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Harris Bin Potter And The Stoned Philosopher
An illustrated edition of the author’s first novel—the hilarious, viral hit Harris bin Potter and the Stoned Philosopher, in which a bespectacled boy finds out that magic is disappearing in Singapore... and has to stop it.Harris bin Potter is an orphan who loves to play void deck football like any other Singaporean boy. But when he discovers he is a parceltongue (i.e., he can talk to boxes...er, parcels), his world changes. Harris learns about his magical lineage and enrols at the MOE-approved Hog-Tak-Halal-What School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.There, he is sorted into the House of Fandi and gets caught up in an insane adventure to save Singapore’s magical folk from being turned into kosongs.
238 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
April 13, 2020
There are pages that were funny but I think this book is best enjoyed by those who understand the author's language.
February 21, 2024
i appreciate what the author’s trying to do but i didn’t like this at all lol
June 8, 2021
Hilarious
August 15, 2022
A parody of its British counterpart. Most of my guffaws occurred in the first 20%. Lots of funny Malay pun jokes. Could have done without the juvenile male fart, breast, butt, genital jokes as well as the potty mouth parrot. The tender heart of the novel is in regaining pride and dignity of Malay culture. Most of the fun lay in how Suffian Hakim gave the well-known story a decidedly Singaporean flavour. Who knew That-Evil-Bastard-Lah-You-Should-Know-Who-I’m-Talking-About was hiding out in Yishun? Side effect of reading this is both the Chan Mali Chan and Burung Kakaktua songs are circling in my head now, potent spells indeed.
March 24, 2020
I laughed all the way till the end. Adoi la. Luckily I've read JK Rowlings's Harry Potter before I found this one. Now all my high expectation towards the magician-society in Hogwarts are crashing down to kosong's-level. Can mali can! Haha...
July 18, 2020
Rating: 4/5 stars
Book 3 out of 3 for my 24-hour readathon (July 2020).
This is so hilarious! I laughed so much til the end.
There is a heavy reference on Malay-Singapore culture (and being a Malay myself, I can totally understand). It is, of course, a parody of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. This is a light book overall. I enjoyed it!
Although the beginning resembles the actual Harry Potter book, the ending is totally different. Worth a read. Hehe...
That wraps up my 24-hour readathon!
Book 3 out of 3 for my 24-hour readathon (July 2020).
This is so hilarious! I laughed so much til the end.
There is a heavy reference on Malay-Singapore culture (and being a Malay myself, I can totally understand). It is, of course, a parody of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. This is a light book overall. I enjoyed it!
Although the beginning resembles the actual Harry Potter book, the ending is totally different. Worth a read. Hehe...
That wraps up my 24-hour readathon!
March 1, 2022
I stopped at 1st chapter (and a few flips of some of the pages) I don’t enjoy it. I’ve always love Harry Potter’s series so when I saw this book I immediately bought it.
It’s a clever attempt to parody the actual book and converted it into a totally Singapore style but I don’t get the joke. To me it’s not funny (maybe some). Can’t stand the cursing and some of the dirty jokes. Some pages has too much of nonsense-unrelated-kind-of-joke that made me don’t understand the actual message delivered in the paragraph and the story line.
A bit disappointing. I was really looking forward to read something funny and light.
Well 2 star for the effort..
It’s a clever attempt to parody the actual book and converted it into a totally Singapore style but I don’t get the joke. To me it’s not funny (maybe some). Can’t stand the cursing and some of the dirty jokes. Some pages has too much of nonsense-unrelated-kind-of-joke that made me don’t understand the actual message delivered in the paragraph and the story line.
A bit disappointing. I was really looking forward to read something funny and light.
Well 2 star for the effort..
February 15, 2021
DNF at page 30. Cringey, try-hard and too “desperate” to squeeze in as many Singaporean references as possible to the point of being suffocating. The humour is also terrible.
March 19, 2023
Funny light read, chortled at some bits but others read a bit too try hard.
June 15, 2024
If not for the idea of writing a Singaporean parody of Harry Potter I would‘ve DNFed after the first 10 pages.
