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'Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire' by J.K. Rowling

Rowling's 'Goblet' runneth over

Sunday, July 16, 2000

By Karen MacPherson, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

	Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire By J.K. Rowling Scholastic $25.95

It’s dark, it’s scary, it’s laced with violence -- and it’s absolutely wonderful.

It’s the much-ballyhooed fourth installment of the series by J.K. Rowling about a maltreated orphan who discovers he’s a legend in the world of wizards.

Despite the grim events around which the book revolves, Rowling has managed to create another volume filled with laugh-out-loud humor, whimsical wordplay, memorably eccentric characters and a vividly detailed parallel universe of magical folk.

As a result, Rowling’s rich blend of darkness and light should once again prove irresistible to readers. Harry’s millions of fans, both adults and children, will find themselves hooked by the continuing tale of his battle against the powerfully evil Lord Voldemort.

While some deplore the marketing campaign that helped “Goblet of Fire” set publishing records in recent days, the fact remains that the Harry Potter books don’t really need marketing. The series is popular because the books are good.

This one isn’t perfect, though: Its 734 pages sometimes drag a bit, especially when Rowling toils to retell the key points of the plots of the first three books. Her writing also can be curiously cliched at times.

Some younger readers will be frightened by the dark suspense of the book, a dramatic, alarming drumbeat that reverberates through the pages, culminating in the death of one character.

Rowling, who says the series will end at seven, has called “Goblet of Fire” a pivotal book. In it, she sets the stage for the ultimate battle between the forces of good and evil, which will occur in future volumes.

To underline this point, Rowling titled the book’s last chapter “The Beginning.” It’s not giving away the main plot line to say that Voldemort -- Harry’s archenemy -- hasn’t gone away, and he remains obsessed with his goal of taking over the world.

Clearly, Rowling wants us to understand that “Goblet of Fire” puts us in the midst of a saga that is far from ended.

The opening scenes are creepy, set in a seemingly deserted mansion once owned by the Riddle family. As any Potter fan knows, Voldemort’s real name is Tom Riddle, so we’re not surprised to find Voldemort at the mansion, making plans to kill Harry.

Harry’s life, however, is about to become even more complicated. He jolts awake one night from a terrifying nightmare of death and destruction, feeling a searing pain in his lightning-shaped forehead scar. Harry understands that his scar somehow links him with Voldemort, and he anxiously attempts to make sense of both his dream and his pain.

But Harry temporarily forgets his worries when the Weasley family invites him to attend the Quidditch World Cup. Quidditch is a cricket-like game played on flying broomsticks.

At the World Cup, and later as Harry begins his fourth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, there are odd signs that things are not right in the wizard world.

But Harry, like any typical teen-age boy, is more interested in girls and sports than just about anything else. Despite his legendary status in the wizard world, the bespectacled, wild-haired Harry is convinced that he won’t be able to get a date for the Yule Ball; indeed, his first choice -- Quidditch player Cho Chang -- turns him down.

The Yule Ball is a celebration of the Triwizard Tournament, a contest between the three largest European wizardry schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Although tournament participants are supposed to be 17, Harry’s name is drawn from the Goblet of Fire, which determines who will compete in the tournament.

So top wizards rule that he must compete against Cedric Diggory, the other Hogwarts champion, and the two champions from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.

In the tournament, the champions must use their wits and learn to complete three impossible tasks throughout the school year. But things go haywire at the end, and Harry again finds himself face to face -- and wand to wand -- with an increasingly powerful Lord Voldemort.

Rowling has said that her books would grow darker, and they do. But she leavens this darkness with great gobs of humor. She also enjoys poking fun at the grown-up world. For example, she paints a withering portrait of a reporter named Rita Skeeter, who will use any means to get a story, including making up the facts with her “quick quotes quill.”

As usual, Rowling’s wordplay is marvelous. Voldemort’s followers are “Death Eaters,” a “Portkey” is an object that looks like trash but has been bewitched to provide transportation to wizards, the head of the wizard sports department is a man named “Ludo Bagman” and a “Pensieve” is an object into which you can siphon your excess thoughts and examine them at leisure.

Overall, despite a few flaws, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” may just be Rowlings’ best book yet.