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craiggors's review against another edition
3.0
Fun, interesting way to approach the series--Harry Potter as an instruction in spy craft. The chapter-by-chapter look at Order of the Phoenix and the section on Snape are highlights. Not the most academic thing in the world (what's with all the damn exclamation points?) but I'm a huge Potterhead so I'm a sucker for books like these that examine the series from a new lens.
lhawk1's review against another edition
5.0
CHeck out my full review here: http://escapingrealitybookreviews.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/review-harry-potter-and-the-art-of-spying-by-lynn-boughey-and-peter-earnest/
This review is of an ARC. Purchase the book September 15th!
The first half of this book is a play-by-play analysis of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. At first I was nervous. Was there REALLY enough information in OotP to create a full-on chapter-by-chapter, line-by-line, espionage analysis? Believe me, there is. Lynn and Peter will bring up points and theories I had never even considered.
The second half of this book is a series’ analysis from an espionage perspective. It focuses on the specifics of character motivation, different types of spies throughout the series, Wizard security, Magical (and muggle) means of tracking and spying, personal espionage experiences from the authors, and so much more. This was probably in some ways my favorite part of the book. Not only did you get HARRY POTTER, but you also will be absolutely astonished by how much you learn about how Muggle world spying works. It’s fascinating!
For the rest of my thoughts on this book, make sure to follow / friend me, and check out my blog via the link above! Thanks! :)
This review is of an ARC. Purchase the book September 15th!
The first half of this book is a play-by-play analysis of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. At first I was nervous. Was there REALLY enough information in OotP to create a full-on chapter-by-chapter, line-by-line, espionage analysis? Believe me, there is. Lynn and Peter will bring up points and theories I had never even considered.
The second half of this book is a series’ analysis from an espionage perspective. It focuses on the specifics of character motivation, different types of spies throughout the series, Wizard security, Magical (and muggle) means of tracking and spying, personal espionage experiences from the authors, and so much more. This was probably in some ways my favorite part of the book. Not only did you get HARRY POTTER, but you also will be absolutely astonished by how much you learn about how Muggle world spying works. It’s fascinating!
For the rest of my thoughts on this book, make sure to follow / friend me, and check out my blog via the link above! Thanks! :)
silverneurotic's review against another edition
2.0
I generously received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love the Harry Potter series; I began reading the series when I was 19 years old and since then have read each book a minimum of two times...most of the time, more than that. I get excited whenever I'm reading a book or watching a show or movie and there is a reference to HP.
So obviously I was extremely excited to get my hands on this book. I immediately began reading it and within a few pages, my excitement turned to annoyance and then to boredom.
The annoyance was caused mostly by the excessive use of the exclamation point. This is a serious pet peeve of mine. There is no reason to use it more than one time per page...and even then it's still too much. Nearly every other sentence ended with an exclamation point. It was exhausting to read. I felt like I was being shouted at.
Then the boredom set it when I realized that the first half (plus) was dedicated to a single novel in the series. The authors proceeded to tear apart the novel page by page and analyze it in spy speak. By the time they got around to even mentioning any of the other books in the series, I was finished. I had no desire to read more of the book. I had gotten way too bogged down by the page by page commentary of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
I tried taking a break and coming back to finish this up but after the second attempt at this, I realized that it was not worth it. Somehow the authors managed to take one of my favorite series of books and completely ruin the magic of them for me.
I love the Harry Potter series; I began reading the series when I was 19 years old and since then have read each book a minimum of two times...most of the time, more than that. I get excited whenever I'm reading a book or watching a show or movie and there is a reference to HP.
So obviously I was extremely excited to get my hands on this book. I immediately began reading it and within a few pages, my excitement turned to annoyance and then to boredom.
The annoyance was caused mostly by the excessive use of the exclamation point. This is a serious pet peeve of mine. There is no reason to use it more than one time per page...and even then it's still too much. Nearly every other sentence ended with an exclamation point. It was exhausting to read. I felt like I was being shouted at.
Then the boredom set it when I realized that the first half (plus) was dedicated to a single novel in the series. The authors proceeded to tear apart the novel page by page and analyze it in spy speak. By the time they got around to even mentioning any of the other books in the series, I was finished. I had no desire to read more of the book. I had gotten way too bogged down by the page by page commentary of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
I tried taking a break and coming back to finish this up but after the second attempt at this, I realized that it was not worth it. Somehow the authors managed to take one of my favorite series of books and completely ruin the magic of them for me.
mathstalio's review against another edition
3.0
I got the special Advance LeakyCon edition of this book at...well obviously at LeakyCon. So a disclaimer that it was an advance edition, so I don't know how much has changed. There were a few typos/silly errors that took me out of the reading experience but I'll assume that goes to the advance edition.