If not for the goodreads‘ reading challenge I would‘ve DNFed after the evil lord showed up on the ass of the professor (and then he switched places with the prof and shut him up with a buttplug?). It was neither funny nor a clever parody of anything related to Harry Potter. The text barely followed or showed any resemblance to the original text. This bears the question of why choosing Harry Potter as the basis if you won‘t follow the story. Also, most of the humor (if you can call it that) in the novel can be expected from middle schoolers; it is oftentimes tasteless and crass (and again, is neither connected to Singapore or demanded real creativity) and the storyline teetered on absurd as opposed to funny.
The only reason why I‘m giving two stars is because of the commentary on the standing of Malay people in Singaporean society and the prejudices they have to deal with.
Otherwise, I‘m extremely disappointed with the novel.
If not for the goodreads‘ reading challenge I would‘ve DNFed after the evil lord showed up on the ass of the professor (and then he switched places with the prof and shut him up with a buttplug?). It was neither funny nor a clever parody of anything related to Harry Potter. The text barely followed or showed any resemblance to the original text. This bears the question of why choosing Harry Potter as the basis if you won‘t follow the story. Also, most of the humor (if you can call it that) in the novel can be expected from middle schoolers; it is oftentimes tasteless and crass (and again, is neither connected to Singapore or demanded real creativity) and the storyline teetered on absurd as opposed to funny.
The only reason why I‘m giving two stars is because of the commentary on the standing of Malay people in Singaporean society and the prejudices they have to deal with.
Otherwise, I‘m extremely disappointed with the novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2025
Well! That was interesting!! I’ve given it three stars because it gave me several moments of uncontrolled chuckling, which surprised me because a lot of the humour was rather adolescent 🤣. Also it was fun reading something so firmly located here in Singapore, in Malay culture, full of local phrases and references and in jokes. I read all the Harry Potter books back in the day, and it was fun reading this piss-taking spoof, but I also liked the way it carried some serious reflections about how it feels to be Malay in the chauvinistic culture of Singapore, I hear the pain!! And note the finger!
June 25, 2020
Its a parody of you-know-lah-which-book. Sebuah bacaan ringan penuh dengan jenaka. Dia punya malay cultural reference bersepah, boleh relate banyak. Beware of Chan Mali Chan, siol.
February 23, 2021
realistically speaking it's closer to a 1 star, the jokes rarely landed and had a nasty habit of staying long past overstay, but don't say i never support local art
November 26, 2021
So stupidly (and yet cleverly) hilarious… really found myself laughing while reading!! Even the thought of the content would amuse me.
March 5, 2020
This is a parody of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Plenty of Malay cultural references fused into the creative story, this is a hilarious Singaporean version of the world-famous book. Read it for the laughs and the Singaporean Hogwarts!
4/5
4/5
February 19, 2021
Poor attempt at a Singaporean parody of Harry Potter, with jokes that were either repetitive or entirely unfunny. Not a good representation of Singaporean humour. Much of the writing was awkward, like the author made an attempt to sound clever and failed utterly and completely. I can imagine him chuckling at his own brilliance.
Unfortunately, chuckle, I did not.
For example:
‘On that day, however, there were three events that begged logic like a snowman begs for Singaporean weather.’
But the events in question DID beg logic. So, what is this statement supposed to mean? That snowmen love Singaporean weather?
Or, ‘In actuality, “under their care” is a grossly inaccurate statement. More often than not, he was under their son, Dada, because, firstly, nobody likes to be sat on, and secondly, because eleven-year-old Dada weighed a hundred kilos.’
He was under their son because no one likes to be sat on? How is the second half of the statement a ‘because’?
And no, I didn’t stop reading at the first chapter. Only, there were so many lines I didn’t like that it grew tiresome to take note of all of them.
Also, the Ron character is so unreasonably (and not comically) stupid, that I’m surprised he didn’t choke on a peanut and die at the end of the book.
Plot-wise, there were many things that made little sense to me and seemed overly self-indulgent.
The dirty jokes were just... gross.
In summary, this book added zero value to my life, although I applaud the attempt to write a Singaporean version of Harry Potter in the first place.
Unfortunately, chuckle, I did not.
For example:
‘On that day, however, there were three events that begged logic like a snowman begs for Singaporean weather.’
But the events in question DID beg logic. So, what is this statement supposed to mean? That snowmen love Singaporean weather?
