The Results Are In...

You voted in your scores (well, a score to be exact) and I can now reveal the results of the Books, Time, and Silence greatest literary achievement of the last decade poll:

In first place, with a whopping 7 (yes seven!) votes is JK Rowling for not only getting people reading, but inspiring fun launch evenings the world over. Given the pressure she was under, just completing the series has to be seen as a pretty big achievement in itself. So congratulations to JK, I'm sure this award will mean just as much to her as the giant cheques she routinely receives from Bloomsbury.

In second place – and my own choice despite holding mixed opinions on A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius – comes Dave Eggers. Eggers was shortlisted not just for his writing, but the contributions he has made to literature in a wider context. McSweeneys has established itself at the forefront of literary journals while 826 Valencia is an inspirational model for how to engage young people in writing activities. On their own each of these is a great achievement. Put together they are nothing short of remarkable.

Finally, tied for the bronze medal (there are no medals) we have one of my favourite books of the decade, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and Carol Ann Duffy becoming the first female Poet Laureate. I'm still more impressed by her popularity than gender, but since they are so linked in her poetry it is difficult to separate one from the other.

Congratulations all. They are achievements worthy of a doffing of the cap.

The full results are:

• JK Rowling - 7 Votes 
• Dave Eggers - 4 Votes
• Cormac McCarthy - 3 Votes
• Carol Ann Duffy - 3 Votes
• Naomi Klein - 2 Votes
• Jonathan Safran Foer - 2 Votes
• Yann Martel - 1 Vote
• The person who designed the jacket for The Da Vinci Code - 0 Votes
• Richard Dawkins - 0 Votes
• David Peace - 0 Votes

A huge thank you to all who voted. 22 votes may not sound a lot, but I treasure each and every one. And if you disagree with the outcome, please comment below. It is always a pleasure to see what other people think.

To summarise: Bill Gates joins Twitter and within 14 hours has 150,000 followers. I get 22 votes spread over one week (and 50 hits in a day!) on my utterly pointless blog. I ask you: which one of us is the richer man?

The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling

Read: December 2008

What a nice little book this is. Sure, its nothing exceptional – there are neither great revelations, nor fantastically exciting stories – but the tales are told with the same warmth, light humour, and adventure which makes the entire Harry Potter series so enjoyable. Don't expect that these five short fairy tales to have the same power as their muggle counterparts by the Brothers Grimm, but they are enjoyable little tales which further augment the amazingly broad world which J.K. Rowling has created.

In 'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot' we encounter a young wizard who has to learn the hard way to live alongside muggles; in 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune' we get a tale remarkably similar to our own conception of the tree of everlasting life, and learn that all that we need for a happy and successful life lies within us already; in 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart' we are taught a cautionary tale in the destructive nature of the dark arts, and see once more Dumbledore's belief in love as the most powerful force in the world; in 'Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump' we meet a washerwoman witch who teaches us something of the troubling history of magic and the corrupt nature of power hungry rulers; and finally, in the now famous 'Tale of the Three Brothers' we are treated to the complete version of the tale which lies at the heart of The Deathly Hallows, the story of the three brothers who thought they could overcome death.

Each of these stories is augmented with additional commentary and insight provided by Professor Dumbledore which provides historical depth and cultural context to the tales. In 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' there is even the hint that the dominant explanation he provided in Deathly Hallows was a rouse to defeat Voldemorte. Or else he was wary that the notes he wrote in his copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard, might provide a clue to Voldemorte's quest for total power. I suspect the latter.

These questions are interesting food for thought, but do not dramatically transform the book. My personal favourite of the stories is probably ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers' but they are all good little moral fables. Rowling's illustrations are surprisingly good, and add a feel of natural elegance to the page. However, the fact that the notes are provided by JKR and not the actual translator, Hermione Granger, offers an annoying intrusion and jars the boundary between author and imagined world.

