Product Description

You've never delved into Harry Potter like this!
In summer 2007, the collective tension was palpable as legions of breathless fans reached the bittersweet end of the Harry Potter series: culminating their years of patience with odd combinations of understanding and bewilderment, relief and grief, satisfaction with ravenous pining, and often wondering, ''Is that really all there is?''

Well.... That just depends on how you look at it.

While J.K. Rowling confirmed the series end, she also expressed her intent that her Harry Potter books not be fully understood at first reading: not at all. So, considering Rowling's cleverness, it would be sad - and also wrong - to think that now knowing the crescendo of events in Deathly Hallows also means we've fully deciphered all 4000 pages of Harry's remarkable series. Far from it! Beyond Rowling's humor, adventure, snogging, red herrings, and even the deaths, many of Harry's hidden accomplishments, secrets, intricacies, and veiled themes are still virtually unnoticed by multitudes-- which is quite a testament to Rowling's humble genius.

Bit by bit, and flying right in the face of book-burning, anti-Harry criticisms, J.K. Rowling scattered a myriad of clues about the true nature of Harry's deepest secrets, finally underpinning it all by coyly admitting that there's ''clearly a religious undertone'' in her Harry Potter books which was ''always obvious'' to her. But what does this mean for the Harry Potter series? What have we been missing for so long? As is usual among her debating fans, what's ''obvious'' to J.K. Rowling isn't necessarily obvious to the rest of us. Clearly, Rowling's scattered plethora of long-forgotten hints needs years of research and study to unlock them.

Not to worry. A Harry Potter fan herself since 1999, author Nancy Solon Villaluz spent five years doing exactly that: fervently researching and writing her compelling new commentary on Rowling's Harry Potter series, Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons? Inside you will plunge into a challenging, in-depth analysis of all seven (7) of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, her companion books, and her named influences.

Dull? Never! Bring your imagination along as the unique narrative of Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons? leaves the typical model of dry study and insightfully takes readers of all ages on a thought-provoking metaphorical journey of literary exploration. Travel paths, dodge dragons, and have tea in this witty nonfiction commentary as you tackle deep mysteries of the Hogwarts ''Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon'' school motto (Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus), examine oodles of dragon-tickling evidence, and go beyond the warm shallows of J.K. Rowling's world into the hidden depths of Harry's richness. Many will be stunned by the scholarly discoveries within, others just might be offended; but how many could possibly suspect the veritable banquet quietly lingering right in Harry's own pages... waiting for anyone brave enough to approach the Sleeping Dragons' lair.

Do you dare come along?

EXCERPT FROM THE HARD COVER DUST JACKET:
''...Always true to Ms. Rowling's texts and interviews, this adventurous expert-level commentary takes readers on a compelling, witty, and intensely challenging exploration of Harry Potter as no book has done before. Rather than rushed conjectures and opinions, you will instead feast on the fruit of 5 years of passionate research and accurately honed insights wrought by a patient author who waited for J.K. Rowling to finish telling her tale. Inside, you will discover surprising evidence that a school motto, clandestine faith, and a bunch of 'books for kids' have accomplished the unimaginable. You might even find the need to go back afresh and delight in reading Rowling's Harry Potter epic again...for the first time.''

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #266204 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 338 pages

Review
''An amazing new book about Harry Potter....This book does more, goes deeper, tells more, explains more, finds out more: in short, this book takes off where [John] Granger ends....This lady has done a TON of research, more than anyone I've ever read on this subject. I was enormously impressed. Elephantinely impressed.... Bottom line: This is the best Harry Potter in-depth uncover-all-secrets-the-author-tried-to-hide book ever.'' -- AMERICAN CHESTERTON SOCIETY; Official Blog Book Review, 25 Nov. 2008

''I thought I couldn't learn any more about Harry Potter. NOT that I am an expert, but I'd thought that my several re-readings of the seven Harry Potter books, plus reading analyses of the books by Christian analysts John Granger and Janet Batchler (as well as other forgettable secular ones who were more concerned with fitting Harry Potter into the Hero's Journey or getting facts wrong in their rush to come out with a book to please screaming HP fans) had covered me. It took this book by Nancy Solon Villaluz to prove me wrong. Talk about the tip of the iceberg! Once I signed on to her quirky style...the book revealed itself, like Dumbledore, to be more than just a funny old schoolmaster. I am pleased to have discovered this treasure.'' -- REGINA DOMAN: Author of several books including The Shadow of The Bear and Angel in the Waters. 20 Mar 2009

