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Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader
UNLOCKING HARRY POTTER gives you five essential keys for understanding the HARRY POTTER series. Not just who will live or die in DEATHLY HOLLOWS, but how J.K. Rowling created the most successful books of our times. To understand the story behind the stories, John Granger, author of THE HIDDEN KEY TO HARRY POTTER and editor of WHO KILLED ALBUS DUMBLEDORE?, introduces the themes and patterns Rowling uses to write books that resonate with readers of all ages. This book is for "serious readers" but Granger writes in a very entertaining style. If you never understood the term "postmodernism" or how "literary alchemy" is used by great authors from Shakespeare to J.K. Rowling, then this is a fun way to learn. UNLOCKING HARRY POTTER is the only book to examine in depth the importance of what Rowling said in an interview from 1998, that "to invent this wizard world" she had to learn about alchemy "in order to set the parameters and establish the stories' internal logic." - . - . - . - . - Here's what other HARRY POTTER authors and experts have to say about UNLOCKING HARRY - . - . - . - . - "I got so hooked I had to stop everything else and just read, read, read. I carried it around the house, read it while using the excercycle, I hid in rooms away from the action of daily life so I could take it all in. I haven't had that reaction to a book since, well, THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. A spectacular read for all serious fans of Rowling's works. Compelling, well-argued, fun and funny. Engaging. Thought provoking. Erudite." - Tom Morris, author of IF HARRY POTTER RAN GENERAL ELECTRIC and PHILOSOPHY FOR DUMMIES. - . - . - . - . - "John Granger peels back the layers of Rowling's stories and sees patterns the rest of us miss - and he never forgets to be a fan, engaging in fun speculation about what will come in the finale. Once more Granger has shown himself to be second to none among Potter commentators and literary sleuths. Some books are meant to be ingested quickly. Not this one. Serious fans of HARRY POTTER will relish it." - David Baggett, editor of HARRY POTTER AND PHILOSOPHY.
312 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2007
25 people are currently reading
2372 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 21, 2020
I found Unlocking Harry Potter interesting, even useful, but fundamentally flawed and deeply irritating. John Granger gives us lenses (keys) through which to view aspects of the Harry Potter novels. Some of them are mysterious and new (alchemy), and some of them are just basic English 101. I’ll start with the 101 material.
NARRITIVE MISDIRECTION
Granger spends a chapter on “narrative misdirection.” He shows how the point of view of the novels is intended to keep us looking at all the action through Harry’s limited view. He claims to have been caught by this narrative ruse in novel after novel. In this I can only assume he is being disingenuous. Any serious adult reader can follow the adult story going on around and behind Harry’s erroneous view of the story. At the end of Sorcerer’s Stone, we learn that Snape is working for Harry during the Quiddich match, not against him, and that Snape is completely trusted by Dumbeldore. Nothing in any of the following books would cause the serious adult reader to revert to Harry’s teenage misunderstandings of the situation. Granger is not just a serious adult reader, he is an English and Latin professor. So the first truly annoying thing about this book is that early on, you recognize that the author is lying to you about his own experience.
In elaborating on narrative misdirection, Granger points out that Rowling’s favorite author is Jane Austen, and that her favorite book is Emma, which is indeed full of the same device Rowling uses to keep her readers off-base; the central character is continuously clueless about the motivations of others. On page 186 of his book, Granger calls Austen, “this Edwardian spinster.” Red alert, red alert! Austen is not an Edwardian author! Later he refers to her as a Georgian author. You might be able to say she was a late Georgian author, but normally Austen is considered a Regency author. Why does this matter? Because if Granger can be off by nearly 100 years about one of the most famous authors in the English language, how can we trust that what he’s saying about subjects we know nothing about (like alchemy), is remotely accurate?