But what I take most of all from this slim collection of stories is further bafflement as to the ending to the Deathly Hallows. Throughout the Harry Potter series, Rowling showed herself to be dead against the sugar-coating of stories, and again here she lambastes the efforts of one Beatrix Bloxam, who attempted to rewrite these tales so they would provide wholesome enjoyment which would protect the 'precious flower’ of children’s innocence from tales of horror and death. So why oh why did she feel the need to tack on that pathetic and sweet epilogue to the end of Deathly Hallows? It is perhaps not the most fundamental question that must be asked here, but it still rankles with me.

But these thoughts are all largely by the by. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a nice quick addition to the Harry Potter world, and an enjoyable evenings reading. It reminds one of the great enjoyment the series has provided and in its own inimitable way poses as many questions as it answers. And with £1.61 from each book sold going to charity, it is nice when literature can give something back to the world.

6.5 out of 10

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling

Read: August 2001

“He'll be famous – a legend – I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in future – there will be books written about Harry – every child in our world will know his name!”

So says Professor McGanagall in the first chapter of the first book in the series that has become the biggest brand in publishing history. A prophetic statement, or at least so it seems in hindsight. But what is often forgotten in the cacophony of fandom which surrounds Harry Potter is that The Philosopher's Stone was initially successful for the simple reason that it captured people's imagination. It takes you firmly by the hand and in 220 exciting pages inducts you into a world so complete with folklore and interesting characters and history and magic that you never wish to leave. I was hooked within this first chapter, and have never looked back since. This is charming, exciting and yes, the word cannot be avoided, magical fiction which has enriched our world a thousandfold. These books have kept me company when I have been lonely, and made me squeal and leap with excitement and joy. The midnight launches have been some of the most enjoyable nights I have spent in my life. For all of this, and so much more, I am grateful to The Philosopher's Stone and all the books which have followed it.

If you haven't yet read it then I am sure my words wont make you suddenly run out and purchase a copy, but I will just say this: you have no idea what you are missing out on. Life is too short to deprive yourself of the Harry Potter experience.

8.5 out of 10

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

Read: August 2001

In hindsight, The Chamber of Secrets is probably the most revealing of all the Harry Potter series. Contained within its pages are some of the most important revelations which hold many of the keys to the plot as it develops over the rest of the series. Strange then, that it is the one I had most difficulty with, and were it not for the fact that I had nothing else to do and my brother told my the third one was better, I may not have continued reading.

The problem is that in structure and general plot arc it is almost a total carbon copy of The Philosopher's Stone, only without the amazing sense of discovery which abounds the first book. There is nothing bad about it, as such, but reading it I had the overwhelming sense that I knew exactly what was going to happen. The mysteries are structured similarly to the first book, the characters have not yet developed, and the grander struggle is yet to take off. Hogwarts feels like a safe place to be, even if that safety is mitigated by potions and flying cars and terrifying beasts. But this is the point where things begin to change: if you thought that Harry Potter was to remain a safe children's series, then the third book was to change everything forever.

7 out of 10

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

Read: August 2001

After another summer of mistreatment at the hands of the Dursley's, Harry is excited to return to Hogwarts for another year. But over the summer the tension in the magic community has been ratcheted up: a murderer named Sirius Black is on the loose, and Harry keeps seeing a strange dog out of the corner of his eye. Even Hogwarts seems to have grown darker, for now there are terrifying, emotion sucking Dementors guarding the gates. You see it turns out that Sirius Black was in league with Voldemorte, and was responsible for revealing the secret of the Potter's whereabouts. And now he is after Harry.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is perhaps the most popular of all the series, marking a transition from the magical early books to a slightly darker, complex, and psychologically disturbing series it became. It also introduces us to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, two of Harry's most enduring and important accomplices. It is here where Harry begins to demonstrate his skill with magic, and find continuity with his father, in the form of his patronus. The events in the Shrieking Shack reveal great secrets, and offer one of the most exciting scenes in the entire series. If you haven’t become a Harry Potter fanatic by the end of the first chapter of the first book, then it is here where you will find that you cannot put the books down.