Or, ‘In actuality, “under their care” is a grossly inaccurate statement. More often than not, he was under their son, Dada, because, firstly, nobody likes to be sat on, and secondly, because eleven-year-old Dada weighed a hundred kilos.’
He was under their son because no one likes to be sat on? How is the second half of the statement a ‘because’?
And no, I didn’t stop reading at the first chapter. Only, there were so many lines I didn’t like that it grew tiresome to take note of all of them.
Also, the Ron character is so unreasonably (and not comically) stupid, that I’m surprised he didn’t choke on a peanut and die at the end of the book.
Plot-wise, there were many things that made little sense to me and seemed overly self-indulgent.
The dirty jokes were just... gross.
In summary, this book added zero value to my life, although I applaud the attempt to write a Singaporean version of Harry Potter in the first place.
September 26, 2019
The only thing more magical than a library is being transported into the magical world of Harris Bin Potter and the Stoned Philosopher where the “kosongs” (or non-magical people) live side by side with satay stick wielding witches and wizards and an evil wizard named Oldermat is sucking the magic out of Singapore during Harris’ first year at Hog-Tak-Halal-What, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Never have I genuinely laughed out loud while reading, not only is @suffianhakim witty in his writing, he gives homage to all the best characters and scenarios from the original stories with a charming Singaporean twist. ⚡️
Favorite spell: Alo-open-up-lah!
Favorite character rename: Gintonic Wizzly
Favorite wizarding sport: Food Fight Club (“The first time of Food Fight Club is: You do not talk about Food Fight Club.”) ⚡️
Fantastic read! Highly recommended to anyone familiar with Singapore and enjoys a good parody, lah!
Favorite spell: Alo-open-up-lah!
Favorite character rename: Gintonic Wizzly
Favorite wizarding sport: Food Fight Club (“The first time of Food Fight Club is: You do not talk about Food Fight Club.”) ⚡️
Fantastic read! Highly recommended to anyone familiar with Singapore and enjoys a good parody, lah!
March 8, 2017
I have spent the better part of 2-3 years hunting for this book ever since I came across the first three chapters floating around the internet. Retains the magic captured in that preview, with unself-conscious digs at everything Malay (gotta be one to poke fun at one's own group identity, eh?) and Singaporean.
Kinda loses steam towards the last few chapters though, the ending felt extremely forced and unsatisfying. Too much to hope for a sequel? Or better yet, an AUDIOBOOK VERSION?? :))
Kinda loses steam towards the last few chapters though, the ending felt extremely forced and unsatisfying. Too much to hope for a sequel? Or better yet, an AUDIOBOOK VERSION?? :))
August 31, 2018
It's not too bad a read for those who like pop culture reference and a sprinkling of dirty jokes but the ending felt a bit too rushed for me. Also there were missing punctuation marks which I didn't like, but otherwise it was a great attempt at satire.
February 8, 2020
I laughed a few times but most of the times i didnt actually understand the jokes and the jargons used. I don't enjoy the dirty jokes and some of the character names plus the cursed words used. But for the plot and the ending, the book is actually ok for light reading.
November 10, 2019
Not a particularly good crackfic, but something you might read anyway just for the novelty of the Singaporean setting and some very terrible (and very funny) jokes.
May 19, 2020
Why I read this
Book 2 for my Asian Readathon.
Also, it’s a Harry Potter parody/satire with local comdey. It was inevitable.
Rating: 4.5/5
Unlike the Frangipani Tree Mystery, this book is sadly not as accessible for a non-local, mainstream audience. Although, of course, that’s the point, to be a parody for locals to enjoy.
It’s just a shame that our local culture is not mainstream enough because this was a wildly entertaining read. It far exceeded my expectations, I even laughed out loud a few times.
It’s not necessary to have an in-depth knowledge of Harry Potter, thanks to general pop culture osmosis, but definitely requires a knowledge of most local Singaporean pop culture and newsworthy events.
It also doesn’t require much Malay language knowledge because most of the phrases are translated, thank goodness because I barely know any.
It’s a parody that pokes fun at not just the source material, which is actually a small percentage of the jokes, but also a witty satire that comments on the racial stereotypes of Malays and the subtle racism within Singaporean society.
