Ultimate Unofficial Guide

[Nia <penumbra10@ameritech.net>]

 m.bockermann wrote:
> Hi everybody!
> 
> I was wondering if anybody has read the Ultimate Unofficial Guide 
to the Mysteries of Harry Potter by Galadriel Waters and Astre 
Mithrandir (those have to be pseudonyms or they are born to be 
Fantasy authors). Is it good? Or is it just a collection of theories 
we have discussed here in HPFGU in detail?<snip>

Me:
I bought it.  I suppose now that potential writers see they stand to 
make a bit of income from Harry, we're liable to see a virtual 
landslide of these "guides" to Harry's world.  
The tome is 409 pages and based on the premise that JKR has a rather 
simple pattern of weaving clues into her books.  The fundamental 
idea is as follows:
1- If JKR reinforces i.e.repeats an idea, clue action, she means it 
and wants us to remember it
2- If she suddenly interrupts something, she's hiding a key clue
3- There is no such thing as a coincidence
4- Don't take a character's word for it (They sometimes see things 
from a skewed perspective)
Also to be noted: *"Ron is usually wrong, except when he's joking, 
then he's usually right."
       *"Hermione is usually right, unless she becomes emotional, 
then she's usually wrong."

The authors explored the four books in the series and uncovered 
their findings, but these are not exactly delineated out for the 
reader.  They assume the reader of the HP books is doing so with 
their "guide" in hand, so they don't give things away outright but 
more as guided hints, with numerous references to their "sleuthing 
manifesto."  
As most of the posters to this group, I've read the HP books more 
times than I'd care to admit to non-fans and the "guide" was still 
able to point out things I hadn't seen before.  There are 
tantalizing references to characters that I completely ignored 
before and I was encouraged to re-read canon in light of the clues 
from this book to see if they pass muster.  For the most part they 
do, however, the authors still don't seem to have a great handle on 
the heart of the characters, as most "group" posters do, nor do they 
make any feasible predictions, at least IMHO.  One of their pet 
theories is completely debunked by canon evidence, yet, they make 
you wonder...  Also, if you're looking for SHIP evidence, you will 
have to apply their clues for yourself.  They seem to lean H/R, but 
they are not overt about it.  As a lover of pumpkin pie, I could 
well see an overwhelming pattern (using their clue guide) which 
supports H/Hr.   If you are looking for believable OoP and beyond 
predictions here, you'll find a few tidbits, but for the most part, 
their ideas seem completely unrelated to the story JKR has so 
carefully been crafting.
As a guide, it's immensely more useful than that tiny little 
pamphlet of Philip Nel's which proudly proclaims that the "emblem of 
Gryffindor House is a griffin" [not a lion]!?!?!?! At least 
Galadriel Waters and company respect the material they are 
analyzing.  
Hope this was helpful. E-mail me with any further questions.
--Nia