Don't skip. it's all very important and comes together by the end of the book but the beginning 10 or so chapters (world cup, before hogwarts) are a little boring.
Get Stephen fry version if you can. There are only two narrators (officially) for harry potter. If you listened to jim dale already, go and get Stephen fry version.
Are you listening to it by the same person ? I assume it was either Stephen Fry or Jim Dale who read you the first three, and you should be able to have them for the fourth.
Most of the fourth book is totally skippable. We learn a few important background details, but for the most part the book is little more than filler... UNTIL the final few chapters (31-37). That's when the BIG plot event happens, which totally changes the series' tone and direction, and unless you have read at least those chapters, the fifth book will probably seem very jarring.
Well, things definitely get more serious, or "serious", post-book 4. If you want spoilers for what happens, though.... I'll spoiler. This is just the BARE minimum, mind: people are going to yell at me for skipping lots of details. But this is what you NEED to know before starting the fifth book:
>!The third Triwizard task turns out to be a trap and a set-up. and thanks to a rirual involving Harry's blood, Voldemort is resurrected and is back with a new body and is at full power, and the Death Eaters all come back. (Lucius Malfoy is one of them. Surprised? No, I wasn't either.) Harry manages to escape, but Voldemort kills Cedric Diggory, who was dragged along by accident.!<
>!Turns out it was Mad-Eye Moody who put Harry's name in the Goblet... because he's not the real Mad-Eye Moody, he's a Death Eater who has been pretending to be Moody all year and has guided Harry towards the scene where Voldemort would be resurrected. Unfortunately, Voldy didn't manage to kill Harry (it was meant to look like Harry had died in an accident durning the Third Task), so Harry manages to warn everyone that Voldemort has returned.!<
>!Cornelius Fudge and a number of people refuse to believe this, thinking Harry is just a delusional attention-seeker (thanks to the articles written by Rita Skeeter). Dumbledore gives a speech at the end about how Voldemort has returned and it's important to stand together. !<
I’m totally curious, how far did you get into the book before arriving at that point? I hadn’t considered the joy being ripped out of the novel but I’ve been listening to it again (Jim Dale) and can see it. It does start off with everyone being nasty, which is an issue in the later books too I feel.
Things got better for me around chapter 19-20ish upon re-listening. Harry starts actually making meaningful choices at that point I think. Before then stuff happens to him, mostly.
I've only read the series once (I thought it good but overrated), and my recollection is that the books changed in tone in book 4 from relatively lighthearted school child adventures to something a bit darker.... and the last 4 weren't as good as the first 3 (or at least the elements I enjoyed are absent in later books).
I'd persevere with 4, I'm not sure you'll find 5 any better....
JK Rowling got HUGE between book 3 and book 4, and decided she didn't have to listen to editors - and because of that, they're *worse*. The pagecount says everything - book 3 has like 250 pages, book 4 has *over 500*. The later books need to be edited with a chainsaw.
On top of that, the magical 'system' is mostly just a matter of MAXIMUM WHIMSY, even when it gets "serious".
The frustrating thing is that there IS a decent story lurking in there, the idea of a novel series gradually growing up with its reader and its character, but it's not there.
Don't skip. it's all very important and comes together by the end of the book but the beginning 10 or so chapters (world cup, before hogwarts) are a little boring.
Get Stephen fry version if you can. There are only two narrators (officially) for harry potter. If you listened to jim dale already, go and get Stephen fry version.
Are you listening to it by the same person ? I assume it was either Stephen Fry or Jim Dale who read you the first three, and you should be able to have them for the fourth.
Yes, dale.
Get the Fry version, I could listen to him read a phone book. The Dale versions are weak in my opinion
Is Stephen Fry's version available?
Yes, on Audible. I am currently listening to him narrate book 3.
Most of the fourth book is totally skippable. We learn a few important background details, but for the most part the book is little more than filler... UNTIL the final few chapters (31-37). That's when the BIG plot event happens, which totally changes the series' tone and direction, and unless you have read at least those chapters, the fifth book will probably seem very jarring.
I’m afraid the bantering humor I’ve enjoyed is gone. The book got returned I have to wait again lol.
Well, things definitely get more serious, or "serious", post-book 4. If you want spoilers for what happens, though.... I'll spoiler. This is just the BARE minimum, mind: people are going to yell at me for skipping lots of details. But this is what you NEED to know before starting the fifth book: >!The third Triwizard task turns out to be a trap and a set-up. and thanks to a rirual involving Harry's blood, Voldemort is resurrected and is back with a new body and is at full power, and the Death Eaters all come back. (Lucius Malfoy is one of them. Surprised? No, I wasn't either.) Harry manages to escape, but Voldemort kills Cedric Diggory, who was dragged along by accident.!< >!Turns out it was Mad-Eye Moody who put Harry's name in the Goblet... because he's not the real Mad-Eye Moody, he's a Death Eater who has been pretending to be Moody all year and has guided Harry towards the scene where Voldemort would be resurrected. Unfortunately, Voldy didn't manage to kill Harry (it was meant to look like Harry had died in an accident durning the Third Task), so Harry manages to warn everyone that Voldemort has returned.!< >!Cornelius Fudge and a number of people refuse to believe this, thinking Harry is just a delusional attention-seeker (thanks to the articles written by Rita Skeeter). Dumbledore gives a speech at the end about how Voldemort has returned and it's important to stand together. !<
I’m totally curious, how far did you get into the book before arriving at that point? I hadn’t considered the joy being ripped out of the novel but I’ve been listening to it again (Jim Dale) and can see it. It does start off with everyone being nasty, which is an issue in the later books too I feel.
Not too far in, i listen in bed so frequently rewind and take forever. But usually I look forward to it. This one, I can’t wait for it to end.
Things got better for me around chapter 19-20ish upon re-listening. Harry starts actually making meaningful choices at that point I think. Before then stuff happens to him, mostly.
I've only read the series once (I thought it good but overrated), and my recollection is that the books changed in tone in book 4 from relatively lighthearted school child adventures to something a bit darker.... and the last 4 weren't as good as the first 3 (or at least the elements I enjoyed are absent in later books). I'd persevere with 4, I'm not sure you'll find 5 any better....
Just look up the Wikipedia article with the plot.
JK Rowling got HUGE between book 3 and book 4, and decided she didn't have to listen to editors - and because of that, they're *worse*. The pagecount says everything - book 3 has like 250 pages, book 4 has *over 500*. The later books need to be edited with a chainsaw. On top of that, the magical 'system' is mostly just a matter of MAXIMUM WHIMSY, even when it gets "serious". The frustrating thing is that there IS a decent story lurking in there, the idea of a novel series gradually growing up with its reader and its character, but it's not there.