神山、深井、第二通道、A大隊、王太歲、始原體……這些神秘組織之間有着一種抹不掉的詭異聯繫。第三個組織出現了，我不知道將會墜落何處，我的人生也許早已被人設計，甚至是我的靈魂……而我是誰，誰又是我？為什麽要讓我瞭解到這一切？我生存的目的到底是什麽？我試圖給我自己一個神山為什麽要這麽做的解釋，但是很快就無所謂起來，生和死的界限也模糊了起來，我本來就是“無”，何必去想“有”的事情呢？我現在是神，還是一個人？我是誰，誰又是我？
從不同的文字，與衆不同的情感，與衆不同的情節，與衆不同的結構帶給你一個與衆不同的江湖。關於愛，關於生命，關於自由，關於理想，關於破滅，關於孤獨……本書首次用第一人稱的敘事方法，分別細膩深刻的刻畫了六名傳奇人物色彩斑斕的江湖生活。
衹有生長在教堂墓地裏的蕁麻，纔可以救你的喬德安森，你得採集他們，它們會把你的手燒得起泡，你得用赤裸的雙腳把這些蕁麻踩碎，於是你可以得出麻來，你可以把他們搓成綫，織出長袖的盔甲，披到野天鵝身上，他身上的魔力就可以解除。從你開始那個工作開始一直到你完成的時候，即使這全部的工作需要一年的時間，你也不可以說一句話，你說出一個字，就會像一把鋒利的短箭刺進他的心裏，所有你做的一切，都會前功盡弃。他的生命是懸在你舌尖上的。
清朝末期，深通易裏的奇女子緑嬌嬌客居廣州，利用自己的傢傳絶學陰陽風水術算命謀生。但不久，突然出現的官府中人搜翻了她的住所，而她做官的哥哥又在同一時刻不請自來，進而緑嬌嬌發現，她竟被一個沒有臉孔的怪人秘密跟蹤了兩年之久！為了躲避官府的糾纏，緑嬌嬌同自己的異國情人踏上逃亡之旅。偷窺，覬覦，劫殺，暗算……一切的矛頭都指嚮了一個神秘的傢傳至寶——《竜訣》。天下第一的風水術奇書，竟可左右皇朝的更替天下的興亡！
末民初，身懷傢傳風水絶學的奇女子緑嬌嬌，在廣東被官府通緝——所有矛頭都直指可以撼動滿清江山的風水奇書《竜决》；迫使她不得不北上江西老傢。一路上緑嬌嬌攜異國男友智破滅門慘案、計擒風水邪師玩得不亦樂乎，可是，當抵達家乡時卻發現往日偌大的傢業已被燒成一片廢墟……於是，一場風水師與風水師之間的明爭暗鬥開始了。
歷史烽煙中那個叫做“太平天國”的時代，裹挾兵法、陰陽、風水、沙場，帶着人性的殘忍與真善，浩蕩長歌，撲面而來。故事發展到這裏，我們驚覺，這不再是一本單純的小說——這是一本探知歷史、勘測人心，點破廝殺爭逐勾心鬥角的實用手册！歷史在這裏風雲變幻；人心在這裏淋漓盡致；勝敗，在這裏被輕輕撥轉、乾坤立現！心思百密必有一疏，先思一步即可能掌握乾坤顛倒陰陽，慢行一招，就可能被人掌握生死抓住命脈！老不讀三國，少不讀水滸——在商在政在職場，不可不讀斬竜！
伍日發洋行驚現“藏蛇飛毒”風水殺人局，洪門右相右軒先生、風水邪師趙建現身廣州十三行，同時，英州小城出現安竜兒一行人的行蹤……這一切看似巧合的背後究竟蟄伏着天命的玄機還是套迭的陰謀？為了自由而追求極緻力量的緑嬌嬌能否掙脫青原山巔父親為她親手布下的宿命？官復原職的安清源最終能否真的靠斬竜邪術成就大業？隱藏在長白山中的清朝竜脈，當真能左右天下蒼生的命運？身負斬竜使命的安竜兒、傷心離開的傑剋、打開六識神通的孫存真、一萬兩黃金買下大清江山的洪宣嬌、神霄俠道鄧堯，以及安渭秋、安清遠、顧思文、蔡月、阿圖格格……他們的宿命被裹挾在歷史烽煙中，最後一次，展開於這個舞臺。
良好的傢世和天生聰慧嫵媚的氣質，讓女主人公華凌對未來的人生充滿了夢幻的嚮往。這也註定了她是一個將要比別人飛得更高的##。然而，不切實際的青春期許就像汪洋大海中的一葉扁舟，她被歲月的大潮不斷地拋嚮命運的波峰
黑。盲人一樣的黑。天地洪荒、混沌未開一樣的黑。
黑暗中有許多聲音重疊在一起：風“嗚嗚”地哭泣，河水幽咽地流淌，小鬼甩動鞭梢驅趕亡魂的聲音……蛩鳴聲、鳥啼聲，遠遠地還有凄厲的慘叫聲，像狼又像虎，不知是什麽野獸，也許是人。
那麽多的花魂鳥魂，開時疏影橫斜，死後暗香浮動。無顔走在河岸邊兒上，循着死玫瑰的芬芳，聽着杜鵑魂的嗚咽，卻看不到任何光亮。
黑暗中有許多聲音重疊在一起：風“嗚嗚”地哭泣，河水幽咽地流淌，小鬼甩動鞭梢驅趕亡魂的聲音……蛩鳴聲、鳥啼聲，遠遠地還有凄厲的慘叫聲，像狼又像虎，不知是什麽野獸，也許是人。
那麽多的花魂鳥魂，開時疏影橫斜，死後暗香浮動。無顔走在河岸邊兒上，循着死玫瑰的芬芳，聽着杜鵑魂的嗚咽，卻看不到任何光亮。
被公主砸成青蛙狀的倒黴王子李安哲，簡直不能相信自己的耳朵。什麽？砸他的原因是看見他就想吐！世界上還有比這更令人覺得恥辱的事嗎，嗯？
好吧，把王子吐一身也就算了，為什麽連倒滑旱冰都要把他撞飛？要說眼前這位胖公主不是故意的，誰信，嗯？
好吧好吧，就算之前都是公主太迷糊，那誰來告訴他，為什麽在屬於他的地盤逸然高中，她還能一而再再而三的與他狹路相逢？
好吧，把王子吐一身也就算了，為什麽連倒滑旱冰都要把他撞飛？要說眼前這位胖公主不是故意的，誰信，嗯？
好吧好吧，就算之前都是公主太迷糊，那誰來告訴他，為什麽在屬於他的地盤逸然高中，她還能一而再再而三的與他狹路相逢？
無心是個年輕的火居道士。道法高，心思敏捷，雖然有貪財好色的毛病，但大關節上還是無虧的。
其時正值元末，邪魔四處，更糟糕的是，有人唯恐天下不亂，打算聚齊六神之力解開蚩尤碑的封印禍亂天下，而其中的首要人物，就是他的師父，也是他的生父。
好在還有宗真這樣的前輩關愛他，無念、赭連午這樣的朋友和戰友和他並肩作戰，還有異國紅顔知己莎琳娜相伴。蚩尤碑事畢，他的生父和宗真都在最後一戰中身死，他悵然出海，護送莎琳娜回國。
其時正值元末，邪魔四處，更糟糕的是，有人唯恐天下不亂，打算聚齊六神之力解開蚩尤碑的封印禍亂天下，而其中的首要人物，就是他的師父，也是他的生父。
好在還有宗真這樣的前輩關愛他，無念、赭連午這樣的朋友和戰友和他並肩作戰，還有異國紅顔知己莎琳娜相伴。蚩尤碑事畢，他的生父和宗真都在最後一戰中身死，他悵然出海，護送莎琳娜回國。
無心是個年輕的火居道士。道法高，心思敏捷，雖然有貪財好色的毛病，但大關節上還是無虧的。
其時正值元末，邪魔四處，更糟糕的是，有人唯恐天下不亂，打算聚齊六神之力解開蚩尤碑的封印禍亂天下，而其中的首要人物，就是他的師父，也是他的生父。
其時正值元末，邪魔四處，更糟糕的是，有人唯恐天下不亂，打算聚齊六神之力解開蚩尤碑的封印禍亂天下，而其中的首要人物，就是他的師父，也是他的生父。
《道可道》係列的主角無心，出身正一教。正一教屬道教符籙派，也就是東漢張道陵所傳的五鬥米道，歷代都由天師執掌，明代號稱天下三大世傢，鳳陽朱是國姓，麯阜孔是至聖先師，江西張就是天師苗裔了。這一派道士大多不忌葷酒嫁娶，因此也被稱為火居道士。火居道士和俗人無異，可婚娶，平時居傢，習吹打彈唱，遇有喪葬等事，群往畫符念咒，導引亡靈。
公元1592年是風雲變幻的一年，，政治陰謀，王朝戰爭，復雜感情，一心想在明朝發展資本主義的史初杉在追求勝利與榮耀的道路上越走越遠
本片講述的是魔法師的後代小男孩哈利波特的故事。從小父母雙亡的小男孩哈利波特是魔法師的後代。他的父母都被一個魔法界的壞巫師所殺，然而當壞巫師也企圖殺死哈利波特時卻被一種巨大的力量給阻止，哈利波特因此得以幸存。之後他與阿姨一傢人同住，而且被送往魔法師學校就讀，發生許多有趣又不可思議的經歷。
The book was published on 30 June 1997 by Bloomsbury in London, while in 1998 Scholastic Corporation published an edition for the United States market under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The novel won most of the UK book awards that were judged by children, and other awards in the USA. The book reached the top of the New York Times list of best-selling fiction in August 1999, and stayed near the top of that list for much of 1999 and 2000. It has been translated into several other languages and has been made into a feature-length film of the same name.
Most reviews were very favourable, commenting on Rowling's imagination, humour, simple, direct style and clever plot construction, although a few complained that the final chapters looked rushed. The writing has been compared to that of Jane Austen, one of Rowling's favourite authors, of Roald Dahl, whose works dominated children's stories before the appearance of Harry Potter, and of the Ancient Greek story-teller Homer. While some commentators thought the book looked backwards to Victorian and Edwardian boarding school stories, others thought it placed the genre firmly in the modern world by featuring contemporary ethical and social issues.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, along with the rest of the Harry Potter series, has been attacked by several religious groups and banned in some countries because of accusations that the novels promote witchcraft. However, some Christian commentators have written that the book exemplifies important Christian viewpoints, including the power of self-sacrifice and the ways in which people's decisions shape their personalities. Educators regard Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and its sequels as an important aid in improving literacy because of the books' popularity. The series has also been used as a source of object lessons in educational techniques, sociological analysis and marketing.
Synopsis
Plot
Just before the start of the novel, Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard in living memory, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after trying to kill Harry. While the wizarding world is celebrating Voldemort's downfall, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid place the one year-old orphan in the care of his Muggle (non-wizard) aunt and uncle, Vernon and Petunia Dursley.
For ten years, they and their son Dudley bully Harry. Shortly before Harry's eleventh birthday, a series of letters arrive, addressed to Harry but destroyed by his uncle before Harry can read them. As a result, a torrent of letters pour into the house through every opening, however small, and to escape this, Vernon Dursley takes the family to a lonely island. As they are settling in, Hagrid bursts through the door to tell Harry what the Dursleys have kept from him: Harry is a wizard and has been accepted at Hogwarts for the coming year.
Hagrid takes Harry to Diagon Alley, a magically-concealed shopping precinct in London, where Harry is bewildered to discover how famous he is among wizards as "the boy who lived." He also finds that in the wizarding world he is quite wealthy, since a bequest from his parents has remained on deposit at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Guided by Hagrid, he buys the books and equipment he needs for Hogwarts - and finds that the only wand that works well for him is effectively the twin of Voldemort's.
A month later, Harry leaves the Dursleys' home to catch the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross railway station. There he is befriended by the Weasley family, who show him how to pass through the magical wall to Platform 9¾, where the train is waiting. While on the train Harry makes friends with Ron Weasley, who tells him that someone tried to rob a vault at Gringotts. Another new pupil, Draco Malfoy, accompanied by his beefy but dim sidekicks Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, offers to advise Harry, but Harry dislikes Draco's arrogance and prejudices.
Before the term's first dinner in the school's Great Hall, the new pupils are allocated to houses by the magical Sorting Hat. The Hat assigns most pupils instantly – particularly when sending Draco, Crabbe and Goyle to Slytherin – but telepathically discusses with Harry about whether the boy's ambition would make Slytherin the best choice for him. When Harry silently but vehemently objects, the Hat sends him to join the Weasleys in Gryffindor. While Harry is eating, Professor Snape catches his eye and Harry feels a sudden stab of pain in the scar Voldemort left on his forehead, which fades as quickly.
After a traumatic first Potions lesson with Snape, Harry and Ron visit Hagrid, who lives in a rustic house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There they learn that the attempted robbery at Gringotts happened the day Harry was withdrawing money, and Harry remembers Hagrid removing a small package, emptying a vault that was later broken into and searched.
During the new pupils' first flying lesson, Neville Longbottom breaks his wrist and Draco takes advantage to throw the forgetful Neville's fragile Remembrall high in the air. Harry gives chase on his broomstick, catching the Remembrall inches from the ground. Professor McGonagall dashes out and appoints him as Gryffindor's new Seeker.
Draco tricks Ron and Harry into a midnight excursion, and Neville and the bossy Hermione Granger, both also in Gryffindor, accompany the pair to keep them out of trouble. All four accidentally enter a forbidden corridor and find a room containing a huge three-headed dog. The group beats a hasty retreat, and only Hermione notices that the dog is standing over a trap-door. Harry concludes that the monster guards the package Hagrid retrieved from Gringotts.
After Ron criticizes Hermione's ostentatious proficiency in Charms, she hides in tears in the girls' toilet. Professor Quirrell reports that a troll has entered the dungeons. While everyone else returns to their dormitories, Harry and Ron rush to warn Hermione. The troll corners Hermione in the toilet but when Harry sticks his wand up one of its nostrils, Ron uses the levitation spell to knock out the troll with its own club. Afterwards, several professors arrive and Hermione takes the blame for the battle and becomes a firm friend of the two boys.
The evening before Harry's first Quidditch match, he sees Snape receiving medical attention from Filch for a bite on his leg by the three-headed dog. During the game, Harry's broomstick goes out of control, endangering his life, and Hermione notices that Snape is staring at Harry and muttering. She dashes over to the Professors' stand, knocking over Professor Quirrel in her haste, and sets fire to Snape's robe. Harry regains control of his broomstick and catches the Golden Snitch, winning the game for Gryffindor. Hagrid refuses to believe that Snape was responsible for Harry's danger, but lets slip that he bought the three-headed dog, and that the monster is guarding a secret that belongs to Professor Dumbledore and someone called Nicolas Flamel.
Harry and the Weasleys stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, and one of Harry's presents, from an anonymous donor, is an Invisibility Cloak. Harry uses the Cloak to search the library's Restricted Section for information about the mysterious Flamel, has to evade Snape and Filch after an enchanted book shrieks an alarm, and slips into a room containing the Mirror of Erised, which shows his parents and several of their ancestors. Harry becomes addicted to the Mirror's visions and is rescued by Professor Dumbledore, who explains that it shows what the viewer most desperately longs for.
When the rest of the pupils return for the next term, Draco plays a prank on Neville, and Harry consoles Neville with a sweet. The collectible card wrapped with the sweet identifies Flamel as an alchemist. Hermione soon finds that he is a 665-year-old man who possesses the only known Philosopher's Stone, from which can be extracted an elixir of life. A few days later Harry notices Snape sneaking towards the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. There he half-hears a furtive conversation about the Philosopher's Stone, in which Snape asks Professor Quirrell if he has found a way past the three-headed dog and menacingly tells Quirrell to decide whose side he is on. Harry concludes that Snape is trying to steal the Stone and Quirrell has prepared a series of defences for it.
The three friends discover that Hagrid is raising a baby dragon, which is against wizard law, and arrange to smuggle it out of the country around midnight. Draco arrives, hoping to raise the alarm and get them into trouble, and Neville comes to warn them of Draco's mischief. Although Ron is bitten by the dragon and is sent to the infirmary, Harry and Hermione spirit the dragon safely away. However, they are caught, and Harry loses the Invisibility Cloak. As part of their punishment, Harry, Hermione, Draco and Neville are compelled to help Hagrid to rescue a badly-injured unicorn in the Forbidden Forest. They split into two parties, and Harry and Draco find the unicorn dead, surrounded by its blood. A hooded figure crawls to the corpse and drinks the blood, while Draco screams and flees. The hooded figure moves towards Harry, who is knocked out by an agonising pain spreading from his scar. When Harry regains consciousness, the hooded figure has gone and a centaur, Firenze, offers to give him a ride back to the school. The centaur tells Harry that drinking a unicorn's blood will save the life of a mortally injured person, but leave them only barely alive. Firenze suggests Voldemort drank the unicorn's blood to gain enough strength to make the elixir of life from the Philosopher's Stone, and regain full health by drinking that. On his return, Harry finds that someone has slipped the Invisibility Cloak under his sheets.
A few weeks later, while relaxing after the end-of-session examinations, Harry suddenly wonders how something as illegal as a dragon's egg came into Hagrid's possession. The gamekeeper says he was given it by a hooded stranger who bought him several drinks and asked him how to get past the three-headed dog, which Hagrid admits is easy – music sends it to sleep. Realising that one of the Philosopher's Stone's defences is no longer secure, Harry goes to inform Professor Dumbledore, only to find that the headmaster has just left for an important meeting. Harry concludes that Snape faked the message that called Dumbledore away and will try to steal the Stone that night.
Voldemort on the back of Professor Quirrell's head at the climax of the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Covered by the Invisibility Cloak, Harry and his two friends go to the three-headed dog's chamber, where Harry sends the beast to sleep by playing a flute. After lifting the trap-door, they encounter a series of obstacles, each of which requires special skills possessed by one of the three, and one of which requires Ron to sacrifice himself. In the final room Harry, now alone, finds Quirrell rather than Snape. Quirrell admits that he let in the troll that tried to kill Hermione in the toilet, and that he tried to kill Harry during the first Quidditch match but was knocked over by Hermione. Snape had been trying to protect Harry and suspected Quirrell. Quirrell serves Voldemort and, after failing to steal the Philosopher's Stone from Gringotts, allowed his master to possess him in order to improve their chances of success. However the only other object in the room is the Mirror of Erised, and Quirrell can see no sign of the Stone. At Voldemort's bidding, Quirrel forces Harry to stand in front of the Mirror. Harry feels the Stone drop into his pocket and tries to stall. Quirrell removes his turban, revealing the face of Voldemort on the back of his head. Voldemort/Quirrell tries to grab the Stone from Harry, but simply touching Harry causes Quirrell's flesh to burn. After further struggles Harry passes out.
He awakes in the school hospital, where Professor Dumbledore tells him that he survived because his mother sacrificed her life to protect him, and Voldemort could not understand the power of such love. Voldemort left Quirrell to die, and is likely to return by some other means. Dumbledore had foreseen that the Mirror would show Voldemort/Quirrell only themselves making the elixir of life, as they wanted to use the Philosopher's Stone; Harry was able to see the Stone in the Mirror because he wanted to find it but not to use it. The Stone has now been destroyed.
Harry returns to the Dursleys for the summer holiday, but does not tell them that under-age wizards are forbidden to use magic outside Hogwarts.
After ten years, Harry became an eleven year-old boy. The Dursleys have kept the truth about Harry's parents from him, but it is revealed in the form of Rubeus Hagrid, who tells Harry that he is a wizard and has been accepted at Hogwarts for the autumn term. Harry takes the train to Hogwarts from King's Cross Station. On the train, Harry sits with and quickly befriends Ron Weasley; the two are also briefly visited by Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. Later on in the journey, Malfoy comes into Harry and Ron's compartment with his friends Crabbe and Goyle and introduces himself. After Ron laughs at Draco's name, Draco offers to help Harry distinguish the wrong sort of wizards, but Harry declines.
Upon arrival, the Sorting Hat places Harry, Hermione, Neville and Ron into Gryffindor House, one of the school's four houses, while Draco and his cronies are placed in Slytherin. After a broom-mounted game to save Neville's Remembrall, Harry joins Gryffindor's Quidditch team as their youngest Seeker in over a century.
Shortly after school begins, Harry and his friends hear that someone broke into a previously emptied vault at the wizarding bank, Gringotts. The mystery deepens when they discover a monstrous three-headed dog, Fluffy, who guards a trapdoor in the forbidden third floor passageway. On Halloween, a troll enters the castle and traps Hermione in one of the girls' lavatories. Harry and Ron rescue her, but are caught by Professor McGonagall. Hermione defends the boys and takes the blame, which results in the three becoming close friends.
Harry's broom becomes jinxed during his first Quidditch match, nearly resulting in Harry falling from a great height. Hermione believes that Professor Snape has cursed the broom and distracts him by setting his robes on fire, allowing Harry to catch the Golden Snitch and win the game for Gryffindor.
At Christmas, Harry receives his father's Invisibility Cloak from an unknown source. Later, he discovers the Mirror of Erised, a strange mirror that shows Harry surrounded by his parents and the extended family he never knew. Later, Harry learns that Nicolas Flamel is the maker of the Philosopher's Stone, a stone that gives the owner eternal life.
Harry sees Professor Snape interrogating Professor Quirrell about getting past Fluffy, seemingly confirming the suspicion that Snape is trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone in order to restore Lord Voldemort to power. The trio discover that Hagrid is hiding a dragon egg, which hatches; since dragon breeding is illegal, they convince Hagrid to send the dragon to live with others of its kind. Harry and Hermione are caught returning to their dormitories after sending Norbert off and are forced to serve detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. In the forest, Harry sees a hooded figure drink the blood of an injured unicorn. Firenze, a centaur, tells Harry that the hooded figure is Voldemort.
Hagrid accidentally tells Harry, Ron, and Hermione how to get past Fluffy; and they rush to tell the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, what they know, only to find that he has been called away from the school. Convinced that Dumbledore's summons was a red herring to take him away while the Philosopher's Stone is stolen, the trio set out to reach the Stone first. They navigate a series of complex magical challenges set up by the school's faculty, and at the end of these challenges, Harry enters the inner chamber alone, only to find that it is the timid Professor Quirrell, not Snape, who is after the Stone. The final challenge protecting the Stone is the Mirror of Erised. Quirrell forces Harry to look into the mirror to discover where the Stone is hidden; and Harry successfully resists, and the Stone drops into his own pocket. Lord Voldemort reveals himself: he has possessed Quirrell and appears as a ghastly face on the back of Quirrell's head. Quirrell tries to attack Harry, but merely touching Harry proves to be agony for him. Voldemort flees and Quirrell dies as Dumbledore arrives back in time to save Harry.
As Harry recovers, Dumbledore confirms that Lily had died while trying to protect Harry as an infant. Her pure, loving sacrifice provides her son with an ancient magical protection against Voldemort's lethal spells. Dumbledore also explains that the Philosopher's Stone has been destroyed to prevent Voldemort from ever using it. He then tells Harry that only those who wanted to find the Stone, but not use it, would be able to retrieve it from the mirror, which is why Harry could acquire it. When Harry asks Dumbledore why Voldemort attempted to kill him when he was an infant, Dumbledore promises to tell Harry when he is older.
At the end-of-year feast, where Harry is welcomed as a hero. Dumbledore gives a few last-minute additions, granting enough points to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville for Gryffindor to win the House Cup, ending Slytherin's six-year reign as house champions.
Main characters
Harry Potter is an orphan whom Rowling imagined as a "scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard." She developed the series' story and characters, including Voldemort, to explain how Harry came to be in this situation and how his life unfolded from there. Apart from the first chapter, the events of this book take place just before and in the year following Harry's eleventh birthday. Voldemort's attack left a lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead, which produces stabbing pains when Voldemort or a close associate of the dark wizard feels any strong emotion. Harry has prodigious natural talent for Quidditch and the ability to persuade friends by passionate speeches.
Petunia Dursley, the sister of Harry's mother Lily, is a thin woman with a long neck that she uses for spying on the neighbours. She regards her magical sister as a freak and tries to pretend that she never existed. Her husband Vernon is a heavily-built man whose irascible bluster covers a narrow mind and a fear of anything unusual. Their son Dudley is an overweight, spoilt bully.
Despite being the school's jokers, identical twins Fred and George Weasley get good marks in examinations and are excellent Quidditch players. Their younger brother Ron is Harry's age and Rowling describes him as the ultimate best friend, "always there when you need him." Ron lacks confidence in his prospects of matching his three oldest brothers' achievements or the popularity of Fred and George, but his skill and bravery in a magical chess game where lives are at stake help Harry past one of the obstacles on the path to the Philosopher's Stone.
Hermione Granger, the daughter of an all-Muggle family, is a bossy girl who has apparently memorised most of the textbooks before the start of term. Rowling described Hermione as a "very logical, upright and good" character with "a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure beneath her swottiness". Despite her nagging efforts to keep Harry and Ron out of trouble, she becomes a close friend of the two boys, and her magical and analytical skills play a vital part in finding the Philosopher's Stone.
Draco Malfoy is a slim, pale boy who speaks in a bored drawl. He is arrogant about his skill in Quidditch, and despises anyone who is not a pure blood wizard – and wizards who do not share his views. His parents had supported Voldemort, but changed sides after the dark wizard's disappearance. Draco avoids direct confrontations, and tries to get Harry and his friends into trouble.
Neville Longbottom is a plump, diffident boy, so forgetful that his grandmother gives him a Remembrall. Neville's magical abilities are weak and appeared just in time to save his life when he was eight. Despite his timidity, Neville will fight anyone after some encouragement or if he thinks it is right and important.
Dumbledore as portrayed by the late Richard Harris in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Professor Dumbledore, a tall, thin man who wears half-moon spectacles and has silver hair and a beard that tucks into his belt, is the headmaster of Hogwarts, and thought to be the only wizard Voldemort fears. Dumbledore, while renowned for his achievements in magic, finds it difficult to resist sweets and has a whimsical sense of humour. Although he shrugs off praise, he is aware of his own brilliance. Rowling described him as the "epitome of goodness".
Professor McGonagall, a tall, severe-looking woman with black hair tied in a tight bun, teaches Transfiguration, and sometimes transforms herself into a cat. She is in charge of Gryffindor House and, unlike Professor Snape, shows no favouritism towards pupils in her House, but seizes any opportunity to help Gryffindor by fair means. According to the author, "under that gruff exterior" is "a bit of an old softy".
Twitching, stammering Professor Quirrell teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts. Reputedly he was a brilliant scholar, but his nerve was shattered by an encounter with vampires. Quirrell wears a turban to conceal the fact that he is voluntarily possessed by Voldemort, whose face appears on the back of Quirrel's head.
Professor Snape, who has a hooked nose, sallow complexion and greasy black hair, teaches Potions, but is eager to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. Snape praises pupils in Slytherin, his own House, but seizes every opportunity to humiliate others, especially Harry. Several incidents, beginning with the shooting pain in Harry's scar near the end of the first dinner, lead Harry and his friends to think Snape is a follower of Voldemort.
Hagrid, a half-giant nearly 12 feet (3.7 m) tall, with tangled black hair and beard, was expelled from Hogwarts and his wand was broken, but Professor Dumbledore let him stay on as the school's gamekeeper, a job which enables him to lavish affection and pet names on even the most dangerous of magical creatures. Hagrid is fiercely loyal to Dumbledore and quickly becomes a close friend of Harry, Ron and later Hermione, but his carelessness makes him unreliable.
The school's caretaker, Filch, knows the school's secret passages better than anyone else except possibly the Weasley twins. His cat, Mrs. Norris, aids his hunts for misbehaving pupils. Other members of Hogwarts staff include: the dumpy Herbology teacher Professor Sprout; Professor Flitwick, the tiny and excitable Charms teacher, who is discreetly friendly towards Harry; the soporific History of Magic teacher, Professor Binns, a ghost who has not yet noticed his own death; and Madam Hooch, the Quidditch coach, who is strict but a considerate, methodical teacher. The poltergeist Peeves wanders around the buildings causing trouble for whomever he can.
In the book, Rowling introduced an eclectic cast of characters. The first character to be introduced is Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle. Most of the actions centre on the eponymous hero Harry Potter, an orphan who escapes his miserable childhood with the Dursley family. Rowling imagined him as a "scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard", and says she transferred part of her pain about losing her mother to him. During the book, Harry makes two close friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Ron is described by Rowling as the ultimate best friend, "always there when you need him". Rowling has described Hermione as a "very logical, upright and good" character with "a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure beneath her swottiness".
Rowling also imagined a supporting cast of adults. Headmaster of Hogwarts is powerful but kind wizard Albus Dumbledore, who becomes Harry's confidant; Rowling described him as "epitome of goodness". His right hand is severe Minerva McGonagall, who according to the author "under that gruff exterior" is "a bit of an old softy", the friendly half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, who saved Harry from the Dursley family and the sinister Severus Snape. Professor Quirrell is also featured in the novel.
The main antagonists are Draco Malfoy, an elitist, bullying classmate and Lord Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard who becomes disembodied when he tries to kill baby Harry. According to a 1999 interview with Rowling, the character of Voldemort was created as a literary foil for Harry, and his backstory was intentionally not fleshed-out at first:
The basic idea... Harry, I saw Harry very very very clearly. Very vividly. And I knew he didn't know he was a wizard. [...] And so then I kind of worked backwards from that position to find out how that could be, that he wouldn't know what he was. [...] When he was one year old, the most evil wizard for hundreds and hundreds of years attempted to kill him. He killed Harry's parents, and then he tried to kill Harry—he tried to curse him. [...] And—so—but for some mysterious reason, the curse didn't work on Harry. So he's left with this lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead and the curse rebounded upon the evil wizard, who has been in hiding ever since.
Development, publication and reception
Development
In 1990 Jo Rowling, as she preferred to be known, wanted to move with her boyfriend to a flat in Manchester and in her words, "One weekend after flat hunting, I took the train back to London on my own and the idea for Harry Potter fell into my head... A scrawny, little, black-haired, bespectacled boy became more and more of a wizard to me... I began to write Philosopher's Stone that very evening. Although, the first couple of pages look nothing like the finished product." Then Rowling's mother died and, to cope with her pain, Rowling transferred her own anguish to the orphan Harry. Rowling spent six years working on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and in 1996 obtained a grant of £4,000 from the Scottish Arts Council, which enabled her to finish the book and plan the sequels. She sent the book to an agent and a publisher, and then the second agent she approached spent a year trying to sell the book to publishers, most of whom thought it was too long at about 90,000 words. Barry Cunningham, who was building a portfolio of distinctive fantasies by new authors for Bloomsbury Children's Books, recommended accepting the book, and the eight-year-old daughter of Bloomsbury's chief executive said it was "so much better than anything else."
UK publication and reception
Imitation of the fictional Platform 9¾ at the real King's Cross railway station, with a luggage trolley apparently half-way through the magical wall
Bloomsbury accepted the book, paying Rowling a £2,500 advance, and Cunningham sent proof copies to carefully-chosen authors, critics and booksellers in order to obtain comments that could be quoted when the book was launched. He was less concerned about the book's length than about its author's name, as the title sounded like a boys' book and boys prefer books by male authors. Rowling therefore adopted the nom de plume J.K. Rowling just before publication. In June 1997, Bloomsbury published Philosopher’s Stone with an initial print-run of 500 copies in hardback, three hundred of which were distributed to libraries. The short initial print run was standard for first novels, and Cunningham hoped booksellers would read the book and recommend it to customers.
Lindsey Fraser, who had supplied one of the blurb comments, wrote what is thought to be the first published review, in The Scotsman on 28 June 1997. She described Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as "a hugely entertaining thriller" and Rowling as "a first-rate writer for children". Another early review, in The Herald, said, "I have yet to find a child who can put it down." Newspapers outside Scotland started to notice the book, with glowing reviews in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Mail on Sunday, and in September 1997 Books for Keeps, a magazine that specialised in children's books, gave the novel four stars out of five. In 1997 the UK edition won a National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9 to 11 year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. The Smarties award, which is voted for by children, made the book well-known within six months of publication, while most children's books have to wait for years.
The following year, Philosopher's Stone won almost all the other major UK awards that were decided by children. It was also shortlisted for children's books awards adjudicated by adults, but did not win. Sandra Beckett comments that books which were popular with children were regarded as undemanding and as not of the highest literary standards – for example the literary establishment disdained the works of Roald Dahl, an overwhelming favourite of children before the appearance of Rowling's books.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone won two publishing industry awards given for sales rather than literary merit, the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year and the Booksellers' Association / Bookseller Author of the Year. By March 1999 UK editions had sold just over 300,000 copies, and the story was still the UK's best-selling title in December 2001. A Braille edition was published in May 1998 by the Scottish Braille Press.
Platform 9¾, from which the Hogwarts Express left London, was commemorated in the real-life King's Cross railway station with a sign between tracks 9 and 10 and a trolley apparently passing through the wall.
USA publication and reception
Scholastic Corporation bought the USA rights at the Bologna Book Fair in April 1997 for US$105,000, an unusually high sum for a children's book. They thought that a child would not want to read a book with the word "philosopher" in the title and, after some discussion, the American edition was published in October 1998 under the title Rowling suggested, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Rowling claimed that she regretted this change and would have fought it if she had been in a stronger position at the time. Philip Nel has pointed out that the change lost the connection with alchemy, and the meaning of some other terms changed in translation, for example from UK English "crumpets" to US English "muffin". While Rowling accepted the change from both standard UK English "mum" and Seamus Finnegan's Irish variant "mam" to "mom" in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, she vetoed this change in the later books. However Nel considered that Scholastic's translations were considerably more sensitive than most of those imposed on UK English books of the time, and that some other changes could be regarded as useful copyedits. Since the UK editions of early titles in the series were published a few months earlier than the American versions, some American readers became familiar with the British English versions after buying them via the Internet.
At first the most prestigious reviewers ignored the book, leaving it to book trade and library publications such as Kirkus Reviews and Booklist, which examined it only by the entertainment-oriented criteria of children's fiction. However, more penetrating specialist reviews (such as one by Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, which pointed out the complexity, depth and consistency of the world Rowling had built) attracted the attention of reviewers in major newspapers. Although The Boston Globe and Michael Winerip in The New York Times complained that the final chapters were the weakest part of the book they and most other American reviewers gave glowing praise. A year later the US edition was selected as an American Library Association Notable Book, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1998, and a New York Public Library 1998 Best Book of the Year, and won Parenting Magazine's Book of the Year Award for 1998, the School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults.
In August 1999 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone topped the New York Times list of best-selling fiction, and stayed near the top of the list for much of 1999 and 2000, until the New York Times split its list into children's and adult sections under pressure from other publishers who were eager to see their books given higher placings. Publishers Weekly's report in December 2001 on cumulative sales of children's fiction placed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 19th among hardbacks (over 5 million copies) and 7th among paperbacks (over 6.6 million copies).
In May 2008, Scholastic announced the creation of a 10th Anniversary Edition of the book to be released in September 2008 to mark the tenth anniversary of the original American release.
The book was published on 30 June 1997 by Bloomsbury in London, while in 1998 Scholastic Corporation published an edition for the United States market under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The novel won most of the UK book awards that were judged by children, and other awards in the USA. The book reached the top of the New York Times list of best-selling fiction in August 1999, and stayed near the top of that list for much of 1999 and 2000. It has been translated into several other languages and has been made into a feature-length film of the same name.
Most reviews were very favourable, commenting on Rowling's imagination, humour, simple, direct style and clever plot construction, although a few complained that the final chapters looked rushed. The writing has been compared to that of Jane Austen, one of Rowling's favourite authors, of Roald Dahl, whose works dominated children's stories before the appearance of Harry Potter, and of the Ancient Greek story-teller Homer. While some commentators thought the book looked backwards to Victorian and Edwardian boarding school stories, others thought it placed the genre firmly in the modern world by featuring contemporary ethical and social issues.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, along with the rest of the Harry Potter series, has been attacked by several religious groups and banned in some countries because of accusations that the novels promote witchcraft. However, some Christian commentators have written that the book exemplifies important Christian viewpoints, including the power of self-sacrifice and the ways in which people's decisions shape their personalities. Educators regard Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and its sequels as an important aid in improving literacy because of the books' popularity. The series has also been used as a source of object lessons in educational techniques, sociological analysis and marketing.
Synopsis
Plot
Just before the start of the novel, Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard in living memory, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after trying to kill Harry. While the wizarding world is celebrating Voldemort's downfall, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid place the one year-old orphan in the care of his Muggle (non-wizard) aunt and uncle, Vernon and Petunia Dursley.
For ten years, they and their son Dudley bully Harry. Shortly before Harry's eleventh birthday, a series of letters arrive, addressed to Harry but destroyed by his uncle before Harry can read them. As a result, a torrent of letters pour into the house through every opening, however small, and to escape this, Vernon Dursley takes the family to a lonely island. As they are settling in, Hagrid bursts through the door to tell Harry what the Dursleys have kept from him: Harry is a wizard and has been accepted at Hogwarts for the coming year.
Hagrid takes Harry to Diagon Alley, a magically-concealed shopping precinct in London, where Harry is bewildered to discover how famous he is among wizards as "the boy who lived." He also finds that in the wizarding world he is quite wealthy, since a bequest from his parents has remained on deposit at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Guided by Hagrid, he buys the books and equipment he needs for Hogwarts - and finds that the only wand that works well for him is effectively the twin of Voldemort's.
A month later, Harry leaves the Dursleys' home to catch the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross railway station. There he is befriended by the Weasley family, who show him how to pass through the magical wall to Platform 9¾, where the train is waiting. While on the train Harry makes friends with Ron Weasley, who tells him that someone tried to rob a vault at Gringotts. Another new pupil, Draco Malfoy, accompanied by his beefy but dim sidekicks Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, offers to advise Harry, but Harry dislikes Draco's arrogance and prejudices.
Before the term's first dinner in the school's Great Hall, the new pupils are allocated to houses by the magical Sorting Hat. The Hat assigns most pupils instantly – particularly when sending Draco, Crabbe and Goyle to Slytherin – but telepathically discusses with Harry about whether the boy's ambition would make Slytherin the best choice for him. When Harry silently but vehemently objects, the Hat sends him to join the Weasleys in Gryffindor. While Harry is eating, Professor Snape catches his eye and Harry feels a sudden stab of pain in the scar Voldemort left on his forehead, which fades as quickly.
After a traumatic first Potions lesson with Snape, Harry and Ron visit Hagrid, who lives in a rustic house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There they learn that the attempted robbery at Gringotts happened the day Harry was withdrawing money, and Harry remembers Hagrid removing a small package, emptying a vault that was later broken into and searched.
During the new pupils' first flying lesson, Neville Longbottom breaks his wrist and Draco takes advantage to throw the forgetful Neville's fragile Remembrall high in the air. Harry gives chase on his broomstick, catching the Remembrall inches from the ground. Professor McGonagall dashes out and appoints him as Gryffindor's new Seeker.
Draco tricks Ron and Harry into a midnight excursion, and Neville and the bossy Hermione Granger, both also in Gryffindor, accompany the pair to keep them out of trouble. All four accidentally enter a forbidden corridor and find a room containing a huge three-headed dog. The group beats a hasty retreat, and only Hermione notices that the dog is standing over a trap-door. Harry concludes that the monster guards the package Hagrid retrieved from Gringotts.
After Ron criticizes Hermione's ostentatious proficiency in Charms, she hides in tears in the girls' toilet. Professor Quirrell reports that a troll has entered the dungeons. While everyone else returns to their dormitories, Harry and Ron rush to warn Hermione. The troll corners Hermione in the toilet but when Harry sticks his wand up one of its nostrils, Ron uses the levitation spell to knock out the troll with its own club. Afterwards, several professors arrive and Hermione takes the blame for the battle and becomes a firm friend of the two boys.
The evening before Harry's first Quidditch match, he sees Snape receiving medical attention from Filch for a bite on his leg by the three-headed dog. During the game, Harry's broomstick goes out of control, endangering his life, and Hermione notices that Snape is staring at Harry and muttering. She dashes over to the Professors' stand, knocking over Professor Quirrel in her haste, and sets fire to Snape's robe. Harry regains control of his broomstick and catches the Golden Snitch, winning the game for Gryffindor. Hagrid refuses to believe that Snape was responsible for Harry's danger, but lets slip that he bought the three-headed dog, and that the monster is guarding a secret that belongs to Professor Dumbledore and someone called Nicolas Flamel.
Harry and the Weasleys stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, and one of Harry's presents, from an anonymous donor, is an Invisibility Cloak. Harry uses the Cloak to search the library's Restricted Section for information about the mysterious Flamel, has to evade Snape and Filch after an enchanted book shrieks an alarm, and slips into a room containing the Mirror of Erised, which shows his parents and several of their ancestors. Harry becomes addicted to the Mirror's visions and is rescued by Professor Dumbledore, who explains that it shows what the viewer most desperately longs for.
When the rest of the pupils return for the next term, Draco plays a prank on Neville, and Harry consoles Neville with a sweet. The collectible card wrapped with the sweet identifies Flamel as an alchemist. Hermione soon finds that he is a 665-year-old man who possesses the only known Philosopher's Stone, from which can be extracted an elixir of life. A few days later Harry notices Snape sneaking towards the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. There he half-hears a furtive conversation about the Philosopher's Stone, in which Snape asks Professor Quirrell if he has found a way past the three-headed dog and menacingly tells Quirrell to decide whose side he is on. Harry concludes that Snape is trying to steal the Stone and Quirrell has prepared a series of defences for it.
The three friends discover that Hagrid is raising a baby dragon, which is against wizard law, and arrange to smuggle it out of the country around midnight. Draco arrives, hoping to raise the alarm and get them into trouble, and Neville comes to warn them of Draco's mischief. Although Ron is bitten by the dragon and is sent to the infirmary, Harry and Hermione spirit the dragon safely away. However, they are caught, and Harry loses the Invisibility Cloak. As part of their punishment, Harry, Hermione, Draco and Neville are compelled to help Hagrid to rescue a badly-injured unicorn in the Forbidden Forest. They split into two parties, and Harry and Draco find the unicorn dead, surrounded by its blood. A hooded figure crawls to the corpse and drinks the blood, while Draco screams and flees. The hooded figure moves towards Harry, who is knocked out by an agonising pain spreading from his scar. When Harry regains consciousness, the hooded figure has gone and a centaur, Firenze, offers to give him a ride back to the school. The centaur tells Harry that drinking a unicorn's blood will save the life of a mortally injured person, but leave them only barely alive. Firenze suggests Voldemort drank the unicorn's blood to gain enough strength to make the elixir of life from the Philosopher's Stone, and regain full health by drinking that. On his return, Harry finds that someone has slipped the Invisibility Cloak under his sheets.
A few weeks later, while relaxing after the end-of-session examinations, Harry suddenly wonders how something as illegal as a dragon's egg came into Hagrid's possession. The gamekeeper says he was given it by a hooded stranger who bought him several drinks and asked him how to get past the three-headed dog, which Hagrid admits is easy – music sends it to sleep. Realising that one of the Philosopher's Stone's defences is no longer secure, Harry goes to inform Professor Dumbledore, only to find that the headmaster has just left for an important meeting. Harry concludes that Snape faked the message that called Dumbledore away and will try to steal the Stone that night.
Voldemort on the back of Professor Quirrell's head at the climax of the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Covered by the Invisibility Cloak, Harry and his two friends go to the three-headed dog's chamber, where Harry sends the beast to sleep by playing a flute. After lifting the trap-door, they encounter a series of obstacles, each of which requires special skills possessed by one of the three, and one of which requires Ron to sacrifice himself. In the final room Harry, now alone, finds Quirrell rather than Snape. Quirrell admits that he let in the troll that tried to kill Hermione in the toilet, and that he tried to kill Harry during the first Quidditch match but was knocked over by Hermione. Snape had been trying to protect Harry and suspected Quirrell. Quirrell serves Voldemort and, after failing to steal the Philosopher's Stone from Gringotts, allowed his master to possess him in order to improve their chances of success. However the only other object in the room is the Mirror of Erised, and Quirrell can see no sign of the Stone. At Voldemort's bidding, Quirrel forces Harry to stand in front of the Mirror. Harry feels the Stone drop into his pocket and tries to stall. Quirrell removes his turban, revealing the face of Voldemort on the back of his head. Voldemort/Quirrell tries to grab the Stone from Harry, but simply touching Harry causes Quirrell's flesh to burn. After further struggles Harry passes out.
He awakes in the school hospital, where Professor Dumbledore tells him that he survived because his mother sacrificed her life to protect him, and Voldemort could not understand the power of such love. Voldemort left Quirrell to die, and is likely to return by some other means. Dumbledore had foreseen that the Mirror would show Voldemort/Quirrell only themselves making the elixir of life, as they wanted to use the Philosopher's Stone; Harry was able to see the Stone in the Mirror because he wanted to find it but not to use it. The Stone has now been destroyed.
Harry returns to the Dursleys for the summer holiday, but does not tell them that under-age wizards are forbidden to use magic outside Hogwarts.
After ten years, Harry became an eleven year-old boy. The Dursleys have kept the truth about Harry's parents from him, but it is revealed in the form of Rubeus Hagrid, who tells Harry that he is a wizard and has been accepted at Hogwarts for the autumn term. Harry takes the train to Hogwarts from King's Cross Station. On the train, Harry sits with and quickly befriends Ron Weasley; the two are also briefly visited by Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. Later on in the journey, Malfoy comes into Harry and Ron's compartment with his friends Crabbe and Goyle and introduces himself. After Ron laughs at Draco's name, Draco offers to help Harry distinguish the wrong sort of wizards, but Harry declines.
Upon arrival, the Sorting Hat places Harry, Hermione, Neville and Ron into Gryffindor House, one of the school's four houses, while Draco and his cronies are placed in Slytherin. After a broom-mounted game to save Neville's Remembrall, Harry joins Gryffindor's Quidditch team as their youngest Seeker in over a century.
Shortly after school begins, Harry and his friends hear that someone broke into a previously emptied vault at the wizarding bank, Gringotts. The mystery deepens when they discover a monstrous three-headed dog, Fluffy, who guards a trapdoor in the forbidden third floor passageway. On Halloween, a troll enters the castle and traps Hermione in one of the girls' lavatories. Harry and Ron rescue her, but are caught by Professor McGonagall. Hermione defends the boys and takes the blame, which results in the three becoming close friends.
Harry's broom becomes jinxed during his first Quidditch match, nearly resulting in Harry falling from a great height. Hermione believes that Professor Snape has cursed the broom and distracts him by setting his robes on fire, allowing Harry to catch the Golden Snitch and win the game for Gryffindor.
At Christmas, Harry receives his father's Invisibility Cloak from an unknown source. Later, he discovers the Mirror of Erised, a strange mirror that shows Harry surrounded by his parents and the extended family he never knew. Later, Harry learns that Nicolas Flamel is the maker of the Philosopher's Stone, a stone that gives the owner eternal life.
Harry sees Professor Snape interrogating Professor Quirrell about getting past Fluffy, seemingly confirming the suspicion that Snape is trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone in order to restore Lord Voldemort to power. The trio discover that Hagrid is hiding a dragon egg, which hatches; since dragon breeding is illegal, they convince Hagrid to send the dragon to live with others of its kind. Harry and Hermione are caught returning to their dormitories after sending Norbert off and are forced to serve detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. In the forest, Harry sees a hooded figure drink the blood of an injured unicorn. Firenze, a centaur, tells Harry that the hooded figure is Voldemort.
Hagrid accidentally tells Harry, Ron, and Hermione how to get past Fluffy; and they rush to tell the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, what they know, only to find that he has been called away from the school. Convinced that Dumbledore's summons was a red herring to take him away while the Philosopher's Stone is stolen, the trio set out to reach the Stone first. They navigate a series of complex magical challenges set up by the school's faculty, and at the end of these challenges, Harry enters the inner chamber alone, only to find that it is the timid Professor Quirrell, not Snape, who is after the Stone. The final challenge protecting the Stone is the Mirror of Erised. Quirrell forces Harry to look into the mirror to discover where the Stone is hidden; and Harry successfully resists, and the Stone drops into his own pocket. Lord Voldemort reveals himself: he has possessed Quirrell and appears as a ghastly face on the back of Quirrell's head. Quirrell tries to attack Harry, but merely touching Harry proves to be agony for him. Voldemort flees and Quirrell dies as Dumbledore arrives back in time to save Harry.
As Harry recovers, Dumbledore confirms that Lily had died while trying to protect Harry as an infant. Her pure, loving sacrifice provides her son with an ancient magical protection against Voldemort's lethal spells. Dumbledore also explains that the Philosopher's Stone has been destroyed to prevent Voldemort from ever using it. He then tells Harry that only those who wanted to find the Stone, but not use it, would be able to retrieve it from the mirror, which is why Harry could acquire it. When Harry asks Dumbledore why Voldemort attempted to kill him when he was an infant, Dumbledore promises to tell Harry when he is older.
At the end-of-year feast, where Harry is welcomed as a hero. Dumbledore gives a few last-minute additions, granting enough points to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville for Gryffindor to win the House Cup, ending Slytherin's six-year reign as house champions.
