- Paperback
- Publisher: Raincoast Books; First Canadian Edition edition (July 30 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 155192515X
- ISBN-13: 978-1551925158
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4,259 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#70,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9 in Books > Children's Books > Ages 9-12 > Series > Fantasy & Adventure > Star Wars
- #44 in Books > Children's Books > Ages 9-12 > Series > Fantasy & Adventure > Harry Potter Books > Paperback
- #59 in Books > Children's Books > Ages 9-12 > Series > Science Fiction
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling offers up equal parts danger and delight--and any number of dragons, house-elves, and death-defying challenges. Now 14, her orphan hero has only two more weeks with his Muggle relatives before returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one night a vision harrowing enough to make his lightning-bolt-shaped scar burn has Harry on edge and contacting his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black. Happily, the prospect of attending the season's premier sporting event, the Quidditch World Cup, is enough to make Harry momentarily forget that Lord Voldemort and his sinister familiars--the Death Eaters--are out for murder.
Readers, we will cast a giant invisibility cloak over any more plot and reveal only that You-Know-Who is very much after Harry and that this year there will be no Quidditch matches between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Instead, Hogwarts will vie with two other magicians' schools, the stylish Beauxbatons and the icy Durmstrang, in a Triwizard Tournament. Those chosen to compete will undergo three supreme tests. Could Harry be one of the lucky contenders?
But Quidditch buffs need not go into mourning: we get our share of this great game at the World Cup. Attempting to go incognito as Muggles, 100,000 witches and wizards converge on a "nice deserted moor." As ever, Rowling magicks up the details that make her world so vivid, and so comic. Several spectators' tents, for instance, are entirely unquotidian. One is a minipalace, complete with live peacocks; another has three floors and multiple turrets. And the sports paraphernalia on offer includes rosettes "squealing the names of the players" as well as "tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves." Needless to say, the two teams are decidedly different, down to their mascots. Bulgaria is supported by the beautiful veela, who instantly enchant everyone--including Ireland's supporters--over to their side. Until, that is, thousands of tiny cheerleaders engage in some pyrotechnics of their own: "The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field."
Long before her fourth installment appeared, Rowling warned that it would be darker, and it's true that every exhilaration is equaled by a moment that has us fearing for Harry's life, the book's emotions running as deep as its dangers. Along the way, though, she conjures up such new characters as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a Dark Wizard catcher who may or may not be getting paranoid in his old age, and Rita Skeeter, who beetles around Hogwarts in search of stories. (This Daily Prophet scoop artist has a Quick-Quotes Quill that turns even the most innocent assertion into tabloid innuendo.) And at her bedazzling close, Rowling leaves several plot strands open, awaiting book 5. This fan is ready to wager that the author herself is part veela--her pen her wand, her commitment to her world complete. (Ages 9 and older) --Kerry Fried
From Publishers Weekly
Even without the unprecedented media attention and popularity her magical series has attracted, it would seem too much to hope that Rowling could sustain the brilliance and wit of her first three novels. Astonishingly, Rowling seems to have the spell-casting powers she assigns her characters: this fourth volume might be her most thrilling yet. The novel opens as a confused Muggle overhears Lord Voldemort and his henchman, Wormtail (the escapee from book three, Azkaban) discussing a murder and plotting more deaths (and invoking Harry Potter's name); clues suggest that Voldemort and Wormtail's location will prove highly significant. From here it takes a while (perhaps slightly too long a while) for Harry and his friends to get back to the Hogwarts school, where Rowling is on surest footing. Headmaster Dumbledore appalls everyone by declaring that Quidditch competition has been canceled for the year; then he makes the exciting announcement that the Triwizard Tournament is to be held after a cessation of many hundred years (it was discontinued, he explains, because the death toll mounted so high). One representative from each of the three largest wizardry schools of Europe (sinister Durmstrang, luxurious Beauxbatons and Hogwarts) are to be chosen by the Goblet of Fire; because of the mortal dangers, Dumbledore casts a spell that allows only students who are at least 17 to drop their names into the Goblet. Thus no one foresees that the Goblet will announce a fourth candidate: Harry. Who has put his name into the Goblet, and how is his participation in the tournament linked, as it surely must be, to Voldemort's newest plot? The details are as ingenious and original as ever, and somehow (for catching readers off-guard must certainly get more difficult with each successive volume) Rowling plants the red herrings, the artful clues and tricky surprises that disarm the most attentive audience. A climax even more spectacular than that of Azkaban will leave readers breathless. The muscle-building heft of this volume notwithstanding, the clamor for book five will begin as soon as readers finish installment four. All ages. (July)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