I was very excited to read this book because I had heard the authors guest cohost on one of my favorite podcasts, Alohomora!, and also attended their LeakyCon panel. They are both really dynamic speakers, and it was immediately obvious that they had a ridiculous amount of insider knowledge about spycraft.
I was a little bit let down in the fact that the writing style of the book is not anywhere near as dynamic as hearing them speak in person was. It seemed very childish, with (as other reviewers have mentioned) an excess of exclamation points and silly jokes.
The first half of the book is dedicated to a chapter by chapter analysis of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, since this is the book that is jam-packed with spycraft. Unfortunately, most of this is actually summary of the book, and much less actual spycraft analysis than I was expecting. I feel like the target audience of this book is people who are big Potter fans, and they likely don't need all of this summary. The book would have been better pared down to just the analysis, or with the analysis better blended with the summary (they kind of stand as two separate things as is).
The second half of the book brings together all the other Harry Potter books under broader categories of spycraft. I enjoyed the second half much more, probably because there is a lot less summary and more cohesive spycraft analysis.
Overall though, the book has a ton of interesting information in it, and brings relations between actual CIA missions and the HP series that we all love. I only wish the writing style had been better, more mature, and had less summary of the HP plot points. This book could have been a home run, but was merely an interesting read.
I was very excited to read this book because I had heard the authors guest cohost on one of my favorite podcasts, Alohomora!, and also attended their LeakyCon panel. They are both really dynamic speakers, and it was immediately obvious that they had a ridiculous amount of insider knowledge about spycraft.
I was a little bit let down in the fact that the writing style of the book is not anywhere near as dynamic as hearing them speak in person was. It seemed very childish, with (as other reviewers have mentioned) an excess of exclamation points and silly jokes.
The first half of the book is dedicated to a chapter by chapter analysis of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, since this is the book that is jam-packed with spycraft. Unfortunately, most of this is actually summary of the book, and much less actual spycraft analysis than I was expecting. I feel like the target audience of this book is people who are big Potter fans, and they likely don't need all of this summary. The book would have been better pared down to just the analysis, or with the analysis better blended with the summary (they kind of stand as two separate things as is).
The second half of the book brings together all the other Harry Potter books under broader categories of spycraft. I enjoyed the second half much more, probably because there is a lot less summary and more cohesive spycraft analysis.
Overall though, the book has a ton of interesting information in it, and brings relations between actual CIA missions and the HP series that we all love. I only wish the writing style had been better, more mature, and had less summary of the HP plot points. This book could have been a home run, but was merely an interesting read.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: Okay, this is a wordy disclaimer. Technically, I read an ARC. It says ARC on the cover. I did buy however, even though the book isn’t released yet. See, I was at the International Spy Museum, and this book was on sale early because one of the authors, Peter Earnest, is the Executive Director of the Museum. The Museum is only place selling the book until mid-September.
Let’s get the bad out of the way first. This book has way too many exclamation points. Way too many. It needs to lose a few. There also is a bit too much of a running gag (though the politics part of the gag was funny). There also is a bit too much blow by blow.
Okay, that’s done.
Harry Potter and the Art of Spying is pretty much what the title says. It is about Harry and the gang and how they use spy craft in the series, though the book focuses largely on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The first half of the book is the blow by blow section where Phoenix is described chapter by chapter. The analysis is good, but at times the summery, though infused with humor at times, is a bit much.
Like the Harry Potter series, however, there is something charming about this book. Perhaps it is because the reader gets the impression that it should be Hermione Granger and the Art of Spying because she is singled out more than Harry as the good spy. Ron, not so much. Perhaps it is because the book can easily be read by almost anyone. If a child has tackled the longer Potter books, she should be able to tackle this 600 page critical view.
The best thing about the book, however, is how much knowledge about real world spy craft and history is packed into the book. Earnest and Boughey not only dissect Harry and the Order’s use of spy techniques in terms of gadgets but also in terms of gathering interesting questions and the process that goes in verifying information. Furthermore, throughout the book the authors make connections to real world events, in some cases from their personal experiences and in some cases from current events. The reader might read the book simply because of a Harry Potter interest, but the authors make sure that the reader will leave with more knowledge that a list of spells. Additionally, there is an appendix that offers an overview of intelligence and other real world issues, such as diplomacy. There is also a glossary.
