Stephen King reviews Harry Potter book 5
July 7, 2003 at 11:46 AM ET
Cheeser
The Leaky Cauldron (via Entertainment Weekly)
Stephen King gives a pretty rave review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in the July 11 issue of Entertainment Weekly. Here's a quip from the full interview posted to the alt.fan.harry-potter newsgroup):
This one's a slam dunk. A great fantasy novel can't exist without a great villain, and while You-Know-Who (sure we do: Lord Voldemort) is a little too far out in the supernatural ozone to qualify, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts does just fine in this regard. The gently smiling Dolores Umbridge, with her girlish voice, toadlike face, and clutching, stubby fingers, is the greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter.
... minor flaws in diction are endearing rather than annoying; they are the logical side effect of a natural storyteller who is obviously bursting with crazily vivid ideas and having the time of her life.
Read the entire review at the top link.