HERO’S JOURNEY
Another lens we are directed to is the hero’s journey. Again Granger is disingenuous. He must include something about the hero’s journey, but he gives it short shrift. If he went into any depth on the hero’s journey re-enacted in each of the seven novels, it would become clear to the attentive reader that the Jesus myth Unlocking Harry Potter is supposed to represent according to Granger, is just one in a long line of hero’s journeys. Jesus is preceded in his three day “death” and subsequent resurrection by such important goddeses as Persephone (Greek) and E-Na-Na (Mesopotamian), and by Osiris (Egyptian). An eight-step formulation of the hero’s journey is given by David Adams Leeming in his book, Mythology: The Voyage of the Hero:
1. Miraculous conception and birth
2. Initiation of the hero-child
3. Withdrawal from family or community for meditation and preparation
4. Trial and Quest
5. Death
6. Descent into the underworld
7. Resurrection and rebirth
8. Ascension, apotheosis, and atonement
If Granger had written even this much about the hero’s journey, it would become clear that the main point he is trying to make in Unlocking Harry Potter, that the Potter books are a Christian allegory, would shrivel into insignificance.
Several times in Unlocking, Granger says that Rowling is a professed Christian. In this country, (and Granger is an American), profession of faith means something more than claiming to go to church, “more than weddings and christianings.” If that’s Rowling’s profession of faith, it’s mighty weak and we can ignore Granger’s thesis of Christian allegory entirely.
The Potter novels could just as easily be seen as a Buddhist allegory; sacrificial love is a central theme in Buddhism as well as in Christianity.
For more on the hero’s journey, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero'...
And certainly read The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell.
ALCHEMY
Granger spends much of the book explaining alchemy and about how understanding alchemical references is essential to understanding English literature. This was all quite interesting and enlightening and is what makes Unlocking worth the read, maybe. Unfortunately, while he is explaining that alchemy is more about the purification of the soul of the alchemist than it is about turning base metals into gold, and while he points to all the Christian symbolism intertwined with alchemical symbolism, he fails to point out that alchemy, like so many other things, came to Europe from the Arab world. It is a Muslim science and practice and as such demands that we not be so quick to overlay Western meanings onto it.
MATERIALISM/MATERIALISTIC
Granger talks about the deadness of the material world and the richness of the spiritual world. Like most religious authors, he condemns the “materialism” of science. More disingenuously, he conflates the use of the word “material,” meaning the world of atoms and objects, with the word “materialistic” meaning the value system of the Dursleys. He knows the difference between these two words and what they convey but chooses, in his own brand of misdirection, to conflate them in order to smugly dismiss rational non-believers. This is inexcusable in an English professor. In doing so he also undermines Rowling’s indictment of materialistic, bourgeois, Western culture. This brings us to another of Granger’s keys, post-modern themes. The evil of materialism (the Dursley kind) is only secondary to the ultimate evil of racism and intolerance in Rowling’s work. No problem there, and not a particularly interesting chapter in Granger’s book.
WRITER’S VOICE
In explaining narrative misdirection to us, Granger is talking in part about the “voice” we hear the book in. The voice in Unlocking Harry Potter is actually many voices and styles. This is one of the most irritating things about reading this book. Granger goes from scholarly lecture voice to calling Dumbledore “Dumby” all in the same sentence. The instances in annoying change of voice in this book are too numerous to recount and persist throughout the book.
COPY EDITS
Finally, Unlocking was either not edited at all, or it was edited in a rush to get to press before Deathly Hallows was released. Granger makes some predictions about Deathly Hallows and the book would have been an afterthought if it had not gotten to bookstores early enough. This is still no excuse for ghastly errors like starting a sentence with a lower case letter for goodness sake! Edits are a small thing, I know, but a totally annoying distraction to an attentive reader.
If I were a literature professor, I’d give Unlocking Harry Potter a 3/5 for content and a 1/5 for form.
NARRITIVE MISDIRECTION
Granger spends a chapter on “narrative misdirection.” He shows how the point of view of the novels is intended to keep us looking at all the action through Harry’s limited view. He claims to have been caught by this narrative ruse in novel after novel. In this I can only assume he is being disingenuous. Any serious adult reader can follow the adult story going on around and behind Harry’s erroneous view of the story. At the end of Sorcerer’s Stone, we learn that Snape is working for Harry during the Quiddich match, not against him, and that Snape is completely trusted by Dumbeldore. Nothing in any of the following books would cause the serious adult reader to revert to Harry’s teenage misunderstandings of the situation. Granger is not just a serious adult reader, he is an English and Latin professor. So the first truly annoying thing about this book is that early on, you recognize that the author is lying to you about his own experience.
