ever was before. Whereas, as a child, I was holding onto the misbegotten notion that by having an interest in Baseball, I could hold onto something of the ideal I'd imagined for myself, now I was just interested in the sport. I was in it for the love of the game.

Jackie Robinson

I've recently been watching Baseball games and I've been enthralled by what I've seen. Those who know me will know of my dislike of watching Football (or as I like to call it 'Kickaball') and I have no interest in Rugby, Golf, or any other such sport. I'm not sporty by any stretch of the imagination. But Baseball has spoken to me.

Truth be told, I feel a bit silly. Mainly because, if ever I show an interest in any sort of sport, people simply can't believe that I could be interested in a sport. Now, I understand their surprise, but just like everybody else, some sports hold a special place in my heart. Baseball is of interest to me, as it always has been and, personally, I'm glad of that.

The game holds a great deal of excitement for me, where other sports simply don't. Some people would argue that it's boring and that they don't like the set up, that's fine. But I feel the same way about Kickaball. We're all different and the fact that there are so many sports, teams, leagues, cups, players and fans (of any and all sports) can attest to that.

It wasn't until recently that I realised how exciting it can be to have a sport that you love and a team you support (no matter how much of an underdog they are!) finally, as I enter into my 22nd year on Earth, I get it.

My two jerseys. The Chicago Cubs, the underdogs I love, and the Seattle Rainiers,
a vintage jersey from Ebbets Field Flannels.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

"Happy Hunger Games! And my the odds be ever in your favour"

Effie Trinket - The Hunger Games

[SPOILERS AHEAD.]

To all the readers that thought this would be my next literary undertaking, kudos.

Yes, in order to fill the void left by my finishing the Harry Potter saga, I moved onto Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games.

I read the entire HG trilogy in a week, which speaks volumes for Collins' work; she's woven an incredibly gripping, mature and entertaining narrative around the absolutely abominable tradition of the Games. The author has an uncanny ability to create a dystopian future which, much like Philip K Dick's 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' (later to become the film 'Blade Runner'), seems lived in, used and broken when we find it - it's not a world of gleaming spires, full of hope and sci-fi tradition; her universe seems old when we, the readers, get to it.

This, of course, is no mean feat, very few fictions manage to create this same sense of gritty realism - the only other aside from the aforementioned Philip K Dick works that springs to mind is Joss Whedon's Firefly. Indeed, The Hunger Games creates a very similar palette, tonally speaking, to these other science fiction classics.

District 12 as depicted in the 2012 film adaptation.

While, of course, THG isn't strictly science fiction, it has some intriguing elements of the genre; the futuristic setting, the all-seeing government, the barbaric entertainment. All seems to call upon well trodden science fiction territory. Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing - indeed, the true mastery of Collins' writing here is that she takes such mature and distressing themes and distils them, channels them through the prism of an incredibly believable and likeable protagonist and creates, for all intents and purposes, a literary franchise
one can obsess over.

What Collins has done so brilliantly, in creating the character of Katniss Everdeen, is she's given a whole new generation of readers a heroine in which they can believe. A truly original and understandable character with all her flaws, leg hairs and need for urination in tact. Katniss is a surly, grouchy young woman; completely strong willed and independent (to a fault!) and unashamedly intelligent. Collins clearly didn't feel the need to make the character of Katniss attractive or sexy in all the traditional senses and in doing so, creates an icon which is far more endearing than any of her contemporaries, warts and all.

It'd be easy to compare the character of Katniss to that of Rowling's Hermione Granger, however, I feel this is unfair to both characters and their authors; while Rowling sought to create a bossy know-it-all the audience couldn't help but find endearing, Collins creates a brash, hot-headed and impulsive female lead, the likes of which is seen so little these days. While what I've written here may be enough to turn any young reader off the character of Katniss Everdeen, it is, in fact, quite the opposite; Collins gives us the narrative through the mind of young Ms Everdeen and in doing so, allows us to see her motives, understand her actions and get right to the heart of that difficult love triangle we, the audience, so knowingly expects.

Katniss Everdeen as played by
Jennifer Lawrence.