It also contains several meta/fourth-wall breaking jokes, puns, wordplay, and my personal favourite, hilarious FOOTNOTES.
I wonder if the author has read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books because the satirical style is very reminiscent of his writing.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this for any Singaporean who enjoys reading satire, whether you’ve read any Harry Potter or not. I really want to check out the author’s other book, The Minorities, too.
Re-readability
Definitely!
Book 2 for my Asian Readathon.
Also, it’s a Harry Potter parody/satire with local comdey. It was inevitable.
Rating: 4.5/5
Unlike the Frangipani Tree Mystery, this book is sadly not as accessible for a non-local, mainstream audience. Although, of course, that’s the point, to be a parody for locals to enjoy.
It’s just a shame that our local culture is not mainstream enough because this was a wildly entertaining read. It far exceeded my expectations, I even laughed out loud a few times.
It’s not necessary to have an in-depth knowledge of Harry Potter, thanks to general pop culture osmosis, but definitely requires a knowledge of most local Singaporean pop culture and newsworthy events.
It also doesn’t require much Malay language knowledge because most of the phrases are translated, thank goodness because I barely know any.
It’s a parody that pokes fun at not just the source material, which is actually a small percentage of the jokes, but also a witty satire that comments on the racial stereotypes of Malays and the subtle racism within Singaporean society.
It also contains several meta/fourth-wall breaking jokes, puns, wordplay, and my personal favourite, hilarious FOOTNOTES.
I wonder if the author has read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books because the satirical style is very reminiscent of his writing.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this for any Singaporean who enjoys reading satire, whether you’ve read any Harry Potter or not. I really want to check out the author’s other book, The Minorities, too.
Re-readability
Definitely!
September 16, 2021
This book is a hoot and a half (except owls have no part in this parody at all but mail-spamming parrots!😂)
It’s taken me long enough to buy this book from @epigrambooks , because I’m a true blue wait-for-every-new-title Harry Potter fan and didn’t really think I’d enjoy this. Even #hweezbookshusbandsreads (who read this first) says this book has been on the ST bestselling list so many times, “what took you so long?”
This is definitely worth a read, especially if you’re from this neck of the woods or have lived in Singapore. Suffian Hakim has such a way with words, and I LOL-ed quite a bit at both his jokes and social commentary🤣
Well, “Quidditch sounds more like a plot device than an actual sport” in this world of Harris Bin Potter. Instead, he gets sorted into Fandi house and he plays awesome void deck football (nail-biting finale included).
You might also figure that Harris talks to er, boxes (PARCELTONGUE!!!) and there are mythical creatures in the form of a Singlish-speaking Merlion la!
And oh, by the way, it’s Hog-Tak-Halal-What School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there’s brainy girl Her-Aku-Punya-Lutut 🤦🏻♀️
Suffian admits,
“If you listened closely, you might hear a canon misfiring.” 🤣
(PS No prizes for guessing what’s used instead of wands 😬)
This illustrated 2019 copy is the latest edition from a work that was first published on the author’s blog a decade before that. Since then, Suffian has written quite a few more titles which I hope to read at some point.
It’s taken me long enough to buy this book from @epigrambooks , because I’m a true blue wait-for-every-new-title Harry Potter fan and didn’t really think I’d enjoy this. Even #hweezbookshusbandsreads (who read this first) says this book has been on the ST bestselling list so many times, “what took you so long?”
This is definitely worth a read, especially if you’re from this neck of the woods or have lived in Singapore. Suffian Hakim has such a way with words, and I LOL-ed quite a bit at both his jokes and social commentary🤣
Well, “Quidditch sounds more like a plot device than an actual sport” in this world of Harris Bin Potter. Instead, he gets sorted into Fandi house and he plays awesome void deck football (nail-biting finale included).
You might also figure that Harris talks to er, boxes (PARCELTONGUE!!!) and there are mythical creatures in the form of a Singlish-speaking Merlion la!
And oh, by the way, it’s Hog-Tak-Halal-What School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there’s brainy girl Her-Aku-Punya-Lutut 🤦🏻♀️
Suffian admits,
“If you listened closely, you might hear a canon misfiring.” 🤣
(PS No prizes for guessing what’s used instead of wands 😬)
This illustrated 2019 copy is the latest edition from a work that was first published on the author’s blog a decade before that. Since then, Suffian has written quite a few more titles which I hope to read at some point.