In elaborating on narrative misdirection, Granger points out that Rowling’s favorite author is Jane Austen, and that her favorite book is Emma, which is indeed full of the same device Rowling uses to keep her readers off-base; the central character is continuously clueless about the motivations of others. On page 186 of his book, Granger calls Austen, “this Edwardian spinster.” Red alert, red alert! Austen is not an Edwardian author! Later he refers to her as a Georgian author. You might be able to say she was a late Georgian author, but normally Austen is considered a Regency author. Why does this matter? Because if Granger can be off by nearly 100 years about one of the most famous authors in the English language, how can we trust that what he’s saying about subjects we know nothing about (like alchemy), is remotely accurate?
HERO’S JOURNEY
Another lens we are directed to is the hero’s journey. Again Granger is disingenuous. He must include something about the hero’s journey, but he gives it short shrift. If he went into any depth on the hero’s journey re-enacted in each of the seven novels, it would become clear to the attentive reader that the Jesus myth Unlocking Harry Potter is supposed to represent according to Granger, is just one in a long line of hero’s journeys. Jesus is preceded in his three day “death” and subsequent resurrection by such important goddeses as Persephone (Greek) and E-Na-Na (Mesopotamian), and by Osiris (Egyptian). An eight-step formulation of the hero’s journey is given by David Adams Leeming in his book, Mythology: The Voyage of the Hero:
1. Miraculous conception and birth
2. Initiation of the hero-child
3. Withdrawal from family or community for meditation and preparation
4. Trial and Quest
5. Death
6. Descent into the underworld
7. Resurrection and rebirth
8. Ascension, apotheosis, and atonement
If Granger had written even this much about the hero’s journey, it would become clear that the main point he is trying to make in Unlocking Harry Potter, that the Potter books are a Christian allegory, would shrivel into insignificance.
Several times in Unlocking, Granger says that Rowling is a professed Christian. In this country, (and Granger is an American), profession of faith means something more than claiming to go to church, “more than weddings and christianings.” If that’s Rowling’s profession of faith, it’s mighty weak and we can ignore Granger’s thesis of Christian allegory entirely.
The Potter novels could just as easily be seen as a Buddhist allegory; sacrificial love is a central theme in Buddhism as well as in Christianity.
For more on the hero’s journey, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero'...
And certainly read The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell.
ALCHEMY
Granger spends much of the book explaining alchemy and about how understanding alchemical references is essential to understanding English literature. This was all quite interesting and enlightening and is what makes Unlocking worth the read, maybe. Unfortunately, while he is explaining that alchemy is more about the purification of the soul of the alchemist than it is about turning base metals into gold, and while he points to all the Christian symbolism intertwined with alchemical symbolism, he fails to point out that alchemy, like so many other things, came to Europe from the Arab world. It is a Muslim science and practice and as such demands that we not be so quick to overlay Western meanings onto it.
MATERIALISM/MATERIALISTIC
Granger talks about the deadness of the material world and the richness of the spiritual world. Like most religious authors, he condemns the “materialism” of science. More disingenuously, he conflates the use of the word “material,” meaning the world of atoms and objects, with the word “materialistic” meaning the value system of the Dursleys. He knows the difference between these two words and what they convey but chooses, in his own brand of misdirection, to conflate them in order to smugly dismiss rational non-believers. This is inexcusable in an English professor. In doing so he also undermines Rowling’s indictment of materialistic, bourgeois, Western culture. This brings us to another of Granger’s keys, post-modern themes. The evil of materialism (the Dursley kind) is only secondary to the ultimate evil of racism and intolerance in Rowling’s work. No problem there, and not a particularly interesting chapter in Granger’s book.
