Brandon Moon

Alright, so I guess I’ll just come out and say it. I’m not a big fan of Harry Potter. Something about the books just doesn’t resonate with me. It’s not necessarily a bad story, or poor writing. In fact, I’d argue that they’re very well written. I just don’t really like the story.

My coworker recently shared this cool article with me by Brandon Sanderson.

If you don’t know already, Sanderson is one of my favorite fantasy/scifi authors. I highly recommend his books. He also lives in Provo, and he’s LDS, which gives him extra points in my book.

In his post, Sanderson explains what he calls “Sanderson’s First Law of Magics”:

An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic.

In essence, if the magic system is well documented and understood, it can be used to solve a conflict or a problem in a story. If the magic is more nebulous and undefined, it should not be used to solve a conflict. Otherwise you run the risk of undermining the whole plotline you’ve developed.

This, I think, is the reason I’m not a big fan of Harry Potter. Though Sanderson defends the series, I just don’t like the use of magic in it. On the one hand, it seems like it’s supposed to be defined and limited and understood by the characters: You need a wand, you have to say (or think) the spell, you have to do it right or things could go wrong, etc. But on the other hand, she tries to keep it more undefined and unlimited, to give you that sense of “you’re in a magical world” and fill you with wonder. And honestly, she actually does a pretty good job of it. It can’t be easy to merge those two styles.

But for me, it doesn’t work. The suspense just isn’t there. I feel like half the time Hermione waves her wand and everything is perfect again, and half the time she’s all “you can do it Harry!” Plus, if you have a spell that kills someone instantly… It just doesn’t work for me. The situations seem too flawed and contrived for me to believe them. Which is a shame really, because in some ways, I want it to work. But unfortunately, the story just doesn’t grab my attention.

Harry Potter is a cool world that is interesting and fun to me. I just wish it had the story to fit it. As it is… it’s kinda boring.

Sorry Harry Potter fans!