Main characters
Harry Potter is an orphan whom Rowling imagined as a "scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard." She developed the series' story and characters, including Voldemort, to explain how Harry came to be in this situation and how his life unfolded from there. Apart from the first chapter, the events of this book take place just before and in the year following Harry's eleventh birthday. Voldemort's attack left a lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead, which produces stabbing pains when Voldemort or a close associate of the dark wizard feels any strong emotion. Harry has prodigious natural talent for Quidditch and the ability to persuade friends by passionate speeches.
Petunia Dursley, the sister of Harry's mother Lily, is a thin woman with a long neck that she uses for spying on the neighbours. She regards her magical sister as a freak and tries to pretend that she never existed. Her husband Vernon is a heavily-built man whose irascible bluster covers a narrow mind and a fear of anything unusual. Their son Dudley is an overweight, spoilt bully.
Despite being the school's jokers, identical twins Fred and George Weasley get good marks in examinations and are excellent Quidditch players. Their younger brother Ron is Harry's age and Rowling describes him as the ultimate best friend, "always there when you need him." Ron lacks confidence in his prospects of matching his three oldest brothers' achievements or the popularity of Fred and George, but his skill and bravery in a magical chess game where lives are at stake help Harry past one of the obstacles on the path to the Philosopher's Stone.
Hermione Granger, the daughter of an all-Muggle family, is a bossy girl who has apparently memorised most of the textbooks before the start of term. Rowling described Hermione as a "very logical, upright and good" character with "a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure beneath her swottiness". Despite her nagging efforts to keep Harry and Ron out of trouble, she becomes a close friend of the two boys, and her magical and analytical skills play a vital part in finding the Philosopher's Stone.
Draco Malfoy is a slim, pale boy who speaks in a bored drawl. He is arrogant about his skill in Quidditch, and despises anyone who is not a pure blood wizard – and wizards who do not share his views. His parents had supported Voldemort, but changed sides after the dark wizard's disappearance. Draco avoids direct confrontations, and tries to get Harry and his friends into trouble.
Neville Longbottom is a plump, diffident boy, so forgetful that his grandmother gives him a Remembrall. Neville's magical abilities are weak and appeared just in time to save his life when he was eight. Despite his timidity, Neville will fight anyone after some encouragement or if he thinks it is right and important.
Dumbledore as portrayed by the late Richard Harris in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Professor Dumbledore, a tall, thin man who wears half-moon spectacles and has silver hair and a beard that tucks into his belt, is the headmaster of Hogwarts, and thought to be the only wizard Voldemort fears. Dumbledore, while renowned for his achievements in magic, finds it difficult to resist sweets and has a whimsical sense of humour. Although he shrugs off praise, he is aware of his own brilliance. Rowling described him as the "epitome of goodness".
Professor McGonagall, a tall, severe-looking woman with black hair tied in a tight bun, teaches Transfiguration, and sometimes transforms herself into a cat. She is in charge of Gryffindor House and, unlike Professor Snape, shows no favouritism towards pupils in her House, but seizes any opportunity to help Gryffindor by fair means. According to the author, "under that gruff exterior" is "a bit of an old softy".
Twitching, stammering Professor Quirrell teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts. Reputedly he was a brilliant scholar, but his nerve was shattered by an encounter with vampires. Quirrell wears a turban to conceal the fact that he is voluntarily possessed by Voldemort, whose face appears on the back of Quirrel's head.
Professor Snape, who has a hooked nose, sallow complexion and greasy black hair, teaches Potions, but is eager to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. Snape praises pupils in Slytherin, his own House, but seizes every opportunity to humiliate others, especially Harry. Several incidents, beginning with the shooting pain in Harry's scar near the end of the first dinner, lead Harry and his friends to think Snape is a follower of Voldemort.
Hagrid, a half-giant nearly 12 feet (3.7 m) tall, with tangled black hair and beard, was expelled from Hogwarts and his wand was broken, but Professor Dumbledore let him stay on as the school's gamekeeper, a job which enables him to lavish affection and pet names on even the most dangerous of magical creatures. Hagrid is fiercely loyal to Dumbledore and quickly becomes a close friend of Harry, Ron and later Hermione, but his carelessness makes him unreliable.
The school's caretaker, Filch, knows the school's secret passages better than anyone else except possibly the Weasley twins. His cat, Mrs. Norris, aids his hunts for misbehaving pupils. Other members of Hogwarts staff include: the dumpy Herbology teacher Professor Sprout; Professor Flitwick, the tiny and excitable Charms teacher, who is discreetly friendly towards Harry; the soporific History of Magic teacher, Professor Binns, a ghost who has not yet noticed his own death; and Madam Hooch, the Quidditch coach, who is strict but a considerate, methodical teacher. The poltergeist Peeves wanders around the buildings causing trouble for whomever he can.
In the book, Rowling introduced an eclectic cast of characters. The first character to be introduced is Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle. Most of the actions centre on the eponymous hero Harry Potter, an orphan who escapes his miserable childhood with the Dursley family. Rowling imagined him as a "scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard", and says she transferred part of her pain about losing her mother to him. During the book, Harry makes two close friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Ron is described by Rowling as the ultimate best friend, "always there when you need him". Rowling has described Hermione as a "very logical, upright and good" character with "a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure beneath her swottiness".
Rowling also imagined a supporting cast of adults. Headmaster of Hogwarts is powerful but kind wizard Albus Dumbledore, who becomes Harry's confidant; Rowling described him as "epitome of goodness". His right hand is severe Minerva McGonagall, who according to the author "under that gruff exterior" is "a bit of an old softy", the friendly half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, who saved Harry from the Dursley family and the sinister Severus Snape. Professor Quirrell is also featured in the novel.
The main antagonists are Draco Malfoy, an elitist, bullying classmate and Lord Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard who becomes disembodied when he tries to kill baby Harry. According to a 1999 interview with Rowling, the character of Voldemort was created as a literary foil for Harry, and his backstory was intentionally not fleshed-out at first:
The basic idea... Harry, I saw Harry very very very clearly. Very vividly. And I knew he didn't know he was a wizard. [...] And so then I kind of worked backwards from that position to find out how that could be, that he wouldn't know what he was. [...] When he was one year old, the most evil wizard for hundreds and hundreds of years attempted to kill him. He killed Harry's parents, and then he tried to kill Harry—he tried to curse him. [...] And—so—but for some mysterious reason, the curse didn't work on Harry. So he's left with this lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead and the curse rebounded upon the evil wizard, who has been in hiding ever since.
Development, publication and reception
Development
In 1990 Jo Rowling, as she preferred to be known, wanted to move with her boyfriend to a flat in Manchester and in her words, "One weekend after flat hunting, I took the train back to London on my own and the idea for Harry Potter fell into my head... A scrawny, little, black-haired, bespectacled boy became more and more of a wizard to me... I began to write Philosopher's Stone that very evening. Although, the first couple of pages look nothing like the finished product." Then Rowling's mother died and, to cope with her pain, Rowling transferred her own anguish to the orphan Harry. Rowling spent six years working on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and in 1996 obtained a grant of £4,000 from the Scottish Arts Council, which enabled her to finish the book and plan the sequels. She sent the book to an agent and a publisher, and then the second agent she approached spent a year trying to sell the book to publishers, most of whom thought it was too long at about 90,000 words. Barry Cunningham, who was building a portfolio of distinctive fantasies by new authors for Bloomsbury Children's Books, recommended accepting the book, and the eight-year-old daughter of Bloomsbury's chief executive said it was "so much better than anything else."
UK publication and reception
Imitation of the fictional Platform 9¾ at the real King's Cross railway station, with a luggage trolley apparently half-way through the magical wall
Bloomsbury accepted the book, paying Rowling a £2,500 advance, and Cunningham sent proof copies to carefully-chosen authors, critics and booksellers in order to obtain comments that could be quoted when the book was launched. He was less concerned about the book's length than about its author's name, as the title sounded like a boys' book and boys prefer books by male authors. Rowling therefore adopted the nom de plume J.K. Rowling just before publication. In June 1997, Bloomsbury published Philosopher’s Stone with an initial print-run of 500 copies in hardback, three hundred of which were distributed to libraries. The short initial print run was standard for first novels, and Cunningham hoped booksellers would read the book and recommend it to customers.
Lindsey Fraser, who had supplied one of the blurb comments, wrote what is thought to be the first published review, in The Scotsman on 28 June 1997. She described Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as "a hugely entertaining thriller" and Rowling as "a first-rate writer for children". Another early review, in The Herald, said, "I have yet to find a child who can put it down." Newspapers outside Scotland started to notice the book, with glowing reviews in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Mail on Sunday, and in September 1997 Books for Keeps, a magazine that specialised in children's books, gave the novel four stars out of five. In 1997 the UK edition won a National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9 to 11 year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. The Smarties award, which is voted for by children, made the book well-known within six months of publication, while most children's books have to wait for years.
The following year, Philosopher's Stone won almost all the other major UK awards that were decided by children. It was also shortlisted for children's books awards adjudicated by adults, but did not win. Sandra Beckett comments that books which were popular with children were regarded as undemanding and as not of the highest literary standards – for example the literary establishment disdained the works of Roald Dahl, an overwhelming favourite of children before the appearance of Rowling's books.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone won two publishing industry awards given for sales rather than literary merit, the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year and the Booksellers' Association / Bookseller Author of the Year. By March 1999 UK editions had sold just over 300,000 copies, and the story was still the UK's best-selling title in December 2001. A Braille edition was published in May 1998 by the Scottish Braille Press.
Platform 9¾, from which the Hogwarts Express left London, was commemorated in the real-life King's Cross railway station with a sign between tracks 9 and 10 and a trolley apparently passing through the wall.
USA publication and reception
Scholastic Corporation bought the USA rights at the Bologna Book Fair in April 1997 for US$105,000, an unusually high sum for a children's book. They thought that a child would not want to read a book with the word "philosopher" in the title and, after some discussion, the American edition was published in October 1998 under the title Rowling suggested, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Rowling claimed that she regretted this change and would have fought it if she had been in a stronger position at the time. Philip Nel has pointed out that the change lost the connection with alchemy, and the meaning of some other terms changed in translation, for example from UK English "crumpets" to US English "muffin". While Rowling accepted the change from both standard UK English "mum" and Seamus Finnegan's Irish variant "mam" to "mom" in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, she vetoed this change in the later books. However Nel considered that Scholastic's translations were considerably more sensitive than most of those imposed on UK English books of the time, and that some other changes could be regarded as useful copyedits. Since the UK editions of early titles in the series were published a few months earlier than the American versions, some American readers became familiar with the British English versions after buying them via the Internet.
At first the most prestigious reviewers ignored the book, leaving it to book trade and library publications such as Kirkus Reviews and Booklist, which examined it only by the entertainment-oriented criteria of children's fiction. However, more penetrating specialist reviews (such as one by Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, which pointed out the complexity, depth and consistency of the world Rowling had built) attracted the attention of reviewers in major newspapers. Although The Boston Globe and Michael Winerip in The New York Times complained that the final chapters were the weakest part of the book they and most other American reviewers gave glowing praise. A year later the US edition was selected as an American Library Association Notable Book, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1998, and a New York Public Library 1998 Best Book of the Year, and won Parenting Magazine's Book of the Year Award for 1998, the School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults.
In August 1999 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone topped the New York Times list of best-selling fiction, and stayed near the top of the list for much of 1999 and 2000, until the New York Times split its list into children's and adult sections under pressure from other publishers who were eager to see their books given higher placings. Publishers Weekly's report in December 2001 on cumulative sales of children's fiction placed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 19th among hardbacks (over 5 million copies) and 7th among paperbacks (over 6.6 million copies).
In May 2008, Scholastic announced the creation of a 10th Anniversary Edition of the book to be released in September 2008 to mark the tenth anniversary of the original American release.
轉眼間，哈利在霍格沃茨魔法學校第一年的學習順利結束了，對於哈利而言，離開這個剛剛熟悉的魔法世界，回到女貞路的德斯禮傢去，簡直是件最痛苦的事情，他不得不去忍受一個暑假他刻薄的佩妮姨媽和蠻橫的弗農姨夫喋喋不休的嘮叨和監管。
也許是出於對哈利魔法的忌憚，整個暑假都快過去了，德斯禮一傢除了不允許哈利做他的魔法作業外，幾乎沒有太為難他。但是哈利還是覺得很苦惱，因為他在霍格沃茨最好的兩個朋友——赫敏和羅恩似乎已經把他忘記了，三個好朋友說好要在暑假寫信保持聯繫，哈利不停地給兩個朋友寫信，但是直到現在，他卻還沒有接到一封回信。
就在假期馬上要結束的時候，一個名叫多比的小精靈突然出現在哈利的臥室中，它警告哈利，回到霍格沃茨將會有可怕的事情降臨，哈利會有生命危險！為了保全哈利的性命，多比截留了所有赫敏和羅恩給哈利的回信——它以為這樣哈利就會出於對朋友的失望而不再返回霍格沃茨上學，可是哈利堅持要回到霍格沃茨去，為了阻止哈利，多比在甚至違軌在麻瓜世界使用了魔法大鬧德斯禮一傢，結果哈利耽誤了返回霍格沃茨的專列，就在他心急如焚的時候，好朋友羅恩駕着一輛施了魔法的飛車來救駕了，費盡周折，他們終於得以在新學期開學典禮上趕回學校。
而此時，哈利上個學期擊潰伏地魔的英雄行為已經在霍格沃茨和整個魔法世界廣為傳播，哈利突然成為了衆人矚目的中心，有個風吹草動，他就可能成為人們議論的話題，偏偏新上任的黑魔法防禦課教授洛哈特(肯尼斯.布拉納)也是個愛出風頭的人物，尤其喜歡明裏暗裏地刁難一下哈利，然後把自己標榜成為霍格沃茨真正的大英雄。
果然和精靈多比預言的一樣，新學期開始沒多久，霍格沃茨就頻頻出現恐怖神秘的事件——幾個落單的學生和守門人的貓受到某種可怕的力量的攻擊而石化，而哈利的耳邊，也時常有一個幽靈般聲音響起，告訴他：霍格沃茨的密室之門被打開，邪惡力量的後嗣將會對學校裏的泥巴種(即父母不是巫師的學生)進行報復……
一時間霍格沃茨人心惶惶，由於能聽得懂蛇的語言，哈利被懷疑是那個傳說中邪惡力量的後嗣，圍在身邊的朋友們也紛紛開始置疑哈利，衹有赫敏和羅恩，始終對哈利寄予着百分之百的信任，然後當有一天，赫敏也被遭到了神秘力量的攻擊，一嚮熱衷於自吹自擂的洛哈特教授顯出懦夫的本性，臨陣退縮，衹有羅恩堅定地和哈利站在一起對抗着邪惡力量，哈利知道，為了保護他熱愛的霍格沃茨學校，為了拯救和他生死與共的好朋友，也為了洗清加在自己頭上的種種懷疑，他必須有所行動了，可是，他面對的敵人究竟是誰？他隱藏在哪裏？他的目的又是什麽？哈利陷入一團迷霧中……
《哈利·波特與密室》[電影]-影片評價
本集要比第一集更偏成人，色調更暗。由於片中一些比較駭人的場面，華納公司曾十分擔心影片被劃為PG-13級，這樣他們在影片上映後同期推出的波特玩具銷量將會大打折扣。《哈利·波特與密室》的原著小說不僅比第一部更長、包含更多的人物，角色也更具特色。雖然有些讀者將《密室》原著選為他們最不喜歡的一輯，因為劇情過於直接，缺乏麯折。但是，影片黑暗嚴峻的主題——魔法學校中的一個邪惡的存在將學生們一個個地變成了石頭——使導演哥倫布能夠專註於令人目眩的視覺特效以及刺激的動作場面。原先扮演魔法校長的老爺爺理查德·哈裏斯去世了，喜歡他的人可不能錯過這集。在原著小說的插圖裏，小精靈多比和影片裏的形象差距不小，片中用計算機特技製作出來多比還因為長得與俄羅斯總統普京有些相似而引起了關註和爭議。
《哈利·波特與密室》[電影]-幕後製作
《哈利·波特與密室》原著小說於1998年出版，隨即登上了英國暢銷書籍排行榜的冠軍，接着更在《紐約時報》、《今日美國報》和《華爾街日報》的暢銷書籍排行榜上稱霸，在全世界四十幾個國傢發行，總銷售量高達四千多萬本(光是在美國和加拿大就賣出了超過一千五百萬本)。
《哈利·波特與密室》於2001年11月19日，在哈特福郡的利夫斯登攝影棚展開拍攝工作，《哈利波特：神秘的魔法石》在英國當地纔上映三天，就打破了多項票房記錄，成為影史上總票房收入第二高的電影，同時囊括了三項奧斯卡金像奬的提名，以及七項英國影視藝術學院奬的提名，包括年度最佳英國影片。
這部新片再度找來童星丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫( 《驚爆危機》、BBC電視臺的《塊肉餘生錄》)飾演哈利波特、魯伯特·葛林特飾演榮恩·韋斯利、以及埃瑪·瓦特森飾演妙麗·格蘭傑，三位小魔法師進入了霍格華茲魔法與巫術學院的第二學年，與神秘的邪惡力量短兵交接。
身兼導演與執行製作職務的剋裏斯·哥倫布說："衹要你喜歡第一集的《哈利波特》電影，就一定會愛上《消失的密室》，這個故事更神秘黑暗，充滿了駭人的怪物和潛藏的邪惡力量；此外，這部電影還增加了許多令人興奮的新角色，包括新來的黑魔法防禦術教授基德羅·洛哈。"
具備編劇與導演等多項纔藝的演員肯尼斯·布萊納(《哈姆雷特》、 《都是男人惹的禍》 、《再續前世情》)，飾演嬌柔做作的自戀狂基德羅·洛哈，加入霍格華茲學院，擔任黑魔法防禦術的新教授。
肯尼斯·布萊納說："基德羅·洛哈是蘿琳筆下的萬人迷，我很樂於投入霍格華茲的魔法世界裏，和這麽多優秀的演職人員合作。"
《哈利·波特與密室》[電影]-幕後花絮
·一號男主演丹尼爾·雷德剋利弗在第二集拍到一半時突然變聲，後來經由一些技術處理纔算解决，不至於要重新再配音。
·由於片中一些比較駭人的場面，華納公司曾十分擔心影片被劃為PG-13級，這樣他們在影片上映後同期推出的波特玩具銷量將會大打折扣，別小看這些玩具，去年它們為華納公司帶來了超過5億美元的進帳！它們的最主要購買群體為7到11歲的兒童。
·作為一名父親，導演哥倫布曾對觀衆們發出這樣的警告："如果你們帶着自己7歲甚至比7歲還小的孩子來看這部片子，請一定要確保他們有能力分辨他們看的是什麽。"
·在原著小說的插圖裏，小精靈多比穿着一個茶巾改成的、面口袋似的破舊衣服，尖頭尖腦，頑皮可愛，像衹小老鼠多過像精靈，和影片裏的形象差距不小。
·影片中的大部分室內場景都是在倫敦郊外一個由廢棄機場改造的攝影棚內完成，據說這個位置隱秘的機庫內共有22個攝影棚，而《哈利·波特》的劇組就包下了其中的17個。
·為了拍攝羅恩和波特開着飛天汽車趕去魔法學校一幕，劇組共動用了14輛一模一樣的老爺車，以應付不同角度的拍攝需要。
·為了凸現出洛哈特教授的愛慕虛榮，導演哥倫布和原作者羅琳女士一起商量後，為這個角色親自設計了各種以絲綢服飾為主的造型，色彩華貴豔麗中又透出一種世俗浮華的味道。
·還是為了奬勵丹尼爾在第一集中的出色表演，華納公司送給丹尼爾一個他夢寐以求的電子遊戲軟件，雖然價值衹有區區10英鎊，但卻讓童心不減的丹尼爾着實激動了半天。
·飾演羅恩的魯伯特承認，他覺得尷尬的是有時候影迷們會拿一些稀奇古怪的東西讓他們簽名，就在幾天前，竟然還有人請他在一張支票上簽名，弄得魯伯特哭笑不得。
·飾演赫敏的艾瑪最喜歡的演員是好萊塢"最性感的男人"布拉德·彼特，她說渴望自己到好萊塢發展，有朝一日能和她的偶像合作拍片。
·在霍格沃茨學生宿舍走廊裏出現的那些會動的畫像，據說畫裏的人物都是以劇組就地取材，以各位幕後工作人員，比如劇務、燈光師、化妝師等等為模特繪製的。
·隨着電影一部接一部推出，衆多的波特迷們等待着羅琳的第五部《哈利·波特》小說問世也是等得心焦，這部已經定名為《哈利·波特與鳳凰的命令》的小說，最新的說法，將會在明年6月份正式出版。
《哈利·波特與密室》[電影]-穿幫鏡頭
·在魁地奇比賽過程中，可以看到藏在哈裏掃帚上的鋼絲。
·連貫性：羅恩從他母親收到咆哮信Howler，稍後不久，艾爾闖了進來，可以看到那封紅色的信是打開着的，當羅恩把信從艾爾的嘴裏拿來的時候，我們可以看到羅恩打開信封，這樣他才能閱讀信件。
·哈利和榮恩跑往九又四分之三月臺去趕霍格華茲特快車，鳥籠因碰撞快要倒地時可以發現那是衹假鳥。
·影片中决鬥的鏡頭左邊可以看到劇組人員(攝影師)。
·密室中哈利波特靠近圓鏡前裝着頭骨的玻璃容器，隨即走開，這時候他身邊出現一個很高的鐵裝飾物，之前這裏顯示並無此物。
·汽車樹林邊停下時，車尾部有個被撞的很深的凹陷，以及邊上有福特盎格魯汽車商標牌，僅僅在他們取下行禮後凹痕和商標牌都不見了。
·影片中有個小演員，他的左臉上兩顆丘疹位置居然是會移動的。
·哈裏波特右手按在傷口上和ginny說話，當時右手背有着血污，隨着鏡頭拉近，血污消失了。
·家庭精靈多比在哈利的臥房裏與之交談的場景裏，背後墻壁上懸挂物間的距離有較大改變。
·奔跑中他們與行李車相撞：仔細看發生碰撞時行李車底部有5根鐵條，兩人倒地後行李車底部衹有4根鐵條，這顯然不是同一架行李車。
·飛天魔法車上哈利和榮恩尖叫的鏡頭，哈利身後有衹神秘的手扶着鳥籠……
The book was published in the United Kingdom on 2 July 1998 by Bloomsbury and in the United States on 2 June 1999 by Scholastic Inc. Although Rowling found it difficult to finish the book, it won high praise and awards from critics, young readers and the book industry, although some critics thought the story was perhaps too frightening for younger children. Some religious authorities have condemned its use of magical themes, while others have praised its emphasis on self-sacrifice and on the way in which a person's character is the result of the person's choices.
Several commentators have noted that personal identity is a strong theme in the book, and that it addresses issues of racism through the treatment of non-magical, non-human and non-living characters. Some commentators regard the diary as a warning against uncritical acceptance of information from sources whose motives and reliability cannot be checked. Institutional authority is portrayed as self-serving and incompetent.
The film version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, released in 2002, became the third film to exceed $600 million in international box office sales and received generally favourable reviews. However, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers won the Saturn Award for the Best Fantasy Film. Video games loosely based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were also released for several platforms, and most obtained favourable reviews.
Synopsis
Plot introduction
In the first novel in the Harry Potter series, the main character, Harry Potter, has struggled with the difficulties that come with growing up and the added challenge of being a famous wizard. When Harry was a baby, Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard in living memory, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after trying to kill Harry. This results in Harry's immediate fame, and his being placed in the care of his Muggle, or non-magical, relatives Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.
Harry enters the wizarding world at the age of eleven, enrolling in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is confronted by Lord Voldemort trying to regain power.
Plot summary
Soon after the start of Harry's second year at Hogwarts, messages on the walls of the corridors say that the mythical Chamber of Secrets has been re-opened and that the "heir of Slytherin" would kill all pupils whose parents are both non-magical – which includes Hermione. At intervals various inhabitants of the school are found petrified in corridors. Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione discover Moaning Myrtle, the ghost of a girl who was killed the last time the Chamber was opened, and who now haunts the girls' toilet in which she died. Myrtle shows Harry a diary bearing the name Tom Marvolo Riddle. Although its pages are blank, it responds when Harry writes in it. Eventually the book shows him Hogwarts as it was fifty years ago. There he sees Tom Riddle, a pupil at the time, pin the blame for opening the Chamber on Rubeus Hagrid, who was then thirteen years old and already devoted to keeping dangerous magical creatures as pets.
Four months later, the diary is stolen, and shortly afterward Hermione is petrified. However, she holds a note explaining that the culprit is a basilisk, a huge serpent whose gaze kills those who look into its eyes directly but only petrifies those who look into them by means of a reflecting surface, such as water or a mirror. Hermione concluded that the monster travels through the school's pipes and emerges through the toilet Myrtle haunts. As the attacks continue, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, holds Hagrid in the wizards' prison as a precaution. Lucius Malfoy, a former supporter of Voldemort who claims to have reformed, then announces that the school's governors have suspended Dumbledore from the position of headmaster.
After Ron's younger sister Ginny is taken into the Chamber, the staff insist that the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, should handle the situation. However, when Harry and Ron go to his office to tell him what they have discovered about the basilisk, Lockhart reveals that he is a fraud who took credit for the accomplishments of others and attempts to erase the boys' memories. Disarming Lockhart, they march him to Moaning Myrtle's toilet, where Harry opens the passage to the Chamber of Secrets. In the sewers under the school, Lockhart grabs Ron's wand and tries again to wipe the boys' memories – but Ron's wand had been damaged in an accident at the start of the school year and the spell backfires, inflicting total amnesia on Lockhart, collapsing part of the tunnel and separating Harry from Ron and Lockhart.
While Ron attempts to tunnel through the rubble, Harry enters the Chamber of Secrets, where Ginny lies beside the diary. As he examines her, Tom Riddle appears, looking exactly as he did fifty years ago, and explains that he is a memory stored in the diary. Ginny wrote in it about her adolescent hopes and fears, and Riddle won her confidence by appearing sympathetic, possessed her, and used her to open the Chamber. Riddle also reveals that he is Voldemort as a boy. He further explains that he learned from Ginny who Harry was and about his own deeds as Voldemort. When Ginny realised that she had been responsible for the attacks, she attempted to throw the diary away, which is how it came into Harry's possession. Riddle then releases the basilisk to kill Harry. Dumbledore's pet phoenix, Fawkes, brings a magnificent sword wrapped in the Sorting Hat. Harry uses the sword to kill the basilisk – but only after being bitten by the creature's venomous fangs, one of which breaks off. As Riddle gloats over the dying Harry, Fawkes cures him with its tears. Harry stabs the diary with the broken fang, and Riddle screams and vanishes. Ginny revives after Riddle's disappearance and they return to Ron, who is still watching over the amnesic Lockhart. Fawkes carries all four out of the tunnels.
Harry recounts the whole story to Dumbledore, who has been reinstated. The headmaster revokes his threat to expel the boys if they broke more rules and gives them special awards for services to the school. When Harry mentions his fears that he is similar to Tom Riddle, Dumbledore says that Harry chose Gryffindor House, and only a true member of that House could have used Godric Gryffindor's sword to kill the basilisk. Lucius Malfoy bursts in, and Harry accuses him of slipping the diary into one of Ginny's books while all the pupils were shopping for school books. Malfoy replies, "Prove it." Finally, all of the basilisk's petrified victims are revived by a potion, the preparation of which has taken several months.
Publication and reception
Development
Rowling found it difficult to finish Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets because she was afraid it would not live up to the expectations raised by Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. After delivering the manuscript to Bloomsbury on schedule, she took it back for six weeks of revision.
In early drafts of the book, the ghost Nearly Headless Nick sang a self-composed song explaining his condition and the circumstances of his death. This was cut as the book's editor did not care for the poem, which has been subsequently published as an extra on J. K. Rowling's official website. The family background of Dean Thomas was removed because Rowling and her publishers considered it an "unnecessary digression", and she considered Neville Longbottom's own journey of discovery "more important to the central plot".
Publication
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. It immediately took first place in UK bestseller lists, displacing popular authors such as John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and Terry Pratchett, and making Rowling the first author to win the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year for two years in succession. In June 1999 it went straight to the top of three US bestseller lists, including The New York Times'.
First edition printings had several errors, which were fixed in subsequent reprints. Initially Dumbledore said that Voldemort was the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin, instead of his descendant. Gilderoy Lockhart's book on werewolves is entitled Weekends with Werewolves at one point and Wanderings with Werewolves later in the book.
Critical response
In The Times, Deborah Loudon described Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as a children's book that would be "re-read into adulthood" and highlighted its "strong plots, engaging characters, excellent jokes and a moral message which flows naturally from the story". Fantasy author Charles de Lint agreed, and considered the second Harry Potter book as good as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, a rare achievement among series of books. Thomas Wagner regarded the plot as very similar to that of the first book, based on searching for a secret hidden under the school. However, he enjoyed the parody of celebrities and their fans that centres round Gilderoy Lockhart, and approved of the book's handling of racism. Tammy Nezol found the book more disturbing than its predecessor, particularly in the rash behaviour of Harry and his friends after Harry withholds information from Dumbledore, and in the human-like behaviour of the mandrakes used to make a potion that cures petrification. Nevertheless she considered the second story as enjoyable as the first.
Mary Stuart thought the final conflict with Tom Riddle in the Chamber was almost as scary as in some of Stephen King's works, and perhaps too strong for young or timid children. She commented that "there are enough surprises and imaginative details thrown in as would normally fill five lesser books." Like other reviewers, she thought the book would give pleasure to both children and adult readers. According to Philip Nel, the early reviews gave unalloyed praise while the later ones included some criticisms, although they still agreed that the book was outstanding.
Writing after all seven books had been published, Graeme Davis regarded Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as the weakest of the series, and agreed that the plot structure is much the same as in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. He described Fawkes's appearance to arm Harry and then to heal him as a deus ex machina: the book does not explain how Fawkes knew where to find Harry; and Fawkes's timing had to be very precise, as arriving earlier would probably have prevented the battle with the basilisk, while arriving later would have been fatal to Harry and Ginny.
Dave Kopel describes the climactic scene in which Harry saves Ginny from Riddle's diary and the basilisk as Pilgrim's Progress for a new audience: "Harry descends to a deep underworld, is confronted by two Satanic minions (Voldemort and a giant serpent), is saved from certain death by his faith in Dumbledore (the bearded God the Father/Ancient of Days), rescues the virgin (Ginerva [sic] Weasley), and ascends in triumph."
Awards and honours
Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the recipient of several awards. The American Library Association listed the novel among its 2000 Notable Children's Books, as well as its Best Books for Young Adults. In 1999, Booklist named Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as one of its Editors' Choices, and as one of its Top Ten Fantasy Novels for Youth. The Cooperative Children's Book center made the novel a CCBC Choice of 2000 in the "Fiction for Children" category. The novel also won Children's Book of the Year British Book Award, and was shortlisted for the 1998 Guardian Children's Award and the 1998 Carnegie Award.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize 1998 Gold Medal in the 9–11 years division. Rowling also won two other Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The Scottish Arts Council awarded their first ever Children’s Book Award to the novel in 1999, and it was also awarded Whitaker's Platinum Book Award in 2001.
Religious response
Religious controversy surrounding Harry Potter and the Chamber of the Secrets and the other books in the Harry Potter series mainly deal with claims that the novel contains occult or Satanic subtexts. Religious response to the series has not been exclusively negative, however, and several religious groups have spoken in defense of the moralistic themes found in the book. The American Library Association even placed the series atop the "most challenged books" list for 1999–2001.
The Orthodox churches of Greece and Bulgaria have campaigned against the series, and in the United States, calls for the book to be banned from schools have led to legal challenges. Most of these are held on the grounds that witchcraft is a government-recognised religion and that to allow the novels to be held in public schools violates the separation of church and state.
Some religious responses have been positive. Emily Griesinger wrote that fantasy literature helps children to survive reality for long enough to learn how to deal with it, described Harry's first passage through to Platform 9¾ as an application of faith and hope, and his encounter with the Sorting Hat as the first of many in which Harry is shaped by the choices he makes. She noted that the self-sacrifice of Harry's mother, which protected the boy in the first book and throughout the series, was the most powerful of the "deeper magics" that transcend the magical "technology" of the wizards, and one which the power-hungry Voldemort fails to understand. Christianity Today published an editorial in favour of the books in January 2000, calling the series a "Book of Virtues" and averring that although "modern witchcraft is indeed an ensnaring, seductive false religion that we must protect our children from", the Harry Potter books represent "wonderful examples of compassion, loyalty, courage, friendship, and even self-sacrifice". "At least as much as they've been attacked from a theological point of view", commented Rowling, "[the books] have been lauded and taken into pulpit, and most interesting and satisfying for me, it's been by several different faiths".
Themes
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets continues the examination of what makes a person who he or she is, which began in the first book. As well as maintaining that Harry's identity is shaped by his decisions rather than any aspect of his birth,Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets provides contrasting characters who try to conceal their true personalities: as Tammy Nezol puts it, Gilderoy Lockhart "lacks any real identity" because he is nothing more than a charming liar. Riddle also complicates Harry's struggle to understand himself by pointing out the similarities between the two: "both half-bloods, orphans raised by Muggles, probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin."
Opposition to class, prejudice, and racism is a constant theme of the series. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry's consideration and respect for others extends to the lowly, non-human Dobby and the ghost Nearly Headless Nick. According to Marguerite Krause, achievements in the novel depend more on ingenuity and hard work than on natural talents.
Edward Duffy, an associate professor at Marquette University, says that one of the central characters of Chamber of Secrets is a book, Tom Riddle's enchanted diary, which takes control of Ginny Weasley – just as Riddle planned. Duffy suggests that Rowling intended this as a warning against passively consuming information from sources that have their own agendas. Although Bronwyn Williams and Amy Zenger regard the diary as more like an instant messaging or chat room system, they agree about the dangers of relying too much on the written word, which can camouflage the author, and they highlight a comical example, Lockhart's self-promoting books.
Immorality and the portrayal of authority as negative are significant themes in the novel. Marguerite Krause states that there are few absolute moral rules in Harry Potter's world, for example Harry prefers to tell the truth, but lies whenever he considers it necessary – very like his enemy Draco Malfoy. At the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore retracts his promise to punish Harry, Ron, and Hermione if they break any more school rules – after Professor McGonagall estimates that they have broken over 100 – and lavishly rewards them for ending the threat from the Chamber of Secrets. Krause further states that authority figures and political institutions receive little respect from Rowling. William MacNeil of Griffith University, Queensland, Australia states that the Minister for Magic is presented as a mediocrity. In his article "Harry Potter And The Secular City", Ken Jacobson suggests that the Ministry as a whole is portrayed as a tangle of bureaucratic empires, saying that "Ministry officials busy themselves with minutiae (e.g. standardising cauldron thicknesses) and coin politically correct euphemisms like 'non-magical community' (for Muggles) and 'memory modification' (for magical brainwashing)."
This novel implies that it begins in 1992: the cake for Nearly-Headless Nick's 500th deathday party bears the words "Sir Nicholas De Mimsy Porpington died 31 October 1492".
Connection to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Chamber of Secrets has many links with the sixth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In fact, Half-Blood Prince was the working title of Chamber of Secrets and Rowling says she originally intended to present some "crucial pieces of information" in the second book, but ultimately felt that "this information's proper home was book six". Some objects that play significant roles in Half-Blood Prince first appear in Chamber of Secrets: the Hand of Glory and the opal necklace that are on sale in Borgin and Burkes; a Vanishing Cabinet in Hogwarts that is damaged by Peeves the Poltergeist; and Tom Riddle's diary, which is later shown to be a Horcrux.
也許是出於對哈利魔法的忌憚，整個暑假都快過去了，德斯禮一傢除了不允許哈利做他的魔法作業外，幾乎沒有太為難他。但是哈利還是覺得很苦惱，因為他在霍格沃茨最好的兩個朋友——赫敏和羅恩似乎已經把他忘記了，三個好朋友說好要在暑假寫信保持聯繫，哈利不停地給兩個朋友寫信，但是直到現在，他卻還沒有接到一封回信。
就在假期馬上要結束的時候，一個名叫多比的小精靈突然出現在哈利的臥室中，它警告哈利，回到霍格沃茨將會有可怕的事情降臨，哈利會有生命危險！為了保全哈利的性命，多比截留了所有赫敏和羅恩給哈利的回信——它以為這樣哈利就會出於對朋友的失望而不再返回霍格沃茨上學，可是哈利堅持要回到霍格沃茨去，為了阻止哈利，多比在甚至違軌在麻瓜世界使用了魔法大鬧德斯禮一傢，結果哈利耽誤了返回霍格沃茨的專列，就在他心急如焚的時候，好朋友羅恩駕着一輛施了魔法的飛車來救駕了，費盡周折，他們終於得以在新學期開學典禮上趕回學校。
而此時，哈利上個學期擊潰伏地魔的英雄行為已經在霍格沃茨和整個魔法世界廣為傳播，哈利突然成為了衆人矚目的中心，有個風吹草動，他就可能成為人們議論的話題，偏偏新上任的黑魔法防禦課教授洛哈特(肯尼斯.布拉納)也是個愛出風頭的人物，尤其喜歡明裏暗裏地刁難一下哈利，然後把自己標榜成為霍格沃茨真正的大英雄。
果然和精靈多比預言的一樣，新學期開始沒多久，霍格沃茨就頻頻出現恐怖神秘的事件——幾個落單的學生和守門人的貓受到某種可怕的力量的攻擊而石化，而哈利的耳邊，也時常有一個幽靈般聲音響起，告訴他：霍格沃茨的密室之門被打開，邪惡力量的後嗣將會對學校裏的泥巴種(即父母不是巫師的學生)進行報復……
一時間霍格沃茨人心惶惶，由於能聽得懂蛇的語言，哈利被懷疑是那個傳說中邪惡力量的後嗣，圍在身邊的朋友們也紛紛開始置疑哈利，衹有赫敏和羅恩，始終對哈利寄予着百分之百的信任，然後當有一天，赫敏也被遭到了神秘力量的攻擊，一嚮熱衷於自吹自擂的洛哈特教授顯出懦夫的本性，臨陣退縮，衹有羅恩堅定地和哈利站在一起對抗着邪惡力量，哈利知道，為了保護他熱愛的霍格沃茨學校，為了拯救和他生死與共的好朋友，也為了洗清加在自己頭上的種種懷疑，他必須有所行動了，可是，他面對的敵人究竟是誰？他隱藏在哪裏？他的目的又是什麽？哈利陷入一團迷霧中……
《哈利·波特與密室》[電影]-影片評價
本集要比第一集更偏成人，色調更暗。由於片中一些比較駭人的場面，華納公司曾十分擔心影片被劃為PG-13級，這樣他們在影片上映後同期推出的波特玩具銷量將會大打折扣。《哈利·波特與密室》的原著小說不僅比第一部更長、包含更多的人物，角色也更具特色。雖然有些讀者將《密室》原著選為他們最不喜歡的一輯，因為劇情過於直接，缺乏麯折。但是，影片黑暗嚴峻的主題——魔法學校中的一個邪惡的存在將學生們一個個地變成了石頭——使導演哥倫布能夠專註於令人目眩的視覺特效以及刺激的動作場面。原先扮演魔法校長的老爺爺理查德·哈裏斯去世了，喜歡他的人可不能錯過這集。在原著小說的插圖裏，小精靈多比和影片裏的形象差距不小，片中用計算機特技製作出來多比還因為長得與俄羅斯總統普京有些相似而引起了關註和爭議。
《哈利·波特與密室》[電影]-幕後製作
《哈利·波特與密室》原著小說於1998年出版，隨即登上了英國暢銷書籍排行榜的冠軍，接着更在《紐約時報》、《今日美國報》和《華爾街日報》的暢銷書籍排行榜上稱霸，在全世界四十幾個國傢發行，總銷售量高達四千多萬本(光是在美國和加拿大就賣出了超過一千五百萬本)。
《哈利·波特與密室》於2001年11月19日，在哈特福郡的利夫斯登攝影棚展開拍攝工作，《哈利波特：神秘的魔法石》在英國當地纔上映三天，就打破了多項票房記錄，成為影史上總票房收入第二高的電影，同時囊括了三項奧斯卡金像奬的提名，以及七項英國影視藝術學院奬的提名，包括年度最佳英國影片。
這部新片再度找來童星丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫( 《驚爆危機》、BBC電視臺的《塊肉餘生錄》)飾演哈利波特、魯伯特·葛林特飾演榮恩·韋斯利、以及埃瑪·瓦特森飾演妙麗·格蘭傑，三位小魔法師進入了霍格華茲魔法與巫術學院的第二學年，與神秘的邪惡力量短兵交接。
身兼導演與執行製作職務的剋裏斯·哥倫布說："衹要你喜歡第一集的《哈利波特》電影，就一定會愛上《消失的密室》，這個故事更神秘黑暗，充滿了駭人的怪物和潛藏的邪惡力量；此外，這部電影還增加了許多令人興奮的新角色，包括新來的黑魔法防禦術教授基德羅·洛哈。"
具備編劇與導演等多項纔藝的演員肯尼斯·布萊納(《哈姆雷特》、 《都是男人惹的禍》 、《再續前世情》)，飾演嬌柔做作的自戀狂基德羅·洛哈，加入霍格華茲學院，擔任黑魔法防禦術的新教授。
肯尼斯·布萊納說："基德羅·洛哈是蘿琳筆下的萬人迷，我很樂於投入霍格華茲的魔法世界裏，和這麽多優秀的演職人員合作。"
《哈利·波特與密室》[電影]-幕後花絮
·一號男主演丹尼爾·雷德剋利弗在第二集拍到一半時突然變聲，後來經由一些技術處理纔算解决，不至於要重新再配音。
·由於片中一些比較駭人的場面，華納公司曾十分擔心影片被劃為PG-13級，這樣他們在影片上映後同期推出的波特玩具銷量將會大打折扣，別小看這些玩具，去年它們為華納公司帶來了超過5億美元的進帳！它們的最主要購買群體為7到11歲的兒童。
·作為一名父親，導演哥倫布曾對觀衆們發出這樣的警告："如果你們帶着自己7歲甚至比7歲還小的孩子來看這部片子，請一定要確保他們有能力分辨他們看的是什麽。"
·在原著小說的插圖裏，小精靈多比穿着一個茶巾改成的、面口袋似的破舊衣服，尖頭尖腦，頑皮可愛，像衹小老鼠多過像精靈，和影片裏的形象差距不小。
·影片中的大部分室內場景都是在倫敦郊外一個由廢棄機場改造的攝影棚內完成，據說這個位置隱秘的機庫內共有22個攝影棚，而《哈利·波特》的劇組就包下了其中的17個。
·為了拍攝羅恩和波特開着飛天汽車趕去魔法學校一幕，劇組共動用了14輛一模一樣的老爺車，以應付不同角度的拍攝需要。
·為了凸現出洛哈特教授的愛慕虛榮，導演哥倫布和原作者羅琳女士一起商量後，為這個角色親自設計了各種以絲綢服飾為主的造型，色彩華貴豔麗中又透出一種世俗浮華的味道。
·還是為了奬勵丹尼爾在第一集中的出色表演，華納公司送給丹尼爾一個他夢寐以求的電子遊戲軟件，雖然價值衹有區區10英鎊，但卻讓童心不減的丹尼爾着實激動了半天。
·飾演羅恩的魯伯特承認，他覺得尷尬的是有時候影迷們會拿一些稀奇古怪的東西讓他們簽名，就在幾天前，竟然還有人請他在一張支票上簽名，弄得魯伯特哭笑不得。
·飾演赫敏的艾瑪最喜歡的演員是好萊塢"最性感的男人"布拉德·彼特，她說渴望自己到好萊塢發展，有朝一日能和她的偶像合作拍片。
·在霍格沃茨學生宿舍走廊裏出現的那些會動的畫像，據說畫裏的人物都是以劇組就地取材，以各位幕後工作人員，比如劇務、燈光師、化妝師等等為模特繪製的。
·隨着電影一部接一部推出，衆多的波特迷們等待着羅琳的第五部《哈利·波特》小說問世也是等得心焦，這部已經定名為《哈利·波特與鳳凰的命令》的小說，最新的說法，將會在明年6月份正式出版。
《哈利·波特與密室》[電影]-穿幫鏡頭
·在魁地奇比賽過程中，可以看到藏在哈裏掃帚上的鋼絲。
·連貫性：羅恩從他母親收到咆哮信Howler，稍後不久，艾爾闖了進來，可以看到那封紅色的信是打開着的，當羅恩把信從艾爾的嘴裏拿來的時候，我們可以看到羅恩打開信封，這樣他才能閱讀信件。
·哈利和榮恩跑往九又四分之三月臺去趕霍格華茲特快車，鳥籠因碰撞快要倒地時可以發現那是衹假鳥。
·影片中决鬥的鏡頭左邊可以看到劇組人員(攝影師)。
·密室中哈利波特靠近圓鏡前裝着頭骨的玻璃容器，隨即走開，這時候他身邊出現一個很高的鐵裝飾物，之前這裏顯示並無此物。
·汽車樹林邊停下時，車尾部有個被撞的很深的凹陷，以及邊上有福特盎格魯汽車商標牌，僅僅在他們取下行禮後凹痕和商標牌都不見了。
·影片中有個小演員，他的左臉上兩顆丘疹位置居然是會移動的。
·哈裏波特右手按在傷口上和ginny說話，當時右手背有着血污，隨着鏡頭拉近，血污消失了。
·家庭精靈多比在哈利的臥房裏與之交談的場景裏，背後墻壁上懸挂物間的距離有較大改變。
·奔跑中他們與行李車相撞：仔細看發生碰撞時行李車底部有5根鐵條，兩人倒地後行李車底部衹有4根鐵條，這顯然不是同一架行李車。
·飛天魔法車上哈利和榮恩尖叫的鏡頭，哈利身後有衹神秘的手扶着鳥籠……
The book was published in the United Kingdom on 2 July 1998 by Bloomsbury and in the United States on 2 June 1999 by Scholastic Inc. Although Rowling found it difficult to finish the book, it won high praise and awards from critics, young readers and the book industry, although some critics thought the story was perhaps too frightening for younger children. Some religious authorities have condemned its use of magical themes, while others have praised its emphasis on self-sacrifice and on the way in which a person's character is the result of the person's choices.
Several commentators have noted that personal identity is a strong theme in the book, and that it addresses issues of racism through the treatment of non-magical, non-human and non-living characters. Some commentators regard the diary as a warning against uncritical acceptance of information from sources whose motives and reliability cannot be checked. Institutional authority is portrayed as self-serving and incompetent.
The film version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, released in 2002, became the third film to exceed $600 million in international box office sales and received generally favourable reviews. However, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers won the Saturn Award for the Best Fantasy Film. Video games loosely based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were also released for several platforms, and most obtained favourable reviews.
Synopsis
Plot introduction
In the first novel in the Harry Potter series, the main character, Harry Potter, has struggled with the difficulties that come with growing up and the added challenge of being a famous wizard. When Harry was a baby, Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard in living memory, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after trying to kill Harry. This results in Harry's immediate fame, and his being placed in the care of his Muggle, or non-magical, relatives Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.
Harry enters the wizarding world at the age of eleven, enrolling in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is confronted by Lord Voldemort trying to regain power.
Plot summary
Soon after the start of Harry's second year at Hogwarts, messages on the walls of the corridors say that the mythical Chamber of Secrets has been re-opened and that the "heir of Slytherin" would kill all pupils whose parents are both non-magical – which includes Hermione. At intervals various inhabitants of the school are found petrified in corridors. Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione discover Moaning Myrtle, the ghost of a girl who was killed the last time the Chamber was opened, and who now haunts the girls' toilet in which she died. Myrtle shows Harry a diary bearing the name Tom Marvolo Riddle. Although its pages are blank, it responds when Harry writes in it. Eventually the book shows him Hogwarts as it was fifty years ago. There he sees Tom Riddle, a pupil at the time, pin the blame for opening the Chamber on Rubeus Hagrid, who was then thirteen years old and already devoted to keeping dangerous magical creatures as pets.
Four months later, the diary is stolen, and shortly afterward Hermione is petrified. However, she holds a note explaining that the culprit is a basilisk, a huge serpent whose gaze kills those who look into its eyes directly but only petrifies those who look into them by means of a reflecting surface, such as water or a mirror. Hermione concluded that the monster travels through the school's pipes and emerges through the toilet Myrtle haunts. As the attacks continue, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, holds Hagrid in the wizards' prison as a precaution. Lucius Malfoy, a former supporter of Voldemort who claims to have reformed, then announces that the school's governors have suspended Dumbledore from the position of headmaster.
After Ron's younger sister Ginny is taken into the Chamber, the staff insist that the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, should handle the situation. However, when Harry and Ron go to his office to tell him what they have discovered about the basilisk, Lockhart reveals that he is a fraud who took credit for the accomplishments of others and attempts to erase the boys' memories. Disarming Lockhart, they march him to Moaning Myrtle's toilet, where Harry opens the passage to the Chamber of Secrets. In the sewers under the school, Lockhart grabs Ron's wand and tries again to wipe the boys' memories – but Ron's wand had been damaged in an accident at the start of the school year and the spell backfires, inflicting total amnesia on Lockhart, collapsing part of the tunnel and separating Harry from Ron and Lockhart.
