Date:05/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120560500400.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Hot in pursuit of Potter

Sangeeth Kurian

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The book that unlocks the secret which helped Harry Potter, the boy wizard, to slay his nemesis Lord Voldemort in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,’ the concluding title in the seven-part Harry Potter series, hit book shelves in the city on Thursday.

‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard,’ a collection of five wizard fairy tales is a spin-off from the main series and is said to have played a key role in Harry’s final showdown with the evil lord. The fairy tales compiled by a 15th century bard was bequeathed by Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts to Hermione Granger, Harry’s friend. The book was gifted to Hermione in the hope that she would find it “entertaining and instructive.” She reads it and finds out what happens to those who try to cheat death.

The book reveals this in its final tale “The tale of the three brothers.” The tale reveals how three brothers who cheated death were rewarded with an unbeatable wand, a stone that brings dead to life and an invisibility cloak. Not surprisingly, those who turned up at the Modern Book Centre here to coincide with the release were seen furiously flipping the pages to the notes on the final tale.

“I wanted to find out what helped Harry Potter to kill Voldemort,” said Nandan A.S., a Class VIII student of Christ Nagar Higher Secondary School.

The lean look

However, unlike the familiar Harry Potter tome, which provides enough reading material for the fans for nearly a week, this emaciated 108-page hardback edition can be zipped through in less than an hour, a letdown for many.

“This is totally a magical world,” said Nandan about the collection.

“I wish there was more to read,” he said. Yet, hard core Potter fans appeared unperturbed. “All I wanted was a copy of the book,” said Preethika Krishnan a second year engineering student at a private engineering college in the city who despite her forthcoming University exams next week was quite intent on purchasing a copy.

The book translated from the regional runes by Hermione for the benefit of muggles, the non magical people, promises to bring delight, laughter and thrill of mortal peril.