By Far, the Best Book I've ever read!,
By Soccergirl (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Audio CD)
Harry gets himself into yet more trouble as his name is drawn to compete against other schools of witchcraft and wizardry as a Hogwarts school Champion. He wishes he were just spectating the tournament, but someone put his name in the Goblet of Fire to get him in trouble! Strange things start happening, but Harry gets help from the new Defense Against the Arts Teacher Mad Eye Moody. Harry has taken a liking to Moody until he realizes the awful truth. In the fourth and final task of the tournament, Harry finds himself tied with Cedric Diggory, the only Seeker ever to beat Harry. He encounters Voldemort where Diggory is killed by the UNFORGIVABLE CURSE Avada Kedavra. Harry meets his parents and Voldemort takes away his only protection given to him by his mother that lead to the temporary downfall of the Dark Lord!
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Goblet runneth over. . .,
By
This review is from: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Hardcover)
Although usually the word "sequel" prepares you to lower your expectations, this fourth installment in the Harry Potter series packs even more excitement, quirky characters, and tightly plotted events than the previous three books. Much attention has been paid to its length (734 pages and four pounds), but it is a supremely satisfying read. You will want to savor every page. Although most of the major plot elements of this volume are resolved by the end, the author hints at some of the challenges which lie ahead for our hero, paving the way for more excitement in volume five. Film critic Roger Ebert writes that the reason the "Star Wars" series is so successful is that its creator George Lucas pays careful attention to even the minutest detail, populating even the corners of the frame with interesting characters. In much the same way, J. K. Rowling packs the Harry Potter books with so much detail that the world of witches and wizards comes alive. In "Goblet of Fire", this enchanting world is revealed in greater scope, with more of the action taking place in the wider world outside the Hogwarts School. We learn for the first time of the existence of other schools of wizardry, and we meet characters from other cultures. Although so many things about the wizarding world are different, at the same time we can really identify with the thoughts and feelings of these characters: the awkwardness of adolescence, the loneliness of an orphaned boy and the excitement of first love. Rowling has written a book to delight Harry Potter fans everywhere. My question is, how long until she produces volume 5?
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good versus Evil versus Homework,
By
This review is from: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Hardcover)
I like the Harry Potter series and I have enjoyed reading all of them, and I think "The Goblet of Fire" is an excellent addition to the series. This is not children's literature on the level of "Alice in Wonderland," but then, what modern child could possibly read and understand this now-classic today? The nice thing about Harry Potter books is that they are full of excellent and amusing details: the quirks of the professors at Hogwarts, the array of sweets that explode or surprise, the range of good and evil in the characters...all of whom are better defined than Harry himself. The fight between good and evil (evil may come close, but we are comforted in knowing that good will eventually prevail) is exciting and helps to move the action along in between discursive bits on classwork in Potions or the History of Magic, but the books, this one especially, lack a hero. Harry Potter is more a collection of facts (scar, parents' deaths, awful family, green eyes, etc) than a real person who, put to the test and tried, triumphs for reasons of character. Harry isn't a hero, he isn't even as interesting as most of the other young wizards he knows, and certainly not as interesting as the grown-ups. "The Goblet of Fire" has a REAL hero, however: Cedric Diggory. He seems to embody all the admirable traits that Harry is credited with. I look forward to the next installment of this series, and I also look forward to the characters' growth as they grow older and as the plot thickens (as it certainly has) and they rise to meet the challenges of good and evil, everyday and extra-ordinary.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