While Ron attempts to tunnel through the rubble, Harry enters the Chamber of Secrets, where Ginny lies beside the diary. As he examines her, Tom Riddle appears, looking exactly as he did fifty years ago, and explains that he is a memory stored in the diary. Ginny wrote in it about her adolescent hopes and fears, and Riddle won her confidence by appearing sympathetic, possessed her, and used her to open the Chamber. Riddle also reveals that he is Voldemort as a boy. He further explains that he learned from Ginny who Harry was and about his own deeds as Voldemort. When Ginny realised that she had been responsible for the attacks, she attempted to throw the diary away, which is how it came into Harry's possession. Riddle then releases the basilisk to kill Harry. Dumbledore's pet phoenix, Fawkes, brings a magnificent sword wrapped in the Sorting Hat. Harry uses the sword to kill the basilisk – but only after being bitten by the creature's venomous fangs, one of which breaks off. As Riddle gloats over the dying Harry, Fawkes cures him with its tears. Harry stabs the diary with the broken fang, and Riddle screams and vanishes. Ginny revives after Riddle's disappearance and they return to Ron, who is still watching over the amnesic Lockhart. Fawkes carries all four out of the tunnels.
Harry recounts the whole story to Dumbledore, who has been reinstated. The headmaster revokes his threat to expel the boys if they broke more rules and gives them special awards for services to the school. When Harry mentions his fears that he is similar to Tom Riddle, Dumbledore says that Harry chose Gryffindor House, and only a true member of that House could have used Godric Gryffindor's sword to kill the basilisk. Lucius Malfoy bursts in, and Harry accuses him of slipping the diary into one of Ginny's books while all the pupils were shopping for school books. Malfoy replies, "Prove it." Finally, all of the basilisk's petrified victims are revived by a potion, the preparation of which has taken several months.
Publication and reception
Development
Rowling found it difficult to finish Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets because she was afraid it would not live up to the expectations raised by Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. After delivering the manuscript to Bloomsbury on schedule, she took it back for six weeks of revision.
In early drafts of the book, the ghost Nearly Headless Nick sang a self-composed song explaining his condition and the circumstances of his death. This was cut as the book's editor did not care for the poem, which has been subsequently published as an extra on J. K. Rowling's official website. The family background of Dean Thomas was removed because Rowling and her publishers considered it an "unnecessary digression", and she considered Neville Longbottom's own journey of discovery "more important to the central plot".
Publication
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. It immediately took first place in UK bestseller lists, displacing popular authors such as John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and Terry Pratchett, and making Rowling the first author to win the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year for two years in succession. In June 1999 it went straight to the top of three US bestseller lists, including The New York Times'.
First edition printings had several errors, which were fixed in subsequent reprints. Initially Dumbledore said that Voldemort was the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin, instead of his descendant. Gilderoy Lockhart's book on werewolves is entitled Weekends with Werewolves at one point and Wanderings with Werewolves later in the book.
Critical response
In The Times, Deborah Loudon described Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as a children's book that would be "re-read into adulthood" and highlighted its "strong plots, engaging characters, excellent jokes and a moral message which flows naturally from the story". Fantasy author Charles de Lint agreed, and considered the second Harry Potter book as good as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, a rare achievement among series of books. Thomas Wagner regarded the plot as very similar to that of the first book, based on searching for a secret hidden under the school. However, he enjoyed the parody of celebrities and their fans that centres round Gilderoy Lockhart, and approved of the book's handling of racism. Tammy Nezol found the book more disturbing than its predecessor, particularly in the rash behaviour of Harry and his friends after Harry withholds information from Dumbledore, and in the human-like behaviour of the mandrakes used to make a potion that cures petrification. Nevertheless she considered the second story as enjoyable as the first.
Mary Stuart thought the final conflict with Tom Riddle in the Chamber was almost as scary as in some of Stephen King's works, and perhaps too strong for young or timid children. She commented that "there are enough surprises and imaginative details thrown in as would normally fill five lesser books." Like other reviewers, she thought the book would give pleasure to both children and adult readers. According to Philip Nel, the early reviews gave unalloyed praise while the later ones included some criticisms, although they still agreed that the book was outstanding.
Writing after all seven books had been published, Graeme Davis regarded Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as the weakest of the series, and agreed that the plot structure is much the same as in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. He described Fawkes's appearance to arm Harry and then to heal him as a deus ex machina: the book does not explain how Fawkes knew where to find Harry; and Fawkes's timing had to be very precise, as arriving earlier would probably have prevented the battle with the basilisk, while arriving later would have been fatal to Harry and Ginny.
Dave Kopel describes the climactic scene in which Harry saves Ginny from Riddle's diary and the basilisk as Pilgrim's Progress for a new audience: "Harry descends to a deep underworld, is confronted by two Satanic minions (Voldemort and a giant serpent), is saved from certain death by his faith in Dumbledore (the bearded God the Father/Ancient of Days), rescues the virgin (Ginerva [sic] Weasley), and ascends in triumph."
Awards and honours
Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the recipient of several awards. The American Library Association listed the novel among its 2000 Notable Children's Books, as well as its Best Books for Young Adults. In 1999, Booklist named Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as one of its Editors' Choices, and as one of its Top Ten Fantasy Novels for Youth. The Cooperative Children's Book center made the novel a CCBC Choice of 2000 in the "Fiction for Children" category. The novel also won Children's Book of the Year British Book Award, and was shortlisted for the 1998 Guardian Children's Award and the 1998 Carnegie Award.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize 1998 Gold Medal in the 9–11 years division. Rowling also won two other Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The Scottish Arts Council awarded their first ever Children’s Book Award to the novel in 1999, and it was also awarded Whitaker's Platinum Book Award in 2001.
Religious response
Religious controversy surrounding Harry Potter and the Chamber of the Secrets and the other books in the Harry Potter series mainly deal with claims that the novel contains occult or Satanic subtexts. Religious response to the series has not been exclusively negative, however, and several religious groups have spoken in defense of the moralistic themes found in the book. The American Library Association even placed the series atop the "most challenged books" list for 1999–2001.
The Orthodox churches of Greece and Bulgaria have campaigned against the series, and in the United States, calls for the book to be banned from schools have led to legal challenges. Most of these are held on the grounds that witchcraft is a government-recognised religion and that to allow the novels to be held in public schools violates the separation of church and state.
Some religious responses have been positive. Emily Griesinger wrote that fantasy literature helps children to survive reality for long enough to learn how to deal with it, described Harry's first passage through to Platform 9¾ as an application of faith and hope, and his encounter with the Sorting Hat as the first of many in which Harry is shaped by the choices he makes. She noted that the self-sacrifice of Harry's mother, which protected the boy in the first book and throughout the series, was the most powerful of the "deeper magics" that transcend the magical "technology" of the wizards, and one which the power-hungry Voldemort fails to understand. Christianity Today published an editorial in favour of the books in January 2000, calling the series a "Book of Virtues" and averring that although "modern witchcraft is indeed an ensnaring, seductive false religion that we must protect our children from", the Harry Potter books represent "wonderful examples of compassion, loyalty, courage, friendship, and even self-sacrifice". "At least as much as they've been attacked from a theological point of view", commented Rowling, "[the books] have been lauded and taken into pulpit, and most interesting and satisfying for me, it's been by several different faiths".
Themes
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets continues the examination of what makes a person who he or she is, which began in the first book. As well as maintaining that Harry's identity is shaped by his decisions rather than any aspect of his birth,Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets provides contrasting characters who try to conceal their true personalities: as Tammy Nezol puts it, Gilderoy Lockhart "lacks any real identity" because he is nothing more than a charming liar. Riddle also complicates Harry's struggle to understand himself by pointing out the similarities between the two: "both half-bloods, orphans raised by Muggles, probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin."
Opposition to class, prejudice, and racism is a constant theme of the series. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry's consideration and respect for others extends to the lowly, non-human Dobby and the ghost Nearly Headless Nick. According to Marguerite Krause, achievements in the novel depend more on ingenuity and hard work than on natural talents.
Edward Duffy, an associate professor at Marquette University, says that one of the central characters of Chamber of Secrets is a book, Tom Riddle's enchanted diary, which takes control of Ginny Weasley – just as Riddle planned. Duffy suggests that Rowling intended this as a warning against passively consuming information from sources that have their own agendas. Although Bronwyn Williams and Amy Zenger regard the diary as more like an instant messaging or chat room system, they agree about the dangers of relying too much on the written word, which can camouflage the author, and they highlight a comical example, Lockhart's self-promoting books.
Immorality and the portrayal of authority as negative are significant themes in the novel. Marguerite Krause states that there are few absolute moral rules in Harry Potter's world, for example Harry prefers to tell the truth, but lies whenever he considers it necessary – very like his enemy Draco Malfoy. At the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore retracts his promise to punish Harry, Ron, and Hermione if they break any more school rules – after Professor McGonagall estimates that they have broken over 100 – and lavishly rewards them for ending the threat from the Chamber of Secrets. Krause further states that authority figures and political institutions receive little respect from Rowling. William MacNeil of Griffith University, Queensland, Australia states that the Minister for Magic is presented as a mediocrity. In his article "Harry Potter And The Secular City", Ken Jacobson suggests that the Ministry as a whole is portrayed as a tangle of bureaucratic empires, saying that "Ministry officials busy themselves with minutiae (e.g. standardising cauldron thicknesses) and coin politically correct euphemisms like 'non-magical community' (for Muggles) and 'memory modification' (for magical brainwashing)."
This novel implies that it begins in 1992: the cake for Nearly-Headless Nick's 500th deathday party bears the words "Sir Nicholas De Mimsy Porpington died 31 October 1492".
Connection to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Chamber of Secrets has many links with the sixth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In fact, Half-Blood Prince was the working title of Chamber of Secrets and Rowling says she originally intended to present some "crucial pieces of information" in the second book, but ultimately felt that "this information's proper home was book six". Some objects that play significant roles in Half-Blood Prince first appear in Chamber of Secrets: the Hand of Glory and the opal necklace that are on sale in Borgin and Burkes; a Vanishing Cabinet in Hogwarts that is damaged by Peeves the Poltergeist; and Tom Riddle's diary, which is later shown to be a Horcrux.
哈利波特和他的兩位好友──榮恩與妙麗，在霍格華茲魔法與巫術學院，要邁入第三個學年了，這幾個青少年被迫面對內心最大的恐懼，要應付一個危險的逃犯，還有原本是要保護他的一群催狂魔。
十三歲的哈利波特，心不甘、情不願地和德思禮一傢人，又一起住了一個暑假，過著“安分守己”的無聊生活，而且還不能使用任何魔法，直到最後，威農姨丈那個傲慢又霸道的姊姊瑪姬姑姑來訪。瑪姬姑姑一直都對哈利很壞，這次還把他逼到了極限，結果他“不小心”讓她充氣成一個巨大的氣球，就這樣飛走了。哈利害怕會受到姨媽和姨丈的懲罰，也擔心霍格華茲魔法與巫術學院會聽到風聲，因為他們禁止學生在麻瓜世界裏施用魔咒，所以他可能會受到處分，於是他就趁著晚上逃跑了。
“騎士公車”馬上就來把他接走了，這是一輛紫色的三層公車，迅速地送他去破釜酒吧。哈利一到破釜酒吧，就看到魔法部部長康尼留斯夫子在等著他，可是夫子莫名奇妙地居然沒有處罰他，反而堅持要他留在破釜酒吧過夜，隔天再去霍格華茲。
原來夫子沒有開除哈利，是因為有一個危險又神秘的魔法師天狼星布萊剋，逃出了阿茲卡班監獄，據說他在尋找哈利的下落；謠傳當初就是布萊剋，引領佛地魔找上哈利的父母，最後害死了他們，甚至還想殺死哈利，因此他唯一安全的避難所，就是霍格華茲了。
然而更糟糕的是，霍格華茲還要接待可怕的阿茲卡班守衛催狂魔，他們要保護哈利和學校，遠離布萊剋的威脅。他們會吸取獵物的靈魂，很不幸的是他們受到哈利所吸引，讓哈利覺得毛骨悚然，而且又茫然無助，直到新來的黑魔法防禦術老師路平教授，訓練哈利使用“疾疾，護法現身”的咒語，抵禦催狂魔讓對手全身麻痹的魔法。
此外，哈利在霍格華茲的第三年，還加入了幾個新角色：鷹頭馬身的魔法怪物巴剋比，又被稱之為“鷹馬”；衹要看到了“狗靈”，代表著陰森駭人的死神即將出現的預兆；還有驚險刺激的冒險，包括密訪魔法村莊“活米村”，揭開隱藏在劫盜地圖裏的秘密，還有尖叫屋的恐怖之旅，也就是全英國鬧鬼最嚴重的建築物。在途中，哈利想搞清楚，妙麗在榮恩和巨人海格的協助之下，是怎麽神奇地來無影、去無蹤；這一集故事中的海格，已經當上了霍格華茲的照顧魔法動物老師。
哈利和神秘逃犯天狼星布萊剋，看來是免不了要正面交鋒了，不過路平教授和布萊剋之間，到底有什麽關係？石內卜教授這麽迫不及待，是想要揭開什麽黑暗的秘密？榮恩的寵物老鼠斑斑，為什麽會發了瘋似地從他的手裏逃脫？哈利需要最大的勇氣、魔法和協助，才能解答這些疑問，揭曉天狼星布萊剋背後隱藏的真相，還有他和這位天賦異稟的小魔法師，過去有什麽神秘的關聯性。
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]-相關消息
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》
在《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》中，哈利-波特依然是那個小巫師，赫敏-格蘭傑和羅恩-韋斯利還是他最好的朋友，但哈利-波特在本集中不得不面對更大的挑戰。當哈利-波特和他的朋友們回到霍格沃茨魔法學校第三年時，他們面對的敵人是臭名昭著的，隨時對哈利有所圖謀的逃犯。這個逃犯被認為曾經殺害了哈利-波特的父母，這次他的目標是哈利。在劇中這名逃犯名叫西裏爾斯-布萊剋(Sirius Black)，由加利-奧德曼(Gary Oldman)飾演。魔法小英雄也要面對他自己對死亡的恐懼以及對死亡預示的絶望。他說在《哈利-波特》一書中，是他最喜歡的一部分。在劇中飾演主人公哈利-波特，現年十四歲的丹尼爾-雷德剋裏夫（Daniel Radcliffe）說，真是很令人感到不可思議，因為在本集中，對哈利-波特這個人物簡直進行了一次徹底地改造。他變得更富有敵意了，他和那些與他年紀相仿的青少年一樣具有侵略性，是指所有十三歲的孩子都有的。哈利-波特在本集中對那些湖中的大魷魚怪、也包括各種各樣怪物以及他身邊發生的很多魔法現象表現的很習以為常了，在前兩集中讓他感到很驚奇的事物現在都很平常。在處理魔法學校的一些事情中，也變得很輕鬆了，但是他卻在如何與人交流上變得很偏執。
這些青春期孩子生理上的改變在電影中同樣得到了表現。在采訪中赫敏-格蘭傑的扮演者艾瑪-沃森忽然與劇組其他人員耳語了幾句後，談起了在電影中她和羅恩-韋斯利互相牽手的一幕，這時她更是做了一個十三歲孩子經常做的鬼臉。她說：影片中要求我和飾演羅恩-韋斯利的魯伯特-格林特要做一個令人尷尬的擁抱。兩個人扮演的角色應該有一種愛恨交加的關係。
在談到這些角色上的改變時，這位墨西哥出生的導演阿方索-庫朗說，孩子們到了青春期，所以對一些事情會變得有些憤怒。在本集中自己不會去壓抑這些情緒，要讓他們釋放出來。這並不等於提倡或者鼓勵，僅僅是讓他們釋放出來。並不想讓這些角色在感情上美麗無暇，有時他們會失去自製力，這也很正常。
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]-創作特色
這是一部更加“黑色”的電影，不論是在視覺效果上還是在聽覺效果上。導演所關註的細節更多的集中在人物和豐富的視覺效果上，為了使魔法看起來更過癮，特技效果也同樣不能忽略。在本部電影中，顔色的變化非常明顯。影片中以暗色為主，音樂更加使人感覺縈繞心頭，這也是導演的獨具匠心。導演在拍攝中更多地運用了多角度的拍攝手法，為的就是增加影片的效果。本片的攝影師邁剋爾-塞瑞岑（Michael Seresin）說這部電影的劇情很生動，所以與之配合的燈光也要求更生動一些。也就是要采用高對比度，要有更多的陰影。本片的編劇斯圖爾特-剋雷格（Stuart Craig）也補充說，在本片中會有非常多的魔法作為背景出現，會有更多的怪物出現，而且製作效果更加豐富，拍攝的細節更加出色。
在《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》中會出現更多的角色，除了由加利-奧德曼飾演的逃犯西裏爾斯-布萊剋外，新增加了由戴維-休利斯（David Thewlis）飾演的狼人教授魯賓（werewolf Professor Lupin）；埃瑪-湯普森（Emma Thompson）飾演的特雷羅尼太太（Madame Trelawney）；還有灰發飄逸、法袍着身、有怪習慣的天界預言老師。同時在電影中霍格斯米德的店鋪采用了維多利亞建築風格，看起來更加古典。孩子們最喜歡的糖果中多了很多墨西哥式的椰奶糖和棒棒糖，這也是導演的匠心所在。
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]-影片評價
這部將新鮮和黑暗混合在一起的新作不但會讓哈迷們滿意，還會讓更多觀衆加入哈迷的陣營。
——《達拉斯新聞早報》
本片不但是前三部哈利·波特電影中最棒的一部，而且即使觀衆沒聽說過羅琳和她的作品，也依然會被深深吸引。
——《滾石》
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]-幕後製作
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》
為了讓服裝同影片的當代風格相一致，服裝設計師傑妮·特敏就此做出了細微調整，將顔色變淡，並且提供了汗衫、套頭衫和羊毛衫等多重選擇。甚至在哈利·波特騎魁地奇的一段中，劇組特意安排了雨景，於是一種新型的防水面料得以應用。
說到雨景，可謂正好迎合了本片憂鬱的風格。因為本片的故事比過去的兩部更陰暗，所以照明也更沉悶，並夾雜着更多的陰影。卡隆很謹慎的使用特寫鏡頭，而是用大量的廣角鏡頭講述故事。影片劇組在蘇格蘭的科峽𠔌拍攝時巧遇了長達28天的陰雨天氣，與拍攝要求不謀而合，令攝影師邁剋爾·塞瑞岑歡快不已。將半鷹半馬的巴剋比剋搬上大銀幕可謂讓主創人員煞費苦心，僅完成藍本就用了幾個月的時間，建造模型用去了將近1年時間，用CG生成運動中的巴剋比剋也是幾經周折，而其中最棘手的技術莫過於讓鷹的羽毛同身體的運動相協調。
三層的“騎士公車”是片中又一亮眼裝備。製作能在公路上奔跑的三層巴士並非易事，車體取自倫敦巴士，底盤是重新製作的，以便能承受特製的車身。片中“騎士巴士”以100英裏時速在公路上飛奔的場景是在倫敦拍攝的，用了數周纔拍攝完成。在實際拍攝中，公車的時速衹有30英裏，而其他車輛的時速已降至8英裏。
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]-幕後花絮
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》
艾瑪·湯普森接拍本片是為了4歲大的女兒。
卡裏·科瑞(Callie Khouri)和肯尼斯·布拉納都曾是本片導演的人選。
在理查德·哈裏斯死後，剋裏斯托弗·李、伊安·麥剋萊恩和理查德·阿滕伯勒都曾是扮演校長的人選。
劇組的效果部門用了6個月纔創造出攝魂怪。
魔術師保羅·基夫任本片顧問，並嚮丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫、愛瑪·沃特森等演員傳授魔術技藝。他是在所有係列影片中出現的第一位魔術師顧問，還在片中客串了一個角色。
製片方曾希望吉爾莫·德爾·托羅執導本片，但托羅後來選擇了《地獄男爵》。
馬剋·福斯特曾拒絶執導本片，而去拍攝了《尋找夢幻島》。
小天狼星布萊剋身上的紋身源自俄羅斯監獄，這種紋身意味着這個囚犯值得敬畏。
加裏·奧德曼稱之所以出演本片是因為他需要這份工作，因為他已經1年多沒拍戲了。
為了讓丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫表現出敬畏的表情，導演阿方索·卡隆讓他設想看到了一絲不挂的卡梅隆·迪亞茲。
合同中曾標明，導演阿方索·卡隆不得在片場的兒童面前駡人。
為了負責監督本片的後期製作，導演阿方索·卡隆拒絶執導2005年的《哈利·波特與火焰杯》。
影片以530萬英鎊打破了英國首映當日票房紀錄。
為了防止非法偷拍，華納兄弟公司為影院員工提供了夜視儀。
加裏·奧德曼送給丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫一把低音電吉他作見面禮。
導演阿方索·卡隆在片中客串了在客棧中手持蠟燭的人。
阿方索·卡隆曾想在片中加入侏儒，但羅琳堅决反對。
Plot
Having lost his temper with his Aunt Marge and inadvertently causing her to magically inflate, Harry Potter flees the Dursleys'. Harry takes the Knight Bus to The Leaky Cauldron, where he meets Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Fudge informs Harry that Aunt Marge has been deflated and that he will not be punished. The Ministry of Magic is simply concerned about Harry's safety due to the escape of mass-murderer Sirius Black from the wizarding prison Azkaban. Black was a great friend of the Potter family and Harry's godfather, but betrayed the family to the evil Lord Voldemort. Voldemort killed Harry's parents but, when he tried to kill Harry, mysteriously vanished. Afterward, Black murdered their friend Peter Pettigrew along with 12 bystanders.
Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and find security has been tightened because of Black's escape. The grounds are now guarded by Dementors, dark, sinister beings that drain the happiness of anyone nearby and guard Azkaban prison. They also cause Harry to pass out. Remus Lupin, the school's new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher tells Harry he is more vulnerable to the Dementors because he has seen genuine horrors in his past. Lupin agrees to teach Harry the Patronus Charm, a shield against the Dementors.
Harry is depressed to learn he will not be allowed to visit Hogsmeade, the local village most students are allowed to visit on weekends. He is also angry with Draco Malfoy for ruining Hagrid's first lesson as Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Malfoy deliberately allows himself to be attacked by Buckbeak, Hagrid's beloved Hippogriff, and his father ensures that Buckbeak is sentenced to be executed at the end of the school year. Over the course of the year, Hermione uses a Time-Turner to travel in time and attend classes held at the same time. Black manages to break into the castle twice, but is unable to reach Harry. Fred and George Weasley show Harry a secret passageway to Hogsmeade and give him the Marauder's Map.
During one illicit visit to the village, Harry is nearly caught while Ron discovers that Scabbers, Ron's rat, has disappeared. Ron believes he has been eaten by Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, causing a falling-out between him and Hermione. Hermione later finds Scabbers in Hagrid's hut when the three of them visit him before Buckbeak's execution. On their way back from the hut, Ron is suddenly attacked by a large black dog and dragged into a passage beneath a magical tree, the Whomping Willow.
Harry and Hermione follow them in and find themselves in an old, boarded-up shack known as the Shrieking Shack. They also discover that the dog is the animagus Sirius Black. Harry attempts to attack Black when Lupin arrives. Hermione confronts Lupin about habits she has observed during her classes with him and Lupin admits to being a werewolf. Lupin explains that he, Black, Pettigrew, and James Potter, Harry's father, were great friends and called themselves the "Marauders". To make Lupin's transformations more enjoyable, his friends all became Animagi, humans who can turn into animals at will. The Marauders remained friends after growing up, and when they learned Voldemort was after the Potters, Black became their Secret-Keeper. However, Black then reveals that he had secretly switched this duty with Pettigrew in order to serve as a decoy. Black states Pettigrew is the betrayer and, rather than being murdered by Black, is actually Scabbers.
Lupin and Sirius force Pettigrew to reveal himself, and Pettigrew transforms from Scabbers and back into human form. He admits to the story, but Harry stops Black and Lupin from killing him and becoming murderers themselves. Instead, Harry persuades them to take Pettigrew back to Hogwarts castle in order to clear Sirius's name. However, as they and they return to the castle the full moon emerges and Lupin transforms. Pettigrew escapes while Dementors descend on the others. They are saved at the last minute by a Patronus Harry believes was cast by his father.
Harry awakes in the castle to learn that Black has been captured. To save him, Harry and Hermione use the Time-Turner to travel back in time and prevent his capture. Harry and Hermione rescue Buckbeak and re-watch the scenes of the night, until they see the Dementors cornering Harry and Sirius. Harry is determined to see who sent the Patronus, only to realize that it was himself. Sirius is rescued and flees on Buckbeak. Lupin, outed as a werewolf, resigns. Harry is worried that Pettigrew may help Voldemort to return, but Dumbledore says Harry may be grateful that he helped save Pettigrew's life.
Pre-release history
Of the first three books in the series, Prisoner of Azkaban took the shortest amount of time to write - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone took five years to complete and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets needed two years, while Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was written in one year. Rowling's favorite aspect of this book was introducing the character Remus Lupin.
Film adaptation
The film version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released in 2004. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay, and Alfonso Cuarón was the director. The movie débuted at number one and held that position for two weeks. The Prisoner of Azkaban made a total of $795.6 million worldwide, which made it the second highest-grossing film of 2004 behind Shrek 2 but is the lowest grossing film of the Harry Potter Series.
十三歲的哈利波特，心不甘、情不願地和德思禮一傢人，又一起住了一個暑假，過著“安分守己”的無聊生活，而且還不能使用任何魔法，直到最後，威農姨丈那個傲慢又霸道的姊姊瑪姬姑姑來訪。瑪姬姑姑一直都對哈利很壞，這次還把他逼到了極限，結果他“不小心”讓她充氣成一個巨大的氣球，就這樣飛走了。哈利害怕會受到姨媽和姨丈的懲罰，也擔心霍格華茲魔法與巫術學院會聽到風聲，因為他們禁止學生在麻瓜世界裏施用魔咒，所以他可能會受到處分，於是他就趁著晚上逃跑了。
“騎士公車”馬上就來把他接走了，這是一輛紫色的三層公車，迅速地送他去破釜酒吧。哈利一到破釜酒吧，就看到魔法部部長康尼留斯夫子在等著他，可是夫子莫名奇妙地居然沒有處罰他，反而堅持要他留在破釜酒吧過夜，隔天再去霍格華茲。
原來夫子沒有開除哈利，是因為有一個危險又神秘的魔法師天狼星布萊剋，逃出了阿茲卡班監獄，據說他在尋找哈利的下落；謠傳當初就是布萊剋，引領佛地魔找上哈利的父母，最後害死了他們，甚至還想殺死哈利，因此他唯一安全的避難所，就是霍格華茲了。
然而更糟糕的是，霍格華茲還要接待可怕的阿茲卡班守衛催狂魔，他們要保護哈利和學校，遠離布萊剋的威脅。他們會吸取獵物的靈魂，很不幸的是他們受到哈利所吸引，讓哈利覺得毛骨悚然，而且又茫然無助，直到新來的黑魔法防禦術老師路平教授，訓練哈利使用“疾疾，護法現身”的咒語，抵禦催狂魔讓對手全身麻痹的魔法。
此外，哈利在霍格華茲的第三年，還加入了幾個新角色：鷹頭馬身的魔法怪物巴剋比，又被稱之為“鷹馬”；衹要看到了“狗靈”，代表著陰森駭人的死神即將出現的預兆；還有驚險刺激的冒險，包括密訪魔法村莊“活米村”，揭開隱藏在劫盜地圖裏的秘密，還有尖叫屋的恐怖之旅，也就是全英國鬧鬼最嚴重的建築物。在途中，哈利想搞清楚，妙麗在榮恩和巨人海格的協助之下，是怎麽神奇地來無影、去無蹤；這一集故事中的海格，已經當上了霍格華茲的照顧魔法動物老師。
哈利和神秘逃犯天狼星布萊剋，看來是免不了要正面交鋒了，不過路平教授和布萊剋之間，到底有什麽關係？石內卜教授這麽迫不及待，是想要揭開什麽黑暗的秘密？榮恩的寵物老鼠斑斑，為什麽會發了瘋似地從他的手裏逃脫？哈利需要最大的勇氣、魔法和協助，才能解答這些疑問，揭曉天狼星布萊剋背後隱藏的真相，還有他和這位天賦異稟的小魔法師，過去有什麽神秘的關聯性。
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]-相關消息
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》
在《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》中，哈利-波特依然是那個小巫師，赫敏-格蘭傑和羅恩-韋斯利還是他最好的朋友，但哈利-波特在本集中不得不面對更大的挑戰。當哈利-波特和他的朋友們回到霍格沃茨魔法學校第三年時，他們面對的敵人是臭名昭著的，隨時對哈利有所圖謀的逃犯。這個逃犯被認為曾經殺害了哈利-波特的父母，這次他的目標是哈利。在劇中這名逃犯名叫西裏爾斯-布萊剋(Sirius Black)，由加利-奧德曼(Gary Oldman)飾演。魔法小英雄也要面對他自己對死亡的恐懼以及對死亡預示的絶望。他說在《哈利-波特》一書中，是他最喜歡的一部分。在劇中飾演主人公哈利-波特，現年十四歲的丹尼爾-雷德剋裏夫（Daniel Radcliffe）說，真是很令人感到不可思議，因為在本集中，對哈利-波特這個人物簡直進行了一次徹底地改造。他變得更富有敵意了，他和那些與他年紀相仿的青少年一樣具有侵略性，是指所有十三歲的孩子都有的。哈利-波特在本集中對那些湖中的大魷魚怪、也包括各種各樣怪物以及他身邊發生的很多魔法現象表現的很習以為常了，在前兩集中讓他感到很驚奇的事物現在都很平常。在處理魔法學校的一些事情中，也變得很輕鬆了，但是他卻在如何與人交流上變得很偏執。
這些青春期孩子生理上的改變在電影中同樣得到了表現。在采訪中赫敏-格蘭傑的扮演者艾瑪-沃森忽然與劇組其他人員耳語了幾句後，談起了在電影中她和羅恩-韋斯利互相牽手的一幕，這時她更是做了一個十三歲孩子經常做的鬼臉。她說：影片中要求我和飾演羅恩-韋斯利的魯伯特-格林特要做一個令人尷尬的擁抱。兩個人扮演的角色應該有一種愛恨交加的關係。
在談到這些角色上的改變時，這位墨西哥出生的導演阿方索-庫朗說，孩子們到了青春期，所以對一些事情會變得有些憤怒。在本集中自己不會去壓抑這些情緒，要讓他們釋放出來。這並不等於提倡或者鼓勵，僅僅是讓他們釋放出來。並不想讓這些角色在感情上美麗無暇，有時他們會失去自製力，這也很正常。
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]-創作特色
這是一部更加“黑色”的電影，不論是在視覺效果上還是在聽覺效果上。導演所關註的細節更多的集中在人物和豐富的視覺效果上，為了使魔法看起來更過癮，特技效果也同樣不能忽略。在本部電影中，顔色的變化非常明顯。影片中以暗色為主，音樂更加使人感覺縈繞心頭，這也是導演的獨具匠心。導演在拍攝中更多地運用了多角度的拍攝手法，為的就是增加影片的效果。本片的攝影師邁剋爾-塞瑞岑（Michael Seresin）說這部電影的劇情很生動，所以與之配合的燈光也要求更生動一些。也就是要采用高對比度，要有更多的陰影。本片的編劇斯圖爾特-剋雷格（Stuart Craig）也補充說，在本片中會有非常多的魔法作為背景出現，會有更多的怪物出現，而且製作效果更加豐富，拍攝的細節更加出色。
在《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》中會出現更多的角色，除了由加利-奧德曼飾演的逃犯西裏爾斯-布萊剋外，新增加了由戴維-休利斯（David Thewlis）飾演的狼人教授魯賓（werewolf Professor Lupin）；埃瑪-湯普森（Emma Thompson）飾演的特雷羅尼太太（Madame Trelawney）；還有灰發飄逸、法袍着身、有怪習慣的天界預言老師。同時在電影中霍格斯米德的店鋪采用了維多利亞建築風格，看起來更加古典。孩子們最喜歡的糖果中多了很多墨西哥式的椰奶糖和棒棒糖，這也是導演的匠心所在。
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]-影片評價
這部將新鮮和黑暗混合在一起的新作不但會讓哈迷們滿意，還會讓更多觀衆加入哈迷的陣營。
——《達拉斯新聞早報》
本片不但是前三部哈利·波特電影中最棒的一部，而且即使觀衆沒聽說過羅琳和她的作品，也依然會被深深吸引。
——《滾石》
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]-幕後製作
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》
為了讓服裝同影片的當代風格相一致，服裝設計師傑妮·特敏就此做出了細微調整，將顔色變淡，並且提供了汗衫、套頭衫和羊毛衫等多重選擇。甚至在哈利·波特騎魁地奇的一段中，劇組特意安排了雨景，於是一種新型的防水面料得以應用。
說到雨景，可謂正好迎合了本片憂鬱的風格。因為本片的故事比過去的兩部更陰暗，所以照明也更沉悶，並夾雜着更多的陰影。卡隆很謹慎的使用特寫鏡頭，而是用大量的廣角鏡頭講述故事。影片劇組在蘇格蘭的科峽𠔌拍攝時巧遇了長達28天的陰雨天氣，與拍攝要求不謀而合，令攝影師邁剋爾·塞瑞岑歡快不已。將半鷹半馬的巴剋比剋搬上大銀幕可謂讓主創人員煞費苦心，僅完成藍本就用了幾個月的時間，建造模型用去了將近1年時間，用CG生成運動中的巴剋比剋也是幾經周折，而其中最棘手的技術莫過於讓鷹的羽毛同身體的運動相協調。
三層的“騎士公車”是片中又一亮眼裝備。製作能在公路上奔跑的三層巴士並非易事，車體取自倫敦巴士，底盤是重新製作的，以便能承受特製的車身。片中“騎士巴士”以100英裏時速在公路上飛奔的場景是在倫敦拍攝的，用了數周纔拍攝完成。在實際拍攝中，公車的時速衹有30英裏，而其他車輛的時速已降至8英裏。
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]-幕後花絮
《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》[電影]《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》
艾瑪·湯普森接拍本片是為了4歲大的女兒。
卡裏·科瑞(Callie Khouri)和肯尼斯·布拉納都曾是本片導演的人選。
在理查德·哈裏斯死後，剋裏斯托弗·李、伊安·麥剋萊恩和理查德·阿滕伯勒都曾是扮演校長的人選。
劇組的效果部門用了6個月纔創造出攝魂怪。
魔術師保羅·基夫任本片顧問，並嚮丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫、愛瑪·沃特森等演員傳授魔術技藝。他是在所有係列影片中出現的第一位魔術師顧問，還在片中客串了一個角色。
製片方曾希望吉爾莫·德爾·托羅執導本片，但托羅後來選擇了《地獄男爵》。
馬剋·福斯特曾拒絶執導本片，而去拍攝了《尋找夢幻島》。
小天狼星布萊剋身上的紋身源自俄羅斯監獄，這種紋身意味着這個囚犯值得敬畏。
加裏·奧德曼稱之所以出演本片是因為他需要這份工作，因為他已經1年多沒拍戲了。
為了讓丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫表現出敬畏的表情，導演阿方索·卡隆讓他設想看到了一絲不挂的卡梅隆·迪亞茲。
合同中曾標明，導演阿方索·卡隆不得在片場的兒童面前駡人。
為了負責監督本片的後期製作，導演阿方索·卡隆拒絶執導2005年的《哈利·波特與火焰杯》。
影片以530萬英鎊打破了英國首映當日票房紀錄。
為了防止非法偷拍，華納兄弟公司為影院員工提供了夜視儀。
加裏·奧德曼送給丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫一把低音電吉他作見面禮。
導演阿方索·卡隆在片中客串了在客棧中手持蠟燭的人。
阿方索·卡隆曾想在片中加入侏儒，但羅琳堅决反對。
Plot
Having lost his temper with his Aunt Marge and inadvertently causing her to magically inflate, Harry Potter flees the Dursleys'. Harry takes the Knight Bus to The Leaky Cauldron, where he meets Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Fudge informs Harry that Aunt Marge has been deflated and that he will not be punished. The Ministry of Magic is simply concerned about Harry's safety due to the escape of mass-murderer Sirius Black from the wizarding prison Azkaban. Black was a great friend of the Potter family and Harry's godfather, but betrayed the family to the evil Lord Voldemort. Voldemort killed Harry's parents but, when he tried to kill Harry, mysteriously vanished. Afterward, Black murdered their friend Peter Pettigrew along with 12 bystanders.
Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and find security has been tightened because of Black's escape. The grounds are now guarded by Dementors, dark, sinister beings that drain the happiness of anyone nearby and guard Azkaban prison. They also cause Harry to pass out. Remus Lupin, the school's new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher tells Harry he is more vulnerable to the Dementors because he has seen genuine horrors in his past. Lupin agrees to teach Harry the Patronus Charm, a shield against the Dementors.
Harry is depressed to learn he will not be allowed to visit Hogsmeade, the local village most students are allowed to visit on weekends. He is also angry with Draco Malfoy for ruining Hagrid's first lesson as Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Malfoy deliberately allows himself to be attacked by Buckbeak, Hagrid's beloved Hippogriff, and his father ensures that Buckbeak is sentenced to be executed at the end of the school year. Over the course of the year, Hermione uses a Time-Turner to travel in time and attend classes held at the same time. Black manages to break into the castle twice, but is unable to reach Harry. Fred and George Weasley show Harry a secret passageway to Hogsmeade and give him the Marauder's Map.
During one illicit visit to the village, Harry is nearly caught while Ron discovers that Scabbers, Ron's rat, has disappeared. Ron believes he has been eaten by Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, causing a falling-out between him and Hermione. Hermione later finds Scabbers in Hagrid's hut when the three of them visit him before Buckbeak's execution. On their way back from the hut, Ron is suddenly attacked by a large black dog and dragged into a passage beneath a magical tree, the Whomping Willow.
Harry and Hermione follow them in and find themselves in an old, boarded-up shack known as the Shrieking Shack. They also discover that the dog is the animagus Sirius Black. Harry attempts to attack Black when Lupin arrives. Hermione confronts Lupin about habits she has observed during her classes with him and Lupin admits to being a werewolf. Lupin explains that he, Black, Pettigrew, and James Potter, Harry's father, were great friends and called themselves the "Marauders". To make Lupin's transformations more enjoyable, his friends all became Animagi, humans who can turn into animals at will. The Marauders remained friends after growing up, and when they learned Voldemort was after the Potters, Black became their Secret-Keeper. However, Black then reveals that he had secretly switched this duty with Pettigrew in order to serve as a decoy. Black states Pettigrew is the betrayer and, rather than being murdered by Black, is actually Scabbers.
Lupin and Sirius force Pettigrew to reveal himself, and Pettigrew transforms from Scabbers and back into human form. He admits to the story, but Harry stops Black and Lupin from killing him and becoming murderers themselves. Instead, Harry persuades them to take Pettigrew back to Hogwarts castle in order to clear Sirius's name. However, as they and they return to the castle the full moon emerges and Lupin transforms. Pettigrew escapes while Dementors descend on the others. They are saved at the last minute by a Patronus Harry believes was cast by his father.
Harry awakes in the castle to learn that Black has been captured. To save him, Harry and Hermione use the Time-Turner to travel back in time and prevent his capture. Harry and Hermione rescue Buckbeak and re-watch the scenes of the night, until they see the Dementors cornering Harry and Sirius. Harry is determined to see who sent the Patronus, only to realize that it was himself. Sirius is rescued and flees on Buckbeak. Lupin, outed as a werewolf, resigns. Harry is worried that Pettigrew may help Voldemort to return, but Dumbledore says Harry may be grateful that he helped save Pettigrew's life.
Pre-release history
Of the first three books in the series, Prisoner of Azkaban took the shortest amount of time to write - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone took five years to complete and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets needed two years, while Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was written in one year. Rowling's favorite aspect of this book was introducing the character Remus Lupin.
Film adaptation
The film version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released in 2004. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay, and Alfonso Cuarón was the director. The movie débuted at number one and held that position for two weeks. The Prisoner of Azkaban made a total of $795.6 million worldwide, which made it the second highest-grossing film of 2004 behind Shrek 2 but is the lowest grossing film of the Harry Potter Series.
哈利·波特在霍格沃茨魔法學校經過三年的學習和磨煉，逐漸成長為一個出色的巫師。新學年開始前，哈利和好朋友羅恩，赫敏一起去觀看精彩的魁地奇世界杯賽，無意間發現了消失十三年的黑魔標記。哈利的心頭籠上了一團濃重的陰雲，但三個少年依然擁有他們自己的伊甸園。然而，少男少女的心思是那樣難以捉摸，三人之間的美好友情竟是那樣一波三折，忽晴忽雨……哈利渴望與美麗的秋·張共同走進一個美麗的故事，但這個朦朦朧朧的憧憬卻遭受了小小的失意。他要做一個普普通通的四年級魔法學生，可不幸的是，哈利註定永遠都不可能平平常常——即使拿魔法界的標準來衡量。黑魔的陰影始終揮之不去，種種暗藏殺機的神秘事件將哈利一步步推嚮了伏地魔的魔爪。哈利渴望在百年不遇的三強爭霸賽中戰勝自我，完成三個驚險艱巨的魔法項目，誰知整個競賽竟是一個天大的黑魔法陰謀。
The novel won a Hugo Award in 2001; it was the only Harry Potter novel to do so. The book was made into a film, which was released worldwide on 18 November 2005.
Synopsis
Plot introduction
Throughout the three previous novels in the Harry Potter series, the main character, Harry Potter, has struggled with the difficulties that come with growing up and the added challenge of being a famous wizard. When Harry was a baby, Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard in living memory, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after unsuccessfully trying to kill Harry. This results in Harry's immediate fame, and his being placed in the care of his muggle, or non-magical, relatives Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, who have a son named Dudley Dursley.
Harry enters the wizarding world at the age of 11, enrolling in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is confronted by Lord Voldemort trying to regain power. After returning to the school after summer break, several attacks on students take place at Hogwarts after the legendary "Chamber of Secrets" is opened. Harry ends the attacks by killing a Basilisk and defeating another attempt by Lord Voldemort to return to full strength. The following year, Harry hears that he has been targeted by escaped murderer Sirius Black. Despite stringent security measures at Hogwarts, Harry is confronted by Black at the end of his third year of schooling and Harry learns that Black was framed and is actually Harry's godfather.
Plot summary
The book opens with Harry Potter having a dream about Frank Bryce, the ex-caretaker at the Riddle family mansion, who is caught eavesdropping on a deformed Tom Riddle and his servant, Peter Pettigrew. In Harry's dream, Bryce is killed by Voldemort. Later in the summer, Harry, Hermione Granger, and the Weasley family take a trip to the Quidditch World Cup. While there, Death Eaters, Voldemort's servants, storm the grounds, harass some muggles, and run away when they see the Dark Mark in the sky.
Albus Dumbledore announces during the welcoming feast that the school will host the Triwizard Tournament, an inter-school competition. One student from each of three magical schools will be chosen by the Goblet of Fire to compete. The other two magical institutions, Beauxbatons Academy, and Durmstrang Institute, arrive at Hogwarts two months into the school term. The champions chosen by the goblet were: Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons, Viktor Krum of Durmstrang, and Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts. Mysteriously, Harry is also chosen, even though he did not submit his name, and is underage and ought to have been magically blocked from doing so. Ron Weasley is instantly infuriated, thinking Harry submitted himself, and their friendship suffers.
The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a former Auror and Dumbledore's friend. He teaches his students the three Unforgivable Curses in class, a lesson which is illegal. Those curses are the Imperius Curse, which forces the victim to do the caster's bidding; the Cruciatus Curse, a spell that tortures its victim; and the killing curse called Avada Kedavra. Harry learns he is the only known person to have survived the killing curse, cast against him by Voldemort when Harry was a baby.
In the first task of the tournament, the champions each are to retrieve a golden egg from a dragon, which contains a clue for the second task. Harry completes the task with help from Rubeus Hagrid and Prof. Moody. Following the end of the first task, Ron and Harry mend their broken friendship. The second tournament task requires retrieving something important taken from each champion hidden in the Black Lake. Ten minutes before the task, Harry is given gillyweed by Dobby the house elf so he can breathe underwater. Harry finds the four "important objects" of the tournament's contestants: Ron, Hermione, Cho, and Fleur’s little sister, Gabrielle Delacour. He is forced to rescue Gabrielle along with Ron when Fleur does not come, which causes him to lose the challenge, but he gain points for 'moral fibre.'
One night after the second task, Harry and Krum are startled when a dishevelled Barty Crouch, Sr. emerges from the forest, mumbling nonsense and demanding to see Dumbledore. Harry runs for help, but when he returns with Dumbledore, they find Krum unconscious and Crouch missing. Harry learns more about the Crouches when he sees one of Dumbledore's memories in the Pensieve, a memory storing tool. The memory shows Barty Crouch, Jr., a Death Eater, sentenced to Azkaban by Barty Crouch Sr for helping Bellatrix Lestrange torture Frank and Alice Longbottom (Neville's parents) into insanity.
The third and final tournament task involves navigating a labyrinth located on the Quidditch Pitch which is filled with magical obstacles. Harry and Cedric successfully help each other navigate the maze. They reach the Triwizard cup and agree to take hold of it simultaneously, making both of them the winners. The Cup turns out to be a portkey that transports them to an old graveyard in Little Hangleton. Pettigrew and a deformed Lord Voldemort, are there. Pettigrew kills Diggory, and ties Harry's hands and feet to the Riddle tombstone. He then uses a bone from Voldemort's father's grave, some of Harry's blood, and his own cut-off hand in a magical ritual that restores Lord Voldemort to a new body.
Voldemort summons Death Eaters, and reveals that a servant of his at Hogwarts ensured that Harry would participate in the tournament, win it, and thus be brought to the graveyard. Harry tries to disarm Voldemort with the Expelliarmus spell, at exactly the same time as Voldemort uses the killing curse. The two spells meet and interlock, causing a bond between the wands that displays the "echoes" (described by Dumbledore) of Voldemort's most recent murdered victims, including Cedric, James Potter and Lily Potter. The "echoes" provide protection to Harry, allowing him to escape with Cedric's body and leaving Voldemort behind in a rage.
Harry, carrying Cedric's body, returns to the school grounds. Moody rushes Harry to his office, where he reveals that he was Voldemort's servant, and attempts to kill Harry himself. Moody is stopped by Dumbledore, Severus Snape, and Minerva McGonagall. Dumbledore feeds Moody Veritaserum, and they discover that "Moody" is actually Barty Crouch, Jr., who was smuggled out of Azkaban and was using a Polyjuice Potion to impersonate the real Alastor Moody. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, arrives at Hogwarts accompanied by a Dementor. When the Dementor enters the room where Crouch, Jr. stands, it swoops down and gives him the "Dementor's Kiss", sucking out his soul. Fudge refuses to believe Dumbledore's and Harry's word that Voldemort is back.
Harry is crowned Triwizard Champion and awarded with 1,000 galleons. Days later, Dumbledore then makes an announcement at the gloomy Leaving Feast, telling everybody about Voldemort and saying that to deny the true way Cedric died would be 'an insult to his memory.' While leaving the Hogwart’s Express on King's Cross Station, Harry gives his winnings to Fred and George to start a joke shop and Harry sets off for another summer at the Dursleys'.
Rita Skeeter subplot
Rita Skeeter, a writer for the Daily Prophet, spends much of the story writing lies about Harry (about the time his scar hurt after a strange dream in Divination), Hagrid (about the time he told Madame Maxime about his mother), and Hermione (in love with Viktor Krum). Skeeter carries out secret interviews with Slytherin students to get the fodder for some of her stories, but the sources for others are inexplicable. Initially, Harry suspects that she has an Invisibility Cloak, but Hermione knows that "Mad-Eye" Moody would have been able to see through the cloak with his magical eye. Next, Harry thinks that she may have had areas of the school bugged. However, Hermione tells them that electronic devices do not work in Hogwarts because of the magic in the air. Near the end of the book, Hermione finally realises how Skeeter was doing this: she is an unregistered Animagus and can turn into a beetle. Harry and Ron realise that there was a beetle on the statue near Hagrid's hut, and later in Hermione's hair after the second task, and on the window of Divination class when Harry's scar hurt, and that the Slytherins knew about it all along. Hermione eventually traps Skeeter, in beetle form, in a jar and does not release her until the train reaches London.
Foreshadowing
* Ron's jealousy comes to the fore when Harry's name is pulled from the Goblet of Fire. He thinks Harry is lying about putting his name in for the contest, and abandons his friend. Ron later returns when he sees how dangerous the competition is. Also, Ron's feelings towards Hermione, which were more subtle prior to Goblet of Fire, now become obvious, with their relationship blossoming in Half-Blood Prince and finally being consummated with their first kiss in Deathly Hallows. Both of these are faced in the seventh book when Ron, angered by Harry's lack of a concrete plan and the lack of the usual comforts of home, leaves Hermione and Harry (though regrets this instantly).
* Fleur looks interested in Bill Weasley, whom she later dates (Order of the Phoenix), is engaged to (Half-Blood Prince), marries (Deathly Hallows) and has children with (Nineteen Years Later).
* During the Yule Ball, Dumbledore mentions that he was wandering through the corridors in search of a bathroom when a room full of chamber pots suddenly appeared in a place he had not previously known existed. In Order of the Phoenix we learn that this is the Room of Requirement.