WRITER’S VOICE
In explaining narrative misdirection to us, Granger is talking in part about the “voice” we hear the book in. The voice in Unlocking Harry Potter is actually many voices and styles. This is one of the most irritating things about reading this book. Granger goes from scholarly lecture voice to calling Dumbledore “Dumby” all in the same sentence. The instances in annoying change of voice in this book are too numerous to recount and persist throughout the book.
COPY EDITS
Finally, Unlocking was either not edited at all, or it was edited in a rush to get to press before Deathly Hallows was released. Granger makes some predictions about Deathly Hallows and the book would have been an afterthought if it had not gotten to bookstores early enough. This is still no excuse for ghastly errors like starting a sentence with a lower case letter for goodness sake! Edits are a small thing, I know, but a totally annoying distraction to an attentive reader.
If I were a literature professor, I’d give Unlocking Harry Potter a 3/5 for content and a 1/5 for form.
August 13, 2008
John Granger has been one of the foremost champions of recognizing the importance of literary alchemy in the Harry Potter series. This is his fourth book examining and analyzing evidence from the wildly popular series.
Many people simply scratch their heads and say, "Alchemy? That weird pseudo-science that predated chemistry? The one where nuts tried to turn lead into gold?"
Yup, that's the one. Except John Granger goes on to explain exactly what alchemy was and wasn't, and why our perceptions of the secretive practice are skewed. He also convincingly argues that literary alchemy is a long-term practice by notable authors such as Shakespeare, Milton, Blake, C.S. Lewis and James Joyce.
Then he gives example after example of the evidence of alchemy in the Harry Potter books. Examples which cannot be simply coincidence.
A quote was found that confirms Jo Rowling's preoccupation with alchemy was found. It turns out that this interview was from 1998, but it had not been one bandied about with regularity by the HP fandom. You can find it here:
Simpson, Anne. "Face to Face with J K Rowling: Casting a spell over young minds," The Herald, 7 December 1998
The money words are these:
"I've never wanted to be a witch, but an alchemist, now that's a different matter. To invent this wizard world, I've learned a ridiculous amount about alchemy. Perhaps much of it I'll never use in the books, but I have to know in detail what magic can and cannot do in order to set the parameters and establish the stories' internal logic." - J.K. Rowling
Bingo. In one fell swoop, John has been proven correct in his analysis that Jo Rowling uses literary alchemy in structuring her series.
Other ways to tell alchemy plays a large role in the Harry Potter books is by looking at the illustration he chose for the cover of this book. Do you see the Golden Snitch?
It's too bad that quote was found after "Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader" was published, otherwise Granger's discourse on alchemy would have been different. He would not have written:
"As far as I know, and I am far from current on the track of reading Ms. Rowling's various interviews, she has made no such confessions (about alchemy.)"
Except now we know she has.
Buy his books, read them over, and then read the Harry Potter books again. You will then recognize that there are layers of meaning and structure beneath the text. You can also check out his blog for current discussions of all things Potter:
www.hogwartsprofessor.com
Many people simply scratch their heads and say, "Alchemy? That weird pseudo-science that predated chemistry? The one where nuts tried to turn lead into gold?"
Yup, that's the one. Except John Granger goes on to explain exactly what alchemy was and wasn't, and why our perceptions of the secretive practice are skewed. He also convincingly argues that literary alchemy is a long-term practice by notable authors such as Shakespeare, Milton, Blake, C.S. Lewis and James Joyce.
Then he gives example after example of the evidence of alchemy in the Harry Potter books. Examples which cannot be simply coincidence.
A quote was found that confirms Jo Rowling's preoccupation with alchemy was found. It turns out that this interview was from 1998, but it had not been one bandied about with regularity by the HP fandom. You can find it here:
Simpson, Anne. "Face to Face with J K Rowling: Casting a spell over young minds," The Herald, 7 December 1998
The money words are these:
"I've never wanted to be a witch, but an alchemist, now that's a different matter. To invent this wizard world, I've learned a ridiculous amount about alchemy. Perhaps much of it I'll never use in the books, but I have to know in detail what magic can and cannot do in order to set the parameters and establish the stories' internal logic." - J.K. Rowling
Bingo. In one fell swoop, John has been proven correct in his analysis that Jo Rowling uses literary alchemy in structuring her series.
