The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter
Allan Zola Kronzek & Elizabeth Kronzek
Broadway
Nonfiction, Media Reference/Folklore
****
DESCRIPTION: In the four years since discovering his magical heritage, Harry has encountered a number of strange events and beings, from mountain trolls to magic
mirrors, pesky poltergeists to mystical unicorns. He has repotted mandrakes in Herbology, gazed fruitlessly into crystal spheres for Divination classes, and listened to
Hermione gush over the wonders of Arithmancy. What he may not know is that almost every single thing he comes across is based on ancient mythos and magical traditions predating
human civilization, with roots around the globe.
This book reveals the real-world history behind many of the things in the Harry Potter stories, and how Rowling has adapted various mythologies and stories for her works. (This
volume is not officially endorsed by either J. K. Rowling or Scholastic.)
REVIEW: The world's magical lore is far, far too vast to ever be contained in anything short of a library. This book is understandably a very ambitious undertaking, and for the most part it lives up to its promise of explaining the stories behind the stories. It does a fairly good job of distilling the relevant information about beings, things and practices mentioned in the Harry Potter series (at least, the first four books' worth.) More could easily have been included. In truth, each book of Potter's adventures could warrant such a companion volume. The authors slip up a few times by glossing over information or misquoting Harry's adventures. Considering that Harry is marketed as a children's book, it might be in for trouble, as it is pitched as a companion piece but never states at the outset that there are more adult themes mentioned from time to time as the authors expose magic's roots. (It is helpful to remember that, until recent times, belief in magic and monsters was not considered something for a childish imagination - these things were believed in as implicitly as modern people believe in science.) All in all, however, The Sorcerer's Companion is an entertaining read for older fans of the boy wizard.
You might also enjoy:
The Magical Worlds of the Lord of the Rings (David Colbert, Nonfiction - A look at the origins of many elements of Tolkien's classic books)
The Little Giant Encyclopedias (The Digram Group, Nonfiction - Quick-reference guides to fortune telling, magic, and more)
The Wizardology books (Dugald A. Steer, editor, YA Fiction - Wizardry explained)
The Harry Potter series (J. K. Rowling, YA Fiction - An orphaned boy discovers his powers and the invisible world of wizards)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages (J. K. Rowling, YA Fiction - Books from the library of Hogwarts, the wizarding school attended by Harry Potter)
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