Bookshops opened at midnight, one shop was rumoured to be buying copies at Woolworth's special discount and selling them full-price to its own customers, and J.K. herself (who seems a very nice lady) turned up unannounced at one launch event and joined in the fun.
Readers will know that I have been a follower of this series since it began, and strictly in the line of duty I devoured the latest volume in two days - all 766 pages and 2.5 inches of it. Couldn't put it down? I could hardly pick it up. So how was young Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?
Vitality
The first impression is one of huge vitality. The book starts at a cracking pace and never lets up. The slow opening to the first book and the clumsy three-part structure of the fourth are nowhere to be seen. In fact, I was disappointed by the lack of much of the Hogwarts ambience of leisurely feastings, gothic corridors, and weird magicking. This is a book that drags you along by the scruff of the neck.