* At the end of Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore asks Sirius to round up "the old crowd". This includes Arabella Figg, who is mentioned as early in the series as the second chapter of the first book. However, she is introduced as a crazy old Muggle who lives a street or two over from Privet Drive. In Order of the Phoenix, it is revealed that she is a Squib who has been assigned to keep an eye on Harry. The only reason she never let him have fun while at her house was that she (and Dumbledore) feared that if the Dursleys believed Harry enjoyed himself there, they would find a different babysitter.
* Towards the end of the 4th book, Harry tells his tale of his night in the graveyard to Dumbledore and Sirius. He mentions his arm, sliced by Pettigrew, and there is 'a gleam of triumph' in Dumbledore's eye. This is because Dumbledore knows that using Harry's blood to bring Voldemort back will keep Harry alive should Voldemort try to kill him.
Release history
Until the official title's announcement on 27 June 2000, the fourth book was called by its working title, Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament. J. K. Rowling expressed her indecision about the title in an Entertainment Weekly interview.
“ I changed my mind twice on what [the title] was. The working title had got out — 'Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament.' Then I changed 'Doomspell' to 'Triwizard Tournament.' Then I was teetering between 'Goblet of Fire' and 'Triwizard Tournament.' In the end, I preferred 'Goblet of Fire' because it's got that kind of 'cup of destiny' feel about it, which is the theme of the book. ”
Rowling also admitted that the fourth book was the most difficult to write at the time, because she noticed a giant plot hole halfway through writing. In particular, Rowling had trouble with the ninth chapter, "The Dark Mark", which she rewrote 13 times.
U.K./U.S. Release
Goblet of Fire was the first book in the Harry Potter series to be released in the United States on the same date as the United Kingdom, on 8 July 2000. The three previous books had been released in the United Kingdom several months before the U.S. edition.
James and Lily plot error
In the original, first edition printings of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, there is a plot error concerning the order in which the ghosts of Lily and James Potter appear out of Voldemort's wand. The ghosts appear in reverse order of their deaths with the latest killing first and the oldest killing last. Over the books as written up to this point, the killings in order are James Potter, Lily Potter, Bertha Jorkins, Frank Bryce, and Cedric Diggory. Lily should emerge before James but in the first edition she doesn't. Rowling admitted the mistake and subsequent editions of the book corrected the mistake, and the text appears correctly.
The novel won a Hugo Award in 2001; it was the only Harry Potter novel to do so. The book was made into a film, which was released worldwide on 18 November 2005.
Synopsis
Plot introduction
Throughout the three previous novels in the Harry Potter series, the main character, Harry Potter, has struggled with the difficulties that come with growing up and the added challenge of being a famous wizard. When Harry was a baby, Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard in living memory, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after unsuccessfully trying to kill Harry. This results in Harry's immediate fame, and his being placed in the care of his muggle, or non-magical, relatives Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, who have a son named Dudley Dursley.
Harry enters the wizarding world at the age of 11, enrolling in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is confronted by Lord Voldemort trying to regain power. After returning to the school after summer break, several attacks on students take place at Hogwarts after the legendary "Chamber of Secrets" is opened. Harry ends the attacks by killing a Basilisk and defeating another attempt by Lord Voldemort to return to full strength. The following year, Harry hears that he has been targeted by escaped murderer Sirius Black. Despite stringent security measures at Hogwarts, Harry is confronted by Black at the end of his third year of schooling and Harry learns that Black was framed and is actually Harry's godfather.
Plot summary
The book opens with Harry Potter having a dream about Frank Bryce, the ex-caretaker at the Riddle family mansion, who is caught eavesdropping on a deformed Tom Riddle and his servant, Peter Pettigrew. In Harry's dream, Bryce is killed by Voldemort. Later in the summer, Harry, Hermione Granger, and the Weasley family take a trip to the Quidditch World Cup. While there, Death Eaters, Voldemort's servants, storm the grounds, harass some muggles, and run away when they see the Dark Mark in the sky.
Albus Dumbledore announces during the welcoming feast that the school will host the Triwizard Tournament, an inter-school competition. One student from each of three magical schools will be chosen by the Goblet of Fire to compete. The other two magical institutions, Beauxbatons Academy, and Durmstrang Institute, arrive at Hogwarts two months into the school term. The champions chosen by the goblet were: Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons, Viktor Krum of Durmstrang, and Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts. Mysteriously, Harry is also chosen, even though he did not submit his name, and is underage and ought to have been magically blocked from doing so. Ron Weasley is instantly infuriated, thinking Harry submitted himself, and their friendship suffers.
The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a former Auror and Dumbledore's friend. He teaches his students the three Unforgivable Curses in class, a lesson which is illegal. Those curses are the Imperius Curse, which forces the victim to do the caster's bidding; the Cruciatus Curse, a spell that tortures its victim; and the killing curse called Avada Kedavra. Harry learns he is the only known person to have survived the killing curse, cast against him by Voldemort when Harry was a baby.
In the first task of the tournament, the champions each are to retrieve a golden egg from a dragon, which contains a clue for the second task. Harry completes the task with help from Rubeus Hagrid and Prof. Moody. Following the end of the first task, Ron and Harry mend their broken friendship. The second tournament task requires retrieving something important taken from each champion hidden in the Black Lake. Ten minutes before the task, Harry is given gillyweed by Dobby the house elf so he can breathe underwater. Harry finds the four "important objects" of the tournament's contestants: Ron, Hermione, Cho, and Fleur’s little sister, Gabrielle Delacour. He is forced to rescue Gabrielle along with Ron when Fleur does not come, which causes him to lose the challenge, but he gain points for 'moral fibre.'
One night after the second task, Harry and Krum are startled when a dishevelled Barty Crouch, Sr. emerges from the forest, mumbling nonsense and demanding to see Dumbledore. Harry runs for help, but when he returns with Dumbledore, they find Krum unconscious and Crouch missing. Harry learns more about the Crouches when he sees one of Dumbledore's memories in the Pensieve, a memory storing tool. The memory shows Barty Crouch, Jr., a Death Eater, sentenced to Azkaban by Barty Crouch Sr for helping Bellatrix Lestrange torture Frank and Alice Longbottom (Neville's parents) into insanity.
The third and final tournament task involves navigating a labyrinth located on the Quidditch Pitch which is filled with magical obstacles. Harry and Cedric successfully help each other navigate the maze. They reach the Triwizard cup and agree to take hold of it simultaneously, making both of them the winners. The Cup turns out to be a portkey that transports them to an old graveyard in Little Hangleton. Pettigrew and a deformed Lord Voldemort, are there. Pettigrew kills Diggory, and ties Harry's hands and feet to the Riddle tombstone. He then uses a bone from Voldemort's father's grave, some of Harry's blood, and his own cut-off hand in a magical ritual that restores Lord Voldemort to a new body.
Voldemort summons Death Eaters, and reveals that a servant of his at Hogwarts ensured that Harry would participate in the tournament, win it, and thus be brought to the graveyard. Harry tries to disarm Voldemort with the Expelliarmus spell, at exactly the same time as Voldemort uses the killing curse. The two spells meet and interlock, causing a bond between the wands that displays the "echoes" (described by Dumbledore) of Voldemort's most recent murdered victims, including Cedric, James Potter and Lily Potter. The "echoes" provide protection to Harry, allowing him to escape with Cedric's body and leaving Voldemort behind in a rage.
Harry, carrying Cedric's body, returns to the school grounds. Moody rushes Harry to his office, where he reveals that he was Voldemort's servant, and attempts to kill Harry himself. Moody is stopped by Dumbledore, Severus Snape, and Minerva McGonagall. Dumbledore feeds Moody Veritaserum, and they discover that "Moody" is actually Barty Crouch, Jr., who was smuggled out of Azkaban and was using a Polyjuice Potion to impersonate the real Alastor Moody. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, arrives at Hogwarts accompanied by a Dementor. When the Dementor enters the room where Crouch, Jr. stands, it swoops down and gives him the "Dementor's Kiss", sucking out his soul. Fudge refuses to believe Dumbledore's and Harry's word that Voldemort is back.
Harry is crowned Triwizard Champion and awarded with 1,000 galleons. Days later, Dumbledore then makes an announcement at the gloomy Leaving Feast, telling everybody about Voldemort and saying that to deny the true way Cedric died would be 'an insult to his memory.' While leaving the Hogwart’s Express on King's Cross Station, Harry gives his winnings to Fred and George to start a joke shop and Harry sets off for another summer at the Dursleys'.
Rita Skeeter subplot
Rita Skeeter, a writer for the Daily Prophet, spends much of the story writing lies about Harry (about the time his scar hurt after a strange dream in Divination), Hagrid (about the time he told Madame Maxime about his mother), and Hermione (in love with Viktor Krum). Skeeter carries out secret interviews with Slytherin students to get the fodder for some of her stories, but the sources for others are inexplicable. Initially, Harry suspects that she has an Invisibility Cloak, but Hermione knows that "Mad-Eye" Moody would have been able to see through the cloak with his magical eye. Next, Harry thinks that she may have had areas of the school bugged. However, Hermione tells them that electronic devices do not work in Hogwarts because of the magic in the air. Near the end of the book, Hermione finally realises how Skeeter was doing this: she is an unregistered Animagus and can turn into a beetle. Harry and Ron realise that there was a beetle on the statue near Hagrid's hut, and later in Hermione's hair after the second task, and on the window of Divination class when Harry's scar hurt, and that the Slytherins knew about it all along. Hermione eventually traps Skeeter, in beetle form, in a jar and does not release her until the train reaches London.
Foreshadowing
* Ron's jealousy comes to the fore when Harry's name is pulled from the Goblet of Fire. He thinks Harry is lying about putting his name in for the contest, and abandons his friend. Ron later returns when he sees how dangerous the competition is. Also, Ron's feelings towards Hermione, which were more subtle prior to Goblet of Fire, now become obvious, with their relationship blossoming in Half-Blood Prince and finally being consummated with their first kiss in Deathly Hallows. Both of these are faced in the seventh book when Ron, angered by Harry's lack of a concrete plan and the lack of the usual comforts of home, leaves Hermione and Harry (though regrets this instantly).
* Fleur looks interested in Bill Weasley, whom she later dates (Order of the Phoenix), is engaged to (Half-Blood Prince), marries (Deathly Hallows) and has children with (Nineteen Years Later).
* During the Yule Ball, Dumbledore mentions that he was wandering through the corridors in search of a bathroom when a room full of chamber pots suddenly appeared in a place he had not previously known existed. In Order of the Phoenix we learn that this is the Room of Requirement.
* At the end of Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore asks Sirius to round up "the old crowd". This includes Arabella Figg, who is mentioned as early in the series as the second chapter of the first book. However, she is introduced as a crazy old Muggle who lives a street or two over from Privet Drive. In Order of the Phoenix, it is revealed that she is a Squib who has been assigned to keep an eye on Harry. The only reason she never let him have fun while at her house was that she (and Dumbledore) feared that if the Dursleys believed Harry enjoyed himself there, they would find a different babysitter.
* Towards the end of the 4th book, Harry tells his tale of his night in the graveyard to Dumbledore and Sirius. He mentions his arm, sliced by Pettigrew, and there is 'a gleam of triumph' in Dumbledore's eye. This is because Dumbledore knows that using Harry's blood to bring Voldemort back will keep Harry alive should Voldemort try to kill him.
Release history
Until the official title's announcement on 27 June 2000, the fourth book was called by its working title, Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament. J. K. Rowling expressed her indecision about the title in an Entertainment Weekly interview.
“ I changed my mind twice on what [the title] was. The working title had got out — 'Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament.' Then I changed 'Doomspell' to 'Triwizard Tournament.' Then I was teetering between 'Goblet of Fire' and 'Triwizard Tournament.' In the end, I preferred 'Goblet of Fire' because it's got that kind of 'cup of destiny' feel about it, which is the theme of the book. ”
Rowling also admitted that the fourth book was the most difficult to write at the time, because she noticed a giant plot hole halfway through writing. In particular, Rowling had trouble with the ninth chapter, "The Dark Mark", which she rewrote 13 times.
U.K./U.S. Release
Goblet of Fire was the first book in the Harry Potter series to be released in the United States on the same date as the United Kingdom, on 8 July 2000. The three previous books had been released in the United Kingdom several months before the U.S. edition.
James and Lily plot error
In the original, first edition printings of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, there is a plot error concerning the order in which the ghosts of Lily and James Potter appear out of Voldemort's wand. The ghosts appear in reverse order of their deaths with the latest killing first and the oldest killing last. Over the books as written up to this point, the killings in order are James Potter, Lily Potter, Bertha Jorkins, Frank Bryce, and Cedric Diggory. Lily should emerge before James but in the first edition she doesn't. Rowling admitted the mistake and subsequent editions of the book corrected the mistake, and the text appears correctly.
目睹伏地魔復活之後，哈利度過了他生命中最漫長、最孤獨的暑假。當然，姨媽姨父仍然把他當成臭蟲般的呼來喝去，表哥達力沒事就把他當成沙包練拳擊。甚至還有兩衹以吸食靈魂為生的攝魂怪脫離了魔法部的掌控，來到女貞路上伏擊哈利，好在勇敢的哈利用守護神咒趕走了攝魂怪。
陰險的魔法部本想通過攝魂怪事件，誣陷哈利在校外使用魔法而違反了《對未成年巫師加以合理約束法》——禁止未成年人在校外濫用魔法，打算就此開除哈利。哈利來到魔法部受審，鄧布利多哈利做證人，終幫他擺脫了指控。
可憐的哈利，在暑假經歷了一連串的變故後，終於等來了開學……魔法部的副部長烏姆裏奇成為這一年的黑魔法防禦術課的新老師，她是代表魔法部來整治霍格沃茨的“不良風氣”的，第一堂課，哈利就因為管不住自己而與她起了衝突，最終被罰關禁閉。如果你認為烏姆裏奇教授口中的“禁閉”衹是普通的抄寫課文的話，那你就錯了，因為她給哈利一支神奇的筆，用哈利的鮮血做墨水，每一筆都深深地刻在了哈利的手背上。
自從伏地魔復活以後，哈利被越來越多的夢魘所睏擾着，因為頭上那道傷疤，使得哈利與伏地魔的思想産生了某種聯繫。正是在一場夢境裏，哈利目睹羅恩的爸爸亞瑟被蛇咬傷，及時發出了警告，輓救了亞瑟的生命。
對於哈利來說，情人節第一次變得有意義，因為他和張秋約好一起去霍格莫德村。然而，約會的過程卻不盡如人意，屬於典型小女人的張秋，需要人哄需要人疼，而哈利卻偏偏是個木頭疙瘩，結果兩人不歡而散。
由於D.A.內部成員的背叛，烏姆裏奇最終還是發現了哈利在背着她教大傢黑魔法防禦術。所有人連滾帶爬總算逃脫升天，最終衹有哈利因為斷後而被抓住——告密的人竟然就是張秋，而鄧布利多代哈利受罪，被趕出了霍格沃茨。
原來伏地魔一直想得到的是那個隱藏着自己未來命運的預言球……他侵入哈利的思想，得知小天狼星是他生命中最重要的人，利用一種假相將哈利騙至魔法部。一場混戰就此展開，然而讓伏地魔想象不到的是，雖然D.A.的成員都是一些半大的孩子，卻與食死徒鬥了個不相伯仲，直到鳳凰社的成員趕來增援。這場混戰中，食死徒與鳳凰社互有傷亡，但都及不上哈利萬分之一的痛苦，他生命中最後一位親人也離他而去——再見，小天狼星。
《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》[電影]-作者簡介
J.K.羅琳J.K. 羅琳
(1966—)，英國女作傢，自小喜歡寫作，當過短時間的教師和秘書。24歲那年，她在前往倫敦的火車上萌生了創作“哈利·波特”係列小說的念頭。七年後，《哈利·波特與魔法石》(1997)問世，隨即她以幾乎每年一本的速度創作了《哈利·波特與密室》(1998)、《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》(1999)、《哈利·波特與火焰杯》(2000)，“哈利·波特”颶風席捲了全球。2003年6月，她的第五部作品《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》在全世界“哈利·波特”迷的翹首期盼中問世，再次在全世界掀起“哈利·波特”狂潮。截止今年6月，其作品已被翻譯成60多種語言，在200多個國傢和地區纍计銷售達2億多册。
曾經作為單身母親的J.K.羅琳，生活一度極其艱辛，但“哈利·波特”給她帶來了巨大的榮譽和財富，如今的她是一個成功、幸福的女人。2001年12日她和麻醉醫師尼爾·默裏再結連理。今年3 月，他們有了一個兒子，名字叫戴維。現J.K.羅琳與她的丈夫以及一對兒女生活得很幸福。
《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》[電影]-演職員表
製片： David Barron David Heyman
Tim Lewis Lionel Wigram
Lorne Orleans
原創音樂： 尼古拉斯·霍帕
攝影： Slawomir Idziak
剪輯： Mark Day
選角導演： Fiona Weir
藝術指導： 斯圖爾特·剋萊格 Stuart Craig
美術設計： Andrew Ackland-Snow
Mark Bartholomew
Alastair Bullock
Gary Tomkins
視覺特效： Tim Alexander Tim Burke
Greg Butler Paul J. Franklin
Michael Illingworth Craig Lyn
Chris Shaw Kat Szuminska
Gavin Toomey Val Wardlaw
《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》[電影]-影片花絮
拍攝
事實上，在整個《哈四》的拍攝過程中，大衛·耶茨也顯示出了對大局的掌控能力和對這部風靡全球的魔法故事的特別理解。包括，在對演員的甄選、表演的掌握，以及對一些特效大場面的推敲錘煉上，大衛不但虛心藉鑒不少前人的優秀之處，還勇於創新，開闢了自己的新方法。例如，在拍攝赫敏“引誘”烏姆裏奇闖入禁林並就此就範的那場戲時。大衛充分調動了演員的主觀能動性，讓此橋段的主演艾瑪·沃森有了極為精彩的發揮。小美女也就此繼去年在《哈利·波特與火焰杯》的聖誕舞會中驚豔之後，再次證明了自己的演技如同美貌與身材一般共同地成長了不少，顯然也為自己日後全面進軍好萊塢進一步打下堅實的基礎。另外，值得一提的是，在拍攝這組鏡頭時需要加入角色騎乘“夜騏”這種神秘生物的鏡頭。原著中提到，衹有見過死人的人才能看到她。所以在拍攝時，大衛和工作人員特別想到了製作出特別的馬鞍讓演員騎上，然後依靠起重機升到半空中，在巨大的緑幕前演繹出飛行的效果。
布景
在布景方面，導演大衛·耶茨也經受了嚴峻的考驗。不過，在他精幹的衆多設計師的幫助下，影片中絶大多數的布景都相當精彩。尤其是影片中重頭戲的發生地——魔法部，堪稱金碧輝煌、氣派十足：地上是光可鑒人的深色地板，上面是孔雀藍色的天花板，還有處是閃閃發光、不斷變化的金色符號，華麗異常。大廳中間的魔法兄弟噴泉是魔法部的標志，由一組比真人還大的純金雕像組成，最高的是風度高貴的男巫，旁邊是美麗妖嬈的女巫，妖怪、精靈和馬人則以崇拜、仰慕眼光看着兩位巫師……整個場景的設置甚至連原著作者J.K.羅琳看了都拍手稱好。的確，魔法部大戰是《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》中最重要的一場戲，無論道具、布景，還是特效、場面控製，都相當地考驗導演的功力。而且這場大戰不會有很多暴力的場面，如果處理不當，將在很大程度上影響到影片的分級。因此，電影新手大衛·耶茨，在此面臨的挑戰難以預測，我們拭目以待。
五大刪剪
由於《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》是七本係列叢書中頁數最多的一本，長達870頁——第七集《哈利·波特與死亡聖器》的頁數已經敲定為784頁。所以影片的編劇衹能將小說中“無關疼癢”的邊邊角角忍痛割愛，如今已經確定有五處內容慘遭刪剪。
1、所有與魁地奇相關的場景……這倒是不難猜測，由於哈利在《哈利·波特5》中大多時間都被烏姆裏奇教授關禁閉，不但沒怎麽參加魁地奇的訓練，還錯過了幾場重要的比賽。不過，這對於飾演羅恩的魯伯特·格林特來說，卻不啻為一個噩耗，因為羅恩將在這一集中將第一次參加格蘭芬多學院的魁地奇代表隊。對此，格林特衹能遺憾地表示：“寄希望於明年。”既然魁地奇比賽沒有了，我們也就無緣聽到那首與之相關的“韋斯萊是我們的王”了。
2、 韋斯萊夫人與小天狼星在鳳凰社就哈利的問題起了一些爭執……被刪。
3、 傢養小精靈多比不再出現……《哈利·波特4》中，多比的所有戲分就被納威取代了，所以不難猜測這個角色為何會無緣第五集故事。估計惟一對此感到不高興的當屬赫敏了，因為這種做法顯然觸犯了她創建的“傢養小精靈權益促進會” (S.P.E.W.)。
4、 納威的父母……他們當年都是英勇的傲羅，由於受到了伏地魔的折磨而發瘋，現住在聖芒戈魔法傷病醫院療養。這真是一個不幸的消息，因為隨着納威的作用一集比一集重要，他的父母本應該也得到相應的“尊重”，而不是被無情地刪掉。
5、 哈利等人為布萊剋傢、鳳凰社的總部進行大掃除……讓人覺得非常可惜，因為我們沒辦法看到在這裏出現的神奇生物活生生的樣子了。
《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》[電影]-影片亮點
新導演，新嘗試
在霍格沃茨魔法學校的第5個年頭，對於哈利·波特來說是一個關鍵年，因為他不再是孩子，而是學着面對成年人需要做出的選擇和挑戰：哈利不但要處理伏地魔的回歸，還忍受着失去好友塞德裏剋·迪戈裏的痛苦。發生在他身上的一切，都迫使他比其他同齡人在心智方面要更加成熟，因為他擔負的都是一些預想不到的重大責任……為了能夠找到進入哈利·波特的魔法世界的入口，導演大衛·葉慈在拍攝之前做了很多準備工作，徹底地分析了《哈利·波特》係列一路走過來所經歷的前因後果：“這一集故事在全套小說中占有着非常重要的位置，因為到了這個時候，我們的小主角正在一步步走嚮成熟，周圍的事情也變得越來越復雜，他們開始發現這個世界的磕磕絆絆，開始經歷‘成長的煩惱’。”
作為《哈利·波特》係列的製片人， [大衛·海曼]表示，正是這一集故事與衆不同的特質，纔讓他最終選擇了大衛·葉慈來為影片執導：“葉慈非常善於處理這種奇幻類的故事主題，而且他還展現出能夠以非常娛樂的方式處理政治問題的能力。當然，《哈利·波特5》並非一部政治色彩濃厚的影片，但是卻大量演繹了魔法世界所遵循的政治學。可以說，葉慈是帶着無限的激情加盟進來的，而看着他與孩子們之間從陌生到信任的過程，你就會發現，葉慈確實是一個能夠調動演員積極性的高手。他明白，跟隨着係列一起成長的幾位小演員，比任何人都更加瞭解他們在影片中的角色，所以葉慈經常鼓勵他們要大膽地說出自己的想法，盡量把自己真實的個性註入到角色之中去。”
連續第五次飾演哈利·波特的丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫表示：“我喜歡和大衛·葉慈一起工作，更喜歡他那彬彬有禮的溫和個性。不過，第五集故事也是我拍攝的最難的一部影片，部分是因為這一章內容的特殊性，剩下的則在於來了葉慈這位新導演。他總是讓我更加深刻地去分析哈利這個角色，我發現這種做法是非常必要的，他真的是一位才華橫溢的天才導演。”
羅恩·韋斯萊的扮演者魯伯特·格林特對此表示同意：“大衛·葉慈的執導方式與其他幾位導演存在着很大的差異，但是他總能通過最輕鬆的方式，得到最偉大的成果。”而飾演哈利永遠忠誠的朋友赫敏·格蘭傑的愛瑪·沃特森則補充道：“葉慈最可愛的地方，就是認真傾聽我們談論自己的角色的時候。對於我們能夠連續在五部影片裏飾演同一個角色，葉慈感到了由衷地佩服，他非常重視我與丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫、魯伯特·格林特之間的關係，因為這有助於我們在影片中的角色之間的友情的真實性。”
除了大衛·葉慈，編劇邁剋爾·戈登伯格對於《哈利·波特》係列來說也是一位新人：“當大衛·海曼找到我的時候，我興奮得全身發抖。我知道我的說法可能有點老套，但能夠加入這部魔幻係列故事，再通過你的努力，讓它展示在大銀幕上，你能想象得到那會是一個什麽樣的感覺嗎？大衛·葉慈雖然給我留了足夠大的創作空間，可是他也對劇本有一個要求，那就是故事的每一個時刻都要盡可能地真實。顯然，劇本首先要做到的一點，就是保留住原著小說中的精髓和靈魂。可以說，第五集故事是整個係列中最重要的一個部分，哈利從一個小孩蛻變成懵懂的少年，他開始意識到任何事情都不是絶對的：壞人有好的一面，好人也有邪惡的一面…… 他發現，成人的世界並沒有想象中的那麽好，也存在着缺陷——這些都是需要我們在影片中突出的主題。”
神奇的魔法部
在哈利真正面對伏地魔的挑戰之前，還有其他事情需要解决，那就是如何逃過去魔法部受審的這一劫……這裏，得到最具體的體現的就是魔法部的大廳，美工設計師斯圖亞特·剋雷格(Stuart Craig)用一張很有蘇聯氣息的魔法部部長福吉的巨型海報，蓋滿了整整一面墻。剋雷格還表示，儘管在魔法部的巫師都是用飛行代替行走，用紙飛機代替電話，卻沒辦法掩蓋它在本質上是一個純粹的官僚機構的事實： “在英國，ZF大樓都有着19世紀維多利亞時代的建築特色，樓身上的裝飾物繁多。由於魔法部被設置在了地下，所以我們做的第一件事就是走遍了倫敦所有最古老的地鐵站，感受其中的陰冷氣息和設計風格。我們註意到，很多地鐵站都使用了大量彩色的瓷磚做裝飾——結合了這一特點，我們終於發明了一個地下的世界—— 魔法部。在每一面墻都鋪滿了華美莊重的黑瓷磚後，那種氣勢立馬就顯現出來了。不過，這種做法對於攝影師斯拉沃米爾·埃迪紮剋(Slawomir Idziak)來說可是一個不小的挑戰，因為他在拍攝的時候，必須得把瓷磚反光這一元素考慮進去。”
通觀所有《哈利·波特》係列影片，魔法部的美工設計都堪稱最大的一處布景地，超過200英尺長、120英尺寬、30英尺高，至少鋪了3萬塊瓷磚——都是一個個人工粘上去的。而且到了影片中，這個大廳還會通過數碼處理，空間變得更大。
哈利是在韋斯萊先生的陪伴下，從“來賓入口”進入魔法部的——看起來就是倫敦街頭最普通的一個電話亭，斯圖亞特·剋雷格笑着說：“我認為，這樣的設置會讓位於麻瓜ZF大樓正下方的魔法部變得更有趣味性，所以我們選擇了一個離國防部非常近的電話亭……麻瓜肯定會大吃一驚，原來魔法部就位於英國國防部的地下。”大衛·葉慈也表示：“相信《哈利·波特》係列最有趣的一個故事點，就是展示魔法世界是如何‘隱藏’在麻瓜的生活中的，事實上，這兩個世界是相融的，衹是麻瓜們沒意識到這一點而已。”
粉色代表一種新的“黑勢力”
新學期，學校來了一位新的黑魔法防禦術課老師——烏姆裏奇教授，由伊梅爾達·斯湯頓飾演。從頭到腳都被粉色包裹着，烏姆裏奇教授擁有老練的假笑和甜到發膩的聲音，可是她的本性卻和這完全相反。大衛·葉慈表示：“福吉認為鄧布利多在覬覦魔法部部長的位置，所以他派來了自己最信賴的副部長烏姆裏奇，在霍格沃茨查明真相。可烏姆裏奇卻認為自己的任務是為福吉掃清一切潛在的威脅，結果把霍格沃茨搞得烏煙瘴氣，純是一隻披着羊皮的狼。”斯湯頓表示同意：“很多人都會像烏姆裏奇一樣，表面上魅力十足，其實一肚子壞水，所以飾演這樣一個角色是我願意接受的挑戰。”
雖然是為了與原著小說保持一致，伊梅爾達·斯湯頓有時候仍然會對飾演烏姆裏奇這個角色感到有點惱火：“在小說中，她被描述成長得非常醜陋，像是令人討厭的癩蛤蟆，所以當有人對我說‘你是這個角色最合適的人選’時，我聽着總覺得不那麽舒服。”
伊梅爾達·斯湯頓也是所有演員中，和服裝設計師珍妮·泰敏(Jany Temime)走得最近的一個，因為烏姆裏奇整體的形象設計，是泰敏在整部影片中，最艱巨的工作之一，斯湯頓說：“我們為這個身材有點圓的女士想出了很多有趣的方案，我不希望她衣服的輪廓太過鮮明——雖然她給人的第一印象是溫柔和善良，其實心腸實在是不怎麽地。”
為了能夠在外觀上展示烏姆裏奇教授的“溫柔”，珍妮·泰敏表示：“我們往伊梅爾達·斯湯頓的戲服裏填了很多東西，因為她本人特別瘦。”泰敏還在衣服上使用了許多柔軟的布料，就是為了增強那種性格上的溫和感。不過，衣服的顔色卻是在小說中就已經决定好的：粉色、更粉以及最粉。泰敏接着說：“每一次我們看到她，她身上的粉衣服除了顔色，樣式都是不一樣的。當她慢慢在霍格沃茨展示自己的特權時，顔色的亮度也會隨之變強，十分紮眼，最終變成了那種最深的櫻桃粉。”
粉色的主題還會被延用至烏姆裏奇教授的辦公室中，這部分場景是由美工師斯圖亞特·剋雷格和他的設計組用各種粉色的東西裝飾出來的，包括帶有花邊、像天鵝絨一樣光滑的窗簾，以及周圍各種可愛的小擺設。傢具的風格則來源於法國，以剋雷格的說法就是“非常有綫條感”——從各個方面進行暗示，這間辦公室的主人實在是太有個性了。不過，這間辦公室最有特色的地方，還在於墻上那200多個印有小貓的盤子上，暗示着烏姆裏奇那種與貓很相似、反復無常的性格。相對照而言，烏姆裏奇教授使用的教室就顯得嚴肅、簡樸多了，就像她對學生嚴格限製的教課風格一樣——衹允許他們做在自己的位置上埋頭於她指定的教課書。魯伯特·格林特說：“學生們對烏姆裏奇教授的黑魔法防禦術課都感到無比陌生，但是她卻堅信我們必須要學習理論，而且完全沒有實踐過程，要知道，這種做法在一所魔法學校裏是非常荒謬的。”
槲寄生下的初吻
當霍格沃茨因為即將到來的聖誕節而進入假期時，哈利組建的D.A.學習小組也不得不中斷一段時間。最後一堂課過後，D.A.所有的成員都結伴離開了，·張卻留了下來。哈利早在去年就喜歡上了她，然而兩人的關係卻因為塞德裏剋·迪戈裏的被害而稍嫌復雜。似乎是洞悉了他們心中暗藏的想法，無所不知的“有求必應屋”在最後一次D.A.集會的時候用一枝槲寄生作為裝飾物，終於帶來了所有哈迷熱切盼望着的時刻——哈利的初吻。
丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫回憶這部分的拍攝時說：“我有些不安，因為我發現梁佩詩似乎很緊張。這不僅僅是一個吻那麽簡單，也暗示着張秋和哈利之間的復雜關係。當我們嘗試了幾次後，發現其實也沒那麽可怕，還挺有趣的。”梁佩詩繼續說：“我之所以特別緊張，因為這是我在大銀幕上的初吻，好在導演大衛·葉慈非常專業，他告訴了我們想要一個什麽樣的效果，這樣我們就不會感覺這個場景有多麽地難拍了。一開始的時候，是有點難堪，但是丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫很會帶戲，他讓拍攝變得很簡單，而且他是一個接吻高手。”
導演的做法也許打消了兩位小演員的顧慮，卻忘了一旁同樣緊張的工作人員，因為這些人幾乎是看着丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫隨着《哈利·波特》係列電影一點一點成長起來的，製片人大衛·海曼說： “我們中的許多人在雷德剋裏夫10歲的時候就認識他了，然後他就在我們的眼前長大了……所以我們關心他，想要保護他。在這裏，看着他經歷着‘銀幕初吻’，那種感覺很奇怪，我一直告誡自己不要看，可是卻忍不住想看。好在這組場景拍得很完美，相信觀衆肯定能夠從中感覺到溫柔和美麗的甜蜜。”
巨人兄弟格洛普
在知道自己遲早會被烏姆裏奇趕出霍格沃茨之後，狩獵場看守海格給哈利、羅恩和赫敏“佈置”了一個特殊的任務：幫助照看自己那同母異父的弟弟格洛普——他剛好是一個身高16英尺的巨人。
為了讓格洛普在大銀幕上“活”過來，這裏不但結合了手工設計、動作捕捉、電腦特效的集體智慧，還包括一個名叫托尼·毛德斯萊(Tony Maudsley)的演員的天才表演。大衛·海曼說：“在我們的假設中，格洛普是一個非常天真的巨人，衹是比較好動，沒辦法太長時間集中註意力而已。毛德斯萊和大衛·葉慈花了很長時間去討論一些表演上的細節，因為格洛普是一個需要靠‘動作捕捉’技術幫助的數碼人。”葉慈則對毛德斯萊的表現大加贊揚：“他完全融入進來了，這從他每一個細微的表演中就能看出來。即使這個角色幾乎完全是由數碼技術生成的，可是毛德斯萊卻給了格洛普生命和靈魂。”
當格洛普和赫敏待在一起時，你能從他們之間的關係看出格洛普並不衹是一個面目可憎的巨人，愛瑪·沃特森說：“格洛普也有可愛的一面，在赫敏面前，他就像一隻小貓咪那樣溫順，赫敏是惟一一個能夠讓他安靜下來的人……我知道格洛普是一個由電腦製作出來的數碼巨人，可是工作人員已經盡量讓他顯得真實了，他有一雙像小狗一樣可愛的眼睛，我實在是太喜歡他了。”
生物特效師尼剋·杜德曼(Nick Dudman)表示，他們還給格洛普製作了一個原尺寸大小的腦袋，用來拍攝和其他演員在一起的場景，魯伯特·格林特興奮地說：“和格洛普一起拍攝的部分太精彩了，現場有巨大的頭和肩膀，逼真到我們都忘了和我們一起演戲的，衹是他身體的一部分而已。至於其中我最中意的部分就是：格洛普非常喜歡赫敏，用手把她托了起來。於是羅恩嫉妒了，嘗試着想讓格洛普把赫敏放下來，他想英雄救美，就是使勁敲打巨人……你一定已經猜出結果了，羅恩一下子就被格洛普給彈飛了。”
《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》[電影]-影片評價
·張：和哈利的愛情是悲劇
儘管此前哈利·波特和秋·張的戀情成為大傢關註的焦點，但剛剛曝光的《哈利·波特和鳳凰社》中的情節可以看得出來，其實他們之間的感情並非完美。哈利吻了秋·張，但最終兩個人並沒有走到一起。
故事從哈利的五年級開始。他驚奇地發現秋·張多次找他，並試圖同他談話。不幸的是，哈利每次同秋·張的見面都並不愉快：第一次，在和秋·張見面的時候，他就被緑色的汁液濺了一身；之後的一次見面，·張甚至同哈利最好的朋友羅恩為魁地奇球隊而爭執起來。
最令人關註的是情人節時，在霍格沃茨，·張最終同意和哈利約會，兩人甚至有了初吻，但是秋·張卻忽然為死去的塞德裏剋（她之前的男友）哭泣。她還坦言自己嫉妒赫敏同哈利的友誼，且由於毫無經驗的哈利不知所措，因此這個約會不歡而散。所以，兩人的初戀並不是很完美。
從已經曝光的情節中我們可以看出張秋在《哈利·波特和鳳凰社》中的戲份大大增加。在接受采訪的時候，這位名叫梁凱蒂的華裔女孩這樣解釋自己的角色：“她原來是有一個男朋友的（塞德裏剋），但是後來去世了。所以，她和哈利·波特發展了一段感情。但是這段感情並不穩定，因為她始終無法忘記死去的男友，因此這是一個內心復雜的女孩。最終，這是一個悲劇。”談到和哈利的初吻，她說：“他是一個很優秀的接吻者，我很享受整個過程。”
而扮演哈利的雷德剋利夫則樂觀地表示，如果沒有意外的話，這場吻戲會吸引大量的影迷前去影院觀看此片。他說：“如果說觀衆看這部電影衹有一個原因的話，我猜就是這場吻戲。”
反派：我會和小天狼星殊死搏鬥！
另外，在片中扮演伏地魔追隨者盧修斯·馬爾福的演員傑森·伊薩剋斯也透露了一些戲份。他所扮演的這個角色是第五集中主要的大反派，而且將會和哈利的教父———小天狼星展開殊死搏鬥。
據稱，伊薩剋斯扮演的將是哈利·波特和天狼星在霍格沃茨的死敵———馬爾福。在第五集中，馬爾福被證明是一個食死徒（伏地魔跟隨者的總稱），他忠心耿耿地為自己的主人伏地魔效忠。更重要的是，這位馬爾福還將在片中和天狼星有殊死决鬥。扮演這個角色的伊薩剋斯表示：“我將會和加裏·奧德曼扮演的天狼星有一番决鬥。他可能是這個星球上最偉大的演員之一，所以我經常擔心自己會演不好。你知道，我們之間的决鬥就好像是兩個十歲的孩子在打鬧。因為需要大量的後期電腦製作。不過，這個過程在大銀幕上展現出來，真的很棒！”
儘管這個角色在第五集中戲份頗多，但是伊薩剋斯卻擔心自己在後面兩集中“失蹤”。為此他專門拜訪了J·K·羅琳，希望這個作傢不要讓他“消失”。
It is the longest book in the series, and was published on 21 June 2003 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic in the United States, and Raincoast in Canada. The book has been made into a film, which was released in 2007, and has also been made into several video games by Electronic Arts. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has won several awards, including being named an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults in 2003.
Synopsis
Plot introduction
Throughout the four previous novels in the Harry Potter series, the main character, Harry Potter, has struggled with the difficulties that come with growing up and the added challenge of being a famous wizard. When Harry was a baby, Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard in living memory, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after trying to kill Harry. This results in Harry's immediate fame, and his being placed in the care of his muggle, or non-magical, relatives Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.
Harry enters the wizarding world at the age of 11, enrolling in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is confronted by Lord Voldemort trying to regain power. After returning to the school after summer break, several attacks on students take place at Hogwarts after the legendary "Chamber of Secrets" is opened. Harry ends the attacks by killing a Basilisk and defeating another attempt by Lord Voldemort to return to full strength. The following year, Harry hears that he has been targeted by escaped murderer Sirius Black. Despite stringent security measures at Hogwarts, Harry is confronted by Black at the end of his third year of schooling and Harry learns that Black was framed and is actually Harry's godfather. Harry's fourth year of school sees him entered in a dangerous magical competition called the Triwizard Tournament. At the conclusion of the Tournament, Harry witnesses the return of Lord Voldemort to full strength.
Plot summary
This novel begins when Harry and his cousin, Dudley, are attacked by dementors. Harry uses magic to fight them off, and must attend a disciplinary hearing for it. In response to Voldemort's reappearance, Dumbledore re-activates the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society which works to defeat Voldemort's minions and protect Voldemort's targets, including Harry. Despite Harry's description of Voldemort's recent activities, the Ministry of Magic and many others in the magical world refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned.
In an attempt to enforce its version of school curriculum, the Ministry appoints Dolores Umbridge as the new High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. She transforms the school into a quasi-dictatorial regime and refuses to allow the students to learn ways to defend themselves against dark magic. Harry's friends, Ron and Hermione, persuaded Harry to form a secret study group and begin to teach his classmates the higher-level skills he has learned. The novel introduces Harry to Luna Lovegood, an airy young witch with a tendency to believe in oddball conspiracy theories. Moreover, it reveals an important prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort. Harry also discovers that he and Voldemort have a telepathic connection, allowing Harry to view some of Voldemort's actions. In the novel's climax, Harry and his school friends face off against Voldemort's Death Eaters. The timely arrival of members of the Order of the Phoenix saves the children's lives, but Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, is murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange. Many Death Eaters are captured and, most importantly, the return of Voldemort is confirmed within the magical world.
Development, publication, and reception
Development
In an interview with BBC News, Rowling suggested the death of a principal character which made her sad. She added that although her husband suggested she undo the character's death to stop her sadness, she needed to be "a ruthless killer." However, Rowling revealed in a 2007 interview that she had originally planned to kill off Arthur Weasley in this book, but ultimately could not bear to do it. In another interview, when asked if there was anything she would go back and change about the seven novels, Rowling replied that she would have edited Phoenix more, as she feels it is too long.
Publication and release
Potter fans waited three years between the releases of the fourth and fifth books.
Before the release of the fifth book, 200 million copies of the first four books had already been sold and translated into 55 languages in 200 countries. As the series was already a global phenomenon, the book forged new pre-order records, with thousands of people queuing outside book stores on 20 June 2003 to secure their copy at midnight. Despite the security, thousands of copies were stolen from an Earlestown, Merseyside warehouse on 15 June 2003.
Critical response
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was met with generally good reviews, and received several awards. The book was named as a Best Book for Young Adults and as a Notable Book by the American Library Association in 2004. It also received the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio 2004 Gold Medal along with several other awards.
The novel was also received generally well by critics. Rowling was praised for her imagination by USA Today writer Deirdre Donahue. Most of the negative reviewers were concerned with the violence contained in the novel and with morality issues occurring throughout the book. There has also been a strong religious response to the publishing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
New York Times writer John Leonard praised the novel, saying "The Order of the Phoenix starts slow, gathers speed and then skateboards, with somersaults, to its furious conclusion....As Harry gets older, Rowling gets better." However, he also criticizes "the one-note Draco Malfoy" and the predictable Lord Voldemort. Another review by Julie Smithouser, of the Christian-right group Focus on the Family, said the book was, "Likely to be considered the weakest book in the series, Phoenix does feel less oppressive than the two most previous novels." Smithouser's main criticism was that the book was not moral. Harry lies to authority to escape punishment, and that, at times, the violence is too "gruesome and graphic."
Several Christian groups have expressed concerns that the book, and the rest of the Harry Potter series, contain references to witchcraft or occultism. Despite these views, several religious groups have also expressed their support for the series. Christianity Today published an editorial in favour of the books in January 2000, calling the series a "Book of Virtues" and averring that although "modern witchcraft is indeed an ensnaring, seductive false religion that we must protect our children from", this does not represent the Potter books, which have "wonderful examples of compassion, loyalty, courage, friendship, and even self-sacrifice".
Prequels and sequels
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in the Harry Potter Series. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997 with an initial print-run of 500 copies in hardback, three hundred of which were distributed to libraries. By the end of 1997 the UK edition won a National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9 to 11 year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was originally published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published a year later in the UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September 1999. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8 July 2000 simultaneously by Bloomsbury and Scholastic.
After the publishing of Order of the Phoenix, the sixth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was published on 16 July 2005, and sold 11 million copies in the first 24 hours of its worldwide release. The seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published 21 July 2007. The book sold 11 million copies within 24 hours of its release: 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US.
Adaptations
Film
In 2007, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released in film version directed by David Yates, produced by David Heyman's company Heyday Films, and written by Michael Goldenberg. The film's budget was reportedly between £75 and 100 million ($150–200 million), and it became the unadjusted seventh-highest grossing film of all time, and a critical and commercial success. The film opened to a worldwide 5-day opening of $333 million, third all-time, and grossed $939 million total, the second to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for the greatest total of 2007.
Video games
A video game adaptation of the book and film versions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was made for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii, Game Boy Advance and Mac OS X. It was released on 25 June 2007 in the U.S., 28 June 2007 in Australia and 29 June 2007 in the UK and Europe for PlayStation 3, PSP, PlayStation 2, Windows and the 3 July 2007 for most other platforms. The games were published by Electronic Arts.
Religious response
Religious controversy surrounding Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the other books in the Harry Potter series mainly deal with the claims that novel contains occult or Satanic subtexts. Religious response to the series has not been exclusively negative. "At least as much as they've been attacked from a theological point of view", notes Rowling, "[the books] have been lauded and taken into pulpit, and most interesting and satisfying for me, it's been by several different faiths".
Opposition to the series
In the United States, calls for the book to be banned from schools have led occasionally to widely publicised legal challenges, usually on the grounds that witchcraft is a government-recognised religion and that to allow the novels to be held in public schools violates the separation of church and state. The series was at the top of the American Library Association's "most challenged books" list for 1999–2001.
Religious opposition to the series has also occurred in other nations. The Orthodox churches of Greece and Bulgaria have campaigned against the series. The books have been banned from private schools in the United Arab Emirates and criticised in the Iranian state-run press.
Roman Catholic opinion over the series is divided. In 2003 Catholic World Report criticised Harry's disrespect for rules and authority, and regarded the series' mixing of the magical and mundane worlds as "a fundamental rejection of the divine order in creation." In 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope later that year but was at the time Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, described the series as "subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul before it can grow properly," and gave permission for publication of the letter that expressed this opinion. However, a spokesman for the Archbishop of Westminster said that Cardinal Ratzinger's words were not binding as they were not an official pronouncement of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Positive response
Some religious responses have been positive. Emily Griesinger wrote that fantasy literature helps children to survive reality for long enough to learn how to deal with it, described Harry's first passage through to Platform 9¾ as an application of faith and hope, and his encounter with the Sorting Hat as the first of many in which Harry is shaped by the choices he makes. She noted that the self-sacrifice of Harry's mother, which protected the boy in the first book and throughout the series, was the most powerful of the "deeper magics" that transcend the magical "technology" of the wizards, and one which the power-hungry Voldemort fails to understand.
There is some positive Roman Catholic opinion on the books. In 2003, Monsignor Peter Fleetwood, a member of a Church working party on New Age phenomena, said that the Harry Potter stories "are not bad or a banner for anti-Christian theology. They help children understand the difference between good and evil," that Rowling's approach was Christian, and that the stories illustrated the need to make sacrifices to defeat evil.
Translations
The first official foreign translation of the book appeared in Vietnamese on 21 July 2003, when the first of twenty-two installments was released. The first official European translation appeared in Serbia and Montenegro in Serbian, by the official publisher Narodna Knjiga, in early September 2003. Other translations appeared later, e.g. in November 2003 in Dutch and German. The English language version has topped the best seller list in France, while in Germany and the Netherlands an unofficial distributed translation process has been started on the internet.
In the Czech Republic, several young children translated half of the book in two weeks after its English release, long before its intended Czech release date. This led the official Czech publisher Albatros to sue the children for copyright infringement.