Other ways to tell alchemy plays a large role in the Harry Potter books is by looking at the illustration he chose for the cover of this book. Do you see the Golden Snitch?
It's too bad that quote was found after "Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader" was published, otherwise Granger's discourse on alchemy would have been different. He would not have written:
"As far as I know, and I am far from current on the track of reading Ms. Rowling's various interviews, she has made no such confessions (about alchemy.)"
Except now we know she has.
Buy his books, read them over, and then read the Harry Potter books again. You will then recognize that there are layers of meaning and structure beneath the text. You can also check out his blog for current discussions of all things Potter:
www.hogwartsprofessor.com
July 6, 2009
Except for the first chapter, I found Granger's arguments unconvincing. There are equally valid explanations for all the phenomena he points out.
September 24, 2016
Half delusional, half fascinating. This is what comes from over-analyzing.
July 18, 2025
Written before the publishing of "Deathly Hallows" Granger (Orthodox and thus highly traditional) argues that there are five 'keys' to finding out how to read the books, and thus also learn what the 7th will be about. His section on Alchemy is amazing. From Shakespeare to C. S. Lewis (and possibly before), literary alchemy was a common symbolic device in England to show the journey of a soul on its was to purification and heaven, a tradition that Rowling is writing in. The christian symbolism also explains a lot of things I felt confused or slightly disappointed about. (even things in the 7th book that Granger did not know about while writing this) For those that haven't yet read through all the books, who don't want to read a super long book, or even those who are ready to jump in, I would first recommend the Literary Life podcast episodes on Harry Potter book 1, but this book is an excellent read! The amount of times Granger got so close to figuring out what happens in the end using just 5 things. (And the times he got wildly off and you could imagine Rowling sipping her tea innocently up in England with a sly smile on her face) Incredible!
July 21, 2025
I have not finished the book yet. I have not even finished the first chapter about alchemy. Already, I am seeing new things about two Shakespeare plays that I read this year (“As You Like It” and “The Winter’s Tale”). That’s worth five stars to me!
March 28, 2007
Whew! I have finished Granger's thoroughly literate and articulate analysis of the Harry Potter series and am immediately eager to read it again. I have gleaned a tremendous amount of insight into the series itself, as well as the highly sophisticated nature of Rowling's writing, writing that has previously been dubbed by the Ivory Tower as unworthy of serious reflection. His "five keys" to understanding the series are enlightening and enriching, not to mention extremely validating for fans who find themselves compelled to re-read the books repeatedly. He has opened my eyes to an entire underlying frame of alchemical reference that not only deciphers Rowling's choices in books 1-6, but also yields plausible outcomes for the long-awaited book 7. Of course, he is the first to admit that no one can truly predict the outcome but Rowling herself, but it is highly rewarding to understand the realms of possibility that Rowling has dictated for her own magical world.
October 25, 2020
This is, as the title suggests, a book for serious readers. It is about the literary symbolism and structure of the series, with the goal of then forecasting what will happen in book seven.
While I can't say that I "enjoyed" reading this book the way I enjoyed read Harry Potter, I did learn about Harry Potter, English literature, and what to look for when I read other books.
If' you're looking for light beach reading, start over with book one and read J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, not this one. But if you want proof that the success of her novels is not a fluke, read this.
There were multiple publisher errors. Words that were missing letters, sometimes obviously wrong but in at list one case, I had to read a sentence three or four times to figure out which of the three or four possible words was intended compared to the word that was printed. ded.
While I can't say that I "enjoyed" reading this book the way I enjoyed read Harry Potter, I did learn about Harry Potter, English literature, and what to look for when I read other books.
If' you're looking for light beach reading, start over with book one and read J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, not this one. But if you want proof that the success of her novels is not a fluke, read this.
There were multiple publisher errors. Words that were missing letters, sometimes obviously wrong but in at list one case, I had to read a sentence three or four times to figure out which of the three or four possible words was intended compared to the word that was printed. ded.