8 out of 10

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling

Read: August 2001

This is my favourite of the entire series. Reading The Goblet of Fire was an experience I can only describe as like being injected with so much pure adrenalin that I could barely sit still long enough to read the book. It was the summer holidays, and I had just read the first three books in about four days. But Goblet of Fire was only newly out in paperback and my brother hadn't yet read it and refused to let me read it first. Being a lazy type I couldn't even be bothered to go to the shops and buy my own copy. So instead, while he was out at work, I stole his copy and read it furiously throughout the day. After day 1 I had to return the book just as Harry's name was pulled out of the Goblet as the fourth entrant to the Triwizard Tournament. All evening I was on tenterhooks.

The next day I was up before 6, waiting anxiously for him to leave at 7. As soon as I heard the door shut I was plucking the book from his cupboard and devouring the remaining 400 pages. I was finished by lunchtime, and had nothing else to do for the rest of that summer. University was still a month away, and my A-Level results wouldn't be out for another couple of weeks! Yes, this all happened when I was 19!

This is the book that transforms everything. It is twice as long as its predecessors, and crammed with many new and exciting developments. The characters begin to grow up, and experience the first pangs of teenage romance. The Ron and Hermione double act continues along at its bickering best, and with the Quidditch World Cup and the arrival of other wizarding schools for the Triwizard Tournament, The Goblet of Fire bursts out of its structured Hogwarts confines. From the moment you pick up the book and read the first amazing chapter at the Riddle House, to the terrifying events in the darkened graveyard, this is a book in which all the expectations for what Harry Potter would be are thrown out of the window and the grand battle commences. It retains all of the exciting charm of the first books, yet combines it with the menacing and dark sense of approaching cataclysm which marks out the later books. Quite simply, after Goblet of Fire, nothing is ever the same again.

10 out of 10

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling

Read: July 2003

Having watched his friend murdered before his eyes and then narrowly escaped death at the hands of his newly resurrected mortal enemy, Harry can be forgiven for the grumpy mood he finds himself in at the beginning of this book. To add to his woes he hasn't heard anything from the wizarding world all summer and has been reduced to gleaming scraps of information by lying in the rose bushes beneath the Dursley’s living room window and listening to the news inside. Yes, Harry is p***ed off. Puberty, it seems, has finally caught up with him. But this is just the beginning. His fifth year promises to be the most difficult of all his years at Hogwarts. Not only is Voldemort on the loose once more, but a power struggle has broken out between the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, and a vindictive little shrew by the name of Dolores Umbridge has been appointed as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a massive tome. It is immense, and bitter, and very, very dark. Although it could have benefited from a good editing to remove about a third of its ramblings, it is a better book than I thought after reading it the first time. J.K. Rowling should be commended for her skill in portraying Harry's teenage stroppyness, and for letting her little heroes grow up at all. How often in fiction do you get a hero who is simultaneously the leader of a vast underground army and a petulant kid who spurns the help of all who offer it and ends up responsible for the death of one of his most loved comrades? Yes, Order of the Phoenix may be dark, but it is gloriously so.

What’s more there is a great battle coming and the promise of a big revelation in the form of an as yet unheard prophecy. Why did Voldemort need to kill Harry when he was so young? And why exactly are they linked in the form of the scar on Harry’s head? In Order of the Phoenix we travel to the Ministry of Magic, and a St Mungo’s wizard hospital, take a ride on the back of an invisible Thestral, and travel with Hagrid in search of his fellow giants. New characters develop and come the end, we know far more about exactly where the series is heading.