陰險的魔法部本想通過攝魂怪事件，誣陷哈利在校外使用魔法而違反了《對未成年巫師加以合理約束法》——禁止未成年人在校外濫用魔法，打算就此開除哈利。哈利來到魔法部受審，鄧布利多哈利做證人，終幫他擺脫了指控。
可憐的哈利，在暑假經歷了一連串的變故後，終於等來了開學……魔法部的副部長烏姆裏奇成為這一年的黑魔法防禦術課的新老師，她是代表魔法部來整治霍格沃茨的“不良風氣”的，第一堂課，哈利就因為管不住自己而與她起了衝突，最終被罰關禁閉。如果你認為烏姆裏奇教授口中的“禁閉”衹是普通的抄寫課文的話，那你就錯了，因為她給哈利一支神奇的筆，用哈利的鮮血做墨水，每一筆都深深地刻在了哈利的手背上。
自從伏地魔復活以後，哈利被越來越多的夢魘所睏擾着，因為頭上那道傷疤，使得哈利與伏地魔的思想産生了某種聯繫。正是在一場夢境裏，哈利目睹羅恩的爸爸亞瑟被蛇咬傷，及時發出了警告，輓救了亞瑟的生命。
對於哈利來說，情人節第一次變得有意義，因為他和張秋約好一起去霍格莫德村。然而，約會的過程卻不盡如人意，屬於典型小女人的張秋，需要人哄需要人疼，而哈利卻偏偏是個木頭疙瘩，結果兩人不歡而散。
由於D.A.內部成員的背叛，烏姆裏奇最終還是發現了哈利在背着她教大傢黑魔法防禦術。所有人連滾帶爬總算逃脫升天，最終衹有哈利因為斷後而被抓住——告密的人竟然就是張秋，而鄧布利多代哈利受罪，被趕出了霍格沃茨。
原來伏地魔一直想得到的是那個隱藏着自己未來命運的預言球……他侵入哈利的思想，得知小天狼星是他生命中最重要的人，利用一種假相將哈利騙至魔法部。一場混戰就此展開，然而讓伏地魔想象不到的是，雖然D.A.的成員都是一些半大的孩子，卻與食死徒鬥了個不相伯仲，直到鳳凰社的成員趕來增援。這場混戰中，食死徒與鳳凰社互有傷亡，但都及不上哈利萬分之一的痛苦，他生命中最後一位親人也離他而去——再見，小天狼星。
《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》[電影]-作者簡介
J.K.羅琳J.K. 羅琳
(1966—)，英國女作傢，自小喜歡寫作，當過短時間的教師和秘書。24歲那年，她在前往倫敦的火車上萌生了創作“哈利·波特”係列小說的念頭。七年後，《哈利·波特與魔法石》(1997)問世，隨即她以幾乎每年一本的速度創作了《哈利·波特與密室》(1998)、《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》(1999)、《哈利·波特與火焰杯》(2000)，“哈利·波特”颶風席捲了全球。2003年6月，她的第五部作品《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》在全世界“哈利·波特”迷的翹首期盼中問世，再次在全世界掀起“哈利·波特”狂潮。截止今年6月，其作品已被翻譯成60多種語言，在200多個國傢和地區纍计銷售達2億多册。
曾經作為單身母親的J.K.羅琳，生活一度極其艱辛，但“哈利·波特”給她帶來了巨大的榮譽和財富，如今的她是一個成功、幸福的女人。2001年12日她和麻醉醫師尼爾·默裏再結連理。今年3 月，他們有了一個兒子，名字叫戴維。現J.K.羅琳與她的丈夫以及一對兒女生活得很幸福。
《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》[電影]-演職員表
製片： David Barron David Heyman
Tim Lewis Lionel Wigram
Lorne Orleans
原創音樂： 尼古拉斯·霍帕
攝影： Slawomir Idziak
剪輯： Mark Day
選角導演： Fiona Weir
藝術指導： 斯圖爾特·剋萊格 Stuart Craig
美術設計： Andrew Ackland-Snow
Mark Bartholomew
Alastair Bullock
Gary Tomkins
視覺特效： Tim Alexander Tim Burke
Greg Butler Paul J. Franklin
Michael Illingworth Craig Lyn
Chris Shaw Kat Szuminska
Gavin Toomey Val Wardlaw
《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》[電影]-影片花絮
拍攝
事實上，在整個《哈四》的拍攝過程中，大衛·耶茨也顯示出了對大局的掌控能力和對這部風靡全球的魔法故事的特別理解。包括，在對演員的甄選、表演的掌握，以及對一些特效大場面的推敲錘煉上，大衛不但虛心藉鑒不少前人的優秀之處，還勇於創新，開闢了自己的新方法。例如，在拍攝赫敏“引誘”烏姆裏奇闖入禁林並就此就範的那場戲時。大衛充分調動了演員的主觀能動性，讓此橋段的主演艾瑪·沃森有了極為精彩的發揮。小美女也就此繼去年在《哈利·波特與火焰杯》的聖誕舞會中驚豔之後，再次證明了自己的演技如同美貌與身材一般共同地成長了不少，顯然也為自己日後全面進軍好萊塢進一步打下堅實的基礎。另外，值得一提的是，在拍攝這組鏡頭時需要加入角色騎乘“夜騏”這種神秘生物的鏡頭。原著中提到，衹有見過死人的人才能看到她。所以在拍攝時，大衛和工作人員特別想到了製作出特別的馬鞍讓演員騎上，然後依靠起重機升到半空中，在巨大的緑幕前演繹出飛行的效果。
布景
在布景方面，導演大衛·耶茨也經受了嚴峻的考驗。不過，在他精幹的衆多設計師的幫助下，影片中絶大多數的布景都相當精彩。尤其是影片中重頭戲的發生地——魔法部，堪稱金碧輝煌、氣派十足：地上是光可鑒人的深色地板，上面是孔雀藍色的天花板，還有處是閃閃發光、不斷變化的金色符號，華麗異常。大廳中間的魔法兄弟噴泉是魔法部的標志，由一組比真人還大的純金雕像組成，最高的是風度高貴的男巫，旁邊是美麗妖嬈的女巫，妖怪、精靈和馬人則以崇拜、仰慕眼光看着兩位巫師……整個場景的設置甚至連原著作者J.K.羅琳看了都拍手稱好。的確，魔法部大戰是《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》中最重要的一場戲，無論道具、布景，還是特效、場面控製，都相當地考驗導演的功力。而且這場大戰不會有很多暴力的場面，如果處理不當，將在很大程度上影響到影片的分級。因此，電影新手大衛·耶茨，在此面臨的挑戰難以預測，我們拭目以待。
五大刪剪
由於《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》是七本係列叢書中頁數最多的一本，長達870頁——第七集《哈利·波特與死亡聖器》的頁數已經敲定為784頁。所以影片的編劇衹能將小說中“無關疼癢”的邊邊角角忍痛割愛，如今已經確定有五處內容慘遭刪剪。
1、所有與魁地奇相關的場景……這倒是不難猜測，由於哈利在《哈利·波特5》中大多時間都被烏姆裏奇教授關禁閉，不但沒怎麽參加魁地奇的訓練，還錯過了幾場重要的比賽。不過，這對於飾演羅恩的魯伯特·格林特來說，卻不啻為一個噩耗，因為羅恩將在這一集中將第一次參加格蘭芬多學院的魁地奇代表隊。對此，格林特衹能遺憾地表示：“寄希望於明年。”既然魁地奇比賽沒有了，我們也就無緣聽到那首與之相關的“韋斯萊是我們的王”了。
2、 韋斯萊夫人與小天狼星在鳳凰社就哈利的問題起了一些爭執……被刪。
3、 傢養小精靈多比不再出現……《哈利·波特4》中，多比的所有戲分就被納威取代了，所以不難猜測這個角色為何會無緣第五集故事。估計惟一對此感到不高興的當屬赫敏了，因為這種做法顯然觸犯了她創建的“傢養小精靈權益促進會” (S.P.E.W.)。
4、 納威的父母……他們當年都是英勇的傲羅，由於受到了伏地魔的折磨而發瘋，現住在聖芒戈魔法傷病醫院療養。這真是一個不幸的消息，因為隨着納威的作用一集比一集重要，他的父母本應該也得到相應的“尊重”，而不是被無情地刪掉。
5、 哈利等人為布萊剋傢、鳳凰社的總部進行大掃除……讓人覺得非常可惜，因為我們沒辦法看到在這裏出現的神奇生物活生生的樣子了。
《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》[電影]-影片亮點
新導演，新嘗試
在霍格沃茨魔法學校的第5個年頭，對於哈利·波特來說是一個關鍵年，因為他不再是孩子，而是學着面對成年人需要做出的選擇和挑戰：哈利不但要處理伏地魔的回歸，還忍受着失去好友塞德裏剋·迪戈裏的痛苦。發生在他身上的一切，都迫使他比其他同齡人在心智方面要更加成熟，因為他擔負的都是一些預想不到的重大責任……為了能夠找到進入哈利·波特的魔法世界的入口，導演大衛·葉慈在拍攝之前做了很多準備工作，徹底地分析了《哈利·波特》係列一路走過來所經歷的前因後果：“這一集故事在全套小說中占有着非常重要的位置，因為到了這個時候，我們的小主角正在一步步走嚮成熟，周圍的事情也變得越來越復雜，他們開始發現這個世界的磕磕絆絆，開始經歷‘成長的煩惱’。”
作為《哈利·波特》係列的製片人， [大衛·海曼]表示，正是這一集故事與衆不同的特質，纔讓他最終選擇了大衛·葉慈來為影片執導：“葉慈非常善於處理這種奇幻類的故事主題，而且他還展現出能夠以非常娛樂的方式處理政治問題的能力。當然，《哈利·波特5》並非一部政治色彩濃厚的影片，但是卻大量演繹了魔法世界所遵循的政治學。可以說，葉慈是帶着無限的激情加盟進來的，而看着他與孩子們之間從陌生到信任的過程，你就會發現，葉慈確實是一個能夠調動演員積極性的高手。他明白，跟隨着係列一起成長的幾位小演員，比任何人都更加瞭解他們在影片中的角色，所以葉慈經常鼓勵他們要大膽地說出自己的想法，盡量把自己真實的個性註入到角色之中去。”
連續第五次飾演哈利·波特的丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫表示：“我喜歡和大衛·葉慈一起工作，更喜歡他那彬彬有禮的溫和個性。不過，第五集故事也是我拍攝的最難的一部影片，部分是因為這一章內容的特殊性，剩下的則在於來了葉慈這位新導演。他總是讓我更加深刻地去分析哈利這個角色，我發現這種做法是非常必要的，他真的是一位才華橫溢的天才導演。”
羅恩·韋斯萊的扮演者魯伯特·格林特對此表示同意：“大衛·葉慈的執導方式與其他幾位導演存在着很大的差異，但是他總能通過最輕鬆的方式，得到最偉大的成果。”而飾演哈利永遠忠誠的朋友赫敏·格蘭傑的愛瑪·沃特森則補充道：“葉慈最可愛的地方，就是認真傾聽我們談論自己的角色的時候。對於我們能夠連續在五部影片裏飾演同一個角色，葉慈感到了由衷地佩服，他非常重視我與丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫、魯伯特·格林特之間的關係，因為這有助於我們在影片中的角色之間的友情的真實性。”
除了大衛·葉慈，編劇邁剋爾·戈登伯格對於《哈利·波特》係列來說也是一位新人：“當大衛·海曼找到我的時候，我興奮得全身發抖。我知道我的說法可能有點老套，但能夠加入這部魔幻係列故事，再通過你的努力，讓它展示在大銀幕上，你能想象得到那會是一個什麽樣的感覺嗎？大衛·葉慈雖然給我留了足夠大的創作空間，可是他也對劇本有一個要求，那就是故事的每一個時刻都要盡可能地真實。顯然，劇本首先要做到的一點，就是保留住原著小說中的精髓和靈魂。可以說，第五集故事是整個係列中最重要的一個部分，哈利從一個小孩蛻變成懵懂的少年，他開始意識到任何事情都不是絶對的：壞人有好的一面，好人也有邪惡的一面…… 他發現，成人的世界並沒有想象中的那麽好，也存在着缺陷——這些都是需要我們在影片中突出的主題。”
神奇的魔法部
在哈利真正面對伏地魔的挑戰之前，還有其他事情需要解决，那就是如何逃過去魔法部受審的這一劫……這裏，得到最具體的體現的就是魔法部的大廳，美工設計師斯圖亞特·剋雷格(Stuart Craig)用一張很有蘇聯氣息的魔法部部長福吉的巨型海報，蓋滿了整整一面墻。剋雷格還表示，儘管在魔法部的巫師都是用飛行代替行走，用紙飛機代替電話，卻沒辦法掩蓋它在本質上是一個純粹的官僚機構的事實： “在英國，ZF大樓都有着19世紀維多利亞時代的建築特色，樓身上的裝飾物繁多。由於魔法部被設置在了地下，所以我們做的第一件事就是走遍了倫敦所有最古老的地鐵站，感受其中的陰冷氣息和設計風格。我們註意到，很多地鐵站都使用了大量彩色的瓷磚做裝飾——結合了這一特點，我們終於發明了一個地下的世界—— 魔法部。在每一面墻都鋪滿了華美莊重的黑瓷磚後，那種氣勢立馬就顯現出來了。不過，這種做法對於攝影師斯拉沃米爾·埃迪紮剋(Slawomir Idziak)來說可是一個不小的挑戰，因為他在拍攝的時候，必須得把瓷磚反光這一元素考慮進去。”
通觀所有《哈利·波特》係列影片，魔法部的美工設計都堪稱最大的一處布景地，超過200英尺長、120英尺寬、30英尺高，至少鋪了3萬塊瓷磚——都是一個個人工粘上去的。而且到了影片中，這個大廳還會通過數碼處理，空間變得更大。
哈利是在韋斯萊先生的陪伴下，從“來賓入口”進入魔法部的——看起來就是倫敦街頭最普通的一個電話亭，斯圖亞特·剋雷格笑着說：“我認為，這樣的設置會讓位於麻瓜ZF大樓正下方的魔法部變得更有趣味性，所以我們選擇了一個離國防部非常近的電話亭……麻瓜肯定會大吃一驚，原來魔法部就位於英國國防部的地下。”大衛·葉慈也表示：“相信《哈利·波特》係列最有趣的一個故事點，就是展示魔法世界是如何‘隱藏’在麻瓜的生活中的，事實上，這兩個世界是相融的，衹是麻瓜們沒意識到這一點而已。”
粉色代表一種新的“黑勢力”
新學期，學校來了一位新的黑魔法防禦術課老師——烏姆裏奇教授，由伊梅爾達·斯湯頓飾演。從頭到腳都被粉色包裹着，烏姆裏奇教授擁有老練的假笑和甜到發膩的聲音，可是她的本性卻和這完全相反。大衛·葉慈表示：“福吉認為鄧布利多在覬覦魔法部部長的位置，所以他派來了自己最信賴的副部長烏姆裏奇，在霍格沃茨查明真相。可烏姆裏奇卻認為自己的任務是為福吉掃清一切潛在的威脅，結果把霍格沃茨搞得烏煙瘴氣，純是一隻披着羊皮的狼。”斯湯頓表示同意：“很多人都會像烏姆裏奇一樣，表面上魅力十足，其實一肚子壞水，所以飾演這樣一個角色是我願意接受的挑戰。”
雖然是為了與原著小說保持一致，伊梅爾達·斯湯頓有時候仍然會對飾演烏姆裏奇這個角色感到有點惱火：“在小說中，她被描述成長得非常醜陋，像是令人討厭的癩蛤蟆，所以當有人對我說‘你是這個角色最合適的人選’時，我聽着總覺得不那麽舒服。”
伊梅爾達·斯湯頓也是所有演員中，和服裝設計師珍妮·泰敏(Jany Temime)走得最近的一個，因為烏姆裏奇整體的形象設計，是泰敏在整部影片中，最艱巨的工作之一，斯湯頓說：“我們為這個身材有點圓的女士想出了很多有趣的方案，我不希望她衣服的輪廓太過鮮明——雖然她給人的第一印象是溫柔和善良，其實心腸實在是不怎麽地。”
為了能夠在外觀上展示烏姆裏奇教授的“溫柔”，珍妮·泰敏表示：“我們往伊梅爾達·斯湯頓的戲服裏填了很多東西，因為她本人特別瘦。”泰敏還在衣服上使用了許多柔軟的布料，就是為了增強那種性格上的溫和感。不過，衣服的顔色卻是在小說中就已經决定好的：粉色、更粉以及最粉。泰敏接着說：“每一次我們看到她，她身上的粉衣服除了顔色，樣式都是不一樣的。當她慢慢在霍格沃茨展示自己的特權時，顔色的亮度也會隨之變強，十分紮眼，最終變成了那種最深的櫻桃粉。”
粉色的主題還會被延用至烏姆裏奇教授的辦公室中，這部分場景是由美工師斯圖亞特·剋雷格和他的設計組用各種粉色的東西裝飾出來的，包括帶有花邊、像天鵝絨一樣光滑的窗簾，以及周圍各種可愛的小擺設。傢具的風格則來源於法國，以剋雷格的說法就是“非常有綫條感”——從各個方面進行暗示，這間辦公室的主人實在是太有個性了。不過，這間辦公室最有特色的地方，還在於墻上那200多個印有小貓的盤子上，暗示着烏姆裏奇那種與貓很相似、反復無常的性格。相對照而言，烏姆裏奇教授使用的教室就顯得嚴肅、簡樸多了，就像她對學生嚴格限製的教課風格一樣——衹允許他們做在自己的位置上埋頭於她指定的教課書。魯伯特·格林特說：“學生們對烏姆裏奇教授的黑魔法防禦術課都感到無比陌生，但是她卻堅信我們必須要學習理論，而且完全沒有實踐過程，要知道，這種做法在一所魔法學校裏是非常荒謬的。”
槲寄生下的初吻
當霍格沃茨因為即將到來的聖誕節而進入假期時，哈利組建的D.A.學習小組也不得不中斷一段時間。最後一堂課過後，D.A.所有的成員都結伴離開了，·張卻留了下來。哈利早在去年就喜歡上了她，然而兩人的關係卻因為塞德裏剋·迪戈裏的被害而稍嫌復雜。似乎是洞悉了他們心中暗藏的想法，無所不知的“有求必應屋”在最後一次D.A.集會的時候用一枝槲寄生作為裝飾物，終於帶來了所有哈迷熱切盼望着的時刻——哈利的初吻。
丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫回憶這部分的拍攝時說：“我有些不安，因為我發現梁佩詩似乎很緊張。這不僅僅是一個吻那麽簡單，也暗示着張秋和哈利之間的復雜關係。當我們嘗試了幾次後，發現其實也沒那麽可怕，還挺有趣的。”梁佩詩繼續說：“我之所以特別緊張，因為這是我在大銀幕上的初吻，好在導演大衛·葉慈非常專業，他告訴了我們想要一個什麽樣的效果，這樣我們就不會感覺這個場景有多麽地難拍了。一開始的時候，是有點難堪，但是丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫很會帶戲，他讓拍攝變得很簡單，而且他是一個接吻高手。”
導演的做法也許打消了兩位小演員的顧慮，卻忘了一旁同樣緊張的工作人員，因為這些人幾乎是看着丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫隨着《哈利·波特》係列電影一點一點成長起來的，製片人大衛·海曼說： “我們中的許多人在雷德剋裏夫10歲的時候就認識他了，然後他就在我們的眼前長大了……所以我們關心他，想要保護他。在這裏，看着他經歷着‘銀幕初吻’，那種感覺很奇怪，我一直告誡自己不要看，可是卻忍不住想看。好在這組場景拍得很完美，相信觀衆肯定能夠從中感覺到溫柔和美麗的甜蜜。”
巨人兄弟格洛普
在知道自己遲早會被烏姆裏奇趕出霍格沃茨之後，狩獵場看守海格給哈利、羅恩和赫敏“佈置”了一個特殊的任務：幫助照看自己那同母異父的弟弟格洛普——他剛好是一個身高16英尺的巨人。
為了讓格洛普在大銀幕上“活”過來，這裏不但結合了手工設計、動作捕捉、電腦特效的集體智慧，還包括一個名叫托尼·毛德斯萊(Tony Maudsley)的演員的天才表演。大衛·海曼說：“在我們的假設中，格洛普是一個非常天真的巨人，衹是比較好動，沒辦法太長時間集中註意力而已。毛德斯萊和大衛·葉慈花了很長時間去討論一些表演上的細節，因為格洛普是一個需要靠‘動作捕捉’技術幫助的數碼人。”葉慈則對毛德斯萊的表現大加贊揚：“他完全融入進來了，這從他每一個細微的表演中就能看出來。即使這個角色幾乎完全是由數碼技術生成的，可是毛德斯萊卻給了格洛普生命和靈魂。”
當格洛普和赫敏待在一起時，你能從他們之間的關係看出格洛普並不衹是一個面目可憎的巨人，愛瑪·沃特森說：“格洛普也有可愛的一面，在赫敏面前，他就像一隻小貓咪那樣溫順，赫敏是惟一一個能夠讓他安靜下來的人……我知道格洛普是一個由電腦製作出來的數碼巨人，可是工作人員已經盡量讓他顯得真實了，他有一雙像小狗一樣可愛的眼睛，我實在是太喜歡他了。”
生物特效師尼剋·杜德曼(Nick Dudman)表示，他們還給格洛普製作了一個原尺寸大小的腦袋，用來拍攝和其他演員在一起的場景，魯伯特·格林特興奮地說：“和格洛普一起拍攝的部分太精彩了，現場有巨大的頭和肩膀，逼真到我們都忘了和我們一起演戲的，衹是他身體的一部分而已。至於其中我最中意的部分就是：格洛普非常喜歡赫敏，用手把她托了起來。於是羅恩嫉妒了，嘗試着想讓格洛普把赫敏放下來，他想英雄救美，就是使勁敲打巨人……你一定已經猜出結果了，羅恩一下子就被格洛普給彈飛了。”
《哈利·波特與鳳凰社》[電影]-影片評價
·張：和哈利的愛情是悲劇
儘管此前哈利·波特和秋·張的戀情成為大傢關註的焦點，但剛剛曝光的《哈利·波特和鳳凰社》中的情節可以看得出來，其實他們之間的感情並非完美。哈利吻了秋·張，但最終兩個人並沒有走到一起。
故事從哈利的五年級開始。他驚奇地發現秋·張多次找他，並試圖同他談話。不幸的是，哈利每次同秋·張的見面都並不愉快：第一次，在和秋·張見面的時候，他就被緑色的汁液濺了一身；之後的一次見面，·張甚至同哈利最好的朋友羅恩為魁地奇球隊而爭執起來。
最令人關註的是情人節時，在霍格沃茨，·張最終同意和哈利約會，兩人甚至有了初吻，但是秋·張卻忽然為死去的塞德裏剋（她之前的男友）哭泣。她還坦言自己嫉妒赫敏同哈利的友誼，且由於毫無經驗的哈利不知所措，因此這個約會不歡而散。所以，兩人的初戀並不是很完美。
從已經曝光的情節中我們可以看出張秋在《哈利·波特和鳳凰社》中的戲份大大增加。在接受采訪的時候，這位名叫梁凱蒂的華裔女孩這樣解釋自己的角色：“她原來是有一個男朋友的（塞德裏剋），但是後來去世了。所以，她和哈利·波特發展了一段感情。但是這段感情並不穩定，因為她始終無法忘記死去的男友，因此這是一個內心復雜的女孩。最終，這是一個悲劇。”談到和哈利的初吻，她說：“他是一個很優秀的接吻者，我很享受整個過程。”
而扮演哈利的雷德剋利夫則樂觀地表示，如果沒有意外的話，這場吻戲會吸引大量的影迷前去影院觀看此片。他說：“如果說觀衆看這部電影衹有一個原因的話，我猜就是這場吻戲。”
反派：我會和小天狼星殊死搏鬥！
另外，在片中扮演伏地魔追隨者盧修斯·馬爾福的演員傑森·伊薩剋斯也透露了一些戲份。他所扮演的這個角色是第五集中主要的大反派，而且將會和哈利的教父———小天狼星展開殊死搏鬥。
據稱，伊薩剋斯扮演的將是哈利·波特和天狼星在霍格沃茨的死敵———馬爾福。在第五集中，馬爾福被證明是一個食死徒（伏地魔跟隨者的總稱），他忠心耿耿地為自己的主人伏地魔效忠。更重要的是，這位馬爾福還將在片中和天狼星有殊死决鬥。扮演這個角色的伊薩剋斯表示：“我將會和加裏·奧德曼扮演的天狼星有一番决鬥。他可能是這個星球上最偉大的演員之一，所以我經常擔心自己會演不好。你知道，我們之間的决鬥就好像是兩個十歲的孩子在打鬧。因為需要大量的後期電腦製作。不過，這個過程在大銀幕上展現出來，真的很棒！”
儘管這個角色在第五集中戲份頗多，但是伊薩剋斯卻擔心自己在後面兩集中“失蹤”。為此他專門拜訪了J·K·羅琳，希望這個作傢不要讓他“消失”。
It is the longest book in the series, and was published on 21 June 2003 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic in the United States, and Raincoast in Canada. The book has been made into a film, which was released in 2007, and has also been made into several video games by Electronic Arts. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has won several awards, including being named an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults in 2003.
Synopsis
Plot introduction
Throughout the four previous novels in the Harry Potter series, the main character, Harry Potter, has struggled with the difficulties that come with growing up and the added challenge of being a famous wizard. When Harry was a baby, Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard in living memory, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after trying to kill Harry. This results in Harry's immediate fame, and his being placed in the care of his muggle, or non-magical, relatives Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.
Harry enters the wizarding world at the age of 11, enrolling in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is confronted by Lord Voldemort trying to regain power. After returning to the school after summer break, several attacks on students take place at Hogwarts after the legendary "Chamber of Secrets" is opened. Harry ends the attacks by killing a Basilisk and defeating another attempt by Lord Voldemort to return to full strength. The following year, Harry hears that he has been targeted by escaped murderer Sirius Black. Despite stringent security measures at Hogwarts, Harry is confronted by Black at the end of his third year of schooling and Harry learns that Black was framed and is actually Harry's godfather. Harry's fourth year of school sees him entered in a dangerous magical competition called the Triwizard Tournament. At the conclusion of the Tournament, Harry witnesses the return of Lord Voldemort to full strength.
Plot summary
This novel begins when Harry and his cousin, Dudley, are attacked by dementors. Harry uses magic to fight them off, and must attend a disciplinary hearing for it. In response to Voldemort's reappearance, Dumbledore re-activates the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society which works to defeat Voldemort's minions and protect Voldemort's targets, including Harry. Despite Harry's description of Voldemort's recent activities, the Ministry of Magic and many others in the magical world refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned.
In an attempt to enforce its version of school curriculum, the Ministry appoints Dolores Umbridge as the new High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. She transforms the school into a quasi-dictatorial regime and refuses to allow the students to learn ways to defend themselves against dark magic. Harry's friends, Ron and Hermione, persuaded Harry to form a secret study group and begin to teach his classmates the higher-level skills he has learned. The novel introduces Harry to Luna Lovegood, an airy young witch with a tendency to believe in oddball conspiracy theories. Moreover, it reveals an important prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort. Harry also discovers that he and Voldemort have a telepathic connection, allowing Harry to view some of Voldemort's actions. In the novel's climax, Harry and his school friends face off against Voldemort's Death Eaters. The timely arrival of members of the Order of the Phoenix saves the children's lives, but Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, is murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange. Many Death Eaters are captured and, most importantly, the return of Voldemort is confirmed within the magical world.
Development, publication, and reception
Development
In an interview with BBC News, Rowling suggested the death of a principal character which made her sad. She added that although her husband suggested she undo the character's death to stop her sadness, she needed to be "a ruthless killer." However, Rowling revealed in a 2007 interview that she had originally planned to kill off Arthur Weasley in this book, but ultimately could not bear to do it. In another interview, when asked if there was anything she would go back and change about the seven novels, Rowling replied that she would have edited Phoenix more, as she feels it is too long.
Publication and release
Potter fans waited three years between the releases of the fourth and fifth books.
Before the release of the fifth book, 200 million copies of the first four books had already been sold and translated into 55 languages in 200 countries. As the series was already a global phenomenon, the book forged new pre-order records, with thousands of people queuing outside book stores on 20 June 2003 to secure their copy at midnight. Despite the security, thousands of copies were stolen from an Earlestown, Merseyside warehouse on 15 June 2003.
Critical response
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was met with generally good reviews, and received several awards. The book was named as a Best Book for Young Adults and as a Notable Book by the American Library Association in 2004. It also received the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio 2004 Gold Medal along with several other awards.
The novel was also received generally well by critics. Rowling was praised for her imagination by USA Today writer Deirdre Donahue. Most of the negative reviewers were concerned with the violence contained in the novel and with morality issues occurring throughout the book. There has also been a strong religious response to the publishing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
New York Times writer John Leonard praised the novel, saying "The Order of the Phoenix starts slow, gathers speed and then skateboards, with somersaults, to its furious conclusion....As Harry gets older, Rowling gets better." However, he also criticizes "the one-note Draco Malfoy" and the predictable Lord Voldemort. Another review by Julie Smithouser, of the Christian-right group Focus on the Family, said the book was, "Likely to be considered the weakest book in the series, Phoenix does feel less oppressive than the two most previous novels." Smithouser's main criticism was that the book was not moral. Harry lies to authority to escape punishment, and that, at times, the violence is too "gruesome and graphic."
Several Christian groups have expressed concerns that the book, and the rest of the Harry Potter series, contain references to witchcraft or occultism. Despite these views, several religious groups have also expressed their support for the series. Christianity Today published an editorial in favour of the books in January 2000, calling the series a "Book of Virtues" and averring that although "modern witchcraft is indeed an ensnaring, seductive false religion that we must protect our children from", this does not represent the Potter books, which have "wonderful examples of compassion, loyalty, courage, friendship, and even self-sacrifice".
Prequels and sequels
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in the Harry Potter Series. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997 with an initial print-run of 500 copies in hardback, three hundred of which were distributed to libraries. By the end of 1997 the UK edition won a National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9 to 11 year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was originally published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published a year later in the UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September 1999. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8 July 2000 simultaneously by Bloomsbury and Scholastic.
After the publishing of Order of the Phoenix, the sixth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was published on 16 July 2005, and sold 11 million copies in the first 24 hours of its worldwide release. The seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published 21 July 2007. The book sold 11 million copies within 24 hours of its release: 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US.
Adaptations
Film
In 2007, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released in film version directed by David Yates, produced by David Heyman's company Heyday Films, and written by Michael Goldenberg. The film's budget was reportedly between £75 and 100 million ($150–200 million), and it became the unadjusted seventh-highest grossing film of all time, and a critical and commercial success. The film opened to a worldwide 5-day opening of $333 million, third all-time, and grossed $939 million total, the second to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for the greatest total of 2007.
Video games
A video game adaptation of the book and film versions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was made for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii, Game Boy Advance and Mac OS X. It was released on 25 June 2007 in the U.S., 28 June 2007 in Australia and 29 June 2007 in the UK and Europe for PlayStation 3, PSP, PlayStation 2, Windows and the 3 July 2007 for most other platforms. The games were published by Electronic Arts.
Religious response
Religious controversy surrounding Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the other books in the Harry Potter series mainly deal with the claims that novel contains occult or Satanic subtexts. Religious response to the series has not been exclusively negative. "At least as much as they've been attacked from a theological point of view", notes Rowling, "[the books] have been lauded and taken into pulpit, and most interesting and satisfying for me, it's been by several different faiths".
Opposition to the series
In the United States, calls for the book to be banned from schools have led occasionally to widely publicised legal challenges, usually on the grounds that witchcraft is a government-recognised religion and that to allow the novels to be held in public schools violates the separation of church and state. The series was at the top of the American Library Association's "most challenged books" list for 1999–2001.
Religious opposition to the series has also occurred in other nations. The Orthodox churches of Greece and Bulgaria have campaigned against the series. The books have been banned from private schools in the United Arab Emirates and criticised in the Iranian state-run press.
Roman Catholic opinion over the series is divided. In 2003 Catholic World Report criticised Harry's disrespect for rules and authority, and regarded the series' mixing of the magical and mundane worlds as "a fundamental rejection of the divine order in creation." In 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope later that year but was at the time Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, described the series as "subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul before it can grow properly," and gave permission for publication of the letter that expressed this opinion. However, a spokesman for the Archbishop of Westminster said that Cardinal Ratzinger's words were not binding as they were not an official pronouncement of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Positive response
Some religious responses have been positive. Emily Griesinger wrote that fantasy literature helps children to survive reality for long enough to learn how to deal with it, described Harry's first passage through to Platform 9¾ as an application of faith and hope, and his encounter with the Sorting Hat as the first of many in which Harry is shaped by the choices he makes. She noted that the self-sacrifice of Harry's mother, which protected the boy in the first book and throughout the series, was the most powerful of the "deeper magics" that transcend the magical "technology" of the wizards, and one which the power-hungry Voldemort fails to understand.
There is some positive Roman Catholic opinion on the books. In 2003, Monsignor Peter Fleetwood, a member of a Church working party on New Age phenomena, said that the Harry Potter stories "are not bad or a banner for anti-Christian theology. They help children understand the difference between good and evil," that Rowling's approach was Christian, and that the stories illustrated the need to make sacrifices to defeat evil.
Translations
The first official foreign translation of the book appeared in Vietnamese on 21 July 2003, when the first of twenty-two installments was released. The first official European translation appeared in Serbia and Montenegro in Serbian, by the official publisher Narodna Knjiga, in early September 2003. Other translations appeared later, e.g. in November 2003 in Dutch and German. The English language version has topped the best seller list in France, while in Germany and the Netherlands an unofficial distributed translation process has been started on the internet.
In the Czech Republic, several young children translated half of the book in two weeks after its English release, long before its intended Czech release date. This led the official Czech publisher Albatros to sue the children for copyright infringement.
《哈利·波特與混血王子》中哈利將迎來他在魔法學校的第六年，斯內普終於如願以償地當上了“黑魔法防禦術課”的教授，而一嚮頭疼魔藥課的哈利也憑藉着一本舊的魔藥課本成為魔藥課新老師的寵兒。與此同時，鄧布利多也開始為哈利單獨授課，在課上他們一同探索了伏地魔的神秘身世，為最終的大戰運籌帷幄。
“每次擔任該職務者必有問題”的黑魔法防禦術課，終於劃歸對此垂涎已久的斯內普教授名下，而空缺的魔藥課則交由新來的霍拉斯先生走馬上任(這位奧斯卡最佳男配角得主同時也是《納爾尼亞傳奇1：獅子、女巫、魔衣櫃》裏的教授--魔衣櫃的所有者)。另一方面，鄧布利多繼續給哈利單開小竈，準備迎接伏地魔總裁的新一輪攻勢；可沒想到是，當食死徒殺進霍格沃茨時，黑魔法防禦術的老師到底還是出了問題。
看過書的“哈哈”們都知道《哈利·波特與混血王子》是怎麽回事，至於那位關鍵人物的死，為吸引更多好奇人士，恕我按下不表。不經意間隨手設計哈利和金妮、羅恩和赫敏同時遭遇“三角”問題。而奧斯卡級的霍格沃茨居然還嫌陣容不夠華麗，又把《紅磨坊》的老闆吸納進來，按此趨勢真不知最後一部搬上銀幕時還能請到誰--朱迪·丹奇？邁剋爾·凱恩？不僅如此，羅琳還以“作為母親不忍心拒絶女兒想繼續看的要求”為由，放言不排除撰寫以哈利的孩子當主角的“第八本《哈利·波特》”。
從裸體戀馬的舞臺劇到閃電分手的姐弟戀，一直不缺頭條素材的丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫將第六次與大傢見面(其實大量粉絲最期待再見的人是艾瑪·沃特森纔對吧？雖然她的演技與年齡呈反比)。其實《混血王子》最大的兩個懸念莫過於：一、這是係列小說完結之後的第一部電影，書的銷量刷新吉尼斯世界紀錄，會對電影票房産生怎樣的影響？二、上一集令人大失所望的大衛·耶茨導演繼續掌勺，根據剋裏斯·哥倫布“《密室》＜《魔法石》”的前車之鑒， 做好心理準備迎接一部更糟糕的《哈利·波特》？令人費解的是：為什麽華納要把分成上下集的《死亡聖器》也交給他呢！
《哈利·波特與混血王子》[電影]-拍攝花絮
將於2008年11月21日登陸影院的《哈利·波特與混血王子》發佈部分拍攝花絮，不僅將看到電影拍攝的場景，還將采訪主角丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫、愛瑪·沃特森、魯伯特·格林特。
在《哈利·波特與混血王子》中，哈利將在霍格沃茲開始他的第六年學習生活。儘管伏地魔已經開始了他的復仇計劃，但是抵抗伏地魔的組織也在日漸強大。哈利和赫敏無意中發現了一本古老的藥劑書，這本書原本屬於“混血王子”，哈利發現這本書不僅能增加他的魔法知識，還能幫助他準備和伏地魔的戰爭。
首先哈利必須幫助鄧布利多發現伏地魔尋找不死的秘密。但是這個秘密居然造成了悲劇性的結局，更讓哈利相信自己應該肩負起與黑暗戰爭的使命。
《哈利·波特與混血王子》[電影]-電影相關
最新一集《哈利·波特與混血王子》將全球公映，曾經飾演天狼星的加裏·奧德曼於上集《鳳凰社》中壯烈犧牲，但現實生活中，他跟“哈利”丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫仍然保持緊密聯絡。他出席《蝙蝠俠：黑夜騎士》首映禮時，自爆丹尼爾經常致電跟他聊天，“他說電影結局篇《哈利·波特與死聖》將會一分為二，上半部分在2010年上映，相信跟故事太精彩豐富有關；卻駁斥他，衹是錢作怪而已，他聽罷非常無癮。”
隨着英國電影雜志《帝國》公佈首批劇照，男女主角及新角色造型亦同時曝光。“哈利”丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫、“赫敏”艾瑪·沃特森以及“羅恩”魯伯特·格林特，外表打扮更見成熟；其中一張哈利拿着魔法棒神情哀傷的劇照，有細心網友聲稱那根魔法棒是屬於校長鄧不利多的，由此猜測校長會於本集死去！丹尼爾接受《帝國》采訪時說，第六集的黑暗色彩會較以往更強，有些畫面仿佛是對1996年上映的《猜火車》的瘋狂膜拜。導演大衛·耶茨也透露，超級姦角“伏地魔”及其信仰者“食死徒”會嚮哈利步步進逼，“影片一開始，倫敦一處主要標志將會受到攻擊，遭到毀滅性破壞。”
幸好新片同時加重了愛情戲分，導演大衛·耶茨爆料指哈利對羅恩的妹妹金妮有好感，二人幾乎親吻之際，食死徒卻出現壞了好事。另一方面，赫敏跟羅恩的戀情也逐漸明朗化，“作為魔法學校最聰明的女生，赫敏將會表現出平日罕見的浪漫情愫。”
《哈利·波特與混血王子》首次曝光的先行版預告海報，是華納公司第一時間嚮新浪娛樂提供的。在預告片和大量劇照曝光之後官方海報第一次現身，距離影片2009年7月上映已經不足半年，應該是整體宣傳全面啓動的標志。在曝光的預告海報中，凜冽的陰暗風格鋪面而來，早先那個胸懷魔法師夢醒的懵懂少年已經絶塵而去，處於黑暗風雨中的哈利·波特下巴上已經隱約冒出了鬍茬，臉頰上似乎也出現了一條法令紋。而在他眼鏡中出演的鄧布利多披頭散發，兩人明顯面臨着一場惡戰。時間在哈利·波特臉上刻下了痕跡，也繼續將他推進“成人社會”的無盡深淵。逐漸學有所成的哈利·波特面臨着和“蜘蛛俠”一樣的難題：是遵循“能力越大，責任越大”的教誨，繼續“降妖伏魔，解救衆生”，還是屈服在重重誘惑之中。
最新公佈的劇情顯示，在這場戰鬥中鄧布利多身受重傷，還被斯內普用魔杖化為灰燼，但最後哈利·波特還是在夥伴們的幫助下殺死了斯內普，而斯內普在臨死前也透露了自己就是混血王子的秘密。究竟鄧布利多能不能回到魔法學校，回到哈利·波特的身邊，這一切都將在電影上映後逐漸解開。
第81屆奧斯卡頒奬典禮將揭曉。與往年不同，奧斯卡會在臨近尾聲時播放一段短片來展望2009年的熱門新片，《哈利·波特與混血王子》就在其中。
《哈利·波特與混血王子》[電影]-人物名稱含義
1.阿不思· 珀西瓦爾·伍爾弗裏剋·布萊恩·鄧布 利多（AlbusPe rcivalWulfricBrianDumbledore）：阿不思是拉丁文中白色的意思，因為鄧布利是 與黑魔頭伏地魔對立的白魔法師。鄧布利多根據羅琳自己說是“蜜蜂嗡嗡叫”的意思。
2.西弗勒斯·斯內普（SeverusSnape）：西弗勒斯在 拉丁文中是嚴厲的意思，和斯內普的性格蠻相符的。但實際上，Snape衹是英國的一個小 村莊的名字。斯內普在英文中與蛇這個詞衹差一個字母！難怪斯內普是斯萊特林的院長 。
3.米勒娃·麥格（MinervaMcgonagall）： 通常的翻譯是密涅瓦，羅馬神話中的智慧女神，也就相當於希臘神話中的女神雅典娜。
4.赫敏·格蘭傑（HermioneGranger）：從發 音上就可以判斷是從希臘奧林匹斯山上著名的衆神使者赫爾墨斯的大名中化出來的。當 今哲學領域流行的“解釋學”原來也脫胎於赫爾墨斯之名.難怪赫敏在小說中以機敏和智 慧著稱，許多難解的啞謎一經她手即可迎刃而解。
5.萊姆斯·盧平（RemusLupin）：盧平來自於拉丁 文詞根LUP，即狼的意思-LUPINE是“像狼一樣的人”，而LUPUS是"豺狼座".據說法國諾 曼底地區的居民有時就把狼人叫做“LUPIN”！萊姆斯就更有趣了,這是羅馬傳說中被母 狼喂養過的雙生子之一的名字，可愛的小狼崽子!
6.小天狼星·布萊剋（SiriusBlack）：SIRIUS 當然就 是天狼星，而布萊剋是“黑色”。他變身這之後就是一隻黑色的大狗。
7.小矮星·彼得（PeterPettigrew）：彼得這 個名字太普通了，似乎沒什麽特殊意義。小矮星是“長的很小”的意思，這個名字還可 以拆開成為PETIGREW，意思差不多是“我變成了寵物”！
8.阿格斯·費爾奇（ArgusFilch）:費爾奇是英文動 詞“偷”的意思，而阿格斯則是希臘神話中一百衹眼睛的巨怪。費爾奇先生經常偷偷摸 摸的觀察學生的行為。
9. 魯伯·海格（Hagrid）：據羅琳的說法，HAGRID是 古英語中的單詞,是“很糟糕的夜晚”或“睡不好覺的晚上”。海格常因為喝酒睡不好覺
10.阿拉斯托·穆迪（AlastorMoody）：ALASTOR 是 希臘神話中掌管復仇的魔鬼,而穆迪在在英文中則是情緒多變的意思。
11.賓斯教授（ProfessorBinns）：BINNS 發音很接近BEEN，在英文中是動詞BE的過去分詞形式。這位教授已經是鬼魂，也的確是 過去式了!
12.湯姆·裏德爾（TomMarvoloRiddle）：RIDDLE是英文“謎語”的意思， 一看到這個名字就知道羅琳要玩文字遊戲了。
13.伏地魔（ LordVoldemort）：VOLDEMORT是來源於法語VOLEDEMORT，即“死亡的飛翔”或“飛離死 亡”。難怪老伏同志整天想着長生不老。而“伏地魔”這個詞，是由TomMarvoloRiddle 變過來的，衹是字母的順序換了一下，伏地魔的過去湯姆.裏德爾一直不喜歡自己的名字 湯姆，認為它太普通，所以調換了字母，由TomMarvoloRiddle（湯姆.裏德爾）變為 LordVoldemort，以顯示自己的與衆不同。
14.弗農·德斯禮（VernonDursley）：弗農是羅琳最討厭的名字。 在羅琳的出生地——英國的格溫特郡附近有個叫Durslay的城市。
15.達力·德斯禮（DudleyDursley ）：DUDLEY是從英國俚語DUD變化而來，意思是很無聊的人。
16.佩妮·德斯禮 （PetuniaDursley）：PETUNIA是牽牛花的意思，而她的妹妹。哈利的媽媽莉莉的名字則 是百合花的意思。牽牛花象徵憤怒和憎恨，而百合象徵純潔。
17.德拉科·馬爾福 （DracoMalfoy)：MALFOY是由法語MALFOI變化而來，意思是不好的信仰。這一傢人都是 食死徒，全是信仰黑魔法。而德拉科。DRACO是拉丁文中竜蛇的意思，而竜在西方是和撒 旦聯繫在一起的。德拉科也是古雅典一位極其殘暴的立法官的名字。
18.盧修斯·馬爾福 (LuciusMalfoy)：LUCIUS和LUCIFER很接近，和德拉科一樣。盧修斯也是古雅典一位很殘 暴的立法官名字。
19.納西莎·馬爾福(NarcissaMalfoy)：NARCISSA來源於希臘神話 中的人物，就是那個有自戀情結，愛上自己在水中的影子的年輕人。納西莎是水仙花的 意思，代表自戀。
20.路威(海格的三頭大狗 ，Fluffy)：（fluffy）意思是“毛茸茸的”。
21.海德薇 (Hedwig)：是12或者13世紀德國聖徒的名字，她為城市中的人們傳遞消息。
22.戈德裏剋·格蘭芬多(GodricGryffindor)：Gryffin是希臘神話中的獅身鷲頭有 翼獸，在法語中dor有“金製成的”的意思。“格蘭芬多”指獅身鷲頭有翼獸。God表示 “上帝”，-ric是表示“管轄、領域”之意的接尾詞。Godric指的是“上帝的住處”。 格蘭芬多的象徵是lion（獅子）
23.薩拉查·斯萊特林(SalazarSlytherin)：SLYTHERIN 是來自英文單詞“SLITHERING”，像蛇一樣爬行前進的諧模文。斯萊特林的象徵就是 snake（蛇）。
24.羅伊納·拉文剋勞(RowenaRavenclaw)：RAVENCLAW ，直譯就是渡鴉的腳爪。拉文剋勞學院的象徵就是hawk（鷹）。
25.赫爾加·赫 奇帕奇(HelgaHufflepuff)：HUFFLEPUFF，源於英文HUFF和PUFF。兩個詞都和吹氣有 關，不知有何聯繫。赫奇帕奇學院的象徵是Badger(獾)。
26.麻瓜 (Muggle)：MUGGLE是從英語俚語MUG變化而來,意思是傻瓜。
27.盧娜·拉文古德(LunaLovegood)： Luna，在法語中也有月亮，月神的意思，這很容易讓人想到她的純潔和美麗，還有一絲 神秘。Lovegood，雖然有點牽強，但依舊是愛，美好的意思。兩個名字拼在一起，可以 想象，是個很討人喜歡的女孩。不過其實Luna這個詞根也有“瘋狂”的意思，Lunatic就 是“瘋瘋癲癲的”，也符合這個孩子的性格。
28.西比爾·特裏勞妮：西比爾是希臘羅馬神話中受太陽神阿波羅啓示而作 語言的女預言師的稱號。
29.芙蓉·德拉庫爾(FleurDelacour)：FleurDelacour是法語，直 譯意思是宮廷裏的花朵，引申就是指貴族婦女。
30.麗塔·斯基特：skeeter這個詞與那些屬於甲蟲的動詞 “scamper奔跳”、“scatter散開”和“creep爬行”有關。
The book sold three million copies in the first 16 hours after its release, a record at the time which was eventually broken by its sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Plot
Harry Potter and his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their sixth year of magical education. It is announced that Severus Snape has become the new Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor, while Horace Slughorn has taken Snape's place as Potions teacher. Harry discovers that the previous owner of his Potions textbook, the "Half-Blood Prince", has annotated the book with refinements that allow Harry to excel in class and become a favorite of Slughorn's. Slughorn is also intrigued by the rumor that Harry is the "Chosen One" who will finally kill the evil Lord Voldemort, who has recently regained power and is set on conquering the wizarding world.
Harry recognizes his attraction to Ginny Weasley, but fears that acting on it will harm his friendship with Ron, her overprotective older brother. Ron begins dating Lavender Brown, causing a rift between him and Hermione, who secretly harbors feelings for him. The rift heals only when Ron is nearly killed by poisoned mead intended for Hogwarts' headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Harry suspects that his nemesis, Draco Malfoy, has become one of Voldemort's supporters and believes he was behind both the mead and a previous failed attack on Dumbledore's life. However, no one seems to believe him.
During private meetings held throughout the year, Dumbledore uses his Pensieve to show Harry memories of Voldemort's past. A memory Harry manages to procure from Slughorn confirms Dumbledore's suspicion that Voldemort splintered his soul into seven fragments in order to achieve immortality. Six of these fragments are contained in magical objects called Horcruxes, which must be destroyed before Voldemort can be killed. Two Horcruxes have already been destroyed—Tom Riddle's diary, which Harry stabbed with a basilisk fang in his second year; and Voldemort's grandfather's ring, which Dumbledore destroyed the summer before Harry's sixth year. The remaining Horcruxes include Voldemort's pet snake Nagini and objects formerly owned by Hogwarts' founders—Salazar Slytherin's locket, Helga Hufflepuff's cup, and an unidentified object of either Godric Gryffindor's or Rowena Ravenclaw's.
After Snape sees Harry cast a curse from the Half-Blood Prince's book and attempts to confiscate the book, Harry hides it in the Room of Requirement. Harry's Hogwarts House wins the school's Quidditch championship; euphoric, Harry spontaneously kisses Ginny, and with Ron's diffident approval they start dating.
Dumbledore locates another Horcrux and asks Harry for help in destroying it. They travel to a cave and retrieve what they believe to be Salazar's locket, but Dumbledore is severely weakened after drinking the magical potion designed to protect the Horcrux. They return to Hogwarts and see Voldemort's symbol hovering over Hogwarts' Astronomy Tower. Dumbledore demands that Harry cover himself with his Invisibility Cloak. At the top of the tower, Dumbledore stuns the concealed Harry at the last moment before being confronted by Draco. Draco admits that he was behind the attacks on Dumbledore's life, as Voldemort had ordered Draco to kill him and would kill Draco if he failed. Dumbledore invites Draco to "come over to the right side," offering protection from the Death Eaters. Though Draco refuses, he cannot bring himself to kill Dumbledore, even after fellow Death Eaters arrive and pressure him to follow through. Snape arrives; compelled by an Unbreakable Vow he made to Draco's mother the summer before to protect Draco and fulfill his task if Draco cannot, he kills Dumbledore. With Dumbledore's death, Harry is released from the Stunning Spell; enraged, he pursues Snape, who fends off Harry's attacks and reveals that he is the Half-Blood Prince shortly before disapparating.
Harry recovers the locket from Dumbledore's body, only to discover that it is a fake left by someone with the initials R. A. B., who stole the real Horcrux and left a note declaring his opposition to Voldemort. The school year ends with Dumbledore's funeral; he and his wand are buried in a tomb beside the lake on Hogwarts' grounds. Harry ends his relationship with Ginny, fearing that Voldemort will target her if they continue to see each other. He, Ron, and Hermione vow not to return to school the following year, but to hunt for the remaining Horcruxes instead.