April 2, 2010
I really liked this book insofar as it gave me insight to some of the myths and stories that may have influenced JK Rowling in her writing. The book was written before the Harry Potter series was finished, so there are a lot of predictions in it. Though some of them were wrong, a great many were dead-on, and the logic behind those predictions was fun to read.
January 13, 2022
- Unlocking Harry Potter (:Five keys for the serious reader) was written by John Granger in 2007, in between the publications of the Half-Blood Prince, and the Deathly Hallows. This means the book contains a mix of analysis and predictions for the final book based on the previous six.
- The book mainly talks about: “Literary Alchemy” - ancient alchemical ideas are shown metaphorically through characters in the book, such as Ron and Hermione. “Hero’s Journey”, that each book has a similar type of story, that Harry saves the day. “Postmodernism”, Rowling is in some ways postmodern and in some ways not. Finally, predictions for the Deathly Hallows. I think the alchemy stuff was just confusing and a bit uninteresting to me, as it doesn’t really make the story any less interesting not knowing, and it doesn’t subconsciously affect the reader’s interpretation of the book. The “Hero’s journey” was very interesting and explained in a bit more depth about the kind of things that happen consistently in every book. The postmodernism and symbolism wasn’t so interesting, as I don’t have a very good understanding of postmodernism, and didn’t get that by reading the book. The predictions were interesting, but mostly wrong.
- Overall, I enjoyed reading and I have deepened my understanding of the Harry Potter books somewhat, but not as much as I might have thought. I would recommend to Harry Potter fans who are keen to understand the stories more deeply.
- The book mainly talks about: “Literary Alchemy” - ancient alchemical ideas are shown metaphorically through characters in the book, such as Ron and Hermione. “Hero’s Journey”, that each book has a similar type of story, that Harry saves the day. “Postmodernism”, Rowling is in some ways postmodern and in some ways not. Finally, predictions for the Deathly Hallows. I think the alchemy stuff was just confusing and a bit uninteresting to me, as it doesn’t really make the story any less interesting not knowing, and it doesn’t subconsciously affect the reader’s interpretation of the book. The “Hero’s journey” was very interesting and explained in a bit more depth about the kind of things that happen consistently in every book. The postmodernism and symbolism wasn’t so interesting, as I don’t have a very good understanding of postmodernism, and didn’t get that by reading the book. The predictions were interesting, but mostly wrong.
- Overall, I enjoyed reading and I have deepened my understanding of the Harry Potter books somewhat, but not as much as I might have thought. I would recommend to Harry Potter fans who are keen to understand the stories more deeply.
November 1, 2023
I loved this book, written after the Half Blood Prince was published. John Granger (besides having the loveliest, most Potterish last name) really understands Harry Potter, the literary tradition, and what is going through Rowling's mind as she writes. Although I skip his famous alchemy chapter because it's kind of confusing, the other chapters are absolutely fascinating. They go through narrative misdirection, postmodernism in Harry Potter (I also skip this one sometimes), the hero's journey, and his guesses concerning what will happen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Due to his understanding of that world, he predicts so much of what will happen in the last book — EVEN the major twists! I would definitely recommend reading it after the 7th book, as it will completely blow your mind; it totally reveals how rooted in the literary tradition JK Rowling is. I also love this book because it made me want to jump up and down screaming because HARRY POTTER IS SO AMAZING AND CLEVER AND WONDERFUL!!!!!!! Which, of course, is the sole purpose of Unlocking Harry Potter.
January 17, 2025
Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader...
...will not "unlock" the Harry Potter, it will, and do rip them apart.
If you enjoy the Harry Potter series, not just the first time, but re-reading them, don't read this so called "unlocking" of them.
What is going on here is simply to try fit a square in to a round hole. That is, fit something into what you believe in strongly to convince others that it fits, even if it's not. Not in the least. It all sounds so convincing when delivered in a highly complicated (serious?) maner but which is just a
smokescreen."Serious" readers of Harry Potter will see this, find errors made in recollecting the story-line and last but not least, re-writing it, so it would look like the "alternate" story-line, would have been better than the one J.K.Rowling wrote!?