August 13, 2023
The entire premise of the book is simple: a Harry Potter parody with lots of references to modern-day Singapore. And it delivers exactly that, including but not limited to the eponymous character picking up a book titled "Harris bin Potter and the Meta Reference". See for example:
But if one did, one might be surprised to learn that Harris bin Potter was an abused child in an HDB flat in Singapore, whose lot in life was a lot worse than his British counterpart’s. It was decidedly worse than his Japanese counterpart’s, Harishitame Pota-San, who went to Magic Ninja school and ate a lot of sashimi. It was infinitely much worse than his Norwegian counterpart’s, Harrison Fjord Pottersson, who enjoyed world-class childcare services and who was so well-liked, he could be a smuggler and everyone would love him nevertheless.
If I had one complaint about the book, it would be that the narrative itself loses some steam near the end. It still wraps up with a climax, but not one that would be considered realistic by any means, even accounting for the possibility of magic. Then again, this is a parody, so just enjoy the fun :)
Disclaimer: I am reading and reviewing this book in appreciation of the time the author will spend in a session with our writing group. That said, all opinions are my own.
June 26, 2023
I was really hoping for something more. There could have been so much more interesting worldbuilding. But then again this was a parody. A vulgar, pointless, poorly-written parody. Some sentences and puns did elicit a few nose snorts from me. and I think unlike a lot of non-Malay, non-Singaporean readers, i understood the local references, but the author did not endear them to me. in fact, it may be possible that he has made me despise my own culture.
The HP parody Harriet Porber by Chuck Tingle had better worldbuilding, plot, and characterization than this tripe. And that's saying something. There was actually some attempt at lyrical prose. Harris bin Potter looks good on paper, but ironically, that's where it failed. the novel reads like it was written by a primary schooler who had just learned some very nifty curse words for the first time.
SPOILERS ahead
- wands are satay sticks
- platform 9 3/4 is the MRT
- parseltongue is PARCEL-tongue (speaking to parcels)
- owls are parrots (burung kakaktua)
- and lord voldemort is lord oldermat
- spells are local colloquialisms like "Lai Lai" for "Accio and "Chan Mali Chan" as "Avada Kedavra"
There really isnt that much to the magic other than that. sorry.
The HP parody Harriet Porber by Chuck Tingle had better worldbuilding, plot, and characterization than this tripe. And that's saying something. There was actually some attempt at lyrical prose. Harris bin Potter looks good on paper, but ironically, that's where it failed. the novel reads like it was written by a primary schooler who had just learned some very nifty curse words for the first time.
SPOILERS ahead
- wands are satay sticks
- platform 9 3/4 is the MRT
- parseltongue is PARCEL-tongue (speaking to parcels)
- owls are parrots (burung kakaktua)
- and lord voldemort is lord oldermat
- spells are local colloquialisms like "Lai Lai" for "Accio and "Chan Mali Chan" as "Avada Kedavra"
There really isnt that much to the magic other than that. sorry.
October 11, 2021
Oh this was hilarious! Harris bin Potter and the Stoned Philosopher by Suffian Hakim was filled with laughs from cover to cover and I just could not stop chuckling at the well-placed wisecracks. Harry Potter has been a much beloved series since childhood and having Hakim parody it was a great way to revisit it as an adult.
Besides poking holes in the original subject matter’s logic, Hakim wove in Singaporean social commentary. Now, I’m not the best person to talk about social issues since I usually live my life under a rock. Talking about racial issues is even tougher since I belong to the majority race in sunny Singapore. In Harris, Hakim talks about being Malay in a society that has rather skewed perceptions of being Malay. From the completely fabricated but pervasive view of the Malay as always lepak one corner to the notion of having to hide one’s Malay roots to be able to get ahead. Even the villain was a Malay trying to stamp out Malayness as a result of buy-in to such flawed views. Yes, the book is funny and most of the jokes land, but there are definitely deeper issues to mull over should one choose to.