Development
Potter fans wait in lines outside a Borders for the midnight release of the book
Prequels and sequel
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth book in the Harry Potter series. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997 with an initial print-run of 500 copies in hardback, 300 of which were distributed to libraries. By the end of 1997 the UK edition won a National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9- to 11-year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was originally published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was then published a year later in the UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September 1999. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8 July 2000 at the same time by Bloomsbury and Scholastic. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the longest novel in the Harry Potter series, was released 21 June 2003. After the publishing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released 21 July 2007. The book sold 11 million copies within 24 hours of its release: 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US.
Pre-release controversy
The record-breaking publication of Half-Blood Prince was accompanied by controversy. In May 2005 bookmakers in the UK suspended bets on which main character would die in the book amid fears of insider knowledge. A number of high value bets were made on the death of Albus Dumbledore, many coming from the town of Bungay where, it was believed, the books were being printed at the time. Betting was later reopened. Other controversies included the right to read Potter books inadvertently sold before the release date, environmental concerns over the source of the paper used in the printing of millions of books, and fan reactions to the plot developments and revelations of the novel.
Right to read controversy
In early July 2005, a Real Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, accidentally sold fourteen copies of The Half-Blood Prince before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court of British Columbia prohibiting the purchasers from reading the books before the official release date or from discussing the contents. Purchasers were offered a Harry Potter T-shirt and an autographed copy of the book if they returned their copies before 16 July.
On 15 July, less than twelve hours before the book went on sale in the Eastern time zone, Raincoast warned The Globe and Mail newspaper that publishing a review from a Canada-based writer at midnight, as the paper had promised, would be seen as a violation of the trade secret injunction. The injunction sparked a number of news articles alleging that the injunction had restricted fundamental rights. Canadian law professor Michael Geist posted commentary on his blog; Richard Stallman called for a boycott, requesting that the publisher issue an apology. The Globe and Mail published a review from two UK-based writers in its 16 July edition and posted the Canadian writer's review on its website at 9:00 that morning. Commentary was also provided on the Raincoast website.
Film
The film based on the sixth book was originally scheduled to be released on 21 November 2008, but was changed to 15 July 2009. The screenplay was written by Steve Kloves, and David Yates directed the film. The film is 153 minutes long, making it the third longest Harry Potter film of the series.
Translations
Along with the rest of the books in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was translated into 67 languages. A translation into Scots Gaelic is planned to be released by Bloomsbury in July 2010.
Textual changes
As with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the United States version of the novel has slightly changed text from the British version. One particular section has been remarked upon, where the alteration makes the nature of Dumbledore's offer to Draco Malfoy before Snape kills Dumbledore in the Half-Blood Prince explicit. The reason for the editing of the following text has not been explained on the author's webpage, but the British edition is more ambiguous. The text can be found in chapter 27, "The Lightning-Struck Tower". The U.S. text was changed to match the UK version with the publication of the paperback edition. The parts added in the hardcover United States version have been highlighted in bold, below:
"[...] He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."
"He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me — forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had captured and killed your mother — it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban [...]"
—(U.S. Edition p. 591)(CND Edition p. 552)
“每次擔任該職務者必有問題”的黑魔法防禦術課，終於劃歸對此垂涎已久的斯內普教授名下，而空缺的魔藥課則交由新來的霍拉斯先生走馬上任(這位奧斯卡最佳男配角得主同時也是《納爾尼亞傳奇1：獅子、女巫、魔衣櫃》裏的教授--魔衣櫃的所有者)。另一方面，鄧布利多繼續給哈利單開小竈，準備迎接伏地魔總裁的新一輪攻勢；可沒想到是，當食死徒殺進霍格沃茨時，黑魔法防禦術的老師到底還是出了問題。
看過書的“哈哈”們都知道《哈利·波特與混血王子》是怎麽回事，至於那位關鍵人物的死，為吸引更多好奇人士，恕我按下不表。不經意間隨手設計哈利和金妮、羅恩和赫敏同時遭遇“三角”問題。而奧斯卡級的霍格沃茨居然還嫌陣容不夠華麗，又把《紅磨坊》的老闆吸納進來，按此趨勢真不知最後一部搬上銀幕時還能請到誰--朱迪·丹奇？邁剋爾·凱恩？不僅如此，羅琳還以“作為母親不忍心拒絶女兒想繼續看的要求”為由，放言不排除撰寫以哈利的孩子當主角的“第八本《哈利·波特》”。
從裸體戀馬的舞臺劇到閃電分手的姐弟戀，一直不缺頭條素材的丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫將第六次與大傢見面(其實大量粉絲最期待再見的人是艾瑪·沃特森纔對吧？雖然她的演技與年齡呈反比)。其實《混血王子》最大的兩個懸念莫過於：一、這是係列小說完結之後的第一部電影，書的銷量刷新吉尼斯世界紀錄，會對電影票房産生怎樣的影響？二、上一集令人大失所望的大衛·耶茨導演繼續掌勺，根據剋裏斯·哥倫布“《密室》＜《魔法石》”的前車之鑒， 做好心理準備迎接一部更糟糕的《哈利·波特》？令人費解的是：為什麽華納要把分成上下集的《死亡聖器》也交給他呢！
《哈利·波特與混血王子》[電影]-拍攝花絮
將於2008年11月21日登陸影院的《哈利·波特與混血王子》發佈部分拍攝花絮，不僅將看到電影拍攝的場景，還將采訪主角丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫、愛瑪·沃特森、魯伯特·格林特。
在《哈利·波特與混血王子》中，哈利將在霍格沃茲開始他的第六年學習生活。儘管伏地魔已經開始了他的復仇計劃，但是抵抗伏地魔的組織也在日漸強大。哈利和赫敏無意中發現了一本古老的藥劑書，這本書原本屬於“混血王子”，哈利發現這本書不僅能增加他的魔法知識，還能幫助他準備和伏地魔的戰爭。
首先哈利必須幫助鄧布利多發現伏地魔尋找不死的秘密。但是這個秘密居然造成了悲劇性的結局，更讓哈利相信自己應該肩負起與黑暗戰爭的使命。
《哈利·波特與混血王子》[電影]-電影相關
最新一集《哈利·波特與混血王子》將全球公映，曾經飾演天狼星的加裏·奧德曼於上集《鳳凰社》中壯烈犧牲，但現實生活中，他跟“哈利”丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫仍然保持緊密聯絡。他出席《蝙蝠俠：黑夜騎士》首映禮時，自爆丹尼爾經常致電跟他聊天，“他說電影結局篇《哈利·波特與死聖》將會一分為二，上半部分在2010年上映，相信跟故事太精彩豐富有關；卻駁斥他，衹是錢作怪而已，他聽罷非常無癮。”
隨着英國電影雜志《帝國》公佈首批劇照，男女主角及新角色造型亦同時曝光。“哈利”丹尼爾·雷德剋裏夫、“赫敏”艾瑪·沃特森以及“羅恩”魯伯特·格林特，外表打扮更見成熟；其中一張哈利拿着魔法棒神情哀傷的劇照，有細心網友聲稱那根魔法棒是屬於校長鄧不利多的，由此猜測校長會於本集死去！丹尼爾接受《帝國》采訪時說，第六集的黑暗色彩會較以往更強，有些畫面仿佛是對1996年上映的《猜火車》的瘋狂膜拜。導演大衛·耶茨也透露，超級姦角“伏地魔”及其信仰者“食死徒”會嚮哈利步步進逼，“影片一開始，倫敦一處主要標志將會受到攻擊，遭到毀滅性破壞。”
幸好新片同時加重了愛情戲分，導演大衛·耶茨爆料指哈利對羅恩的妹妹金妮有好感，二人幾乎親吻之際，食死徒卻出現壞了好事。另一方面，赫敏跟羅恩的戀情也逐漸明朗化，“作為魔法學校最聰明的女生，赫敏將會表現出平日罕見的浪漫情愫。”
《哈利·波特與混血王子》首次曝光的先行版預告海報，是華納公司第一時間嚮新浪娛樂提供的。在預告片和大量劇照曝光之後官方海報第一次現身，距離影片2009年7月上映已經不足半年，應該是整體宣傳全面啓動的標志。在曝光的預告海報中，凜冽的陰暗風格鋪面而來，早先那個胸懷魔法師夢醒的懵懂少年已經絶塵而去，處於黑暗風雨中的哈利·波特下巴上已經隱約冒出了鬍茬，臉頰上似乎也出現了一條法令紋。而在他眼鏡中出演的鄧布利多披頭散發，兩人明顯面臨着一場惡戰。時間在哈利·波特臉上刻下了痕跡，也繼續將他推進“成人社會”的無盡深淵。逐漸學有所成的哈利·波特面臨着和“蜘蛛俠”一樣的難題：是遵循“能力越大，責任越大”的教誨，繼續“降妖伏魔，解救衆生”，還是屈服在重重誘惑之中。
最新公佈的劇情顯示，在這場戰鬥中鄧布利多身受重傷，還被斯內普用魔杖化為灰燼，但最後哈利·波特還是在夥伴們的幫助下殺死了斯內普，而斯內普在臨死前也透露了自己就是混血王子的秘密。究竟鄧布利多能不能回到魔法學校，回到哈利·波特的身邊，這一切都將在電影上映後逐漸解開。
第81屆奧斯卡頒奬典禮將揭曉。與往年不同，奧斯卡會在臨近尾聲時播放一段短片來展望2009年的熱門新片，《哈利·波特與混血王子》就在其中。
《哈利·波特與混血王子》[電影]-人物名稱含義
1.阿不思· 珀西瓦爾·伍爾弗裏剋·布萊恩·鄧布 利多（AlbusPe rcivalWulfricBrianDumbledore）：阿不思是拉丁文中白色的意思，因為鄧布利是 與黑魔頭伏地魔對立的白魔法師。鄧布利多根據羅琳自己說是“蜜蜂嗡嗡叫”的意思。
2.西弗勒斯·斯內普（SeverusSnape）：西弗勒斯在 拉丁文中是嚴厲的意思，和斯內普的性格蠻相符的。但實際上，Snape衹是英國的一個小 村莊的名字。斯內普在英文中與蛇這個詞衹差一個字母！難怪斯內普是斯萊特林的院長 。
3.米勒娃·麥格（MinervaMcgonagall）： 通常的翻譯是密涅瓦，羅馬神話中的智慧女神，也就相當於希臘神話中的女神雅典娜。
4.赫敏·格蘭傑（HermioneGranger）：從發 音上就可以判斷是從希臘奧林匹斯山上著名的衆神使者赫爾墨斯的大名中化出來的。當 今哲學領域流行的“解釋學”原來也脫胎於赫爾墨斯之名.難怪赫敏在小說中以機敏和智 慧著稱，許多難解的啞謎一經她手即可迎刃而解。
5.萊姆斯·盧平（RemusLupin）：盧平來自於拉丁 文詞根LUP，即狼的意思-LUPINE是“像狼一樣的人”，而LUPUS是"豺狼座".據說法國諾 曼底地區的居民有時就把狼人叫做“LUPIN”！萊姆斯就更有趣了,這是羅馬傳說中被母 狼喂養過的雙生子之一的名字，可愛的小狼崽子!
6.小天狼星·布萊剋（SiriusBlack）：SIRIUS 當然就 是天狼星，而布萊剋是“黑色”。他變身這之後就是一隻黑色的大狗。
7.小矮星·彼得（PeterPettigrew）：彼得這 個名字太普通了，似乎沒什麽特殊意義。小矮星是“長的很小”的意思，這個名字還可 以拆開成為PETIGREW，意思差不多是“我變成了寵物”！
8.阿格斯·費爾奇（ArgusFilch）:費爾奇是英文動 詞“偷”的意思，而阿格斯則是希臘神話中一百衹眼睛的巨怪。費爾奇先生經常偷偷摸 摸的觀察學生的行為。
9. 魯伯·海格（Hagrid）：據羅琳的說法，HAGRID是 古英語中的單詞,是“很糟糕的夜晚”或“睡不好覺的晚上”。海格常因為喝酒睡不好覺
10.阿拉斯托·穆迪（AlastorMoody）：ALASTOR 是 希臘神話中掌管復仇的魔鬼,而穆迪在在英文中則是情緒多變的意思。
11.賓斯教授（ProfessorBinns）：BINNS 發音很接近BEEN，在英文中是動詞BE的過去分詞形式。這位教授已經是鬼魂，也的確是 過去式了!
12.湯姆·裏德爾（TomMarvoloRiddle）：RIDDLE是英文“謎語”的意思， 一看到這個名字就知道羅琳要玩文字遊戲了。
13.伏地魔（ LordVoldemort）：VOLDEMORT是來源於法語VOLEDEMORT，即“死亡的飛翔”或“飛離死 亡”。難怪老伏同志整天想着長生不老。而“伏地魔”這個詞，是由TomMarvoloRiddle 變過來的，衹是字母的順序換了一下，伏地魔的過去湯姆.裏德爾一直不喜歡自己的名字 湯姆，認為它太普通，所以調換了字母，由TomMarvoloRiddle（湯姆.裏德爾）變為 LordVoldemort，以顯示自己的與衆不同。
14.弗農·德斯禮（VernonDursley）：弗農是羅琳最討厭的名字。 在羅琳的出生地——英國的格溫特郡附近有個叫Durslay的城市。
15.達力·德斯禮（DudleyDursley ）：DUDLEY是從英國俚語DUD變化而來，意思是很無聊的人。
16.佩妮·德斯禮 （PetuniaDursley）：PETUNIA是牽牛花的意思，而她的妹妹。哈利的媽媽莉莉的名字則 是百合花的意思。牽牛花象徵憤怒和憎恨，而百合象徵純潔。
17.德拉科·馬爾福 （DracoMalfoy)：MALFOY是由法語MALFOI變化而來，意思是不好的信仰。這一傢人都是 食死徒，全是信仰黑魔法。而德拉科。DRACO是拉丁文中竜蛇的意思，而竜在西方是和撒 旦聯繫在一起的。德拉科也是古雅典一位極其殘暴的立法官的名字。
18.盧修斯·馬爾福 (LuciusMalfoy)：LUCIUS和LUCIFER很接近，和德拉科一樣。盧修斯也是古雅典一位很殘 暴的立法官名字。
19.納西莎·馬爾福(NarcissaMalfoy)：NARCISSA來源於希臘神話 中的人物，就是那個有自戀情結，愛上自己在水中的影子的年輕人。納西莎是水仙花的 意思，代表自戀。
20.路威(海格的三頭大狗 ，Fluffy)：（fluffy）意思是“毛茸茸的”。
21.海德薇 (Hedwig)：是12或者13世紀德國聖徒的名字，她為城市中的人們傳遞消息。
22.戈德裏剋·格蘭芬多(GodricGryffindor)：Gryffin是希臘神話中的獅身鷲頭有 翼獸，在法語中dor有“金製成的”的意思。“格蘭芬多”指獅身鷲頭有翼獸。God表示 “上帝”，-ric是表示“管轄、領域”之意的接尾詞。Godric指的是“上帝的住處”。 格蘭芬多的象徵是lion（獅子）
23.薩拉查·斯萊特林(SalazarSlytherin)：SLYTHERIN 是來自英文單詞“SLITHERING”，像蛇一樣爬行前進的諧模文。斯萊特林的象徵就是 snake（蛇）。
24.羅伊納·拉文剋勞(RowenaRavenclaw)：RAVENCLAW ，直譯就是渡鴉的腳爪。拉文剋勞學院的象徵就是hawk（鷹）。
25.赫爾加·赫 奇帕奇(HelgaHufflepuff)：HUFFLEPUFF，源於英文HUFF和PUFF。兩個詞都和吹氣有 關，不知有何聯繫。赫奇帕奇學院的象徵是Badger(獾)。
26.麻瓜 (Muggle)：MUGGLE是從英語俚語MUG變化而來,意思是傻瓜。
27.盧娜·拉文古德(LunaLovegood)： Luna，在法語中也有月亮，月神的意思，這很容易讓人想到她的純潔和美麗，還有一絲 神秘。Lovegood，雖然有點牽強，但依舊是愛，美好的意思。兩個名字拼在一起，可以 想象，是個很討人喜歡的女孩。不過其實Luna這個詞根也有“瘋狂”的意思，Lunatic就 是“瘋瘋癲癲的”，也符合這個孩子的性格。
28.西比爾·特裏勞妮：西比爾是希臘羅馬神話中受太陽神阿波羅啓示而作 語言的女預言師的稱號。
29.芙蓉·德拉庫爾(FleurDelacour)：FleurDelacour是法語，直 譯意思是宮廷裏的花朵，引申就是指貴族婦女。
30.麗塔·斯基特：skeeter這個詞與那些屬於甲蟲的動詞 “scamper奔跳”、“scatter散開”和“creep爬行”有關。
The book sold three million copies in the first 16 hours after its release, a record at the time which was eventually broken by its sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Plot
Harry Potter and his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their sixth year of magical education. It is announced that Severus Snape has become the new Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor, while Horace Slughorn has taken Snape's place as Potions teacher. Harry discovers that the previous owner of his Potions textbook, the "Half-Blood Prince", has annotated the book with refinements that allow Harry to excel in class and become a favorite of Slughorn's. Slughorn is also intrigued by the rumor that Harry is the "Chosen One" who will finally kill the evil Lord Voldemort, who has recently regained power and is set on conquering the wizarding world.
Harry recognizes his attraction to Ginny Weasley, but fears that acting on it will harm his friendship with Ron, her overprotective older brother. Ron begins dating Lavender Brown, causing a rift between him and Hermione, who secretly harbors feelings for him. The rift heals only when Ron is nearly killed by poisoned mead intended for Hogwarts' headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Harry suspects that his nemesis, Draco Malfoy, has become one of Voldemort's supporters and believes he was behind both the mead and a previous failed attack on Dumbledore's life. However, no one seems to believe him.
During private meetings held throughout the year, Dumbledore uses his Pensieve to show Harry memories of Voldemort's past. A memory Harry manages to procure from Slughorn confirms Dumbledore's suspicion that Voldemort splintered his soul into seven fragments in order to achieve immortality. Six of these fragments are contained in magical objects called Horcruxes, which must be destroyed before Voldemort can be killed. Two Horcruxes have already been destroyed—Tom Riddle's diary, which Harry stabbed with a basilisk fang in his second year; and Voldemort's grandfather's ring, which Dumbledore destroyed the summer before Harry's sixth year. The remaining Horcruxes include Voldemort's pet snake Nagini and objects formerly owned by Hogwarts' founders—Salazar Slytherin's locket, Helga Hufflepuff's cup, and an unidentified object of either Godric Gryffindor's or Rowena Ravenclaw's.
After Snape sees Harry cast a curse from the Half-Blood Prince's book and attempts to confiscate the book, Harry hides it in the Room of Requirement. Harry's Hogwarts House wins the school's Quidditch championship; euphoric, Harry spontaneously kisses Ginny, and with Ron's diffident approval they start dating.
Dumbledore locates another Horcrux and asks Harry for help in destroying it. They travel to a cave and retrieve what they believe to be Salazar's locket, but Dumbledore is severely weakened after drinking the magical potion designed to protect the Horcrux. They return to Hogwarts and see Voldemort's symbol hovering over Hogwarts' Astronomy Tower. Dumbledore demands that Harry cover himself with his Invisibility Cloak. At the top of the tower, Dumbledore stuns the concealed Harry at the last moment before being confronted by Draco. Draco admits that he was behind the attacks on Dumbledore's life, as Voldemort had ordered Draco to kill him and would kill Draco if he failed. Dumbledore invites Draco to "come over to the right side," offering protection from the Death Eaters. Though Draco refuses, he cannot bring himself to kill Dumbledore, even after fellow Death Eaters arrive and pressure him to follow through. Snape arrives; compelled by an Unbreakable Vow he made to Draco's mother the summer before to protect Draco and fulfill his task if Draco cannot, he kills Dumbledore. With Dumbledore's death, Harry is released from the Stunning Spell; enraged, he pursues Snape, who fends off Harry's attacks and reveals that he is the Half-Blood Prince shortly before disapparating.
Harry recovers the locket from Dumbledore's body, only to discover that it is a fake left by someone with the initials R. A. B., who stole the real Horcrux and left a note declaring his opposition to Voldemort. The school year ends with Dumbledore's funeral; he and his wand are buried in a tomb beside the lake on Hogwarts' grounds. Harry ends his relationship with Ginny, fearing that Voldemort will target her if they continue to see each other. He, Ron, and Hermione vow not to return to school the following year, but to hunt for the remaining Horcruxes instead.
Development
Potter fans wait in lines outside a Borders for the midnight release of the book
Prequels and sequel
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth book in the Harry Potter series. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997 with an initial print-run of 500 copies in hardback, 300 of which were distributed to libraries. By the end of 1997 the UK edition won a National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9- to 11-year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was originally published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was then published a year later in the UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September 1999. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8 July 2000 at the same time by Bloomsbury and Scholastic. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the longest novel in the Harry Potter series, was released 21 June 2003. After the publishing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released 21 July 2007. The book sold 11 million copies within 24 hours of its release: 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US.
Pre-release controversy
The record-breaking publication of Half-Blood Prince was accompanied by controversy. In May 2005 bookmakers in the UK suspended bets on which main character would die in the book amid fears of insider knowledge. A number of high value bets were made on the death of Albus Dumbledore, many coming from the town of Bungay where, it was believed, the books were being printed at the time. Betting was later reopened. Other controversies included the right to read Potter books inadvertently sold before the release date, environmental concerns over the source of the paper used in the printing of millions of books, and fan reactions to the plot developments and revelations of the novel.
Right to read controversy
In early July 2005, a Real Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, accidentally sold fourteen copies of The Half-Blood Prince before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court of British Columbia prohibiting the purchasers from reading the books before the official release date or from discussing the contents. Purchasers were offered a Harry Potter T-shirt and an autographed copy of the book if they returned their copies before 16 July.
On 15 July, less than twelve hours before the book went on sale in the Eastern time zone, Raincoast warned The Globe and Mail newspaper that publishing a review from a Canada-based writer at midnight, as the paper had promised, would be seen as a violation of the trade secret injunction. The injunction sparked a number of news articles alleging that the injunction had restricted fundamental rights. Canadian law professor Michael Geist posted commentary on his blog; Richard Stallman called for a boycott, requesting that the publisher issue an apology. The Globe and Mail published a review from two UK-based writers in its 16 July edition and posted the Canadian writer's review on its website at 9:00 that morning. Commentary was also provided on the Raincoast website.
Film
The film based on the sixth book was originally scheduled to be released on 21 November 2008, but was changed to 15 July 2009. The screenplay was written by Steve Kloves, and David Yates directed the film. The film is 153 minutes long, making it the third longest Harry Potter film of the series.
Translations
Along with the rest of the books in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was translated into 67 languages. A translation into Scots Gaelic is planned to be released by Bloomsbury in July 2010.
Textual changes
As with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the United States version of the novel has slightly changed text from the British version. One particular section has been remarked upon, where the alteration makes the nature of Dumbledore's offer to Draco Malfoy before Snape kills Dumbledore in the Half-Blood Prince explicit. The reason for the editing of the following text has not been explained on the author's webpage, but the British edition is more ambiguous. The text can be found in chapter 27, "The Lightning-Struck Tower". The U.S. text was changed to match the UK version with the publication of the paperback edition. The parts added in the hardcover United States version have been highlighted in bold, below:
"[...] He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."
"He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me — forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had captured and killed your mother — it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban [...]"
—(U.S. Edition p. 591)(CND Edition p. 552)
相信大傢都看過電影《魔戒》（又名《指環王》），這部書是它的前傳，講的是電影開頭那個老霍比特人的冒險故事，也說到了甘道爾夫和精靈族、侏儒族、鷹族之間的聯繫。
什麽是霍比特人？
霍比特人是比作儒還矮的小矮人，他們愛好和平。喜歡安靜。他們不喜歡機器，但是他們很善於使用工具；他們動作敏捷，但卻不喜歡做事匆促。他們有敏銳的眼睛和耳朵；他們可能有點胖。他們喜歡笑和吃（他們一天可以吃六餐）。他們很好客，喜歡送禮和收到禮物。霍比特歷險記是一部非常精彩的傳奇故事，充滿了預言的色彩。書中主角比爾博·巴金斯原本是一個遠離塵囂的霍比特人，但卻在無意中發現了魔成且經歷了他一生中水難忘懷的事件。霍比特歷險記於一九三六年完成，於一九三七年發行，同年，作者便開始着手寫續集——魔戒之主，於是，霍比特歷險記成了魔戒之主的序麯。經過了十一年，魔戒之主三部麯終於在一九四八年完成，而於一九五五年全部發行。在出版期間，魔戒之主係列便已頗受各界好評，例如芝加哥論壇曾評其為：“……總之，這是一個很棒的故事，不僅文字優美且創造了一個如幻似真的世界，一個作傢最好的作品就是如此了。”
Set in a time "Between the Dawn of Færie and the Dominion of Men", The Hobbit follows the quest of home-loving Bilbo Baggins to win a share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from light-hearted, rural surroundings into darker, deeper territory. The story is told in the form of an episodic quest, and most chapters introduce a specific creature, or type of creature, of Tolkien's Wilderland. By accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey and adventurous side of his nature (the "Tookish" side) and applying his wits and common sense, Bilbo develops a new level of maturity, competence and wisdom. The story reaches its climax in the Battle of Five Armies, where many of the characters and creatures from earlier chapters re-emerge to engage in conflict.
Themes of personal growth and forms of heroism figure in the story. Along with conflict, these themes lead critics to cite Tolkien's own experiences, and the those of other writers who fought in World War I, as instrumental in shaping the story. The author's scholarly knowledge of Anglo-Saxon literature and interest in fairy tales are also often noted as influences.
Due to the book's critical and financial success, Tolkien's publishers requested a sequel. As work on The Lord of the Rings progressed, Tolkien made retrospective accommodations for it in one chapter of The Hobbit. These few but significant changes were integrated into the second edition. Further editions followed with minor emendations, including those reflecting Tolkien's changing concept of the world into which Bilbo stumbled.
The work has never been out of print since the paper shortages of the Second World War. Its ongoing legacy encompasses many adaptations for stage, screen, radio, and gaming, both board and video games. Some of these adaptations have received critical recognition of their own, including a video game that won the Golden Joystick Award, a scenario of a war game that won an Origins Award, and an animated picture nominated for a Hugo Award.
什麽是霍比特人？
霍比特人是比作儒還矮的小矮人，他們愛好和平。喜歡安靜。他們不喜歡機器，但是他們很善於使用工具；他們動作敏捷，但卻不喜歡做事匆促。他們有敏銳的眼睛和耳朵；他們可能有點胖。他們喜歡笑和吃（他們一天可以吃六餐）。他們很好客，喜歡送禮和收到禮物。霍比特歷險記是一部非常精彩的傳奇故事，充滿了預言的色彩。書中主角比爾博·巴金斯原本是一個遠離塵囂的霍比特人，但卻在無意中發現了魔成且經歷了他一生中水難忘懷的事件。霍比特歷險記於一九三六年完成，於一九三七年發行，同年，作者便開始着手寫續集——魔戒之主，於是，霍比特歷險記成了魔戒之主的序麯。經過了十一年，魔戒之主三部麯終於在一九四八年完成，而於一九五五年全部發行。在出版期間，魔戒之主係列便已頗受各界好評，例如芝加哥論壇曾評其為：“……總之，這是一個很棒的故事，不僅文字優美且創造了一個如幻似真的世界，一個作傢最好的作品就是如此了。”
Set in a time "Between the Dawn of Færie and the Dominion of Men", The Hobbit follows the quest of home-loving Bilbo Baggins to win a share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from light-hearted, rural surroundings into darker, deeper territory. The story is told in the form of an episodic quest, and most chapters introduce a specific creature, or type of creature, of Tolkien's Wilderland. By accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey and adventurous side of his nature (the "Tookish" side) and applying his wits and common sense, Bilbo develops a new level of maturity, competence and wisdom. The story reaches its climax in the Battle of Five Armies, where many of the characters and creatures from earlier chapters re-emerge to engage in conflict.
Themes of personal growth and forms of heroism figure in the story. Along with conflict, these themes lead critics to cite Tolkien's own experiences, and the those of other writers who fought in World War I, as instrumental in shaping the story. The author's scholarly knowledge of Anglo-Saxon literature and interest in fairy tales are also often noted as influences.
Due to the book's critical and financial success, Tolkien's publishers requested a sequel. As work on The Lord of the Rings progressed, Tolkien made retrospective accommodations for it in one chapter of The Hobbit. These few but significant changes were integrated into the second edition. Further editions followed with minor emendations, including those reflecting Tolkien's changing concept of the world into which Bilbo stumbled.
The work has never been out of print since the paper shortages of the Second World War. Its ongoing legacy encompasses many adaptations for stage, screen, radio, and gaming, both board and video games. Some of these adaptations have received critical recognition of their own, including a video game that won the Golden Joystick Award, a scenario of a war game that won an Origins Award, and an animated picture nominated for a Hugo Award.
本片是英國鬼纔導演彼得傑剋森結合最新電影特效的魔幻新作，根據托爾金暢銷全球的經典小說「魔戒三部麯」改編，並以三部麯的方式拍攝，【首部麯─魔戒現身】描述史前世界中，一位名叫佛羅多巴金的年輕人，無意中得到了一隻魔戒。
這衹戒指擁有無窮的神秘力量，戒指原來是黑暗君王索倫所有的，卻意外地到了佛羅多手裏。佛羅多决定將戒指摧毀，以免索倫奪回去鞏固自己的勢力。索倫為了阻止佛羅多，於是派出了手下的怪獸加以追殺，一場正邪大戰眼看着一觸即發…
本片背景是在神秘的史前時代，由一場正邪戰役所引發的長篇故事，這個拯救人類的危險任務落在年輕的哈比族人─佛羅多巴金身上，他從表哥巴伯那裏得到了一指無邪的魔幻戒指。
佛羅多發現這衹戒指的製造者是黑暗魔君索倫，而索倫正急着要把戒指找回去。因為這衹戒指是代表偉大邪惡勢力的魔戒，將使索倫統治下的人民得到解放，而他統治的這片土地就是俗稱的中土世界（Middle Earth）。
匆忙之下，佛羅多結合了一些救援力量包括了術士、小精靈、侏儒及人類，一起協助他前往中土世界，將戒指丟入魔宮之洞的末日山脈中加以摧毀。
然而，這群義勇之士卻遭到索倫手下怪獸群的攻擊，這些恐怖邪惡的獵殺軍隊殘忍地追殺佛羅多和他的朋友 。佛羅多等一群人還必須對抗戒指中的邪惡力量，這股力量會讓人産生難以抵擋的欲望，考驗着每一個接觸戒指者的意志力
Title and publication
Tolkien conceived of The Lord of the Rings as a multiple volume with six sections he called "books" along with extensive appendices. The original publisher made the decision to split the work into three parts. It was also the publisher's decision to place the fifth and sixth books and the appendices into one volume under the title The Return of the King, in reference to Aragorn's assumption of the throne of Gondor. Tolkien indicated he would have preferred The War of the Ring as a title, as it gave away less of the story.
Before the decision to publish The Lord of the Rings in three volumes was made, Tolkien had hoped to publish the novel in one volume, or combined with The Silmarillion. At this stage he planned to title the individual books. The proposed title for Book I was The First Journey or The Ring Sets Out. Book II was titled The Journey of the Nine Companions or The Ring Goes South. The titles The Ring Sets Out and The Ring Goes South were used in the Millenium edition.
Plot summary
The Prologue is meant primarily to help people who have not read The Hobbit understand the events of that book, along with some other information that the author felt is relevant to set the stage for the novel.
Book I: The Return of the Shadow
The first chapter in the book begins quite lightly, following the tone of The Hobbit. Bilbo is celebrating his 111th (or eleventy-first, as it is called in Hobbiton) birthday on the same day that Frodo Baggins, his heir, is celebrating his 33rd birthday (his 'coming of age'). At the birthday party, Bilbo disappears after his speech, to the surprise of all. Bilbo departs from the Shire, the land of the Hobbits, for what he calls a permanent holiday. He leaves his remaining belongings including his home, Bag End and, after some persuasion by the wizard Gandalf, the Ring he had found on his adventures (with which he used to make himself invisible), to Frodo. Gandalf warns Frodo to keep the Ring secret and safe from others, and leaves on his own business.
Over the next seventeen years Gandalf visits Frodo; staying briefly before going off again. Then one spring night Gandalf arrives to alert Frodo to the darker aspects of the Ring which Bilbo had previously only used to make himself invisible: it is the One Ring of Sauron, the Dark Lord. Sauron forged the Ring himself and used it to subdue and rule Middle-earth. In the War of the Last Alliance, Sauron was defeated by the Elven King Gil-galad and Elendil, High King of Gondor and Arnor, though they themselves perished in the deed. The Ring was cut off from Sauron by Isildur, son of Elendil. Sauron was thus overthrown and he fled, and so, for many years, peace returned to Middle-earth. But the Ring itself was not destroyed: Isildur kept the Ring for himself after cutting it from Sauron. However, Isildur was slain in the Battle of the Gladden Fields and the Ring was lost in the Great River, Anduin; whereupon it came into the hands of the creature Gollum, who possessed the Ring for many years. The Ring then passed to Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit, and so passes into the hands of Frodo. Sauron had now arisen once again, and had returned to his stronghold in the land of Mordor, and was exerting all his power to find the Ring. Gandalf details the evil powers of the Ring, and its ability to influence the bearer and those near him, if it is worn for too long a time. Gandalf warns that the Ring is no longer safe in the Shire because, after some investigation of his own, Gandalf has learned from Gollum himself that Gollum had gone to Mordor, where he was captured and was tortured into revealing to Sauron that a Hobbit named Baggins from the Shire possesses the Ring. Heeding Gandalf's advice, Frodo decides that it is best to remove the Ring from the Shire. Gandalf hopes Frodo can reach the elf-haven of Rivendell, where he believes Frodo and the Ring will be safe from Sauron, at least for a while, and where those of most concern of Middle-Earth can decide the fate of the Ring. Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's gardener, is discovered listening in on the conversation. Out of loyalty to his master, Sam decides to accompany Frodo on his journey.
Over the summer Frodo makes plans to leave his home at Bag End, under the guise that he is moving to a remote region of the Shire to retire. He makes plans to "move" in the Autumn after Bilbo's and his birthday. Helping with the plans are Frodo's friends Peregrin Took (or Pippin for short), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry), Samwise Gamgee (Sam), and Fredegar Bolger (Fatty). However, Frodo does not tell them of his true intentions to leave the Shire, nor does he tell them about the Ring.
At midsummer, Gandalf informs Frodo that he must leave on pressing business, but will return before Frodo leaves. Frodo enjoys his last few weeks at home awaiting the return of Gandalf. But as his birthday and departure approach, Gandalf is not seen or heard from. Regretfully, Frodo decides to leave without Gandalf. Merry and Fatty take the last of Frodo's possessions by cart to his new home in Crickhollow. Frodo, Sam, and Pippin go by foot using the less used roads to travel unnoticed.
On their journey the three hobbits encounter the Black Riders; Ringwraiths or the Nazgûl who serve Sauron. There are nine such Ringwraiths and are "the most terrible servants of the Dark Lord." The hobbits discover that the Nazgûl are looking for Frodo and the Ring. But with help of some Elves and Farmer Maggot they eventually reach Crickhollow on the eastern borders of the Shire. There Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Fatty reveal that they know of Frodo's plan to leave the Shire and of the existence of the Ring. Sam, Merry, and Pippin decide to leave with Frodo, while Fatty stays behind as a decoy.
The Hobbits, in hopes of eluding the Nazgûl, travel through the Old Forest and Barrow-downs, and with the assistance of Tom Bombadil, are able to reach the village of Bree, where they meet Strider, a friend of Gandalf who becomes their guide to Rivendell.
Even with Strider's help, this portion of the journey is not without further hardships. The worst of these occurs when, while at the hill of Weathertop, five of the Nazgûl attack the travellers. Frodo is stabbed by the chief of the Nazgûl (the Witch-king of Angmar), with a cursed blade. The Nazgûl are driven off for a while by Strider. Part of the knife remains inside Frodo, causing him to become increasingly ill as the journey to Rivendell continues. Strider leads the hobbits on old paths avoiding the main road. As the travellers near their destination they meet Glorfindel, a mighty Elf-Lord from Rivendell, who helps them reach the River Bruinen on the border of Rivendell. But the Nazgûl, now at their full strength of nine, spring a trap at the Ford of Bruinen. Glorfindel's horse outruns the pursuers and carries Frodo across the Ford. As the Nazgûl attempt to follow, a giant wave in the shape of charging horses appears bearing down on the Nazgûl. The flood was commanded by Elrond, the mighty Lord of Rivendell, but the shape of galloping horses was an addition of Gandalf. The Nazgûl, trapped between the rushing water and seeing Glorfindel, an Elf-Lord revealed in his wrath, are swept away by the river, as Frodo finally collapses into unconsciousness on the riverbank.
Book II: The Fellowship of the Ring
Book II opens in Rivendell at the house of Elrond. Frodo is healed by Elrond and discovers that Bilbo has been residing in Rivendell. A Council is held by Elrond and is attended by Gandalf and many others, including Frodo and Bilbo. Elrond tells the history of the One Ring of Sauron, and about the War of the Last Alliance, and how the Ring was lost to Middle-Earth for a time after the Battle of the Gladden Fields. Gandalf continues the tale, and narrates how the Ring was found by Gollum. Bilbo and Frodo narrate their own adventures about the finding of the Ring and Frodo's journey to Rivendell. Gandalf also explains why he could not accompany Frodo from the Shire. He had gone to Isengard, where the powerful wizard Saruman dwells, to seek help and counsel. Saruman was head of the White Council and the greatest of the Istari. He had long studied Sauron's arts, and the lore of the One Ring. However, Saruman has turned against them, as Gandalf finds out much to his dismay; Saruman now desires the Ring for himself. Saruman imprisons Gandalf in his tower, Orthanc, rightly suspecting that Gandalf knew where the Ring was. Gandalf, however, does not yield and manages to escape from Orthanc. He learns that Saruman is not yet in Sauron's service, and was mustering his own force of Orcs. Gandalf spreads the tidings that Saruman was now a foe, and heads towards Rivendell, knowing that he could not reach the Shire in time to accompany Frodo. In the Council of Elrond, a plan is hatched to cast the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor, which will destroy the Ring and end Sauron's power once and for all. Frodo is chosen to be the Ring-Bearer, and sets forth from Rivendell with eight companions: two Men, Strider (revealed to be Aragorn, Isildur's heir) and Boromir, son of the Steward of the land of Gondor; the Prince of the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood, Legolas; Frodo's old friend and powerful wizard, Gandalf; Gimli the Dwarf; and Frodo's three Hobbit companions. These Nine Walkers (called the Fellowship of the Ring) were chosen to represent all the free races of Middle-Earth and as a balance to the Nazgûl. They are also accompanied by Bill the Pony, whom Strider and the Hobbits acquired in Bree as a pack horse. Their attempt to cross the Misty Mountains is foiled by heavy snow, and they are forced to take a path under the mountains, the mines of Moria, an ancient dwarf kingdom, now full of orcs and other evil creatures. During the battle that ensues, Gandalf battles a Balrog of Morgoth, and both fall into an abyss.
The remaining eight members of the Fellowship escape from Moria and head toward the elf-haven of Lothlórien, where they are given gifts from the rulers Celeborn and Galadriel that in many cases prove useful later during the Quest. After leaving Lórien, the Ring's evil and corrupting powers begin to show. When Frodo is alone for a while to decide the future course of the Fellowship, Boromir tries to take the Ring from him. Frodo, to escape from Boromir, ends up putting on the Ring. While the rest of the Fellowship scatter to hunt for Frodo, Frodo decides that the Fellowship has to be parted, for the Ring was too evil and was setting to work within the Fellowship itself. Frodo decides to depart secretly for Mordor, but is joined by Sam and they set off together to Mordor. The Fellowship was broken.
Chapter summaries
Book I
* I - A Long-expected Party - details Bilbo and Frodo's birthday party, ending with Bilbo leaving the Shire. The name is a reference to "An Unexpected Party," the first chapter of The Hobbit.
* II - The Shadow of the Past - Gandalf reveals to Frodo the true nature of the Ring and that it must be taken to Mordor and destroyed. Sam, who has been listening at the window, agrees to accompany Frodo.
* III - Three is Company - Gandalf leaves the Shire for a short trip, but promises to return. Frodo sells Bag End to further the ruse that he is broke and thus retiring to a small house at Crickhollow in the area beyond Bucklebury in Buckland. In reality, Frodo plans to leave the Shire from Buckland without it being noticed. Mysteriously, Gandalf does not return, and so Frodo, Sam and Pippin set out walking through the East Farthing of the Shire towards Buckland and encounter a Black Rider. They also meet Gildor Inglorion an elf, with other elves, who warn them to fear the Black Riders.
* IV - A Short Cut to Mushrooms - The walking party meets Farmer Maggot, a fierce old hobbit from Frodo's childhood. Frodo finds that Maggot actually has a kind nature and also learns that the Black Riders are searching other parts of the Shire for 'Baggins.' Maggot sneaks the party to the Buckland Ferry in his waggon, where they meet up with Merry.
* V - A Conspiracy Unmasked - At Frodo's new house at Crickhollow, Frodo wrestles with how to tell Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Fredegar 'Fatty' Bolger, about his quest, only to learn that they have known much of it all along, All the hobbits except Fredegar decide to leave the next day through the Old Forest, while Fredegar remains behind to act as a decoy and inform Gandalf of Frodo's plans. The Old Forest is rumoured to be a dangerous place, but Frodo wants to avoid the main roads at all costs in order to evade the Black Riders.
* VI - The Old Forest - Although trying to avoid it, the hobbits are 'herded' by the trees to the River Withywindle, the "queerest part of the whole wood." The hobbits all suddenly fall asleep, lulled by the spells of Old Man Willow. Merry and Pippin are trapped inside the evil tree, but are freed by Tom Bombadil.
* VII - In the House of Tom Bombadil - The hobbits are invited to Tom's house and meet his "pretty lady," Goldberry. Tom gives them food and lodging and tells them stories about nature and history. Interestingly, Tom is not affected by the One Ring; it can neither make him invisible, nor hide Frodo from him. Tom tells the hobbits how to safely travel the Barrow-downs without running afoul of the evil wights who haunt them.
* VIII - Fog on the Barrow-downs - Travelling through the Barrow-downs, the hobbits are captured by a Barrow-wight, then rescued (again) by Tom Bombadil. The hobbits are given special weapons from the barrow: enchanted daggers of the Men of Westernesse that were forged to fight Sauron and his minions, including the Witch-king of Angmar.
* IX - At the Sign of the Prancing Pony - The hobbits reach the Inn of the Prancing Pony at Bree, where Frodo uses a false name, Underhill, rather than Baggins. Still, all the hobbits behave in a naïve fashion: after supper, Merry decides to go for a stroll while the other three go to the Common Room for a drink. There Frodo meets Strider, a menacing man who seems to know much about Frodo. Then Pippin, forgetting the need for secrecy, begins a tale of Bilbo. Frodo sings a song in order to stop Pippin from talking too much. In the middle of Frodo's song, he slips and falls, and his finger 'accidentally' slips through the Ring (the Ring may be trying to reveal Frodo), causing Frodo to vanish and starting a bigger commotion among the guests than Pippin's tale would have done. Frodo escapes into a corner, where Strider tells him that several people in the Inn saw what happened. Strider uses this to persuade Frodo to agree to meet with him in Frodo's rooms. Soon after, the innkeeper, Barliman Butterbur, also requests a private audience with Frodo.
* X - Strider - Strider, after convincing Frodo he means no harm, pledges to save the hobbits from peril if he can. Butterbur gives Frodo a letter from Gandalf, which Butterbur had failed to deliver to him at the Shire as he was asked to by Gandalf. It tells Frodo that Strider is actually Aragorn, a friend of Gandalf's and confirms that Frodo may trust Strider. Shortly afterwards Merry runs into the room, frightened, having seen people from Bree talking to some Black Riders.
* XI - A Knife in the Dark - In Buckland, Fredegar Bolger flees the house before the Black Riders can enter and rouses Buckland. Some Bree folk, agents of the Black Riders, attack the Inn at night, destroying the room the hobbits were supposed to stay in and scaring away all the horses in Bree, including the hobbit's ponies. The hobbits are forced to buy a scrawny pony from Bill Ferny (a spy for the Riders). Strider decides that their chambers aren't safe and, after setting up decoys, has Butterbur move the hobbits to another room. With Strider, they quickly leave the town, passing through the Midgewater Marshes to reach a famous hill called Weathertop. Disaster follows when the party is attacked by five Black Riders. Frodo, succumbing to the Riders' command, puts on the Ring. He then tries to fight them off but to no avail. The Nazgûl's leader (the Witch-king of Angmar - Frodo now notices that he wears a crown), stabs Frodo with a Morgul-blade, poisoning him. Then the Riders seem to be driven off with fire by Strider. They believe, however, that they have only to wait until Frodo's wound overcomes him.
* XII - Flight to the Ford - Strider attempts to heal Frodo with a plant called athelas which relieves Frodo's pain, but Strider knows that only Elrond, Master of Rivendell, can heal this wound. On the way, the party passes the trolls that were turned to stone in The Hobbit. They get closer to Rivendell with no sign of the Riders. Eventually, they meet the Elf-lord Glorfindel from Rivendell, who has fought the Riders before and, as a High Elf, is feared by them. Glorfindel then accompanies them to the Ford of Rivendell. When they are within sight of the Ford, the Riders close in upon the party. Frodo is forced to flee on Glorfindel's horse. Frodo tries to make a last stand at the River, but is overcome by his wound and the power of the King of the Black Riders. The Riders are almost upon him when the River rises up in a flood caused by Elrond and Gandalf and washes the Black Riders away as Frodo falls unconscious.
Book II
* I - Many Meetings - After awakening from a sleep of four days, Frodo meets Gandalf and Bilbo again, as well as Glóin (one of the dwarves from The Hobbit), Elrond and others.
* II - The Council of Elrond - A council is attended by many emissaries of the Free Peoples; Gandalf tells the story of his escape from Saruman; they decide that the Ring must be destroyed and Frodo offers to take it to Mordor, and Gandalf and several others agree to accompany him. During the meeting Elrond proclaims the formation of the Fellowship of the Ring.
* III - The Ring goes South - The nine members of the Fellowship travel south through Hollin; they try to take the road over the mountain Caradhras but are forced to turn back.
* IV - A Journey in the Dark - They travel to the gates of Moria, where they have to deal with the Watcher in the Water, an aquatic monster in the lake in front of it. Gandalf eventually opens the doors. Throughout their journey in Moria, Frodo hears strange footsteps and spots glowing eyes in the darkness. After passing through the city of Dwarrowdelf, the Fellowship reaches the tomb of Balin.
* V - The Bridge of Khazad-dûm - Attacked by orcs in Balin's tomb, they make their way to the narrow bridge of Khazad-dûm, pursued by orcs and trolls. Before crossing the bridge, they encounter a Balrog. Gandalf holds the Balrog off, and both fall into the abyss, much to the dismay of the company.
* VI - Lothlórien - The company meets the elves of Lórien. The elves reluctantly agree to let Gimli the dwarf pass. Aragorn takes Frodo to the hill of Cerin Amroth.
* VII - The Mirror of Galadriel - The company meets Celeborn and Galadriel. Frodo and Sam are shown the mirror of Galadriel, in which they see several strange visions including the destruction of the Shire and the Eye of Sauron. Galadriel gives encouraging advice to Frodo and Sam.
* VIII - Farewell to Lórien - The elves give the company cloaks, waybread and other gifts; they leave Lórien in boats, travelling down the Great River Anduin.
* IX - The Great River - While travelling, the Fellowship notices Gollum following them along the river on a log; as the group travels, they must come to grips with several choices: they can either cross the east bank of the river and continue on the road towards Mordor, or they can go towards Gondor, and help fight off Mordor's forces. The third choice is the breaking of the Fellowship.
* X - The Breaking of the Fellowship - The company arrives at Parth Galen; they still face the various paths before them. The choice is given to Frodo, who thinks it over alone. Alone, that is until Boromir arrives, and attempts to convince Frodo to go towards Gondor. When that fails, he tries to take the Ring from Frodo, who puts it on to escape him. When Frodo does not arrive back at camp, and Boromir reveals what has happened, other members of the company scatter in an attempt to find the Ringbearer. Frodo and Sam go across the river and head towards Mordor alone. they both take off together in the land of shadows.
Members of the Fellowship of the Ring
See also: List of Middle-earth characters
Member Race
Frodo Baggins Hobbit Heir of Bilbo and Ring-Bearer. He is 50 years old as he leaves on his quest to Rivendell.
Samwise Gamgee (Sam) Hobbit Frodo's gardener, he was a loyal companion throughout the journey.
Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) Hobbit The son of the Master of Buckland, he is cousin to both Pippin and Frodo.
Peregrin Took (Pippin) Hobbit The son of the Thain in Tookland, he is the youngest member of the group and cousin to both Merry and Frodo.
Gandalf the Grey Maia Mysterious Wizard that leads the Fellowship until Moria.
Aragorn (Strider) Man Ranger of the North, who accompanies the hobbits from Bree to Rivendell, and then becomes a member of the Fellowship. His weapon is the sword. It is revealed that he is the Heir of Isildur and of Elendil.
Legolas Elf Elven archer. His weapon is the bow. His father is Thranduil, king of the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood, and he came to inform the council of the escape of Gollum.