This is one of so many "spin-offs" that came out during and after publishing of the Harry Potter series. Most of them focused on questions and guesses. Many put a positive spin on them, others not.
Don't waste your time on this one.
...will not "unlock" the Harry Potter, it will, and do rip them apart.
If you enjoy the Harry Potter series, not just the first time, but re-reading them, don't read this so called "unlocking" of them.
What is going on here is simply to try fit a square in to a round hole. That is, fit something into what you believe in strongly to convince others that it fits, even if it's not. Not in the least. It all sounds so convincing when delivered in a highly complicated (serious?) maner but which is just a
smokescreen."Serious" readers of Harry Potter will see this, find errors made in recollecting the story-line and last but not least, re-writing it, so it would look like the "alternate" story-line, would have been better than the one J.K.Rowling wrote!?
This is one of so many "spin-offs" that came out during and after publishing of the Harry Potter series. Most of them focused on questions and guesses. Many put a positive spin on them, others not.
Don't waste your time on this one.
September 2, 2024
I read this book primarily for the section on literary alchemy, which was a good introduction, but it makes me want to dive even deeper into that aspect of the books (and other great works of English literature!). I think he does a great job of supporting all five of the keys for reading Harry Potter. Alchemy would have been the one I was most skeptical about, but from reading this and listening to The Literary Life Podcast about Harry Potter, I'm sold on that as well. Reading the Harry Potter books in this way opens up a whole new level of meaning, and makes them even more enjoyable than they already were!
My only complaint is the copyediting. He also devoted too much time to predictions of the seventh book, which is understandable based on when this book came out.
My only complaint is the copyediting. He also devoted too much time to predictions of the seventh book, which is understandable based on when this book came out.
May 29, 2017
This book is compelling in its argument about the influence of alchemy on J.K. Rowley in writing her Harry Potter books. The book also explained in clear terms deconstructionist theory (at least I think he did--I understood what he meant, but perhaps he is not correct). At any rate, there was much in this book that adds depth to the reading of the Harry Potter books. However, the book could certainly use an editor, as evidenced by the repetition of many of the author's arguments and themes.
April 3, 2018
A fine achievement, but I felt like an Arts graduate confronted with the finer points and calculations of Moles in Physics. Is it sexist to suggest it's a boy collector's slightly nerdy book? Not for me, yet I will keep it on my shelves in the belief that my grandsons might find it compulsive reading. I'm grateful that it has been written - but life is too short....and, okay, I'm not a serious reader, judging by
John Granger's parameters.
John Granger's parameters.
September 9, 2019
Read it over the weekend – couldn't put it down! Loved reading the Deathly Hallow predictions to see what he got right and horribly wrong (or how the story could have gone!).
September 20, 2020
The more I read about Harry Potter the more it astonishes me - that woman is brilliant. This book was written before the last book came out and tries to predict the ending..
June 18, 2022
DNF for me. It is SO boring… there are only a few pieces of interesting info. Not sure it’s really worth the read. Maybe I’ll try again another time!
January 10, 2012
I really enjoyed this book, even if it was a little over my head. I like John Granger and I think he is a logical author, one who doesn't just say something for the sake of being heard. He really does his research, and even if his assumptions or theories are wrong, you can't say that he didn't back them up with a lot of evidence. I especially liked this book because it gave me an entirely new view on HP. I never really considered all that went into HP, especially his whole chapter on Alchemy (alchemical literary devices, alchemical marriages, etc.). It's absolutely fascinating to read about how alchemy figures in the HP series. Some, obviously given the title of the first book, are obvious references. But then Granger provides for you the elements you may never have considered before, which not only makes reading HP a lot more interesting than it already was and gives you a lot to think about, but it also shows you how much thought, research and time was put in by J. K. Rowling to write these amazing books.
