Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the long-awaited, heavily hyped fourth instalment of a phenomenally successful series that has captured the imagination of millions of readers, young and old, across the globe. For J K Rowling the pressure is certainly on to continue to come up with thrilling, pacey storylines that allow her hero to mature into a young man without detracting from the magical secret that has made Harry into a superstar. In this book, the teenage Harry has a certain gawky charm that fits well with his advancing adolescence. As the story moves on, Harry too moves on to a new level of maturity that leaves the reader wondering how he will learn from his experiences, and liking him all the more as a character.

Once returned to Hogwarts after his summer holiday with the dreadful Dursleys and an extraordinary outing to the Quidditch World Cup, the 14-year-old Harry and his fellow pupils are enraptured by the promise of the Triwizard Tournament: an ancient, ritualistic tournament that brings Hogwarts together with two other schools of wizardry--Durmstrang and Beauxbatons--in heated competition. But when Harry's name is pulled from the Goblet of Fire, and he is chosen to champion Hogwarts in the tournament, the trouble really begins. Still reeling from the effects of a terrifying nightmare that has left him shaken, and with the lightning-shaped scar on his head throbbing with pain (a sure sign that the evil Voldemort, Harry's sworn enemy, is close), Harry becomes at once the most popular boy in school. Yet, despite his fame, he is totally unprepared for the furore that follows.

This is a hefty volume: 636 pages, of which probably at least 200 could have been cut without detracting from the story. The weight and complexity of the book is perhaps a hint that Rowling now has her eye sharply focused on her adult audience, and the average child-reader (particularly one who is coming to Harry Potter for the first time) may well find its girth daunting. Rowling's ironic and pointed observations on tabloid journalism and the nature of media hype is just one of the references littered through the book that will tickle the grown-ups but may well fly over the heads of her young fans.

However, after a slow start, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire really starts to sparkle halfway through with Rowling's familiar magic (and yes, there is a death--sudden and tragic--and yes, Harry does start to notice girls). The crux of this story, however, is Harry's gradual coming-of-age and his handling of the increasingly determined threats to his own life.

This book is pivotal, not just for the author for whom the heat is well and truly on, but for Harry and his readers who, by the last chapter, are left in little doubt that there is much more to come. (Ages 10 to adult) --Susan Harrison

2004-01-04 nice and long

636 is a long book, but considering that the previous books where so good many fans where delighted at the length. Overall, this is great because it gives J.K a chance to really broaden some characters and she gets to deal with the world cup and triwizard tournment.

But, about 100 pages of this book could have been cut and not detracted from the story, also making the book this long makes it a little thin at times.

This is my only minor critisim of the novel as this book produces some of the best moments in the series. As the Amazon review states, a large part of the book is dedicated to the world cup final, most people are split on the quidditich but i'm not that fussed on it although the piece was well written and the intrenational teams and fans where vividly described (if a little long).

This book represents a turning point in the books. Only for a brief time in chamber of secrets, have people been against Harry but in this book Harry is public enemy number one, isolated and considered arrogant, even Ron is having his doubts. In the previous books J.K concentrates on the plot, here, she opens up the trio and gives them layers of emotion which is fantastic.

Harry and Ron also start to talk about the subject of girls and they understanding of them and ability to talk to them leads to some hilarious dialouge between them.

For action, it surpasses the othher books as Harry has to overcome some huge obstacles in the Triwizard tournement and as usual Harry has to save to save the day at the end but things are a little different this time....

Some great new characters are introduced here, the best is the new Defence against the.. teacher, mad eye moody, the paranoid yet fantastic auror tries to show the students how to protect themselves terrifying most of them in the process.