Speaking of the love triangle, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that this is no clichéd Twilight style romance - there is very little in the way of cloying declarations of love, there are next to no outwardly romantic moments and, what we see of Katniss' feelings, come from she, the narrator, herself. This allows us a unique insight into the mentality of a 17 year old girl being forced to deal with feelings and situation far beyond her years. Collins, I feel, may have experienced some sort of similar triangle of emotion when she was at such a formative stage in her life because I don't, personally, understand how she could've written such a charming and believable conflict otherwise.

Aside from Katniss it is the supporting cast which really helps to sell the universe to the reader: Katniss' sister Prim provides a lot of the emotional drive for Katniss, from inspiring her to volunteer as tribute to save the younger Everdeen from the same fate, to giving her pep talks and showing her maturity in the later stages of the narrative, Prim seems to be Katniss if Katniss were allowed to grow up at her own pace.

The average man's man: Peeta Mellark, as
played by Josh Hutcherson

The girls mother is, however, a different sort of emotional foil; Katniss feels a great deal of resentment towards her lack of self control and stability after their father's death. It is this relationship which proves interesting, especially towards the end of the last book when we see the two beginning to build a proper relationship and letting go of the years of resentment Katniss felt towards her.

Then, of course, there's the ever-rugged Gale, Katniss' hunting partner and confidant. It seems that the two
were made for each other, however, as our characters mature and try to deal with the aftermath of the Games, we see a slight shift in the dynamic of the pair. This is possibly due to Katniss' new found companionship with baker's son and fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark.

Now, Collins does a fantastic job of allowing all dorky, nerdy and awkward guys the chance to have a dog in this fight; compared to Gale, Peeta can't possibly compete, right? He's not as handsome or as strong, nor is he as smart or charming. But there's something there that Katniss can't quite put out of her mind and that's what makes him such an interesting read, especially when we understand Katniss' confusion in her feelings for both young men. It's easy to see pros and cons for each, often leading the reader feel as conflicted as Katniss is in choosing her beau.

Citizens of the Capitol eagerly enjoying The Hunger Games.

Of course, the love interest is hardly the main point of the story and, through much trial and tribulation, our protagonist and supporting cast must rally together to do something about the barbarism on display in their despised Capitol. Through a fascinating turn of events we see our beloved characters enter into an even more turbulent time than experienced in the first instalment of the trilogy and, at times, it's pretty touch and go as to how it's going to end. There were times, in fact, when I honestly thought Collins was going to pull a George RR Martin and have everyone killed.

Luckily, she didn't go quite that far and the story is all the more endearing for it; we're even lucky enough to get a Potter style epilogue to the action. Now, this is something I felt I really needed due to the fact that, owing to Collins' natural writing style, she seems to feel the need to leave everything on a slight cliffhanger (seriously, every chapter seems to give us some new revelation which makes it hard to put the blasted books down) and so, upon reading the final words of the story (as we know it) I was initially worried that she would leave the readers devoid of closure.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case and I was left with that sort of happy/sad glow you get when you finish a
truly exceptional set of books.

Honestly, if you're looking for something in a similar vein to Harry Potter but you don't want to go down the supernatural/magic route, The Hunger Games is for you. It is at once funny and sad, silly and absolutely genius. Collins has woven a story which, like all literary classics, will stand the test of time.

Having seen the film adaptation of the first book before even considering reading them, I was worried I wasn't going to enjoy the books as much; boy was I wrong! While the film is marvellous (and I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Catching Fire on November 21st), it's impossible to put as much detail into a film as Collins does to the books. It's also interesting to note that you don't get the same level of insight, owing to the film's omniscient nature, as opposed to our protagonist/narrator system in the books.

In all honesty, I can't rave about these books enough - they're just a rollicking good read with plenty of heart (and heartache) that will leave you at a loss as to what to do next.

Until next time, dear reader, and may the odds be ever in your favour.

Reliving The Magic: The Deathly Hallows

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but
why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
Dumbledore -
The Deathly Hallows

Wow. That did not take me long at all.

I finished the last instalment of the Potter saga about a week ago, but didn't have time to blog about it until now, so for that I apologise.

