Here
is why Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban is the best book in the Harry
Potter series:
1. The idea of the Animagi is first introduced in
this book, which is one of the coolest things a witch or wizard can do in the
Harry Potter universe. My only regret is that Harry and the gang didn’t embark
on the difficult journey of becoming shape shifters themselves. Yet another
reason why Harry’s parents deserve a spin-off.
2.
Not all the good things about HP3 are jolly and
warm, some plot elements are horrible, but in a good way. Dementors first
appear on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of the book, in one of the most
chilling and exciting scenes of all the books. The concept of Dementors is
basically a great metaphor for life. When life/people/scary hooded figures,
suck the life and happiness out of you, recover with chocolate and strike back
with happy thoughts!
3.
Dementors and Patronuses go hand in hand, and
with the latter Harry is finally shown to have a skill that is above average.
Sure, Harry as a character is intentionally mediocre, and it is never stated
that he himself possesses any extraordinary talent that would equip him for his
struggle against Voldemort. Yet as a reader we like to think of the hero as,
well, a hero. Harry’s kick-ass Patronus charm shows us that he’s no ordinary
wizard.
*Added tearjerking factor: Harry’s Patronus takes the form of
a stag, his father’s Animagus. Sigh.
4.
Throughout the series, Harry has several father
figures to guide him and give him some much-needed parental affection, yet
arguably the most important of these figures is Sirius Black, around whom this
book mostly revolves. As Harry’s godfather, and James Potter’s best friend,
they provide each other with some comfort in their loss. The revelation of this
link to his parents is one of the best things about the third installment. Not to mention the fact that Sirius is pretty
badass, riding around on his flying motorcycle, escaping from Azkaban, turning
into a big scary dog whenever he pleases…
5.
Leading up to the discovery of his godfather’s
true nature, Harry has another male mentor to guide him through this difficult
year: Remus Lupin. Calm, kind and wise, yet approachable (apart from those
unfortunate moments of werewolfiness), Lupin is arguably an even better father
figure for Harry than Sirius or Dumbledore. But Lupin is an interesting
character on his own, struggling to hide his “sickness” and lead a normal life.
He’s also the only competent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Hogwarts
ever saw, and a relief after the mess that was Gilderoy Lockhart.
6.
For readers who revel in the smallest details of
life as a wizard in the Harry Potter universe, discovering Hogsmeade in the
third book is a real treat. It is said to be the only muggle-free town in
England, and is full of amazing places that we would love to visit, like The
Three Broomsticks, Zonko’s, Honeydukes and even the Shrieking Shack,
7.
Hogmseade is also the first place we encounter the
delicious (albeit fictional) drink butterbeer! Warm, frothy, sweet and likely
containing a bit of alcohol, it sounds like the perfect antidote to a bitter
cold winter day.
8.
Thanks to Fred and George’s kind heart, and the
fact that Harry is initially banned from visiting Hogsmeade, the Marauder’s Map
is introduced in this installment. Thankfully the books do not subsequently
explore Harry’s slightly creepy tendency to check when Cho Chang goes to the
bathroom and whatnot. Instead, it becomes a magical link to his father’s gang,
often providing invaluable information and comic relief at the same time.
9.
It is the only book in the series that does not
feature supervillain Voldemort. Now you may be asking yourself, why is this a
good thing? Well, we all know that the series moves towards an ultimate resolution
between Harry and Voldemort a.k.a. Good and Evil, but sometimes this gives the
books a kind of pressure. You know that the book will end with some kind of
confrontation with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and this can become predictable.
In the third book, this dynamic is switched up, and instead it revolves around
the ambiguous nature of good and evil. It begins to question the events
surrounding Voldemort’s fall, as well as some other aspects of the seemingly
perfect wizarding society.
+ 1.
The introduction of Professor Trewlaney, who seems like a useless nuisance most
of the time, yet the character really comes into her own in Emma Thompson’s
hilarious rendition. One of the very few instances when the movie enhances the
book.
+ 2.
This is a reinforcement of my opinion rather than a reason, but. J.K. Rowling has
stated: “Out
of the five books I've published [so far], writing Azkaban was the easiest, and
in some ways I think that shows.."[1]
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