Diversity meter:
Malay experience
Besides poking holes in the original subject matter’s logic, Hakim wove in Singaporean social commentary. Now, I’m not the best person to talk about social issues since I usually live my life under a rock. Talking about racial issues is even tougher since I belong to the majority race in sunny Singapore. In Harris, Hakim talks about being Malay in a society that has rather skewed perceptions of being Malay. From the completely fabricated but pervasive view of the Malay as always lepak one corner to the notion of having to hide one’s Malay roots to be able to get ahead. Even the villain was a Malay trying to stamp out Malayness as a result of buy-in to such flawed views. Yes, the book is funny and most of the jokes land, but there are definitely deeper issues to mull over should one choose to.
Diversity meter:
Malay experience
May 3, 2022
It's a hilarious book that I was surprised to have seen touch on serious topics like internalised racism. Though the author didn't go deep into it as this is just a comedic parody, I thought that the stuff he did say reflected Singaporeans' internal conflict well
Positives:
- It's a very Malay Singaporean book which was refreshing to read about for me. Most of the characters are Malay, the worldbuilding is Malay-centric, and the jokes are Malay-oriented. It was a lot of fun!
- The author straight-up said that Harris was abused which was great. Also felt damn awful for where his 'room' was. It's way, way worse than whatever Harry Potter got
- The puns and Singlish are AMAZING😂
Took off a star though because:
1) I felt that the jokes about obesity were too much, even if it was because of the original Dursleys
2) The use of the r word as a joke. I don't think the author realises that it's a bad word considering his own carefulness over a derogatory word for the Inuit people in the book, but I still wasn't impressed to see it
Positives:
- It's a very Malay Singaporean book which was refreshing to read about for me. Most of the characters are Malay, the worldbuilding is Malay-centric, and the jokes are Malay-oriented. It was a lot of fun!
- The author straight-up said that Harris was abused which was great. Also felt damn awful for where his 'room' was. It's way, way worse than whatever Harry Potter got
- The puns and Singlish are AMAZING😂
Took off a star though because:
1) I felt that the jokes about obesity were too much, even if it was because of the original Dursleys
2) The use of the r word as a joke. I don't think the author realises that it's a bad word considering his own carefulness over a derogatory word for the Inuit people in the book, but I still wasn't impressed to see it
December 25, 2022
Thought this book was pretty witty and did well at poking fun at the original book (although the references and language are very early 2010s) while (very) lightly touching on some social issues in Singapore.
The book got me laughing from the outset with its use of language and exaggeration. A common sense perspective is often juxtaposed with the 'ridiculous' one to create comic effect (with Harris often being the one to supply a common sense perspective, not the adults). He also often uses metahumour, of which I am personally a fan.
Thought Hakim did a good job at the ‘parody’ part – localising the original and poking fun at it.. He replaces several items/concepts with funnier local references e.g. parseltongue = parcel tongue (calling them ‘boxes’ is politically incorrect) and wands = satay sticks. He also points out the illogical parts of the original book, sometimes overtly (e.g. saying that just leaving an infant at the door without an explanation is not responsible) and sometimes not (e.g. Dumbledore is much more flamboyant in this version, though still not overtly labelled as gay).
The brief references to issues faced by the Malay community in the book were also interesting to me, just as a sense of what issues are relevant to the Malay community in Singapore. The Voldemort-equivalent in this universe (Lord Oldermat) is Malay but wants to destroy Malay culture, thinking it backward (epitomised by the Malay folk song Chan Mali Chan - ironic since Chan Mali Chan is, to me, the only thing that ignorant folk who are unfamiliar with Malay culture would know about it). And his signature spell would cause bystanders (victims would die if they knew the song) to slowly die should they speak in a Malay accent.
I wonder if there is any significance in the use of a good versus evil story as a vehicle for the issues faced by the Malay community? Is the situation perceived to be so bad that it is comparable to a world-threatening evil? Is there a real fear in the community that Malay culture is being intentionally destroyed, even from within?
Read some reviews which mentioned that the humour was too in-your-face or too crass, and other reviewers might be disappointed by the rather light treatment of social issues, but in my mind these are Hakim's stylistic choices which befit a parody better. (And perhaps as an outsider to the Malay community, I appreciated this 'introduction' which helped me to get a glimpse of the issues without needing me to understand complexities.)