Now, I loved so much about this book; the maturity of the text, characters, themes and motifs, not to mention the gripping story, intriguing mysteries and interesting plot points. However, I must say, one of the things that winds me up about the story is that for over half of the book, we get plodding exposition about Harry, Ron and Hermione all not knowing what to do or where to look for Horcruxes, so they just apparate and disapparate at random in the hopes of getting some divine wisdom from Dumbledore (whom Harry feels may still be alive due to his constant sighting of a bright blue eye in the shard mirror which was given to him by recently deceased godfather, Sirius Black).

Please don't get me wrong, I love the way that half of the book was written and we get some truly engaging insight into the dynamics of Ron and Hermione's developing romantic entanglement, but we also get a lot of needless waiting around while they both sit and wait for Harry to reveal some plan they both thought he had which we, as readers, know he couldn't possibly have done. I mean, give the guy a break, up until fairly recently, he hadn't even known Horcruxes exist; how can they possible expect Harry to just know where to look for them?

Potter (somehow) manages to save the day!

Even if they expected Dumbledore to have told them, that's still a lot of expectation to put on their friend. I mean, has Harry ever shown any real signs of forethought when they get themselves into this sort of situation? No, not really. Even from the earliest adventures in The Philosopher's Stone, Harry just seems to bumble through and, with a combination of good friends and quick thinking, saves the day. That's why the wizarding world seems to love him, because he's simply an average boy-wizard who happens to be 'The Chosen One'.

I really feel for Harry, having to deal with all that pressure, I do.

The Horcrux once belonging to
Helga Hufflepuff.

It's also this expectation, pressure and exposition which confuses me as to why they felt the need to split the 'seven Horcruxes/seven books' duality), I understand why they may have felt the desire to drag out the final instalment as much as possible; more films equals more money, of course. But why, when there both The Goblet of Fire and The Half Blood Prince are longer the The Deathly Hallows did they decided to split this one in two, thus making one frankly dull film, and one where I feel the audience isn't allowed to take a breath? It just seems like a silly thing to do me, especially when they could've trimmed the first film down to forty-five minutes of camping adventures leaving us the rest of the film to actually find the Horcruxes.
book into two films (thus ruining the beautiful

Sorry about the rant there - back to the book!

Once Ron has thrown his paddy, come back and rescued Harry from certain death, we finally begin to see some real headway being made into the destruction of Voldemort, and finally, finally, we get the tantalising wizarding action we expected. We get some tales of daring do from our wonder trio as well as some lovely supporting roles from other beloved members of the cast, Bill and Fleur make wonderful aids to the gang, filling the Mr and Mrs Weasley gap we may otherwise have felt in their absence, we also get more time to spend with Olivander; a character I feel, up until this point, had been seriously underwritten. Who better to give us some insight into the history of wand-lore than the best wand maker in the United Kingdom?

Remus Lupin as portrayed
by David Thewlis.

On top of this character development, we have, early on in the story, a wonderful moment where Harry insults Lupin to the point of argument in a bid to convince him to stay with his pregnant wife, Tonks. JK excels herself in this moment by giving us another side to Harry's selfless actions; he must hurt the feelings of the closest thing to a father figure he currently has in order to (hopefully) save his life and allow him to raise his son; something Harry never got to experience on his own. It's this action which allows the reader, I believe, to reconcile the image of Old Harry in the final moments of the book, with the 17 year old wizard in the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Of course, it is this incredibly noble action which makes Lupin's eventual demise all the more heart-wrenching. Not to mention the fact that he and his beloved wife, Tonks, are united in death, but the fact that mere chapters earlier, Lupin honours Harry by asking him to be godfather to his newly born son, Ted. Interestingly enough, however, once Harry sees the couple dead in the great hall of Hogwarts, towards the end of the battle, his first thought isn't that of young, parentless Ted and how Harry will have to become his soul carer, but of his own personal loss. Something which seems, to my mind, to bely the somewhat affected maturity Harry has displayed until this moment.

Photo credit: Potterish.

Personally, I felt that these deaths were the most heartbreaking, though the loss of both Fred and Dobby were utterly horrendous losses to both the characters in the narrative and to the reader. I, for one, felt I'd lost a dear friend when Dobby finally shuffled off his mortal coil. I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear on the bus home from work while reading, that evening.