About the Author
Nancy Solon Villaluz would rather not ''prattle on'' about herself here. She feels that any Lockhart-ish claims would only cause her readers a few headaches-- and perhaps even a bit of nausea. Instead, she prefers to lavishly inform her readers on the subject of Harry. (A much better goal, wouldn't you agree?) Mrs. Villaluz' book will reveal things to you in a much more compelling fashion than could be done here; yes, quite so. But one caution first--- please make sure you've got your wits about you when you venture in. Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons? will fearlessly explore Harry Potter's rich, complex books as you've never done before!

***Please note: this book is not authorized, endorsed, or approved by J.K. Rowling, her publishers, or Warner Bros. and is solely for the purpose of literary analysis, criticism, and commentary.***

Customer Reviews

A Great Deal of Research in a Creatively Fun Work
This book is a must have for every Harry Potter fan who has an intuitive feeling that there's more to these books than meets the eye.

Author Nancy Solon Villaluz has done a tremendous amount of research, reading every Rowling interview, listening to every podcast and radio interview, and by using Rowling own words and hints, has uncovered secrets and patterns that help the reader to understand what Rowling really wanted to do with these books.

But besides all of the research, Villaluz shows herself to be extremely well read, quoting everything from Dickens, to Monty Python, to John the Baptist, to Dante, to Thomas Aquinas, to Michael O'Brien. She's also very familiar with the other Inkling's books, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and can compare and contrast the three with ease.

I found this Sleeping Dragons book, written as a journey in a creatively non-fiction way, to be a confirmation of what I'd only half understood about the Harry Potter series before. I found myself smiling, laughing, and agreeing through virtually every point made.

I believe that if you have an interest in Harry Potter's deeper meaning, if you are concerned about your children reading Harry Potter because of what might or might not be in the series, if you've tried to prove to friends or relatives that Harry Potter is OK, but without really having evidence in hand to prove it: you do now. This is the book. This book has all the evidence.

Outstanding!
Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons? by Nancy Solon Villaluz is a thoroughly researched in-depth analysis of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels. In this book the works of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien are compared favorably with the novels of Rowling. The author hails Jo Rowling as a modern-day "Inkling" writer, and I wholeheartedly agree, having done a mountain of research on that particular subject myself. This book is the first I have read that examines the influence of Elizabeth Goudge's The Little White Horse on Rowling's Harry Potter Septology. It also contains a very detailed list of Rowling quotes pertaining to her religious beliefs, and what her intentions were in writing the Potter series. A surprisingly long listing of references to Christianity in the Potter novels is also of interest in this first volume of an intended three-part series by Villaluz. This book was written in a very creative style, almost like an adventure novel, although it is a scholarly work. The illustrations by the author's husband, Ramir P. M. Villaluz, are a delight, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the deeper meaning and hidden symbolism of the Harry Potter novels, especially if you are familiar with the excellent books and lectures on Harry Potter by John Granger.

Harry Potter: your probably missing more in than you think.
By the end of this book, Harry Potter fans will be hooked by the unprecedented, excellent education that this book provides on Ms. Rowling, herself. I sure was. Likewise, Harry Potter foes will surely be left with their jaws hanging down to the floor.

This book provides the most comprehensive look at Rowling's intentions and her hidden Harry Potter secrets that I've ever read, and I've read them all. The unique narrative style sets this Potter analysis apart from the pack: so does the incredible amount of research (Just chapter 4 alone makes this book worth the price of admission... wow!) and tantalizing facts that gives us a long-overdue look into Rowling's deeper story.

Notably, this is the only Potter analysis I've seen ever planned as a complete trilogy; it has a flawlessly beautiful layout; cool modern font usage, and each chapter begins with its own Potter-worthy original illustration. And it's in hardcover yet!

This book now sits next to my 7 Harry Potter books as a valuable reference that I peek into frequently. I'm excitedly waiting for the second installment.