The book got me laughing from the outset with its use of language and exaggeration. A common sense perspective is often juxtaposed with the 'ridiculous' one to create comic effect (with Harris often being the one to supply a common sense perspective, not the adults). He also often uses metahumour, of which I am personally a fan.
Thought Hakim did a good job at the ‘parody’ part – localising the original and poking fun at it.. He replaces several items/concepts with funnier local references e.g. parseltongue = parcel tongue (calling them ‘boxes’ is politically incorrect) and wands = satay sticks. He also points out the illogical parts of the original book, sometimes overtly (e.g. saying that just leaving an infant at the door without an explanation is not responsible) and sometimes not (e.g. Dumbledore is much more flamboyant in this version, though still not overtly labelled as gay).
The brief references to issues faced by the Malay community in the book were also interesting to me, just as a sense of what issues are relevant to the Malay community in Singapore. The Voldemort-equivalent in this universe (Lord Oldermat) is Malay but wants to destroy Malay culture, thinking it backward (epitomised by the Malay folk song Chan Mali Chan - ironic since Chan Mali Chan is, to me, the only thing that ignorant folk who are unfamiliar with Malay culture would know about it). And his signature spell would cause bystanders (victims would die if they knew the song) to slowly die should they speak in a Malay accent.
I wonder if there is any significance in the use of a good versus evil story as a vehicle for the issues faced by the Malay community? Is the situation perceived to be so bad that it is comparable to a world-threatening evil? Is there a real fear in the community that Malay culture is being intentionally destroyed, even from within?
Read some reviews which mentioned that the humour was too in-your-face or too crass, and other reviewers might be disappointed by the rather light treatment of social issues, but in my mind these are Hakim's stylistic choices which befit a parody better. (And perhaps as an outsider to the Malay community, I appreciated this 'introduction' which helped me to get a glimpse of the issues without needing me to understand complexities.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2020
3.5/5
Go Southeast Asian representation! It was enlightening and hilarious to read the classic tale with a local twist, and it made me appreciate my culture more. I found the author creative to spin the names, use puns (Justout Beaver!!), satirize, exaggerate characters, have quirky dialogue, and use local slang. I also appreciated the footnotes, similar to Crazy Rich Asians, to give context and translations.
I found the second half to be a bit dragging. We know what's going to happen; we just don't know what kind of Singaporean twist it will be. There were iconic Harry Potter scenes that just did not translate well into this book and made me cringe. CRINGE. The ending also fell a bit flat as there was hardly a climax. My other one fault with this book is where did Quidditch go!
I wish to write a more descriptive review later on with quotes, but overall, yay for the representation and nay for the cringiness.
Go Southeast Asian representation! It was enlightening and hilarious to read the classic tale with a local twist, and it made me appreciate my culture more. I found the author creative to spin the names, use puns (Justout Beaver!!), satirize, exaggerate characters, have quirky dialogue, and use local slang. I also appreciated the footnotes, similar to Crazy Rich Asians, to give context and translations.
I found the second half to be a bit dragging. We know what's going to happen; we just don't know what kind of Singaporean twist it will be. There were iconic Harry Potter scenes that just did not translate well into this book and made me cringe. CRINGE. The ending also fell a bit flat as there was hardly a climax. My other one fault with this book is where did Quidditch go!
I wish to write a more descriptive review later on with quotes, but overall, yay for the representation and nay for the cringiness.
August 18, 2025
Honestly… this was rough. Some jokes were clever (Hermione’s parody name cracked me up a little, and the last chapter with “talking cock” was kinda funny), but most felt forced, cringey, or even offensive. The constant butt/dingdong jokes didn’t sit right with me, and I wouldn’t want kids reading that either. I did like the creativity of things like the sorting songkok and wordplay, but because everything was in Malay without much explanation, I had to keep Googling and it ruined the experience with the book. The family’s treatment of Harris was also uncomfortable. I know it meant to be comedic, but it came across as a bit abusive. Overall, I appreciate the attempt at a Singapore parody, but I don’t think it was well executed.
Would I recommend this? Probably not. If you’re really into parodies and want some local-flavored laughs, maybe give it a try. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s worth checking out.
Would I recommend this? Probably not. If you’re really into parodies and want some local-flavored laughs, maybe give it a try. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s worth checking out.
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