I feel now is a good time to state, for the record, that when I read that Mad Eye Moody died in his valiant efforts to transport Harry safely from Privet Drive to the Burrow, that I was utterly shocked, saddened and confused as to how Moody (one of the best Aurors of all time) was so easily killed during (what should've been) a routine excursion.

I was also disappointed to see that very little was done to mourn Moody, up until the moment inside the Ministry when Harry, disguised using Polyjuice Potion, liberates Moody's stolen eye from the door of professional bastard, Dolores Umbridge. Of course, this moment had me punching the air, to see that Moody was remembered in a wonderful moment of Ministry vandalism, though it would've been nice to see a little more sensitivity surrounding the loss of such a wonderfully gruff and impressive character.

Aberforth Dumbledore.

Of course, it's not long that we're without a stern and commanding figure. Indeed, before the book is over, we're introduced to the owner of the dazzlingly blue eye which Harry keeps sighting in the mirror.

It does, of course, belong to Dumbledore.

Though, obviously, not Albus. He's dead, silly.

No, the eye belongs to Aberforth Dumbledore. He is, in many ways, the antithesis of his brother; gruff, stern and altogether a little bit frightening, he is nothing like the sparkling, kind Albus. Indeed, he seems to go to great lengths to differentiate himself from his infinitely more famous brother - we're regaled by tales of the Dumbledore family. Stories of sadness, loss and a family torn asunder. This is a welcome diversion from the excitement of destroying Voldemort, however, as up until this moment, we have heard Albus Dumbledore's name dragged through the mud by none other than quote/unquote 'journalist' Rita Skeeter. What a bitch.

From here, Harry and co. enter Hogwarts through a secret passage guarded by Aberforth and are reunited

Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem.

with the bloody and bruised students which we all know and love. Of course, we have Luna, Neville and a selection of other supporting characters, all of whom seem to have been fighting the good fight in Harry's absence. Naturally, it's inspiring to both Harry and the reader when we see that his friends are striving so fervently to stick it to the Death Eaters.

The following chapters of Rowling's narrative are fraught with loss, excitement and tense moments as the whole of Hogwarts rallies to help Harry fend of Voldemort's hordes while simultaneously trying to find the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw.

It's during these chapters that Rowling really steps up to the plate in delivering some scintillating action which certainly kept me on the edge of my seat, all the while enjoying, savouring and remembering every single moment.

Molly Weasley: Resident Boss.

Also stepping up and proving themselves during these moments are many of the supporting cast; Molly Weasley proves her status as ultimate MILF legend by taking down, none other than scum-bag, Bellatrix Lestrange. Not only does she do away with Lestrange, she does so while protecting Ginny and swearing like a sailor. Good golly, Miss Molly.

Another bad-ass in our midst is none other than Neville Longbottom. Neville acts on instructions from Harry to kill Nagini (the final Horcrux) if he gets the chance. What's so incredible about this, is that Neville proves his worth as a true Gryffindor by pulling the sword of Godric Gryffindor from the flaming remnants of the beloved Sorting Hat.

Harry and Dumbledore walk the
line between life and death.

What surprised me, however, was the fact that, once the Horcruxes had been destroyed and Harry had spoken to a facsimile of Dumbledore (did Harry dream it, or did Dumbledore somehow infiltrate Harry's mind from beyond the grave? You decide!), the final confrontation between he and Voldemort is incredibly short lived. Just one spell each was cast and then a final struggle (as depicted in the films) and suddenly, Voldemort falls down, dead.

A sudden conclusion, I'm sure you'll agree, but shockingly satisfying. The fact that all along, Voldemort's arrogance carried him through, believing he would be the ultimate victor, then he was bested by Potter in but a few moments - he never really seems to have stood a chance.

Yes, with this single page, Rowling gives a generation of readers everywhere closure on the stories, characters, places and people we've all grown to know and love. We find Ginny and Harry are married with children, as are Ron and Hermione. There's now a grudging respect between Malfoy and the gang and we find a new generation of students are off to Hogwarts. The magic continues.

This is a beautifully written epilogue to the Potter saga and Rowling handles it beautifully.