7 out of 10

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

Read: July 2005

And so we come to the one where not that much happens, which is pleasant respite given the hectic plots of books 5 and 7.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is the calm before the storm, it is the 1939-1940 impasse, in which war has been declared, but both sides are still getting organised and working out their grand strategies. For Voldemort, this lies in a special task which has been given to Draco Malfoy, for Dumbledore it is in education, and a quest to understand the gaps in Voldemort's life. But Harry is still not ready to fully trust those around him, and because of this he is placing all their lives at risk. The tension is building, full blown war is inevitable, it just requires a spark to really set it off.

But most of all, Half Blood Prince provides a retrospective glance into life before the series begun, into Voldemort's psyche, and Harry's own parents. One thing I think Rowling does better than most is in making her 'baddies' human, even while never forgiving or limiting their vile actions. She creates real villains you can understand yet still hate, and shades of grey in which characters like Snape can perpetually balance between the two. If Severus Snape is the real star of the entire series, and to my mind he is, then this is his solo. A major event is coming, and when it does, Snape will be at the forefront of it all.

7.5 out of 10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

Read: July 2007

So after a decade of adventures with our adolescent wizard friends, the Harry Potter chronicles draw to a close. All those years of internet chat, speculation, and anticipation, and finally the answers are revealed. Where exactly are all the Horcruxes? Which side is Snape really on? Will Ron and Hermione finally get together? If 'neither can live, while the other survives,' and their dual core wands cannot fight each other, then exactly how is this whole mess going to be resolved? Is Harry going to push Voldemort down the stairs? These questions and many more were flying through my brain as I eagerly awaited the midnight launch. When the book arrived I have to confess to pinching a copy from the boxes, covering it with a Half Blood Prince dust jacket, and reading feverishly all afternoon long. I could easily have continued reading all night, but there was a party to organise, and I had a Dobby costume to devise.

The launch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows stands out as the most fun I had in my career as a bookseller. Such concentrated high spirit and excitement is something that does not come along every day and I am privileged to have experienced it. For this alone, Harry Potter should be celebrated.

The plot itself careers around the world like a stray snitch, with more adventures and battles than any book I have ever read. There seems to be a quota of death and destruction to be filled, every one of the sub characters we have met along the way has to play some role in the events that take place, and we cannot reach the end until one final lesson in humility has been learnt. Rowling kills off characters with delightful disdain: instantly, undramatically, and with only a small splattering of mourning. There is not time. It all becomes a little farcical in the end. There is just too much happening, and the pacing becomes an issue. Deathly Hallows needs a calm before the storm, a chapter or two of quiet introspection before the epic final battle. Because it doesn’t have this, come the end I was too tired to emotionally engage with the conclusion. It is a momentous and moving ending, but after so much has happened, I found it hard to take it all in.

And this is not the time for rants, but the epilogue: why? I don't know, I really don't. For an author who was always willing to dig the knife in to our favourite characters and question readers' sensibilities, this pointless exercise in cathartic claptrap seems to question everything which the Harry Potter books did to push children's literature forward. I do not need to know that all my little friends lived happy lives with all their dreams coming true. That epilogue almost ruins my perception of the entire rest of the books.

But perhaps this sounds too harsh. When it comes down to it, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the culmination to a gargantuan effort of storytelling, and if there is too much to reasonably tell in one book, then so be it. All the familiar characters, little jokes, and old tensions are here, and with it all drawing to a final close, there is a note of sadness which every reader brings to the action. Rowling finds an ingenious way to tie it all together, and a mythology to back this all up. ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’, and the subsequent legend of the Deathly Hallows brings us back to the mythology which is at the heart of the entire series. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's journey takes them away from the safety and structure of Hogwarts and allows them once more to develop as interesting and rounded characters. Dumbledore has one final posthumous trick up his sleeve, and there is even a conclusion to the long running mystery of Snape's loyalty. This is not my favourite of the Harry Potter series, but it wraps things up well and if you have loved the other books in this series, then you simply have to read it. After all, even a less than perfect Harry Potter novel is a lot more fun than many other books.


7 out of 10