Gimli Dwarf Son of Glóin. His weapon is the axe. He came to Rivendell from the Lonely Mountain with his father about trouble in the east.
Boromir Man Son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor. His weapon is the sword and the shield. He came to Rivendell seeking answers to a strange dream.
In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien mostly refers to the group as the "Company of the Ring", or "the Company" for short, rather than "Fellowship of the Ring" or "Fellowship". This is demonstrated by Robert Foster's The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, which lists more page references for "Company..." than "Fellowship..." (and in fact the group appears under the entry "Company of the Ring".) However, since "Fellowship of the Ring" was used as the title of the first volume of the book, it has become the familiar term.
這衹戒指擁有無窮的神秘力量，戒指原來是黑暗君王索倫所有的，卻意外地到了佛羅多手裏。佛羅多决定將戒指摧毀，以免索倫奪回去鞏固自己的勢力。索倫為了阻止佛羅多，於是派出了手下的怪獸加以追殺，一場正邪大戰眼看着一觸即發…
本片背景是在神秘的史前時代，由一場正邪戰役所引發的長篇故事，這個拯救人類的危險任務落在年輕的哈比族人─佛羅多巴金身上，他從表哥巴伯那裏得到了一指無邪的魔幻戒指。
佛羅多發現這衹戒指的製造者是黑暗魔君索倫，而索倫正急着要把戒指找回去。因為這衹戒指是代表偉大邪惡勢力的魔戒，將使索倫統治下的人民得到解放，而他統治的這片土地就是俗稱的中土世界（Middle Earth）。
匆忙之下，佛羅多結合了一些救援力量包括了術士、小精靈、侏儒及人類，一起協助他前往中土世界，將戒指丟入魔宮之洞的末日山脈中加以摧毀。
然而，這群義勇之士卻遭到索倫手下怪獸群的攻擊，這些恐怖邪惡的獵殺軍隊殘忍地追殺佛羅多和他的朋友 。佛羅多等一群人還必須對抗戒指中的邪惡力量，這股力量會讓人産生難以抵擋的欲望，考驗着每一個接觸戒指者的意志力
Title and publication
Tolkien conceived of The Lord of the Rings as a multiple volume with six sections he called "books" along with extensive appendices. The original publisher made the decision to split the work into three parts. It was also the publisher's decision to place the fifth and sixth books and the appendices into one volume under the title The Return of the King, in reference to Aragorn's assumption of the throne of Gondor. Tolkien indicated he would have preferred The War of the Ring as a title, as it gave away less of the story.
Before the decision to publish The Lord of the Rings in three volumes was made, Tolkien had hoped to publish the novel in one volume, or combined with The Silmarillion. At this stage he planned to title the individual books. The proposed title for Book I was The First Journey or The Ring Sets Out. Book II was titled The Journey of the Nine Companions or The Ring Goes South. The titles The Ring Sets Out and The Ring Goes South were used in the Millenium edition.
Plot summary
The Prologue is meant primarily to help people who have not read The Hobbit understand the events of that book, along with some other information that the author felt is relevant to set the stage for the novel.
Book I: The Return of the Shadow
The first chapter in the book begins quite lightly, following the tone of The Hobbit. Bilbo is celebrating his 111th (or eleventy-first, as it is called in Hobbiton) birthday on the same day that Frodo Baggins, his heir, is celebrating his 33rd birthday (his 'coming of age'). At the birthday party, Bilbo disappears after his speech, to the surprise of all. Bilbo departs from the Shire, the land of the Hobbits, for what he calls a permanent holiday. He leaves his remaining belongings including his home, Bag End and, after some persuasion by the wizard Gandalf, the Ring he had found on his adventures (with which he used to make himself invisible), to Frodo. Gandalf warns Frodo to keep the Ring secret and safe from others, and leaves on his own business.
Over the next seventeen years Gandalf visits Frodo; staying briefly before going off again. Then one spring night Gandalf arrives to alert Frodo to the darker aspects of the Ring which Bilbo had previously only used to make himself invisible: it is the One Ring of Sauron, the Dark Lord. Sauron forged the Ring himself and used it to subdue and rule Middle-earth. In the War of the Last Alliance, Sauron was defeated by the Elven King Gil-galad and Elendil, High King of Gondor and Arnor, though they themselves perished in the deed. The Ring was cut off from Sauron by Isildur, son of Elendil. Sauron was thus overthrown and he fled, and so, for many years, peace returned to Middle-earth. But the Ring itself was not destroyed: Isildur kept the Ring for himself after cutting it from Sauron. However, Isildur was slain in the Battle of the Gladden Fields and the Ring was lost in the Great River, Anduin; whereupon it came into the hands of the creature Gollum, who possessed the Ring for many years. The Ring then passed to Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit, and so passes into the hands of Frodo. Sauron had now arisen once again, and had returned to his stronghold in the land of Mordor, and was exerting all his power to find the Ring. Gandalf details the evil powers of the Ring, and its ability to influence the bearer and those near him, if it is worn for too long a time. Gandalf warns that the Ring is no longer safe in the Shire because, after some investigation of his own, Gandalf has learned from Gollum himself that Gollum had gone to Mordor, where he was captured and was tortured into revealing to Sauron that a Hobbit named Baggins from the Shire possesses the Ring. Heeding Gandalf's advice, Frodo decides that it is best to remove the Ring from the Shire. Gandalf hopes Frodo can reach the elf-haven of Rivendell, where he believes Frodo and the Ring will be safe from Sauron, at least for a while, and where those of most concern of Middle-Earth can decide the fate of the Ring. Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's gardener, is discovered listening in on the conversation. Out of loyalty to his master, Sam decides to accompany Frodo on his journey.
Over the summer Frodo makes plans to leave his home at Bag End, under the guise that he is moving to a remote region of the Shire to retire. He makes plans to "move" in the Autumn after Bilbo's and his birthday. Helping with the plans are Frodo's friends Peregrin Took (or Pippin for short), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry), Samwise Gamgee (Sam), and Fredegar Bolger (Fatty). However, Frodo does not tell them of his true intentions to leave the Shire, nor does he tell them about the Ring.
At midsummer, Gandalf informs Frodo that he must leave on pressing business, but will return before Frodo leaves. Frodo enjoys his last few weeks at home awaiting the return of Gandalf. But as his birthday and departure approach, Gandalf is not seen or heard from. Regretfully, Frodo decides to leave without Gandalf. Merry and Fatty take the last of Frodo's possessions by cart to his new home in Crickhollow. Frodo, Sam, and Pippin go by foot using the less used roads to travel unnoticed.
On their journey the three hobbits encounter the Black Riders; Ringwraiths or the Nazgûl who serve Sauron. There are nine such Ringwraiths and are "the most terrible servants of the Dark Lord." The hobbits discover that the Nazgûl are looking for Frodo and the Ring. But with help of some Elves and Farmer Maggot they eventually reach Crickhollow on the eastern borders of the Shire. There Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Fatty reveal that they know of Frodo's plan to leave the Shire and of the existence of the Ring. Sam, Merry, and Pippin decide to leave with Frodo, while Fatty stays behind as a decoy.
The Hobbits, in hopes of eluding the Nazgûl, travel through the Old Forest and Barrow-downs, and with the assistance of Tom Bombadil, are able to reach the village of Bree, where they meet Strider, a friend of Gandalf who becomes their guide to Rivendell.
Even with Strider's help, this portion of the journey is not without further hardships. The worst of these occurs when, while at the hill of Weathertop, five of the Nazgûl attack the travellers. Frodo is stabbed by the chief of the Nazgûl (the Witch-king of Angmar), with a cursed blade. The Nazgûl are driven off for a while by Strider. Part of the knife remains inside Frodo, causing him to become increasingly ill as the journey to Rivendell continues. Strider leads the hobbits on old paths avoiding the main road. As the travellers near their destination they meet Glorfindel, a mighty Elf-Lord from Rivendell, who helps them reach the River Bruinen on the border of Rivendell. But the Nazgûl, now at their full strength of nine, spring a trap at the Ford of Bruinen. Glorfindel's horse outruns the pursuers and carries Frodo across the Ford. As the Nazgûl attempt to follow, a giant wave in the shape of charging horses appears bearing down on the Nazgûl. The flood was commanded by Elrond, the mighty Lord of Rivendell, but the shape of galloping horses was an addition of Gandalf. The Nazgûl, trapped between the rushing water and seeing Glorfindel, an Elf-Lord revealed in his wrath, are swept away by the river, as Frodo finally collapses into unconsciousness on the riverbank.
Book II: The Fellowship of the Ring
Book II opens in Rivendell at the house of Elrond. Frodo is healed by Elrond and discovers that Bilbo has been residing in Rivendell. A Council is held by Elrond and is attended by Gandalf and many others, including Frodo and Bilbo. Elrond tells the history of the One Ring of Sauron, and about the War of the Last Alliance, and how the Ring was lost to Middle-Earth for a time after the Battle of the Gladden Fields. Gandalf continues the tale, and narrates how the Ring was found by Gollum. Bilbo and Frodo narrate their own adventures about the finding of the Ring and Frodo's journey to Rivendell. Gandalf also explains why he could not accompany Frodo from the Shire. He had gone to Isengard, where the powerful wizard Saruman dwells, to seek help and counsel. Saruman was head of the White Council and the greatest of the Istari. He had long studied Sauron's arts, and the lore of the One Ring. However, Saruman has turned against them, as Gandalf finds out much to his dismay; Saruman now desires the Ring for himself. Saruman imprisons Gandalf in his tower, Orthanc, rightly suspecting that Gandalf knew where the Ring was. Gandalf, however, does not yield and manages to escape from Orthanc. He learns that Saruman is not yet in Sauron's service, and was mustering his own force of Orcs. Gandalf spreads the tidings that Saruman was now a foe, and heads towards Rivendell, knowing that he could not reach the Shire in time to accompany Frodo. In the Council of Elrond, a plan is hatched to cast the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor, which will destroy the Ring and end Sauron's power once and for all. Frodo is chosen to be the Ring-Bearer, and sets forth from Rivendell with eight companions: two Men, Strider (revealed to be Aragorn, Isildur's heir) and Boromir, son of the Steward of the land of Gondor; the Prince of the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood, Legolas; Frodo's old friend and powerful wizard, Gandalf; Gimli the Dwarf; and Frodo's three Hobbit companions. These Nine Walkers (called the Fellowship of the Ring) were chosen to represent all the free races of Middle-Earth and as a balance to the Nazgûl. They are also accompanied by Bill the Pony, whom Strider and the Hobbits acquired in Bree as a pack horse. Their attempt to cross the Misty Mountains is foiled by heavy snow, and they are forced to take a path under the mountains, the mines of Moria, an ancient dwarf kingdom, now full of orcs and other evil creatures. During the battle that ensues, Gandalf battles a Balrog of Morgoth, and both fall into an abyss.
The remaining eight members of the Fellowship escape from Moria and head toward the elf-haven of Lothlórien, where they are given gifts from the rulers Celeborn and Galadriel that in many cases prove useful later during the Quest. After leaving Lórien, the Ring's evil and corrupting powers begin to show. When Frodo is alone for a while to decide the future course of the Fellowship, Boromir tries to take the Ring from him. Frodo, to escape from Boromir, ends up putting on the Ring. While the rest of the Fellowship scatter to hunt for Frodo, Frodo decides that the Fellowship has to be parted, for the Ring was too evil and was setting to work within the Fellowship itself. Frodo decides to depart secretly for Mordor, but is joined by Sam and they set off together to Mordor. The Fellowship was broken.
Chapter summaries
Book I
* I - A Long-expected Party - details Bilbo and Frodo's birthday party, ending with Bilbo leaving the Shire. The name is a reference to "An Unexpected Party," the first chapter of The Hobbit.
* II - The Shadow of the Past - Gandalf reveals to Frodo the true nature of the Ring and that it must be taken to Mordor and destroyed. Sam, who has been listening at the window, agrees to accompany Frodo.
* III - Three is Company - Gandalf leaves the Shire for a short trip, but promises to return. Frodo sells Bag End to further the ruse that he is broke and thus retiring to a small house at Crickhollow in the area beyond Bucklebury in Buckland. In reality, Frodo plans to leave the Shire from Buckland without it being noticed. Mysteriously, Gandalf does not return, and so Frodo, Sam and Pippin set out walking through the East Farthing of the Shire towards Buckland and encounter a Black Rider. They also meet Gildor Inglorion an elf, with other elves, who warn them to fear the Black Riders.
* IV - A Short Cut to Mushrooms - The walking party meets Farmer Maggot, a fierce old hobbit from Frodo's childhood. Frodo finds that Maggot actually has a kind nature and also learns that the Black Riders are searching other parts of the Shire for 'Baggins.' Maggot sneaks the party to the Buckland Ferry in his waggon, where they meet up with Merry.
* V - A Conspiracy Unmasked - At Frodo's new house at Crickhollow, Frodo wrestles with how to tell Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Fredegar 'Fatty' Bolger, about his quest, only to learn that they have known much of it all along, All the hobbits except Fredegar decide to leave the next day through the Old Forest, while Fredegar remains behind to act as a decoy and inform Gandalf of Frodo's plans. The Old Forest is rumoured to be a dangerous place, but Frodo wants to avoid the main roads at all costs in order to evade the Black Riders.
* VI - The Old Forest - Although trying to avoid it, the hobbits are 'herded' by the trees to the River Withywindle, the "queerest part of the whole wood." The hobbits all suddenly fall asleep, lulled by the spells of Old Man Willow. Merry and Pippin are trapped inside the evil tree, but are freed by Tom Bombadil.
* VII - In the House of Tom Bombadil - The hobbits are invited to Tom's house and meet his "pretty lady," Goldberry. Tom gives them food and lodging and tells them stories about nature and history. Interestingly, Tom is not affected by the One Ring; it can neither make him invisible, nor hide Frodo from him. Tom tells the hobbits how to safely travel the Barrow-downs without running afoul of the evil wights who haunt them.
* VIII - Fog on the Barrow-downs - Travelling through the Barrow-downs, the hobbits are captured by a Barrow-wight, then rescued (again) by Tom Bombadil. The hobbits are given special weapons from the barrow: enchanted daggers of the Men of Westernesse that were forged to fight Sauron and his minions, including the Witch-king of Angmar.
* IX - At the Sign of the Prancing Pony - The hobbits reach the Inn of the Prancing Pony at Bree, where Frodo uses a false name, Underhill, rather than Baggins. Still, all the hobbits behave in a naïve fashion: after supper, Merry decides to go for a stroll while the other three go to the Common Room for a drink. There Frodo meets Strider, a menacing man who seems to know much about Frodo. Then Pippin, forgetting the need for secrecy, begins a tale of Bilbo. Frodo sings a song in order to stop Pippin from talking too much. In the middle of Frodo's song, he slips and falls, and his finger 'accidentally' slips through the Ring (the Ring may be trying to reveal Frodo), causing Frodo to vanish and starting a bigger commotion among the guests than Pippin's tale would have done. Frodo escapes into a corner, where Strider tells him that several people in the Inn saw what happened. Strider uses this to persuade Frodo to agree to meet with him in Frodo's rooms. Soon after, the innkeeper, Barliman Butterbur, also requests a private audience with Frodo.
* X - Strider - Strider, after convincing Frodo he means no harm, pledges to save the hobbits from peril if he can. Butterbur gives Frodo a letter from Gandalf, which Butterbur had failed to deliver to him at the Shire as he was asked to by Gandalf. It tells Frodo that Strider is actually Aragorn, a friend of Gandalf's and confirms that Frodo may trust Strider. Shortly afterwards Merry runs into the room, frightened, having seen people from Bree talking to some Black Riders.
* XI - A Knife in the Dark - In Buckland, Fredegar Bolger flees the house before the Black Riders can enter and rouses Buckland. Some Bree folk, agents of the Black Riders, attack the Inn at night, destroying the room the hobbits were supposed to stay in and scaring away all the horses in Bree, including the hobbit's ponies. The hobbits are forced to buy a scrawny pony from Bill Ferny (a spy for the Riders). Strider decides that their chambers aren't safe and, after setting up decoys, has Butterbur move the hobbits to another room. With Strider, they quickly leave the town, passing through the Midgewater Marshes to reach a famous hill called Weathertop. Disaster follows when the party is attacked by five Black Riders. Frodo, succumbing to the Riders' command, puts on the Ring. He then tries to fight them off but to no avail. The Nazgûl's leader (the Witch-king of Angmar - Frodo now notices that he wears a crown), stabs Frodo with a Morgul-blade, poisoning him. Then the Riders seem to be driven off with fire by Strider. They believe, however, that they have only to wait until Frodo's wound overcomes him.
* XII - Flight to the Ford - Strider attempts to heal Frodo with a plant called athelas which relieves Frodo's pain, but Strider knows that only Elrond, Master of Rivendell, can heal this wound. On the way, the party passes the trolls that were turned to stone in The Hobbit. They get closer to Rivendell with no sign of the Riders. Eventually, they meet the Elf-lord Glorfindel from Rivendell, who has fought the Riders before and, as a High Elf, is feared by them. Glorfindel then accompanies them to the Ford of Rivendell. When they are within sight of the Ford, the Riders close in upon the party. Frodo is forced to flee on Glorfindel's horse. Frodo tries to make a last stand at the River, but is overcome by his wound and the power of the King of the Black Riders. The Riders are almost upon him when the River rises up in a flood caused by Elrond and Gandalf and washes the Black Riders away as Frodo falls unconscious.
Book II
* I - Many Meetings - After awakening from a sleep of four days, Frodo meets Gandalf and Bilbo again, as well as Glóin (one of the dwarves from The Hobbit), Elrond and others.
* II - The Council of Elrond - A council is attended by many emissaries of the Free Peoples; Gandalf tells the story of his escape from Saruman; they decide that the Ring must be destroyed and Frodo offers to take it to Mordor, and Gandalf and several others agree to accompany him. During the meeting Elrond proclaims the formation of the Fellowship of the Ring.
* III - The Ring goes South - The nine members of the Fellowship travel south through Hollin; they try to take the road over the mountain Caradhras but are forced to turn back.
* IV - A Journey in the Dark - They travel to the gates of Moria, where they have to deal with the Watcher in the Water, an aquatic monster in the lake in front of it. Gandalf eventually opens the doors. Throughout their journey in Moria, Frodo hears strange footsteps and spots glowing eyes in the darkness. After passing through the city of Dwarrowdelf, the Fellowship reaches the tomb of Balin.
* V - The Bridge of Khazad-dûm - Attacked by orcs in Balin's tomb, they make their way to the narrow bridge of Khazad-dûm, pursued by orcs and trolls. Before crossing the bridge, they encounter a Balrog. Gandalf holds the Balrog off, and both fall into the abyss, much to the dismay of the company.
* VI - Lothlórien - The company meets the elves of Lórien. The elves reluctantly agree to let Gimli the dwarf pass. Aragorn takes Frodo to the hill of Cerin Amroth.
* VII - The Mirror of Galadriel - The company meets Celeborn and Galadriel. Frodo and Sam are shown the mirror of Galadriel, in which they see several strange visions including the destruction of the Shire and the Eye of Sauron. Galadriel gives encouraging advice to Frodo and Sam.
* VIII - Farewell to Lórien - The elves give the company cloaks, waybread and other gifts; they leave Lórien in boats, travelling down the Great River Anduin.
* IX - The Great River - While travelling, the Fellowship notices Gollum following them along the river on a log; as the group travels, they must come to grips with several choices: they can either cross the east bank of the river and continue on the road towards Mordor, or they can go towards Gondor, and help fight off Mordor's forces. The third choice is the breaking of the Fellowship.
* X - The Breaking of the Fellowship - The company arrives at Parth Galen; they still face the various paths before them. The choice is given to Frodo, who thinks it over alone. Alone, that is until Boromir arrives, and attempts to convince Frodo to go towards Gondor. When that fails, he tries to take the Ring from Frodo, who puts it on to escape him. When Frodo does not arrive back at camp, and Boromir reveals what has happened, other members of the company scatter in an attempt to find the Ringbearer. Frodo and Sam go across the river and head towards Mordor alone. they both take off together in the land of shadows.
Members of the Fellowship of the Ring
See also: List of Middle-earth characters
Member Race
Frodo Baggins Hobbit Heir of Bilbo and Ring-Bearer. He is 50 years old as he leaves on his quest to Rivendell.
Samwise Gamgee (Sam) Hobbit Frodo's gardener, he was a loyal companion throughout the journey.
Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) Hobbit The son of the Master of Buckland, he is cousin to both Pippin and Frodo.
Peregrin Took (Pippin) Hobbit The son of the Thain in Tookland, he is the youngest member of the group and cousin to both Merry and Frodo.
Gandalf the Grey Maia Mysterious Wizard that leads the Fellowship until Moria.
Aragorn (Strider) Man Ranger of the North, who accompanies the hobbits from Bree to Rivendell, and then becomes a member of the Fellowship. His weapon is the sword. It is revealed that he is the Heir of Isildur and of Elendil.
Legolas Elf Elven archer. His weapon is the bow. His father is Thranduil, king of the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood, and he came to inform the council of the escape of Gollum.
Gimli Dwarf Son of Glóin. His weapon is the axe. He came to Rivendell from the Lonely Mountain with his father about trouble in the east.
Boromir Man Son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor. His weapon is the sword and the shield. He came to Rivendell seeking answers to a strange dream.
In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien mostly refers to the group as the "Company of the Ring", or "the Company" for short, rather than "Fellowship of the Ring" or "Fellowship". This is demonstrated by Robert Foster's The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, which lists more page references for "Company..." than "Fellowship..." (and in fact the group appears under the entry "Company of the Ring".) However, since "Fellowship of the Ring" was used as the title of the first volume of the book, it has become the familiar term.
講述護戒聯盟中的哈比人梅利與皮平被奧剋斯擄走，護戒使者們不得不分頭行事：弗拉多與好友山姆繼續嚮索隆領地莫都(Modor)進發，途中他們製服了也在瘋狂尋找魔戒的怪物古魯姆(Gollum)，魔戒曾經為他帶來了長壽與隱身之道直到弗拉多的前輩畢爾博拿走了這枚戒指。由於通嚮莫都的路途十分艱險，而末日山就在莫都的北面，所以弗拉多與山姆不得不依靠古魯姆的幫助。除了要時刻提防心懷鬼胎的古魯姆，以及強大的魔戒幽靈，弗拉多還要抵禦魔戒對其心靈愈來愈強的侵蝕，可謂生死一綫，險情迭出……
另一面護戒使者阿拉貢、萊格拉斯與吉穆利則與成功逃離奧剋斯營地的梅利與皮平會合，並加入人類族群羅翰國 (Rohan)的隊伍準備對邪惡的白衣術士薩茹曼的領地伊森加德發動進攻。而此時黑魁首索隆也策動其奧剋斯部隊嚮羅翰的首都埃多拉斯進發，精靈族與人類的聯盟將遭到黑魔法獸兵強大戰鬥力與薩茹曼邪惡魔法的雙重挑戰！緊要關頭甘多夫再度現身，更從灰衣法師升至法力無邊的白衣法師，雙方一場惡戰在所難免！
Title
The Lord of the Rings is composed of 6 "books", aside from an introduction, a prologue and 6 appendices. The novel was originally published as 3 separate volumes due to post-World War II paper shortages and size and price considerations. The Two Towers covers Books III and IV.
Tolkien wrote, "The Two Towers gets as near as possible to finding a title to cover the widely divergent Books 3 & 4; and can be left ambiguous." At this stage he planned to title the individual books. The proposed title for Book III was The Treason of Isengard. Book IV was titled The Journey of the Ringbearers or The Ring Goes East. The titles The Treason of Isengard and The Ring Goes East were used in the Millennium edition.
A note at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring and Tolkien's final illustration of the towers gives the pair as Minas Morgul and Orthanc. However, in a letter to Rayner Unwin, Tolkien instead gives Orthanc and the Tower of Cirith Ungol, but felt such an identification was misleading due to the opposition between Barad-dûr and Minas Tirith. Loosely, any pair from the set of five towers in the story could fit the title: the tower of Cirith Ungol (Cirith Ungol being a pass), Orthanc, Minas Tirith, Barad-dûr and Minas Morgul.
However ambiguous the title may be in the book, director Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Two Towers designates the title as referring to the towers of Barad-dûr in Mordor and Orthanc in Isengard. In dialogue written for the film, the wizard Saruman says:
"The World is changing. Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Isengard and Mordor? To stand against the might of Sauron and Saruman ... and the union of the two towers? Together, my Lord Sauron ... we shall rule this Middle-earth."
In different teaser trailers for the film, voice-over narration by Gandalf and Galadriel directly states the towers as Barad-dûr and Orthanc.
Structure
Because The Two Towers is the central portion of a longer work, its structure differs from that of a conventional novel. It begins and ends abruptly, without introduction to the characters, explanations of major plot elements, or a strict conclusion. This is characteristic of the technical classification novel sequence, not a book series — though it and the other two volumes are not individual novels themselves. The first section follows the divergent paths of several important figures from The Fellowship of the Ring, but tells nothing of its central character, on whose fate so much depends, enabling the reader to share in the suspense and uncertainty of the characters. The narrative of the second part returns to Frodo's quest to destroy the evil that threatens the world.
Plot summary
Book III: The Treason of Isengard
As Aragorn searches for Frodo, he suddenly hears Boromir's horn. He finds Boromir mortally wounded by arrows, his assailants gone. Before Boromir dies he reveals that Merry and Pippin had been captured by Orcs in spite of his efforts to defend them, and that Frodo had vanished after Boromir had tried to take the Ring from him and that he truly regretted attempting to take the Ring from Frodo. In his last moments, he charges Aragorn to defend Minas Tirith from Sauron. With Legolas and Gimli, who had been fighting Orcs themselves, Aragorn pays his last respects to the fallen hero and sends him down the Great River Anduin on a funeral boat, the usual methods of burial being impracticable. The three then resolve to follow the Uruk-hai captors. Meanwhile, after some hardship, the hobbits escape when the Uruk-hai are attacked by the horsemen of Rohan, called the Rohirrim or "Riders of Rohan".
Merry and Pippin escape into the nearby Fangorn Forest, where they encounter the giant treelike Ents. The Ents resembled actual trees, except they could see, talk, and move. These guardians of the forest generally kept to themselves, but after a long contemplation on whether or not the Hobbits were friends, or foes, their leader Treebeard persuades the Ent council to oppose the menace posed to the forest by the wizard Saruman, as suggested by Merry and Pippin, as Treebeard realizes that Saruman's minions have been cutting down large numbers of their trees to fuel the furnaces needed for Saruman's arming of his dark army.
Aragorn, Gimli the Dwarf and Legolas the Elf come across the Riders of Rohan led by Éomer, nephew of King Théoden. The trio learn that the horsemen had attacked a band of Orcs the previous night, and that they had left no survivors. However, Aragorn is able to track a small set of prints that lead into Fangorn, where they meet a wizard in white robes. They shortly afterward meet Gandalf, (they at first take him to be Saruman) whom they believed had perished in the mines of Moria. He tells them of his fall into the abyss, his battle to the death with the Balrog and his resurrection and his enhanced power. The four ride to Rohan's capital Edoras, where Gandalf rouses King Théoden from inaction against the threat Saruman poses. In the process, Saruman's spy in Rohan (and King Théoden's trusted advisor) Gríma Wormtongue, is expelled from Rohan. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas then travel with Théoden's troops to the fortress of Hornburg, in the valley of Helm's Deep. Gandalf rides away before the battle begins, though he gives no reason for doing so. At the Hornburg, the army of Rohan led by King Théoden and Aragorn resist a full-scale onslaught by the hosts of Saruman. Yet, things begin to go ill with Rohan, until Gandalf arrives with the remains of the army of Westfold that Saruman's forces had previously routed. The tide now turns in Rohan's favour, and Saruman's orcs flee into a forest of Huorns, creatures similar to Ents, and none escape alive. Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, along with King Théoden and Éomer, head to Saruman's stronghold of Isengard.
Here, they reunite with Merry and Pippin and find Isengard overrun by Ents, who had flooded it by breaking a nearby dam of the river Isen, and the central tower of Orthanc besieged, with Saruman and Wormtongue trapped inside. After giving Saruman a chance to repent, who refuses, Gandalf casts him out of the Order of Wizards and the White Council. Gríma throws something from a window at Gandalf but misses, and it is picked up by Pippin. This object turns out to be one of the palantíri (seeing-stones). Pippin, unable to resist the urge, looks into it and encounters the Eye of Sauron, but emerges unscathed from the ordeal. Gandalf and Pippin then head for Minas Tirith in Gondor in preparation for the imminent war against Mordor, while Théoden and Aragorn remain behind to begin the muster of Rohan, to ride to the aid of Gondor.
Book IV: The Journey to Mordor
Frodo and Sam discover and capture Gollum, who has been stalking them in their quest to reach Mount Doom and destroy the One Ring, for Gollum hopes to reclaim the Ring for himself. Sam loathes and distrusts him, but Frodo pities the poor creature. Gollum promises to lead the pair to the Black Gate of Mordor and for a time appears to be a true ally. He leads them through a hidden passage of the Dead Marshes in order to avoid being spied by Orcs. Frodo and Sam learn that the Dead Marshes were once part of an ancient battlefield, upon which the War of the Last Alliance was fought. Upon reaching the Black Gate, Gollum persuades the hobbits not to enter, where they would have been surely caught. He tells them of a secret entrance to Mordor. Thus, they head south into Gondor's province of Ithilien and are accosted by a group of Gondorian rangers led by Faramir, the brother of Boromir. Frodo learns from Faramir of Boromir's death and Sam accidentally reveals to Faramir that Frodo carries the One Ring. As a result of this Frodo reveals the plan to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Later that night Gollum is captured diving into the sacred pool, the penalty for which is death. Frodo negotiates Gollum's freedom with Faramir. The following morning Faramir allows them to go on their way, but warns them that Gollum may know more about the secret entrance (Cirith Ungol) than he has been telling them.
Gollum leads them past the city of Minas Morgul and up a long, steep staircase of the Tower of Cirith Ungol into the lair of an enormous spider named Shelob. Gollum hopes to get the Ring from Frodo's bones after Shelob is done with him. The hobbits escape Shelob in her lair and mistakenly assume that they are safe. However, Shelob sneaks up on Frodo. Sam attempts to warn Frodo but is attacked by Gollum. Shelob stings Frodo in the back of the neck and he collapses to the ground.
Sam fends off Gollum and Gollum runs off back towards Shelob's cave. Sam then drives off Shelob. After seeing Frodo lifeless and pale, Sam assumes that Frodo is dead and debates chasing Gollum and abandoning the Quest in favour of vengeance. Sam resolves to finish the Quest himself and takes the Ring. But when Orcs take Frodo's body, Sam follows them and learns that Frodo is not dead, but only unconscious, and is now a prisoner. The book ends with the line, "Frodo was alive but taken by the Enemy."
Chapter Summaries
Book III
* I - The Departure of Boromir - Aragorn finds Boromir wounded by many arrows. Boromir tells him that orcs took the Hobbits, and they were still alive. Boromir does not tell Aragorn which Hobbits were taken. He also reveals how he had attempted to seize the Ring from Frodo, and expresses his remorse at his actions. Boromir dies, and his body is sent down the river on a funeral boat by the three remaining members of the Company - Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli - who decide to follow the orcs.
* II - The Riders of Rohan - Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue the Orcs for three days, eventually crossing into Rohan. On the fourth day of their chase, they instead encounter Éomer, who informs them that his company destroyed the Orcs the previous night, but had not spotted any hobbits. Éomer and Aragorn become friends, and he agrees to lend horses to the hunters to aid their search. Aragorn can find no signs on the edge of Fangorn, and in the middle night, the horses run off after a mysterious old man approaches the hunters' camp.
* III - The Uruk-hai - This chapter begins further back in time, telling the story of Merry and Pippin being captured by the orcs. As they flee west towards Isengard, the orcs are constantly arguing, for they serve different masters. The orcs camp near Fangorn, and Grishnákh, an Orc of Mordor, attempts to take the hobbits away with him, believing them to have the Ring. The hobbits escape as Grishnákh is killed by an arrow, and Éomer's company attacks the Orc-party.
* IV - Treebeard - Entering into Fangorn Forest, the hobbits meet Treebeard, leader of the Ents. The old Ent, initially labeling them as Orcs, eventually takes a liking to them, and leads them to his home, while discussing the history of the Ents and the treason of Isengard with the hobbits. Treebeard calls the Ents of Fangorn together at Entmoot, where they debate what should be done about Saruman. Merry and Pippin spend this time with another Ent, Quickbeam. Eventually, the Ents decide to attack Isengard, which lies just to the west.
* V - The White Rider - The chapter goes back to the story of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, who discover signs that the hobbits escaped the orcs into the forest. In the forest, they encounter an old man whom they presume to be Saruman. Only after attempting to fight him do they realize it is Gandalf, returned from death. Gandalf sizes up the current situation and the impending war (and also gives an account on his epic battle against the Balrog) before leading the companions to their horses, and heading south to Edoras, capital city of Rohan
* VI - The King of the Golden Hall - Arriving at Edoras, Gandalf and his companions find Gríma Wormtongue controlling the city in the name of King Théoden. Gandalf exposes Wormtongue as Saruman's spy, and cures the King of his depression and idleness brought on by Gríma's poisoned words. Éomer is released from his imprisonment, and Wormtongue flees the city. Gandalf persuades Théoden to fight against Saruman, and the King rides west with Éomer, Gandalf, the three hunters, and one thousand Rohirrim. He leaves his niece and Éomer's sister, Éowyn, to lead his people.
* VII - Helm's Deep - Riding west, the army encounters a messenger warning them of an impending attack by Saruman's massive army of Uruk-hai and Wild Men. Gandalf urges the King to fight at the Hornburg in Helm's Deep, an ancient, almost impregnable fortress. He leaves to arrange for help. Aragorn and Éomer lead Rohan's outnumbered forces in the fierce Battle of the Hornburg. After having to abandon the outer wall, Aragorn and Théoden lead a cavalry charge at dawn into the Orcs. Taken by surprise, the Orcs are driven back right into approaching reinforcements led by Gandalf, and a waiting forest of trees from Fangorn. Saruman's army is defeated.
* VIII - The Road to Isengard - Gandalf leads Théoden and the companions to Isengard. Upon their arrival, they see that the Ents have destroyed Saruman's machinery and factories. Merry and Pippin guard the ruined gate, and introduce themselves to Théoden.
* IX - Flotsam and Jetsam - Merry and Pippin tell Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, the story of their adventures with both the Orcs and Ents. They recount how the Ents attacked Isengard, killing many Orcs and destroying Saruman's war-machines. The Ents then flooded the Ring of Isengard, drowning Saruman's underground smithies and barracks. The hobbits happily reveal that they found their favorite pipe-weed from the Shire in one of Saruman's store-rooms.
* X - The Voice of Saruman - Gandalf leads Théoden, Éomer, and the other Fellowship members to a parley with Saruman at the tower of Orthanc in the midst of Isengard. Saruman, while defeated in battle, is still able to use his voice to gain power over others. He nearly convinces the King to make peace with him. Gandalf and Théoden, however, see through Saruman's lies. Gandalf offers Saruman a chance to repent and aid the forces of good in the war to come. When Saruman rejects the offer, Gandalf breaks Saruman's staff and casts him from the White Council. As they leave, Wormtongue, who had returned to Saruman, throws Saruman's Palantír down at the company. Pippin picks it up before Gandalf takes it from him. Gandalf entrusts control of Isengard (and Saruman) to Treebeard and the Ents before the company leaves.
* XI - The Palantír - At the camp south of Isengard, Pippin takes the Palantír from Gandalf as he sleeps, and looks into it. He encounters the Eye of Sauron and sees Sauron's plans to attack Gondor's capital city of Minas Tirith. He escapes unscathed, and Gandalf takes the stone back before giving it to Aragorn for safekeeping. A winged Nazgûl flies over the camp, and Gandalf realizes the war is arriving. He rides of with Pippin to Minas Tirith, while Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Théoden, Éomer, and the Rohirrim ride back towards Helm's Deep. On the way to Gondor, Gandalf explains the Palantír to Pippin, revealing that it is the one of the last surviving Seeing-Stones which Elendil brough from Númenor.
Book IV
* I - The Taming of Sméagol - Frodo and Sam become lost in the Emyn Muil and eventually encounter the creature Gollum, who had been tracking them, desiring the Ring. After capturing him, Frodo makes Gollum lead them to Mordor in exchange for Sam untying him. Gollum agrees to this plan, swearing "on the Precious".
* II - The Passage of the Marshes - Gollum shows Frodo and Sam a secret way through the Dead Marshes in order to escape being noticed by Orcs. In the Marshes, Frodo and Sam discover more about their new guide. They also narrowly escape detection by a winged Nazgûl.
* III - The Black Gate is Closed - Arriving at the Black Gate of Mordor, Frodo and Sam see it is impenetrable. While hiding within sight of the Towers of the Teeth, Gollum persuades the hobbits to take a "secret way" into Mordor he knows of further to the south. Seeing that he has no chance to enter Mordor via the Black Gate, Frodo agrees to the southward route.
* IV - Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit - Frodo, Sam, and Gollum enter Ithilien, a pleasant land once belonging to Gondor. Making camp, Sam coaxes Gollum into procuring some rabbits for a meal. The smoke from Sam's fire catches the eye of Gondorian Rangers, led by Boromir's younger brother Faramir. Frodo and Sam watch while the Rangers engage a host of Haradrim, who are bringing a Mûmakil to Mordor. Meanwhile, Gollum runs off.
* V - The Window on the West - After the Rangers defeat the Haradrim, Frodo and Sam are taken by Faramir to the secret outpost of Henneth Annûn. There, Faramir questions Frodo about the circumstances of Boromir's death. When Sam accidentally reveals that Frodo carries the Ring, and that Boromir had attempted to seize it, Faramir reveals that he would not use the Ring or try to take it; he sees the evil it can do.
* VI - The Forbidden Pool - In the middle of the night, Faramir shows Frodo that his men have found Gollum in Henneth Annûn's forbidden pool. Frodo convinces Faramir not to shoot Gollum. Faramir questions the wretch over where he is leading Frodo. When Gollum reveals he intends to take the hobbits past Minas Morgul, Faramir grows alarmed and urges Frodo to not use that way. He warns of evil in the pass above the city.
* VII - Journey to the Cross-roads - Faramir sends Frodo and Sam off with provisions and directions to Morgul-vale. He also allows Gollum to leave, but denounces him as evil and untrustworthy. Gollum brings the hobbits to the road between Osgiliath and Minas Morgul, and leads them east towards the Mountains of Shadow. At the Cross-roads, where the Harad Road meets the Osgiliath Road, the hobbits encounter an old, headless statue of a Gondorian king. When Frodo sees the head lying nearby, he perceives that "The king has got a crown again". At this same time, darkness from Mordor covers the Sun.
* VIII - The Stairs of Cirith Ungol - Approaching the evil city of Minas Morgul, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum witness a great host of Sauron leaving the city to make war on Gondor. They are led by the Witch-king of Angmar. Climbing the stairs towards Gollum's secret pass, Gollum runs off for a short time. Sam suspects he may be alerting Orcs to their presence.
* IX - Shelob's Lair - Gollum returns and leads the hobbits into a dark tunnel, which is really the lair of Shelob the spider. Encountering the monsterous arachnid, Frodo and Sam realize Gollum has fled, leaving them to die. Making use of the Phial of Galadriel and his sword Sting, Frodo is able to drive Shelob back for a short time. However, as the hobbits escape the lair, Gollum subdues Sam while Shelob reappears and attacks Frodo.
* X - The Choices of Master Samwise - Sam overcomes Gollum and sends him fleeing in terror. Seeing that Shelob has attacked Frodo, Sam battles her fiercely, eventually wounding her with Sting and blinding her with the Phial. Sam sees that Shelob has stung Frodo, who lies seemingly dead in the pass. With Gollum's betrayal complete, Sam resolves to take the Ring and continue the Quest on his own, leaving his master's body. Shortly after taking the Ring, a company of Orcs from the nearby Tower of Cirith Ungol arrives and meets a company from Minas Morgul. They take Frodo's body back to the Tower. Sam, pursuing them, overhears the two commanders say that Shelob has not killed Frodo, but rendered him unconcious for several hours. The Orcs reach the Tower, but Sam cannot catch up to them in time. He is left out in a secret passageway, unable to enter as the novel ends.
Adaptations
Some of the events of The Two Towers along with The Fellowship of Ring were depicted in the 1978 film of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, directed by Ralph Bakshi.
In 1999, The Lifeline Theatre in Chicago presented the world premiere of The Two Towers, adapted for the stage by James Sie and Karen Tarjan, directed by Ned Mochel.
In 2002 the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, directed by Peter Jackson, was released. Both The Two Towers and the succeeding film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King abandoned the parallel storytelling of the volume in favour of a more chronological presentation. The first chapter from the volume actually appears at the end of Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Later events of The Two Towers involving Frodo and Sam were filmed for Jackson's The Return of the King. Other significant changes were made in the plot line, partially to give each of the characters a story arc in which they could develop and change. Although all three of Jackson's films differ from their source material, "The Two Towers" arguably contains the most major alterations. There was initial concern over using the title "The Two Towers" due to the real-life association with the World Trade Center and the terrorist attacks the previous year. The WTC was also commonly called The Twin Towers and due to that similarity, the filmmakers were reportedly considering alternate titles. It was decided, eventually, to retain the original title.
Various games also adapt The Two Towers, including online role-playing games like The Two Towers Mud and graphically-oriented console games.
另一面護戒使者阿拉貢、萊格拉斯與吉穆利則與成功逃離奧剋斯營地的梅利與皮平會合，並加入人類族群羅翰國 (Rohan)的隊伍準備對邪惡的白衣術士薩茹曼的領地伊森加德發動進攻。而此時黑魁首索隆也策動其奧剋斯部隊嚮羅翰的首都埃多拉斯進發，精靈族與人類的聯盟將遭到黑魔法獸兵強大戰鬥力與薩茹曼邪惡魔法的雙重挑戰！緊要關頭甘多夫再度現身，更從灰衣法師升至法力無邊的白衣法師，雙方一場惡戰在所難免！
Title
The Lord of the Rings is composed of 6 "books", aside from an introduction, a prologue and 6 appendices. The novel was originally published as 3 separate volumes due to post-World War II paper shortages and size and price considerations. The Two Towers covers Books III and IV.
Tolkien wrote, "The Two Towers gets as near as possible to finding a title to cover the widely divergent Books 3 & 4; and can be left ambiguous." At this stage he planned to title the individual books. The proposed title for Book III was The Treason of Isengard. Book IV was titled The Journey of the Ringbearers or The Ring Goes East. The titles The Treason of Isengard and The Ring Goes East were used in the Millennium edition.
A note at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring and Tolkien's final illustration of the towers gives the pair as Minas Morgul and Orthanc. However, in a letter to Rayner Unwin, Tolkien instead gives Orthanc and the Tower of Cirith Ungol, but felt such an identification was misleading due to the opposition between Barad-dûr and Minas Tirith. Loosely, any pair from the set of five towers in the story could fit the title: the tower of Cirith Ungol (Cirith Ungol being a pass), Orthanc, Minas Tirith, Barad-dûr and Minas Morgul.
However ambiguous the title may be in the book, director Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Two Towers designates the title as referring to the towers of Barad-dûr in Mordor and Orthanc in Isengard. In dialogue written for the film, the wizard Saruman says:
"The World is changing. Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Isengard and Mordor? To stand against the might of Sauron and Saruman ... and the union of the two towers? Together, my Lord Sauron ... we shall rule this Middle-earth."
In different teaser trailers for the film, voice-over narration by Gandalf and Galadriel directly states the towers as Barad-dûr and Orthanc.
Structure
Because The Two Towers is the central portion of a longer work, its structure differs from that of a conventional novel. It begins and ends abruptly, without introduction to the characters, explanations of major plot elements, or a strict conclusion. This is characteristic of the technical classification novel sequence, not a book series — though it and the other two volumes are not individual novels themselves. The first section follows the divergent paths of several important figures from The Fellowship of the Ring, but tells nothing of its central character, on whose fate so much depends, enabling the reader to share in the suspense and uncertainty of the characters. The narrative of the second part returns to Frodo's quest to destroy the evil that threatens the world.
Plot summary
Book III: The Treason of Isengard
As Aragorn searches for Frodo, he suddenly hears Boromir's horn. He finds Boromir mortally wounded by arrows, his assailants gone. Before Boromir dies he reveals that Merry and Pippin had been captured by Orcs in spite of his efforts to defend them, and that Frodo had vanished after Boromir had tried to take the Ring from him and that he truly regretted attempting to take the Ring from Frodo. In his last moments, he charges Aragorn to defend Minas Tirith from Sauron. With Legolas and Gimli, who had been fighting Orcs themselves, Aragorn pays his last respects to the fallen hero and sends him down the Great River Anduin on a funeral boat, the usual methods of burial being impracticable. The three then resolve to follow the Uruk-hai captors. Meanwhile, after some hardship, the hobbits escape when the Uruk-hai are attacked by the horsemen of Rohan, called the Rohirrim or "Riders of Rohan".
Merry and Pippin escape into the nearby Fangorn Forest, where they encounter the giant treelike Ents. The Ents resembled actual trees, except they could see, talk, and move. These guardians of the forest generally kept to themselves, but after a long contemplation on whether or not the Hobbits were friends, or foes, their leader Treebeard persuades the Ent council to oppose the menace posed to the forest by the wizard Saruman, as suggested by Merry and Pippin, as Treebeard realizes that Saruman's minions have been cutting down large numbers of their trees to fuel the furnaces needed for Saruman's arming of his dark army.
Aragorn, Gimli the Dwarf and Legolas the Elf come across the Riders of Rohan led by Éomer, nephew of King Théoden. The trio learn that the horsemen had attacked a band of Orcs the previous night, and that they had left no survivors. However, Aragorn is able to track a small set of prints that lead into Fangorn, where they meet a wizard in white robes. They shortly afterward meet Gandalf, (they at first take him to be Saruman) whom they believed had perished in the mines of Moria. He tells them of his fall into the abyss, his battle to the death with the Balrog and his resurrection and his enhanced power. The four ride to Rohan's capital Edoras, where Gandalf rouses King Théoden from inaction against the threat Saruman poses. In the process, Saruman's spy in Rohan (and King Théoden's trusted advisor) Gríma Wormtongue, is expelled from Rohan. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas then travel with Théoden's troops to the fortress of Hornburg, in the valley of Helm's Deep. Gandalf rides away before the battle begins, though he gives no reason for doing so. At the Hornburg, the army of Rohan led by King Théoden and Aragorn resist a full-scale onslaught by the hosts of Saruman. Yet, things begin to go ill with Rohan, until Gandalf arrives with the remains of the army of Westfold that Saruman's forces had previously routed. The tide now turns in Rohan's favour, and Saruman's orcs flee into a forest of Huorns, creatures similar to Ents, and none escape alive. Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, along with King Théoden and Éomer, head to Saruman's stronghold of Isengard.
Here, they reunite with Merry and Pippin and find Isengard overrun by Ents, who had flooded it by breaking a nearby dam of the river Isen, and the central tower of Orthanc besieged, with Saruman and Wormtongue trapped inside. After giving Saruman a chance to repent, who refuses, Gandalf casts him out of the Order of Wizards and the White Council. Gríma throws something from a window at Gandalf but misses, and it is picked up by Pippin. This object turns out to be one of the palantíri (seeing-stones). Pippin, unable to resist the urge, looks into it and encounters the Eye of Sauron, but emerges unscathed from the ordeal. Gandalf and Pippin then head for Minas Tirith in Gondor in preparation for the imminent war against Mordor, while Théoden and Aragorn remain behind to begin the muster of Rohan, to ride to the aid of Gondor.
Book IV: The Journey to Mordor
Frodo and Sam discover and capture Gollum, who has been stalking them in their quest to reach Mount Doom and destroy the One Ring, for Gollum hopes to reclaim the Ring for himself. Sam loathes and distrusts him, but Frodo pities the poor creature. Gollum promises to lead the pair to the Black Gate of Mordor and for a time appears to be a true ally. He leads them through a hidden passage of the Dead Marshes in order to avoid being spied by Orcs. Frodo and Sam learn that the Dead Marshes were once part of an ancient battlefield, upon which the War of the Last Alliance was fought. Upon reaching the Black Gate, Gollum persuades the hobbits not to enter, where they would have been surely caught. He tells them of a secret entrance to Mordor. Thus, they head south into Gondor's province of Ithilien and are accosted by a group of Gondorian rangers led by Faramir, the brother of Boromir. Frodo learns from Faramir of Boromir's death and Sam accidentally reveals to Faramir that Frodo carries the One Ring. As a result of this Frodo reveals the plan to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Later that night Gollum is captured diving into the sacred pool, the penalty for which is death. Frodo negotiates Gollum's freedom with Faramir. The following morning Faramir allows them to go on their way, but warns them that Gollum may know more about the secret entrance (Cirith Ungol) than he has been telling them.
Gollum leads them past the city of Minas Morgul and up a long, steep staircase of the Tower of Cirith Ungol into the lair of an enormous spider named Shelob. Gollum hopes to get the Ring from Frodo's bones after Shelob is done with him. The hobbits escape Shelob in her lair and mistakenly assume that they are safe. However, Shelob sneaks up on Frodo. Sam attempts to warn Frodo but is attacked by Gollum. Shelob stings Frodo in the back of the neck and he collapses to the ground.