The book is actually an excellent and well thought way to get people, but especially children, interested in wider forms of history and current events. For an adult reader of Potter, the book is interesting for some of the observations, but also for the connections to modern issues. (Sadly, it might also make you wonder about Ron)
Dumbledore, in other words, would approve of this book. So would McGonagall.
Umbridge wouldn’t approve, however.
Which is all you need to know really.
Let’s get the bad out of the way first. This book has way too many exclamation points. Way too many. It needs to lose a few. There also is a bit too much of a running gag (though the politics part of the gag was funny). There also is a bit too much blow by blow.
Okay, that’s done.
Harry Potter and the Art of Spying is pretty much what the title says. It is about Harry and the gang and how they use spy craft in the series, though the book focuses largely on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The first half of the book is the blow by blow section where Phoenix is described chapter by chapter. The analysis is good, but at times the summery, though infused with humor at times, is a bit much.
Like the Harry Potter series, however, there is something charming about this book. Perhaps it is because the reader gets the impression that it should be Hermione Granger and the Art of Spying because she is singled out more than Harry as the good spy. Ron, not so much. Perhaps it is because the book can easily be read by almost anyone. If a child has tackled the longer Potter books, she should be able to tackle this 600 page critical view.
The best thing about the book, however, is how much knowledge about real world spy craft and history is packed into the book. Earnest and Boughey not only dissect Harry and the Order’s use of spy techniques in terms of gadgets but also in terms of gathering interesting questions and the process that goes in verifying information. Furthermore, throughout the book the authors make connections to real world events, in some cases from their personal experiences and in some cases from current events. The reader might read the book simply because of a Harry Potter interest, but the authors make sure that the reader will leave with more knowledge that a list of spells. Additionally, there is an appendix that offers an overview of intelligence and other real world issues, such as diplomacy. There is also a glossary.
The book is actually an excellent and well thought way to get people, but especially children, interested in wider forms of history and current events. For an adult reader of Potter, the book is interesting for some of the observations, but also for the connections to modern issues. (Sadly, it might also make you wonder about Ron)
Dumbledore, in other words, would approve of this book. So would McGonagall.
Umbridge wouldn’t approve, however.
Which is all you need to know really.
booknerd85's review against another edition
4.0
It's a very interesting book, even though it did not contain that much new information for me. It might be knew information for Harry Potter fans who don't know anything about intelligence services and their methods, but I've already read several books about that subject, and this book stays very much at the surface of the available information. Also, the writing style is sometimes very annoying. And now a word about annoying: annoying! Once is funny, once every chapter is annoying. Still, the book dealt with two of my favorite subjects, Harry Potter and spycraft, so this book gets 4 stars.
fpwoper's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the analysis of the Harry Potter books, which should be the majority of the book. But it's not. Which is why it's only getting two stars. I felt like I was being treated as a five-year-old while reading this - and the authors definitely think that they are very funny and that they know what the average Harry Potter-reader will find funny. Didn't work.
There's also an abundance of EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!. Page 18 features an entire paragraph of sentences ending on exclamations marks. Furthermore, the treatment of Shakespeare was strange, there were many bold and italicized and capitalized words that threw me out of actually enjoying the books, and there were so so so so many additional bits of information that (to be honest) felt like the authors flaunting their amazing spy skills. I don't doubt they've got those skills, I just would have preferred them not being there. Also, there was slightly too much repetition for it to remain interesting, especially in the final few chapters (yes I know what Snape has done, you said that on the previous page).
So yeah. Okay book, still disappointed in the end, even though I didn't have high hopes after page 18.
There's also an abundance of EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!. Page 18 features an entire paragraph of sentences ending on exclamations marks. Furthermore, the treatment of Shakespeare was strange, there were many bold and italicized and capitalized words that threw me out of actually enjoying the books, and there were so so so so many additional bits of information that (to be honest) felt like the authors flaunting their amazing spy skills. I don't doubt they've got those skills, I just would have preferred them not being there. Also, there was slightly too much repetition for it to remain interesting, especially in the final few chapters (yes I know what Snape has done, you said that on the previous page).
So yeah. Okay book, still disappointed in the end, even though I didn't have high hopes after page 18.
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