From The Philosopher's Stone, to The Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter has been a wondrous ride, one I'm sure I'll partake in again, before too long. And, when I finally have kids, they will all be introduced to the sheer delight of this story.

And, finally, as I read the last page of the story, the overarching majesty that is the Harry Potter series, I felt depressed and elated, saddened and overjoyed, and finally, once I'd closed the book; all was well.

See you next time, dear reader.

Photo credit: fcksbackground. 

Reliving The Magic: The Half Blood Prince

“Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.”
Hermione Granger
The Half Blood Prince

Before we begin, allow me to apologise for the severe delay on this post. What with starting a new job, my reading speed has gone up (thanks to an hour long bus journey each way to and from work) but my time for writing has dropped immensely. In fact, any and all writing time I've had recently has gone into either writing articles for His Vintage Life (available now at W. H. Smiths) or into planning my campy 50's style sci-fi parody "The Man With The Cosmic Quiff: The Adventures of Captain Dirk Hero" (stay tuned for more on that!). So yes, Reliving The Magic has fallen somewhat by the wayside, though, without further delay, here are some of my thoughts on 'The Half Blood Prince'.

To begin with, dear reader, I must be honest with you. While I'd read the first four books in their entirety and had vague memories of making a valiant attempt at book number five, I never even attempted number six. A shameful admission, I know, but by this time I had more important things to worry about, such as how best to create a perfect quiff and how to get girls to notice me. So yes, this book was entirely new to me, which, in all honesty, made it even more exciting.

Obviously, I was familiar with the story thanks to the films, but, as I've said before, it's Rowling's details which make the books so deliriously believable. Once again, she's built upon her previously established Wizarding lore and made her world richer and more colourful with each deft keystroke. Indeed, her use of well-known and well-loved characters is masterful and the addition of new spells, back-stories, myths, legends and monsters makes the whole thing a joy to behold.

Dumbledore and Harry at the pensieve.

Indeed, within this book, some of my favourite Potter moments appear. From Harry's one-on-one extra-curricular lessons with Dumbledore (try getting that past Ofsted!) to the hauntingly tangible horcrux adventure, to the final instalments of the story wherein we find our beloved headmaster entombed in white marble, Rowling creates a narrative which sees our favourite students go from teenagers to adults in the space of a few chapters.

It is, in fact, Harry, Ron and Hermione's determination to carry on the work started by Dumbledore which makes this particular reader finally feel like the trio are maturing and growing into the successful adults they were, undoubtedly, destined to be. What's interesting to note here, is that for the first time in Potter history, I feel like our protagonists have a plan; that when they finally face down Lord Voldemort that they will do so deliberately, confidently; with the wealth of experience and knowledge of magical power befitting a much older generation than they themselves are.

Indeed, Harry seems spurred on, determined, to become the great wizard that Dumbledore believes him to have always been. He is, as the prophecy states, the chosen one, and Harry seems unwilling to let that title mean nothing.

The Dark Mark appears above Hogwarts.

This is particularly poignant since Voldemort essentially created his own worst enemy. His own determination to become the ultimate master of the dark arts leads him to cause the young Harry Potter to have protection against even the darkest spells Voldemort has at his finger tips.

It's the inclusion of this detail, I believe, that cements Potter's inclusion amongst the greatest literary works of all time, indeed, this twist seems almost Shakespearean in nature, execution, and sheer hubris inducing loveliness.

Of course, I'm also furious with Rowling for killing off my absolute favourite character in the saga, but unfortunately, it needed to be done. Harry, Ron and Hermione needed this gut-wrenching shock to inspire them to become something great. This, of course, is something Dumbledore seems to have understood.

The moment that broke my heart. Dumbledore's death.

In fact, it is this sage, Jedi-like ability which causes one to draw comparisons between the Harry/Dumbledore relationship and the similarly wondrous Luke/Obi-Wan relationship of the Star Wars universe.

Yes indeed, Rowling seems to have gone strength to strength with her masterpiece thus far. She succeeds in maturing her characters as time progresses and you can see her writing style ageing with her audience which, I'm sure you'll understand, is no mean feat.

Until next time.

Concept artwork for Dumbledore's Funeral by Adam Brockbank.

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