September 29, 2019
Extremely thought provoking and detailed. I started reading this book many years ago and have picked away at it since. John Granger is a really lovely person and I love his fearlessness in applying academic and worldly concepts to stories he enjoys. As a young person who grew up with Harry Potter, this book became my primer on literary alchemy, post-modernism and cultural criticism. It's very wordy and it would seem like rambling to people who aren't deeply interested in literature, but if you are, I feel like this is definitely worth picking up. There's something about reading an academic's thoughts about a contemporary story you love that really opens one's mind. I would really give it 3.5 stars, almost four but it could use a little editing. I look forward to reading his Deathly Hallows Lectures and I feel like his writing may have tightened up a lot.
February 21, 2011
I found the Postmodern themes (Key 4) hard to get through but was interested in learning how to look at the series from the literary perspective. Remembering this was written before the book 7 was out I tried not to judge on his misses but rather learn from his message and several points came through in totally different fashions, but they came none the less. I am thinking of the Malfoys linking up the Slytherin house at the end, Dobby's overlooked powers were critical to Harry's success as well as Longbottom heroism throughout but with Nagini particularly and the suggestion that King's Cross would play a part in the sacrificial death. What partially entertained me was how the meat of the last book was totally missed, how the story of the Hallows was totally missed. Was that the twist that defied the logic?
August 1, 2008
This book is a wonderful bridge between Harry Potter and classical literature: Shakespeare, Austen, the Greek classics, Blake, Milton and more. The author is an English teacher. I wish I knew about this book when niece Hannah was struggling with her Shakespeare class and the concept of literary alchemy. Granger is a bit long-winded and over technical when it comes to his discussion of literary alchemy but teachers and parents, take note. Once you have "cracked the code" with Granger and explain it to your kids in "Potter" language they will be viewing Freshman English class with new eyes. This has also been a fun book for kids who reread the Potter books (yes, Cait and Matthew; I am talking about you). It's fun to be able to look for more secrets inside the stories.
January 20, 2008
Well-documented discussion of alchemy (in particular) and post-modernism in the Harry Potter books; written too soon, though, and the "predictions" for the last book were, for the most part, way off. I would like to see how the seventh book fits in in regards to the alchemy discussed early in the book. Glaring grammatical errors plague the last few chapters, though, so it seems to have been rushed in production so as to cash in on the pre-seventh Harry Potter release.
October 11, 2013
Granger has produced a brilliant introduction to literary alchemy via the Harry Potter series, incorporating crossovers with (albeit basic) postmodern and post-colonial theory. My one qualm is with his blatant and frequent reminders to us and unnecessary defense of Rowling's Christian faith, mentioning it throughout the six-chapter book no less than four times. (Rowling, by the way, has said she is a Christian.)
January 10, 2015
Brilliant! I didn't read Unlocking Harry Potter until after reading the series in full and found myself astounded by how spot on a lot of John Granger's predictions for the last book were. But it's learning about the "five keys" to Harry Potter that make this book worth buying and reading. You'll find your appreciatio for the extreme care Rowling puts into her craft grow ten-fold. This book will make you want to re-read the entire series with this knew knowledge about how it was crafted.
September 7, 2012
Wasn't my type but it's good book for those curious about what's real and what's not and all that stuff regarding Harry Potter.
I DID notice something interesting though. It's one of the reasons why I bought this book in the first place. The author's name is John Granger. GRANGER. Ring any bells? Can he be her Muggle relative...? Future son? Hmmm... an interesting possibility.
I DID notice something interesting though. It's one of the reasons why I bought this book in the first place. The author's name is John Granger. GRANGER. Ring any bells? Can he be her Muggle relative...? Future son? Hmmm... an interesting possibility.
April 1, 2008
Makes reading Harry Potter even more fun than before. Very insightful.
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April 5, 2008another book that was given to me.
July 26, 2008
Scott left this book at my house and I tried reading it so I could be a full HP geek, but honestly all this alchemy stuff was really repetitive and maybe I just don't like reading literary criticism.
January 17, 2009
This is possibly the best introduction to the Potter books available. If you want to understand what is going on "behind the scenes" in Harry Potter, this is the book.
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