Written by: J.K. RowlingI realize that I am very late to the Harry Potter train. But, better late than never, right?
The first book in the series - "Sorcerer's Stone" (aka "Philosopher's Stone" for our friends across the pond) - tells of the boy Harry Potter, neglected and abused by his aunt and uncle, who finds out that he is actually a wizard. As he runs off to wizard school at Hogwarts, he becomes involved in a mystery which will reveal exactly what is being hidden at the school, what happened to Harry's parents, and why everyone seems to treat him with such high regard. Turns out - not so surprisingly - that the villain Voldemort, an evil wizard, is the one holding the puppet strings, and that he's after the Sorcerer's Stone which is the key to eternal life.
(And yes, I just wrote all that down without a hint of sarcasm, somehow.)
I've always felt that the whole "Harry Potter" phenomena to be a sort of dubious second-cousin to more intellectual fantasy series (e.g. "Lord of the Rings"). But as more and more friends and acquaintances gave it such acclaim, I was eventually dragged into reading it.
Of course, the dragging stopped once I started reading it. I did have to put on my "new sincerity" glasses and read it honestly, with an eye for enjoyment rather than criticism. And, I must say, the book did provide much enjoyment. I had a hard time putting it down.
This book, especially, manages to strike an excellent balance between telling a self-contained story while also setting the stage for later books.
The characters are a bit exaggerated - Harry is always good and pure, Voldemort is pure evil - but I've heard that features gets toned down as the series goes on.
Years after the Harry Potter phenomena took off, I'm glad I've taken the opportunity to grab on to the coat tails. I'm looking forward to the rest of the ride.
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