For the writing workshop I took a couple months ago, I was assigned to read the first book in the Harry Potter series. I read it. I liked it. Nothing great, but it was pretty good. Good enough for me to decide that I'd go ahead and read the others in the series when I had a chance.

Eventually, I got the chance, and I read book two. It was quite good. So I read book three. It was *wonderful*. So now I'm reading book four.

Book four is kinda funny in that, after I was 240 pages into it, the main conflict was just finally set into motion.

Don't get me wrong: the first 240 pages had a lot going on, and the writing was very smooth, and each scene and situation pulled me seamlessly to the next. But I was beginning to wonder when we were going to get to the meat of the matter, when it finally got set up in the mid 200's.

No biggie. I enjoyed the reading experience. But once the meat of the matter was introduced, the story began to absolutely sing. The author's storytelling just gets better and better.

My favorite aspect, both as a reader and as a writer who wants to improve his craft is the way the author handles plot reversals. I have mentioned elsewhere on this website (here, in fact) Connie Willis's lecture on plot devices from when I was at Clarion West, but I'll recap my interpretation of what she said on the subject:

In a "reversal", the plot or action suddenly veers off in another direction from what was expected. The reversal can be good *or* bad. It doesn't always have to be bad. A really good reversal changes the goals/questions for the characters involved.

In Harry Potter Book Four, the reversals frequently change the goals for the characters, and they are very, very well done. I'm impressed, also, with the way the author raises the stakes each time.

But that said, the author also introduced an interesting plot problem (for me) in the form of a universal get out of jail free card.

I'm about to comment on a few specific plot points in the novel. If you don't want to read about them (ie, if you haven't read the novel and don't want to spoil it for when you finally get around to reading), then don't read the rest of today's entry.

SPOILERS and a rant:

Harry, at one point, is given the task of snatching a golden egg away from the protective custody of a fire-breathing dragon. In order to do this, he must begin the task armed only with his magic wand. But, a-ha! Harry has been taught how to use his magic wand to "summon" other objects. So, he summons his super duper broomstick from way back in his dorm room, the broomstick arrives, and he flies around the dragon, distracts it away, and snatches the golden egg. Voila, Harry has completed the task without getting killed.

I may have made it too obvious here by the way I explained it, but can you see the problem here?

If Harry can summon things with his wand, why would he summon his broomstick so that he can fly all around a dangerous dragon? Why not just summon the f-ing egg in the first place?

A ha!

But the problem persists. Harry is later given another task where he must go to the bottom of a lake to rescue his friend from the custody of mermaids and mermen. So he tries to figure out how to get down to rescue his friend. DUH! Why doesn't he just use his wand to summon his friend up, instead?!

The author may not have realized it at the time, but she gave Harry a tool that will enable him to get out of just about any jam he could get into. It's like giving the Starship Enterprise a freakin' transporter and replicators!

I am learning a lot just by seeing what the author does so well with regard to plot reversals. (In fact, the way Harry's friend ends up snatched by the merpeople is very nicely done and totally changes Harry's goals and his mindset in a way that definitely engaged me.)

But I have also learned another valuable lesson: think about the consequences of any powers/resources you give your main character, and make sure that they don't subvert your later plans just to get out of a jam now.