PS/SS vs. CoS: It's A Tie!

[maria_kirilenko]

No: HPFGUIDX 57456

Cindy asked about our favourite books.

Strangely enough, I'd have to say that my favourite book is GoF, even 
though my favourite character is Lupin, and I was a bit annoyed not 
to see Lupin in GoF. I suppose I like GoF better because of the 
amazing Fake Moody plot twist. I just love it when mystery writers do 
it to me. I love being deceived. And no, I wasn't all that deceived 
in PoA. I had no chance of guessing Scabbers/Pettigrew, of course, 
but I did have a suspicion that Sirius wasn't guilty.

GoF has other very attractive characteristics. Loads of interesting 
new characters, new details about the Wizarding World, WW 
International, Quidditch World Cup, a French people, an evil and 
cowardly character with a Russian name and an evil school situated in 
Russia. I mean, what's not to like? <g>

Oh yes – Snape. Snape, Snape, Snape. The Egg and the Eye.

Cool Voldemort humour. "I will allow you to perform an essential task 
for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to 
perform
" LOL! Also Snape humour. Don't kill me, but I found the "I 
see no difference" line to be one of the funniest in the book. Crouch 
Jr. is also very amusing in the black humour way. 

I don't know if I liked PS better than CoS or not. If we go by 
reading time, I spent two days reading PS, but only six hours or so 
reading CoS. I guess I liked CoS better. I immensely enjoyed Lockhart 
as a character, the mystery was really cool, and it had many more 
details about the WW. Details are what I like the most. CoS was also 
a much more mature book than PS. At the very least, it lacked a 
Dissin' the Slyths scene. Slightly OT, was anyone else annoyed by the 
ending of TCTMNBN Deux?

CoS is also a lot more polished than PS, which has all sorts of 
expressions that never appear later in the series. "Gulpin' 
Gargoyles" and "Gallopin' Gorgons" is one. Another is the frequent 
use of the word "enchantment," which later on seems to refer to very 
complex magic that incorporates many different "genres," such as 
charms, transfiguration, etc. And the maintain-eye-contact "jinx" in 
PS is also strange, since later on we have the Jelly-Legs Jinx that 
doesn't appear to need any eye contact or muttering.

My two Knuts.
Maria