Sam fends off Gollum and Gollum runs off back towards Shelob's cave. Sam then drives off Shelob. After seeing Frodo lifeless and pale, Sam assumes that Frodo is dead and debates chasing Gollum and abandoning the Quest in favour of vengeance. Sam resolves to finish the Quest himself and takes the Ring. But when Orcs take Frodo's body, Sam follows them and learns that Frodo is not dead, but only unconscious, and is now a prisoner. The book ends with the line, "Frodo was alive but taken by the Enemy."
Chapter Summaries
Book III
* I - The Departure of Boromir - Aragorn finds Boromir wounded by many arrows. Boromir tells him that orcs took the Hobbits, and they were still alive. Boromir does not tell Aragorn which Hobbits were taken. He also reveals how he had attempted to seize the Ring from Frodo, and expresses his remorse at his actions. Boromir dies, and his body is sent down the river on a funeral boat by the three remaining members of the Company - Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli - who decide to follow the orcs.
* II - The Riders of Rohan - Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue the Orcs for three days, eventually crossing into Rohan. On the fourth day of their chase, they instead encounter Éomer, who informs them that his company destroyed the Orcs the previous night, but had not spotted any hobbits. Éomer and Aragorn become friends, and he agrees to lend horses to the hunters to aid their search. Aragorn can find no signs on the edge of Fangorn, and in the middle night, the horses run off after a mysterious old man approaches the hunters' camp.
* III - The Uruk-hai - This chapter begins further back in time, telling the story of Merry and Pippin being captured by the orcs. As they flee west towards Isengard, the orcs are constantly arguing, for they serve different masters. The orcs camp near Fangorn, and Grishnákh, an Orc of Mordor, attempts to take the hobbits away with him, believing them to have the Ring. The hobbits escape as Grishnákh is killed by an arrow, and Éomer's company attacks the Orc-party.
* IV - Treebeard - Entering into Fangorn Forest, the hobbits meet Treebeard, leader of the Ents. The old Ent, initially labeling them as Orcs, eventually takes a liking to them, and leads them to his home, while discussing the history of the Ents and the treason of Isengard with the hobbits. Treebeard calls the Ents of Fangorn together at Entmoot, where they debate what should be done about Saruman. Merry and Pippin spend this time with another Ent, Quickbeam. Eventually, the Ents decide to attack Isengard, which lies just to the west.
* V - The White Rider - The chapter goes back to the story of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, who discover signs that the hobbits escaped the orcs into the forest. In the forest, they encounter an old man whom they presume to be Saruman. Only after attempting to fight him do they realize it is Gandalf, returned from death. Gandalf sizes up the current situation and the impending war (and also gives an account on his epic battle against the Balrog) before leading the companions to their horses, and heading south to Edoras, capital city of Rohan
* VI - The King of the Golden Hall - Arriving at Edoras, Gandalf and his companions find Gríma Wormtongue controlling the city in the name of King Théoden. Gandalf exposes Wormtongue as Saruman's spy, and cures the King of his depression and idleness brought on by Gríma's poisoned words. Éomer is released from his imprisonment, and Wormtongue flees the city. Gandalf persuades Théoden to fight against Saruman, and the King rides west with Éomer, Gandalf, the three hunters, and one thousand Rohirrim. He leaves his niece and Éomer's sister, Éowyn, to lead his people.
* VII - Helm's Deep - Riding west, the army encounters a messenger warning them of an impending attack by Saruman's massive army of Uruk-hai and Wild Men. Gandalf urges the King to fight at the Hornburg in Helm's Deep, an ancient, almost impregnable fortress. He leaves to arrange for help. Aragorn and Éomer lead Rohan's outnumbered forces in the fierce Battle of the Hornburg. After having to abandon the outer wall, Aragorn and Théoden lead a cavalry charge at dawn into the Orcs. Taken by surprise, the Orcs are driven back right into approaching reinforcements led by Gandalf, and a waiting forest of trees from Fangorn. Saruman's army is defeated.
* VIII - The Road to Isengard - Gandalf leads Théoden and the companions to Isengard. Upon their arrival, they see that the Ents have destroyed Saruman's machinery and factories. Merry and Pippin guard the ruined gate, and introduce themselves to Théoden.
* IX - Flotsam and Jetsam - Merry and Pippin tell Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, the story of their adventures with both the Orcs and Ents. They recount how the Ents attacked Isengard, killing many Orcs and destroying Saruman's war-machines. The Ents then flooded the Ring of Isengard, drowning Saruman's underground smithies and barracks. The hobbits happily reveal that they found their favorite pipe-weed from the Shire in one of Saruman's store-rooms.
* X - The Voice of Saruman - Gandalf leads Théoden, Éomer, and the other Fellowship members to a parley with Saruman at the tower of Orthanc in the midst of Isengard. Saruman, while defeated in battle, is still able to use his voice to gain power over others. He nearly convinces the King to make peace with him. Gandalf and Théoden, however, see through Saruman's lies. Gandalf offers Saruman a chance to repent and aid the forces of good in the war to come. When Saruman rejects the offer, Gandalf breaks Saruman's staff and casts him from the White Council. As they leave, Wormtongue, who had returned to Saruman, throws Saruman's Palantír down at the company. Pippin picks it up before Gandalf takes it from him. Gandalf entrusts control of Isengard (and Saruman) to Treebeard and the Ents before the company leaves.
* XI - The Palantír - At the camp south of Isengard, Pippin takes the Palantír from Gandalf as he sleeps, and looks into it. He encounters the Eye of Sauron and sees Sauron's plans to attack Gondor's capital city of Minas Tirith. He escapes unscathed, and Gandalf takes the stone back before giving it to Aragorn for safekeeping. A winged Nazgûl flies over the camp, and Gandalf realizes the war is arriving. He rides of with Pippin to Minas Tirith, while Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Théoden, Éomer, and the Rohirrim ride back towards Helm's Deep. On the way to Gondor, Gandalf explains the Palantír to Pippin, revealing that it is the one of the last surviving Seeing-Stones which Elendil brough from Númenor.
Book IV
* I - The Taming of Sméagol - Frodo and Sam become lost in the Emyn Muil and eventually encounter the creature Gollum, who had been tracking them, desiring the Ring. After capturing him, Frodo makes Gollum lead them to Mordor in exchange for Sam untying him. Gollum agrees to this plan, swearing "on the Precious".
* II - The Passage of the Marshes - Gollum shows Frodo and Sam a secret way through the Dead Marshes in order to escape being noticed by Orcs. In the Marshes, Frodo and Sam discover more about their new guide. They also narrowly escape detection by a winged Nazgûl.
* III - The Black Gate is Closed - Arriving at the Black Gate of Mordor, Frodo and Sam see it is impenetrable. While hiding within sight of the Towers of the Teeth, Gollum persuades the hobbits to take a "secret way" into Mordor he knows of further to the south. Seeing that he has no chance to enter Mordor via the Black Gate, Frodo agrees to the southward route.
* IV - Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit - Frodo, Sam, and Gollum enter Ithilien, a pleasant land once belonging to Gondor. Making camp, Sam coaxes Gollum into procuring some rabbits for a meal. The smoke from Sam's fire catches the eye of Gondorian Rangers, led by Boromir's younger brother Faramir. Frodo and Sam watch while the Rangers engage a host of Haradrim, who are bringing a Mûmakil to Mordor. Meanwhile, Gollum runs off.
* V - The Window on the West - After the Rangers defeat the Haradrim, Frodo and Sam are taken by Faramir to the secret outpost of Henneth Annûn. There, Faramir questions Frodo about the circumstances of Boromir's death. When Sam accidentally reveals that Frodo carries the Ring, and that Boromir had attempted to seize it, Faramir reveals that he would not use the Ring or try to take it; he sees the evil it can do.
* VI - The Forbidden Pool - In the middle of the night, Faramir shows Frodo that his men have found Gollum in Henneth Annûn's forbidden pool. Frodo convinces Faramir not to shoot Gollum. Faramir questions the wretch over where he is leading Frodo. When Gollum reveals he intends to take the hobbits past Minas Morgul, Faramir grows alarmed and urges Frodo to not use that way. He warns of evil in the pass above the city.
* VII - Journey to the Cross-roads - Faramir sends Frodo and Sam off with provisions and directions to Morgul-vale. He also allows Gollum to leave, but denounces him as evil and untrustworthy. Gollum brings the hobbits to the road between Osgiliath and Minas Morgul, and leads them east towards the Mountains of Shadow. At the Cross-roads, where the Harad Road meets the Osgiliath Road, the hobbits encounter an old, headless statue of a Gondorian king. When Frodo sees the head lying nearby, he perceives that "The king has got a crown again". At this same time, darkness from Mordor covers the Sun.
* VIII - The Stairs of Cirith Ungol - Approaching the evil city of Minas Morgul, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum witness a great host of Sauron leaving the city to make war on Gondor. They are led by the Witch-king of Angmar. Climbing the stairs towards Gollum's secret pass, Gollum runs off for a short time. Sam suspects he may be alerting Orcs to their presence.
* IX - Shelob's Lair - Gollum returns and leads the hobbits into a dark tunnel, which is really the lair of Shelob the spider. Encountering the monsterous arachnid, Frodo and Sam realize Gollum has fled, leaving them to die. Making use of the Phial of Galadriel and his sword Sting, Frodo is able to drive Shelob back for a short time. However, as the hobbits escape the lair, Gollum subdues Sam while Shelob reappears and attacks Frodo.
* X - The Choices of Master Samwise - Sam overcomes Gollum and sends him fleeing in terror. Seeing that Shelob has attacked Frodo, Sam battles her fiercely, eventually wounding her with Sting and blinding her with the Phial. Sam sees that Shelob has stung Frodo, who lies seemingly dead in the pass. With Gollum's betrayal complete, Sam resolves to take the Ring and continue the Quest on his own, leaving his master's body. Shortly after taking the Ring, a company of Orcs from the nearby Tower of Cirith Ungol arrives and meets a company from Minas Morgul. They take Frodo's body back to the Tower. Sam, pursuing them, overhears the two commanders say that Shelob has not killed Frodo, but rendered him unconcious for several hours. The Orcs reach the Tower, but Sam cannot catch up to them in time. He is left out in a secret passageway, unable to enter as the novel ends.
Adaptations
Some of the events of The Two Towers along with The Fellowship of Ring were depicted in the 1978 film of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, directed by Ralph Bakshi.
In 1999, The Lifeline Theatre in Chicago presented the world premiere of The Two Towers, adapted for the stage by James Sie and Karen Tarjan, directed by Ned Mochel.
In 2002 the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, directed by Peter Jackson, was released. Both The Two Towers and the succeeding film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King abandoned the parallel storytelling of the volume in favour of a more chronological presentation. The first chapter from the volume actually appears at the end of Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Later events of The Two Towers involving Frodo and Sam were filmed for Jackson's The Return of the King. Other significant changes were made in the plot line, partially to give each of the characters a story arc in which they could develop and change. Although all three of Jackson's films differ from their source material, "The Two Towers" arguably contains the most major alterations. There was initial concern over using the title "The Two Towers" due to the real-life association with the World Trade Center and the terrorist attacks the previous year. The WTC was also commonly called The Twin Towers and due to that similarity, the filmmakers were reportedly considering alternate titles. It was decided, eventually, to retain the original title.
Various games also adapt The Two Towers, including online role-playing games like The Two Towers Mud and graphically-oriented console games.
《魔戒三部麯》隨着最後的戰鬥以及黑暗軍團的集合，甘多夫迫切的想把岡多的殘兵舊部重整旗鼓，甘多夫得到了羅翰國王塞奧頓的幫助。人類的力量伴隨着勇氣和那種充滿熱情的忠誠，他們面臨着有史以來最大的考驗。但是伊奧溫和merrt藏在暗處，無法與岡多的敵人相抗衡。面對這種種損失和不利，他們繼續衝鋒在戰鬥的最前列，他們靠着一種忠誠和目標使得黑暗魔君索倫變得心煩意亂，並且給了魔戒的守護者一個機會去完成他的請求。他們剩下的期望就是和弗拉多一起跨越狡猾的敵人的地界去把魔戒扔到末日山脈的火焰中。離最後的目的地越近，弗拉多的負擔就越重，他必須依靠山姆•甘姆齊和古魯姆。魔戒會在這過程中來測試弗拉多的忠誠，本性以及他的人性本身……
Title
Tolkien conceived of The Lord of the Rings as a single volume comprising six "books" plus extensive appendices. The original publisher split the work into three, publishing the fifth and sixth books with the appendices under the title The Return of the King. Tolkien felt the chosen title revealed too much of the story, and indicated he preferred The War of the Ring as a title.
Tolkien may have hoped to publish the one large volume together with The Silmarillion, and to give names to the individual six books. The proposed title for Book V was The War of the Ring. Book VI was to be The End of the Third Age. These titles were used in the Millenium edition.
The Return of the King was in the end published as the third and final part of The Lord of the Rings, on October 20, 1955.
Plot summary
Book V: The War of the Ring
Gandalf and Pippin arrive at Minas Tirith in the kingdom of Gondor, delivering the news to Denethor, the Lord and Steward of Gondor, that a devastating attack on his city by Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor is imminent. Pippin then enters the service of the Steward as repayment of a debt he owes to Boromir, Denethor's dead son and preferred heir.
Now clad in the uniform of the tower guard, Pippin watches the fortunes of war unfold, while the Lord Denethor descends into madness as the hosts of Mordor press ever closer to Gondor's capital city of Minas Tirith. Faramir, Boromir's younger brother, returns from his campaign with the shattered remnants of his company and is soon ordered to ride out and continue the hopeless defence of Osgiliath against a horde of orcs. Osgiliath is soon overrun and a gravely wounded Faramir is carried back to Denethor. His people seemingly lost and his only remaining son all but dead, Denethor orders a funeral pyre built that is to claim both him and his dying son. Minas Tirith stands encircled and besieged by the Dark Lord's Orcs.
Meanwhile, in far-off Rohan, Théoden and his Rohirrim are recovering from the Battle of the Hornburg, in which they defended Rohan against the forces of Saruman at great cost. Aragorn, having confronted Sauron through the palantír of Isengard, sets out to find the lost army of the undead oathbreakers who dwell in the Paths of the Dead, a mountain hall where they have been enslaved since their treachery ages ago. Helped by his companions Legolas and Gimli as well as a Company of Rangers from Arnor in the north (the "Grey Company"), he sets out to recruit the Army of the Dead to his cause. As Aragorn departs on his seemingly impossible task, King Théoden musters the Rohirrim to come to the aid of Gondor. Merry, eager to go to war with his allies, is refused by Théoden several times. Finally Dernhelm, one of the Rohirrim, takes Merry up on his horse, and secretly rides with the rest of the Rohirrim.
The hosts of Mordor, led by the dreaded Witch-king of Angmar, succeed in breaking through the gates of Minas Tirith, but are in turn crushed by the arriving cavalry of Rohan. The battle is also joined by a "black fleet with black sails". The forces of Mordor initially rejoice at its arrival; and then are horrified to see the banner of the King upon the ships. Aragorn has succeeded in using the Oathbreakers to defeat the Corsairs of Umbar; the men of Gondor who were once slaves on the ships are brought back to fight the host of Mordor. In the following Battle of the Pelennor Fields the Witch-king is slain by Dernhelm, revealed to be Éowyn the niece of King Théoden, with help from Merry. Thus the siege is broken, but at heavy cost: many warriors of Gondor and Rohan fall, among them King Théoden. Denethor immolates himself and Faramir on his funeral pyre, but Gandalf and Pippin succeed in saving Faramir, who is subsequently healed by Aragorn. Aragorn also heals Merry and Éowyn, who were hurt by the Witch-king before he fell.
Knowing that it is only a matter of time before Sauron rebuilds his forces for another attack, Aragorn and Gandalf decide to draw out the hosts of Mordor with an assault on the Black Gate, providing a distraction so that Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee may have a chance of reaching Mount Doom and destroying the One Ring, unseen by the Eye of Sauron. Gandalf and Aragorn lead an army to the Black Gate of Mordor and lay siege to Sauron's army. The battle begins and the body of a troll he had killed falls onto Pippin, and he loses consciousness just as the Great Eagles arrive.
Book VI: The Return of the King
Sam, who now bears the One Ring in Frodo's place, rescues his master from torture and death by Orcs in the Tower of Cirith Ungol. The two navigate the barren wasteland of Mordor and are overtaken by a company of Orcs but escape and are forced to disguise themselves in Orcish armour. Gandalf's plan to distract Sauron from the Ring is successful: Mordor is almost empty as all the remaining Orcs have been summoned to defend the land against the assault of the army led by Gandalf and Aragorn.
The two Hobbits, after a weary and dangerous journey, finally reach the Crack of Doom. Yet just as he is about to throw the Ring into Mount Doom, Frodo succumbs to the Ring's power and refuses to let it go. Just then, Gollum, who had been following the pair still, attacks Frodo and bites off his finger with the Ring. Gollum gloats over his prize, but loses his balance and falls into the lava below, taking the Ring with him. The Ring is destroyed, freeing Middle-earth from Sauron's power. Frodo and Sam are rescued by the Great Eagles who carry them from Mount Doom. Upon Sauron's defeat, his armies at the Gate flee.
Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor outside the walls of Minas Tirith in a celebration during which all four hobbits are greatly honoured for their contribution to the War of the Ring. A healed Faramir is appointed Steward of Gondor and Aragorn marries Arwen, daughter of Elrond of Rivendell. After a series of goodbyes, the Hobbits return home to find the Shire in ruins, its inhabitants oppressed by Lotho Sackville-Baggins (usually called "The Boss") who is in reality controlled by a shadowy figure called "Sharkey". Sharkey has taken complete control of the Shire using corrupt Men, and begins felling trees in a gratuitous program of industrialization (which actually produces nothing except destruction and misery for the locals). Merry, Pippin - now experienced warriors -, Frodo and Sam make plans to set things right once more. They lead an uprising of Hobbits and are victorious at the Battle of Bywater which effectively frees the Shire. At the very doorstep of Bag End, they meet Sharkey, who is revealed to be the evil wizard Saruman, and his servant Gríma. Obstinate in defeat, Saruman abuses Gríma, who responds by slitting his master's throat. Gríma is himself slain by hobbit archers as he attempts to escape.
Over time the Shire is healed. The many trees that Saruman's men cut down are replanted; buildings are rebuilt and peace is restored. Sam marries Rosie Cotton, with whom he had been entranced for some time. Merry and Pippin lead Buckland and Tuckborough to greater achievements. Frodo, however, cannot escape the pain of his wounds, having been stabbed by the Witch-king and poisoned by Shelob. Eventually he departs for the Undying Lands in the West, with Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, and many Elves. Sam, Merry and Pippin watch them depart and return home. Now heir to all of Frodo's possessions, Sam is greeted by his wife Rosie and his daughter Elanor. In the last line of the book, Sam says to Rosie: "Well, I'm back".
Chapter summaries
Book V
* I - Minas Tirith - Gandalf and Pippin arrive in the great but decaying city of Minas Tirith, where they talk with Denethor, Steward of Gondor. Pippin enters the service of the Steward to repay the debt he owed Boromir. Pippin then is taken through the city by Beregond, a soldier of the Guard, and later by Beregond's son Bergil. Pippin and Bergil end the day watching men from other lands in Gondor march in to defend the city. The Darkness begins.
* II - The Passing of the Grey Company - The story continues back at Dol Baran, where Gandalf and Pippin left the company. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Théoden, and Éomer are overtaken by the Grey Company riding from Rivendell. They ride to Helm's Deep, where Merry offers his sword to Théoden and Aragorn looks into the palantír of Orthanc, reveals himself to Sauron, and wins the struggle for the Stone. Aragorn then decides to take to the Paths of the Dead and goes to Edoras and then Dunharrow. There, Éowyn tries to both dissuade Aragorn from taking to the Paths and attempt to accompany him on the journey. They pass through the underground tunnel of the Dead and come across the remains of an heir of Rohan. The Grey Company comes to the Stone of Erech in Gondor where they summon the Host of the Dead to fulfil their oath. The Company then rides into the darkness of Mordor.
* III - The Muster of Rohan - Théoden, Éomer, and Merry come down from the hills into Dunharrow and climb the stair of the Hold. There they learn that Aragorn has travelled the Paths of the Dead, and Théoden explains to Merry the story of the deadly road. Théoden then receives an emissary from Denethor, bearing the Red Arrow, who begs him to come to the aid of Minas Tirith. Merry is ordered to stay behind on account of his small stature, but he is secretly taken to Minas Tirith anyway by a rider called Dernhelm.
* IV - The Siege of Gondor - The story returns to Gandalf, and Pippin, who goes to wait on the Steward. Pippin and Beregond witness the return of Faramir and his remaining company, and the Nazgûl's attack on him thwarted only by Gandalf. Faramir comes to the city and reports that he had met Frodo and allowed him to continue into Morgul Vale. Faramir endures his father's wrath until Gandalf quells the argument and states that the Ring would not have in the end saved Minas Tirith. The next day Faramir is ordered to go and command the hopeless defence of the ruined Osgiliath, and is returned gravely wounded. After the Orcs overrun the Gondorian defences on the Pelennor, Minas Tirith is besieged. Denethor, mad with grief over the apparent loss of (now) both his sons, withdraws from leadership and leaves the defending of the city to Gandalf. The Orcs set the first circle of the city on fire and Denethor in his madness tries to burn himself and Faramir alive on a funeral pyre. The gates of Minas Tirith are broken, with only Gandalf blocking the Witch-king from entering. As the two appear set to clash, the horns of Rohan are heard in the distance.
* V - The Ride of the Rohirrim - The Rohirrim pass through the Drúadan Forest and the Stonewain Valley, with the aid of the native wild men and their leader, Ghân-buri-Ghân. The army arrives at Minas Tirith to see the breaching of its gate, and then charges into the battle.
* VI - The Battle of the Pelennor Fields - The warriors of Rohan and Gondor desperately engage the armies of Mordor, Rhûn and Harad. Théoden is thrown and crushed by his horse, mortally wounded. The Lord of the Nazgûl prepares to let his fell beast consume the body. Dernhelm, now revealed to be Éowyn, slays the Lord of the Nazgûl with Merry's help. Théoden names Éomer to be his heir and the new King of the Mark before passing away. As the reserves of Mordor and the Haradrim slam into the forces of Minas Tirith and the Riders of Rohan, the Black Fleet arrives, heartening Sauron's forces. But the first ship bears the standard of the King of Gondor; Aragorn has arrived with Gondorian reinforcements. Together, the Gondorians and Rohirrim destroy Sauron's forces.
* VII - The Pyre of Denethor - Back at the ruined Gate, Pippin tells Gandalf of Denethor's madness. The two return to the hallows where Beregond is defending the wounded Faramir from immolation. He has been forced to kill several men in the process. Gandalf ends the conflict and takes Faramir off the pyre, and Denethor momentarily appears to regain his senses. However, it is soon revealed that Denethor has been using a palantír and has thus lost all hope of victory, and that he does not wish to serve under Aragorn. Denethor then sets himself on fire. Faramir is taken to the houses of healing. Gandalf explains how Denethor rejected Sauron in the palantír but was tricked by the Dark Lord and despaired of all hope.
* VIII - The Houses of Healing - Théoden is laid in state in the main hall of Gondor. Éowyn, Merry, and many others are injured and placed in the houses of healing where Gandalf calls for Aragorn to come and assist, stating that the "hands of the king are the hands of a healer." Aragorn uses kingsfoil to save Faramir, Éowyn, Merry, and many more who are injured. The people of Minas Tirith now begin to see that their true king has come back among them.
* IX - The Last Debate - Gimli and Legolas enter Minas Tirith and meet Merry and Pippin again, telling the hobbits of their journey with Aragorn. They recount how the Dead Men had attacked the invading Corsairs and Haradrim, and how Aragorn used the captured ships to reach Minas Tirith in time. The Captains of the West hold a counsel on their next action; they decide to send 7,000 men against Mordor to march on the Black Gate to keep Sauron distacted, giving the Ringbearer time to complete his task.
* X - The Black Gate Opens - The army, with Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Pippin (but not Merry) marches to the Black Gate. The Mouth of Sauron comes out to discuss terms, and presents tokens which were owned by Sam and Frodo. The Mouth of Sauron calls for an unconditional surrender and claims the lands east of the Great River for Sauron. Gandalf asks to see the hostages, but the emissary hesitates; thus Gandalf rejects the terms. The Mouth of Sauron then departs and the entire might of Mordor assails them. Pippin and Beregond are attacked by a Troll chieftain who is slain by Pippin. They ready themselves for death; but Pippin hears the cries that the Eagles are coming before losing consciousness.
Book VI
* I - The Tower of Cirith Ungol - Leaving Shelob's lair, Sam goes to find Frodo in the Orc tower. Sam discovers that the Orcs have killed each other in a quarrel over Frodo's possessions — especially his mithril coat. Sam finds Frodo in the top chamber of the tower and returns the Ring to him.
* II - The Land of Shadow - Sam and Frodo make their way into Mordor. They discover that Gollum is still on their trail. As they approach the vale of Udûn, they are captured by an Orc company. Just as Frodo nears exhaustion and death, Sam engineers an escape off the road.
* III - Mount Doom - After a torturous journey through Gorgoroth, Frodo and Sam reach Mount Doom. Gollum appears and tries to attack them, but Frodo overpowers him. Sam prepares to kill Gollum, but relents out of pity when Gollum begs for his life. Moments later, Frodo succumbs to the Ring's power and puts it on, exposing him at last to Sauron. Gollum knocks aside Sam and attacks Frodo, biting off his finger and taking the Ring, but then he slips and falls into the Cracks of Doom, destroying himself and the Ring. Frodo and Sam witness the fall of the Dark Tower as the mountain collapses around them.
* IV - The Field of Cormallen - The story returns to the Black Gate, continuing from Book Five, chapter X; the eagles arrive and the Captains of the West stand as they witness the destruction of Mordor and hear Gandalf proclaim the success of the Ringbearer; Gandalf then mounts an Eagle and flies south to Mount Doom where he and the Eagles rescue Frodo and Sam; Sam awakes to find himself in Ithilien and realizes that he has not dreamt; Frodo and Sam are honoured on the Field of Cormallen near Cair Andros with a great feast; they are reunited with Strider—now proclaimed as King—and the rest of the Fellowship.
* V - The Steward and the King - Continuing from Book V, Éowyn is ill at ease from her wound and brooding over Aragorn. She is taken to see Faramir, who is immediately attracted to her. Merry is also in Minas Tirith and tells Faramir much of Éowyn's suffering. Éowyn and Faramir slowly fall in love and agree to marry. Later they see the arrival of the armies with Aragorn, Gandalf and the four hobbits. Gandalf crowns Aragorn King of Gondor. Aragorn makes Faramir prince of Ithilien and bids him keep the office of Steward, appointing the pardoned Beregond as his chief captain. Gandalf takes Aragorn to Mount Mindolluin to survey the lands of his kingdom where they find a sapling of the White Tree, which Aragorn uproots and plants in the court of the King. On midsummer's eve, Elrond, Galadriel, Arwen and the elves arrive in the city from the north, and Aragorn weds Arwen.
* VI - Many Partings - The company rides north to Rohan where they bury Théoden and then celebrate his life and reign in a great feast at Meduseld. They then ride to Isengard where they find that the Ents have replanted the trees in the valley, but have released Saruman and Gríma Wormtongue out of pity. Gimli and Legolas head north through Fangorn; Aragorn, taking the keys to Orthanc, returns to his kingdom; the rest of the company heads north where they meet Saruman and Gríma. Saruman refuses to repent and even steals Merry's pipeweed pouch. Galadriel and the Lórien elves leave over the pass of Caradhras; and the hobbits and Gandalf later arrive in Rivendell where they visit Bilbo, who has now grown incredibly aged.
* VII - Homeward Bound - The hobbits and Gandalf travel to Bree where they stay at the Prancing Pony, and are told by Butterbur that there has been trouble in Bree while they have been away. They assure Butterbur that things will become better because Aragorn, who Butterbur knew as Strider, is now the King, and then depart for the Shire. Gandalf leaves the hobbits near the Barrow-downs to visit Tom Bombadil, affirming their abilities to handle their own affairs from this point forward.
* VIII - The Scouring of the Shire - The hobbits arrive in the Shire to find it taken over by Frodo's distant cousin Lotho Sackville-Baggins, who is a puppet of 'Sharkey.' The Shire has been submitted to tyranny by the bigger men and their dupes — the Sheriffs (with the exception of the land belonging to the Tooks, which is under a state of semi-siege). Merry and Pippin help "raise the Shire" and lead a revolt against the ruffian Isengard men and half-orcs controlling the Shire. The Battle of Bywater is fought in which the main group of ruffians are defeated and expelled from the Shire. The hobbits find Saruman ('Sharkey') and Wormtongue at Bag End and expel Saruman from the Shire, which has suffered vast ecological damage from Saruman's forced industrialization. Saruman tries to kill Frodo but is foiled by the mithril coat. Frodo spares the evil wizard, but Wormtongue—who has murdered Lotho—kills Saruman, and is then killed himself by hobbit archers, thus ending the War of the Ring at the doorstep of Bag End.
* IX - The Grey Havens The cleaning up of the Shire. The hobbit resistors are released from prison. Sam discovers the gift that Galadriel has given him and uses the dust in the box to replant the Shire, culminating in the planting of the mallorn tree of Lórien. Several years pass, and Frodo begins to show signs of declining health and damage due to his wounds and the long burden of the Ring. Sam and Frodo go to meet the elves, Galadriel, and Bilbo travelling west through the Shire, and they travel to the Grey Havens where they meet Gandalf. Merry and Pippin arrive; Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf and the elves set sail to the west; Sam returns to Rose and their daughter Elanor at Bag End. In the later appendix it is noted that a lone ship eventually returned to the Grey Havens. Samwise Gamgee, the one time Ring-bearer, is at the end of his life taken to the Undying Lands.
Structure
The structure of The Return of the King mirrors somewhat that of The Two Towers in that the first section recounts the various adventures of several characters including a massive battle, and the second section resumes the quest of the Ring-bearers.
* Book V
* Book VI
* Appendices
A Annals of the Kings and Rulers
I The Númenórean Kings
(i) Númenor
(ii) The Realms in Exile
(iii) Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur
(iv) Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion
(v) Here follows a part of the tale of Aragorn and Arwen
II The House of Eorl
III Durin's Folk
B The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands)
C Family Trees (Hobbits)
D Calendars
E Writing and Spelling
I Pronunciation of Words and Names
II Writing
F
I The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age
II On Translation
* Indices
I Songs and Verses
II Persons, Beasts and Monsters
III Places
IV Things
Adaptations
* The Return of the King, 1980 animated feature made for television, featuring the voices of Orson Bean and John Huston.
* The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003 Academy Award winning theatrical film directed by Peter Jackson.
* Stage: The Lord of the Rings
Title
Tolkien conceived of The Lord of the Rings as a single volume comprising six "books" plus extensive appendices. The original publisher split the work into three, publishing the fifth and sixth books with the appendices under the title The Return of the King. Tolkien felt the chosen title revealed too much of the story, and indicated he preferred The War of the Ring as a title.
Tolkien may have hoped to publish the one large volume together with The Silmarillion, and to give names to the individual six books. The proposed title for Book V was The War of the Ring. Book VI was to be The End of the Third Age. These titles were used in the Millenium edition.
The Return of the King was in the end published as the third and final part of The Lord of the Rings, on October 20, 1955.
Plot summary
Book V: The War of the Ring
Gandalf and Pippin arrive at Minas Tirith in the kingdom of Gondor, delivering the news to Denethor, the Lord and Steward of Gondor, that a devastating attack on his city by Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor is imminent. Pippin then enters the service of the Steward as repayment of a debt he owes to Boromir, Denethor's dead son and preferred heir.
Now clad in the uniform of the tower guard, Pippin watches the fortunes of war unfold, while the Lord Denethor descends into madness as the hosts of Mordor press ever closer to Gondor's capital city of Minas Tirith. Faramir, Boromir's younger brother, returns from his campaign with the shattered remnants of his company and is soon ordered to ride out and continue the hopeless defence of Osgiliath against a horde of orcs. Osgiliath is soon overrun and a gravely wounded Faramir is carried back to Denethor. His people seemingly lost and his only remaining son all but dead, Denethor orders a funeral pyre built that is to claim both him and his dying son. Minas Tirith stands encircled and besieged by the Dark Lord's Orcs.
Meanwhile, in far-off Rohan, Théoden and his Rohirrim are recovering from the Battle of the Hornburg, in which they defended Rohan against the forces of Saruman at great cost. Aragorn, having confronted Sauron through the palantír of Isengard, sets out to find the lost army of the undead oathbreakers who dwell in the Paths of the Dead, a mountain hall where they have been enslaved since their treachery ages ago. Helped by his companions Legolas and Gimli as well as a Company of Rangers from Arnor in the north (the "Grey Company"), he sets out to recruit the Army of the Dead to his cause. As Aragorn departs on his seemingly impossible task, King Théoden musters the Rohirrim to come to the aid of Gondor. Merry, eager to go to war with his allies, is refused by Théoden several times. Finally Dernhelm, one of the Rohirrim, takes Merry up on his horse, and secretly rides with the rest of the Rohirrim.
The hosts of Mordor, led by the dreaded Witch-king of Angmar, succeed in breaking through the gates of Minas Tirith, but are in turn crushed by the arriving cavalry of Rohan. The battle is also joined by a "black fleet with black sails". The forces of Mordor initially rejoice at its arrival; and then are horrified to see the banner of the King upon the ships. Aragorn has succeeded in using the Oathbreakers to defeat the Corsairs of Umbar; the men of Gondor who were once slaves on the ships are brought back to fight the host of Mordor. In the following Battle of the Pelennor Fields the Witch-king is slain by Dernhelm, revealed to be Éowyn the niece of King Théoden, with help from Merry. Thus the siege is broken, but at heavy cost: many warriors of Gondor and Rohan fall, among them King Théoden. Denethor immolates himself and Faramir on his funeral pyre, but Gandalf and Pippin succeed in saving Faramir, who is subsequently healed by Aragorn. Aragorn also heals Merry and Éowyn, who were hurt by the Witch-king before he fell.
Knowing that it is only a matter of time before Sauron rebuilds his forces for another attack, Aragorn and Gandalf decide to draw out the hosts of Mordor with an assault on the Black Gate, providing a distraction so that Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee may have a chance of reaching Mount Doom and destroying the One Ring, unseen by the Eye of Sauron. Gandalf and Aragorn lead an army to the Black Gate of Mordor and lay siege to Sauron's army. The battle begins and the body of a troll he had killed falls onto Pippin, and he loses consciousness just as the Great Eagles arrive.
Book VI: The Return of the King
Sam, who now bears the One Ring in Frodo's place, rescues his master from torture and death by Orcs in the Tower of Cirith Ungol. The two navigate the barren wasteland of Mordor and are overtaken by a company of Orcs but escape and are forced to disguise themselves in Orcish armour. Gandalf's plan to distract Sauron from the Ring is successful: Mordor is almost empty as all the remaining Orcs have been summoned to defend the land against the assault of the army led by Gandalf and Aragorn.
The two Hobbits, after a weary and dangerous journey, finally reach the Crack of Doom. Yet just as he is about to throw the Ring into Mount Doom, Frodo succumbs to the Ring's power and refuses to let it go. Just then, Gollum, who had been following the pair still, attacks Frodo and bites off his finger with the Ring. Gollum gloats over his prize, but loses his balance and falls into the lava below, taking the Ring with him. The Ring is destroyed, freeing Middle-earth from Sauron's power. Frodo and Sam are rescued by the Great Eagles who carry them from Mount Doom. Upon Sauron's defeat, his armies at the Gate flee.
Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor outside the walls of Minas Tirith in a celebration during which all four hobbits are greatly honoured for their contribution to the War of the Ring. A healed Faramir is appointed Steward of Gondor and Aragorn marries Arwen, daughter of Elrond of Rivendell. After a series of goodbyes, the Hobbits return home to find the Shire in ruins, its inhabitants oppressed by Lotho Sackville-Baggins (usually called "The Boss") who is in reality controlled by a shadowy figure called "Sharkey". Sharkey has taken complete control of the Shire using corrupt Men, and begins felling trees in a gratuitous program of industrialization (which actually produces nothing except destruction and misery for the locals). Merry, Pippin - now experienced warriors -, Frodo and Sam make plans to set things right once more. They lead an uprising of Hobbits and are victorious at the Battle of Bywater which effectively frees the Shire. At the very doorstep of Bag End, they meet Sharkey, who is revealed to be the evil wizard Saruman, and his servant Gríma. Obstinate in defeat, Saruman abuses Gríma, who responds by slitting his master's throat. Gríma is himself slain by hobbit archers as he attempts to escape.
Over time the Shire is healed. The many trees that Saruman's men cut down are replanted; buildings are rebuilt and peace is restored. Sam marries Rosie Cotton, with whom he had been entranced for some time. Merry and Pippin lead Buckland and Tuckborough to greater achievements. Frodo, however, cannot escape the pain of his wounds, having been stabbed by the Witch-king and poisoned by Shelob. Eventually he departs for the Undying Lands in the West, with Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, and many Elves. Sam, Merry and Pippin watch them depart and return home. Now heir to all of Frodo's possessions, Sam is greeted by his wife Rosie and his daughter Elanor. In the last line of the book, Sam says to Rosie: "Well, I'm back".
Chapter summaries
Book V
* I - Minas Tirith - Gandalf and Pippin arrive in the great but decaying city of Minas Tirith, where they talk with Denethor, Steward of Gondor. Pippin enters the service of the Steward to repay the debt he owed Boromir. Pippin then is taken through the city by Beregond, a soldier of the Guard, and later by Beregond's son Bergil. Pippin and Bergil end the day watching men from other lands in Gondor march in to defend the city. The Darkness begins.
* II - The Passing of the Grey Company - The story continues back at Dol Baran, where Gandalf and Pippin left the company. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Théoden, and Éomer are overtaken by the Grey Company riding from Rivendell. They ride to Helm's Deep, where Merry offers his sword to Théoden and Aragorn looks into the palantír of Orthanc, reveals himself to Sauron, and wins the struggle for the Stone. Aragorn then decides to take to the Paths of the Dead and goes to Edoras and then Dunharrow. There, Éowyn tries to both dissuade Aragorn from taking to the Paths and attempt to accompany him on the journey. They pass through the underground tunnel of the Dead and come across the remains of an heir of Rohan. The Grey Company comes to the Stone of Erech in Gondor where they summon the Host of the Dead to fulfil their oath. The Company then rides into the darkness of Mordor.
* III - The Muster of Rohan - Théoden, Éomer, and Merry come down from the hills into Dunharrow and climb the stair of the Hold. There they learn that Aragorn has travelled the Paths of the Dead, and Théoden explains to Merry the story of the deadly road. Théoden then receives an emissary from Denethor, bearing the Red Arrow, who begs him to come to the aid of Minas Tirith. Merry is ordered to stay behind on account of his small stature, but he is secretly taken to Minas Tirith anyway by a rider called Dernhelm.
* IV - The Siege of Gondor - The story returns to Gandalf, and Pippin, who goes to wait on the Steward. Pippin and Beregond witness the return of Faramir and his remaining company, and the Nazgûl's attack on him thwarted only by Gandalf. Faramir comes to the city and reports that he had met Frodo and allowed him to continue into Morgul Vale. Faramir endures his father's wrath until Gandalf quells the argument and states that the Ring would not have in the end saved Minas Tirith. The next day Faramir is ordered to go and command the hopeless defence of the ruined Osgiliath, and is returned gravely wounded. After the Orcs overrun the Gondorian defences on the Pelennor, Minas Tirith is besieged. Denethor, mad with grief over the apparent loss of (now) both his sons, withdraws from leadership and leaves the defending of the city to Gandalf. The Orcs set the first circle of the city on fire and Denethor in his madness tries to burn himself and Faramir alive on a funeral pyre. The gates of Minas Tirith are broken, with only Gandalf blocking the Witch-king from entering. As the two appear set to clash, the horns of Rohan are heard in the distance.
* V - The Ride of the Rohirrim - The Rohirrim pass through the Drúadan Forest and the Stonewain Valley, with the aid of the native wild men and their leader, Ghân-buri-Ghân. The army arrives at Minas Tirith to see the breaching of its gate, and then charges into the battle.
* VI - The Battle of the Pelennor Fields - The warriors of Rohan and Gondor desperately engage the armies of Mordor, Rhûn and Harad. Théoden is thrown and crushed by his horse, mortally wounded. The Lord of the Nazgûl prepares to let his fell beast consume the body. Dernhelm, now revealed to be Éowyn, slays the Lord of the Nazgûl with Merry's help. Théoden names Éomer to be his heir and the new King of the Mark before passing away. As the reserves of Mordor and the Haradrim slam into the forces of Minas Tirith and the Riders of Rohan, the Black Fleet arrives, heartening Sauron's forces. But the first ship bears the standard of the King of Gondor; Aragorn has arrived with Gondorian reinforcements. Together, the Gondorians and Rohirrim destroy Sauron's forces.
* VII - The Pyre of Denethor - Back at the ruined Gate, Pippin tells Gandalf of Denethor's madness. The two return to the hallows where Beregond is defending the wounded Faramir from immolation. He has been forced to kill several men in the process. Gandalf ends the conflict and takes Faramir off the pyre, and Denethor momentarily appears to regain his senses. However, it is soon revealed that Denethor has been using a palantír and has thus lost all hope of victory, and that he does not wish to serve under Aragorn. Denethor then sets himself on fire. Faramir is taken to the houses of healing. Gandalf explains how Denethor rejected Sauron in the palantír but was tricked by the Dark Lord and despaired of all hope.
* VIII - The Houses of Healing - Théoden is laid in state in the main hall of Gondor. Éowyn, Merry, and many others are injured and placed in the houses of healing where Gandalf calls for Aragorn to come and assist, stating that the "hands of the king are the hands of a healer." Aragorn uses kingsfoil to save Faramir, Éowyn, Merry, and many more who are injured. The people of Minas Tirith now begin to see that their true king has come back among them.
* IX - The Last Debate - Gimli and Legolas enter Minas Tirith and meet Merry and Pippin again, telling the hobbits of their journey with Aragorn. They recount how the Dead Men had attacked the invading Corsairs and Haradrim, and how Aragorn used the captured ships to reach Minas Tirith in time. The Captains of the West hold a counsel on their next action; they decide to send 7,000 men against Mordor to march on the Black Gate to keep Sauron distacted, giving the Ringbearer time to complete his task.
* X - The Black Gate Opens - The army, with Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Pippin (but not Merry) marches to the Black Gate. The Mouth of Sauron comes out to discuss terms, and presents tokens which were owned by Sam and Frodo. The Mouth of Sauron calls for an unconditional surrender and claims the lands east of the Great River for Sauron. Gandalf asks to see the hostages, but the emissary hesitates; thus Gandalf rejects the terms. The Mouth of Sauron then departs and the entire might of Mordor assails them. Pippin and Beregond are attacked by a Troll chieftain who is slain by Pippin. They ready themselves for death; but Pippin hears the cries that the Eagles are coming before losing consciousness.
Book VI
* I - The Tower of Cirith Ungol - Leaving Shelob's lair, Sam goes to find Frodo in the Orc tower. Sam discovers that the Orcs have killed each other in a quarrel over Frodo's possessions — especially his mithril coat. Sam finds Frodo in the top chamber of the tower and returns the Ring to him.
* II - The Land of Shadow - Sam and Frodo make their way into Mordor. They discover that Gollum is still on their trail. As they approach the vale of Udûn, they are captured by an Orc company. Just as Frodo nears exhaustion and death, Sam engineers an escape off the road.
* III - Mount Doom - After a torturous journey through Gorgoroth, Frodo and Sam reach Mount Doom. Gollum appears and tries to attack them, but Frodo overpowers him. Sam prepares to kill Gollum, but relents out of pity when Gollum begs for his life. Moments later, Frodo succumbs to the Ring's power and puts it on, exposing him at last to Sauron. Gollum knocks aside Sam and attacks Frodo, biting off his finger and taking the Ring, but then he slips and falls into the Cracks of Doom, destroying himself and the Ring. Frodo and Sam witness the fall of the Dark Tower as the mountain collapses around them.
* IV - The Field of Cormallen - The story returns to the Black Gate, continuing from Book Five, chapter X; the eagles arrive and the Captains of the West stand as they witness the destruction of Mordor and hear Gandalf proclaim the success of the Ringbearer; Gandalf then mounts an Eagle and flies south to Mount Doom where he and the Eagles rescue Frodo and Sam; Sam awakes to find himself in Ithilien and realizes that he has not dreamt; Frodo and Sam are honoured on the Field of Cormallen near Cair Andros with a great feast; they are reunited with Strider—now proclaimed as King—and the rest of the Fellowship.
* V - The Steward and the King - Continuing from Book V, Éowyn is ill at ease from her wound and brooding over Aragorn. She is taken to see Faramir, who is immediately attracted to her. Merry is also in Minas Tirith and tells Faramir much of Éowyn's suffering. Éowyn and Faramir slowly fall in love and agree to marry. Later they see the arrival of the armies with Aragorn, Gandalf and the four hobbits. Gandalf crowns Aragorn King of Gondor. Aragorn makes Faramir prince of Ithilien and bids him keep the office of Steward, appointing the pardoned Beregond as his chief captain. Gandalf takes Aragorn to Mount Mindolluin to survey the lands of his kingdom where they find a sapling of the White Tree, which Aragorn uproots and plants in the court of the King. On midsummer's eve, Elrond, Galadriel, Arwen and the elves arrive in the city from the north, and Aragorn weds Arwen.
* VI - Many Partings - The company rides north to Rohan where they bury Théoden and then celebrate his life and reign in a great feast at Meduseld. They then ride to Isengard where they find that the Ents have replanted the trees in the valley, but have released Saruman and Gríma Wormtongue out of pity. Gimli and Legolas head north through Fangorn; Aragorn, taking the keys to Orthanc, returns to his kingdom; the rest of the company heads north where they meet Saruman and Gríma. Saruman refuses to repent and even steals Merry's pipeweed pouch. Galadriel and the Lórien elves leave over the pass of Caradhras; and the hobbits and Gandalf later arrive in Rivendell where they visit Bilbo, who has now grown incredibly aged.
* VII - Homeward Bound - The hobbits and Gandalf travel to Bree where they stay at the Prancing Pony, and are told by Butterbur that there has been trouble in Bree while they have been away. They assure Butterbur that things will become better because Aragorn, who Butterbur knew as Strider, is now the King, and then depart for the Shire. Gandalf leaves the hobbits near the Barrow-downs to visit Tom Bombadil, affirming their abilities to handle their own affairs from this point forward.
* VIII - The Scouring of the Shire - The hobbits arrive in the Shire to find it taken over by Frodo's distant cousin Lotho Sackville-Baggins, who is a puppet of 'Sharkey.' The Shire has been submitted to tyranny by the bigger men and their dupes — the Sheriffs (with the exception of the land belonging to the Tooks, which is under a state of semi-siege). Merry and Pippin help "raise the Shire" and lead a revolt against the ruffian Isengard men and half-orcs controlling the Shire. The Battle of Bywater is fought in which the main group of ruffians are defeated and expelled from the Shire. The hobbits find Saruman ('Sharkey') and Wormtongue at Bag End and expel Saruman from the Shire, which has suffered vast ecological damage from Saruman's forced industrialization. Saruman tries to kill Frodo but is foiled by the mithril coat. Frodo spares the evil wizard, but Wormtongue—who has murdered Lotho—kills Saruman, and is then killed himself by hobbit archers, thus ending the War of the Ring at the doorstep of Bag End.
* IX - The Grey Havens The cleaning up of the Shire. The hobbit resistors are released from prison. Sam discovers the gift that Galadriel has given him and uses the dust in the box to replant the Shire, culminating in the planting of the mallorn tree of Lórien. Several years pass, and Frodo begins to show signs of declining health and damage due to his wounds and the long burden of the Ring. Sam and Frodo go to meet the elves, Galadriel, and Bilbo travelling west through the Shire, and they travel to the Grey Havens where they meet Gandalf. Merry and Pippin arrive; Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf and the elves set sail to the west; Sam returns to Rose and their daughter Elanor at Bag End. In the later appendix it is noted that a lone ship eventually returned to the Grey Havens. Samwise Gamgee, the one time Ring-bearer, is at the end of his life taken to the Undying Lands.
Structure
The structure of The Return of the King mirrors somewhat that of The Two Towers in that the first section recounts the various adventures of several characters including a massive battle, and the second section resumes the quest of the Ring-bearers.
* Book V
* Book VI
* Appendices
A Annals of the Kings and Rulers
I The Númenórean Kings
(i) Númenor
(ii) The Realms in Exile
(iii) Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur
(iv) Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion
(v) Here follows a part of the tale of Aragorn and Arwen
II The House of Eorl
III Durin's Folk
B The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands)
C Family Trees (Hobbits)
D Calendars
E Writing and Spelling
I Pronunciation of Words and Names
II Writing
F
I The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age
II On Translation
* Indices
I Songs and Verses
II Persons, Beasts and Monsters
III Places
IV Things
Adaptations
* The Return of the King, 1980 animated feature made for television, featuring the voices of Orson Bean and John Huston.
* The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003 Academy Award winning theatrical film directed by Peter Jackson.
* Stage: The Lord of the Rings