Going into the series, I certainly wasn't expecting to be so fond of it.

I tried to read The Lord of the Rings, but found it a really dull and slow read. I think I just about got to weathertop, which was almost 200 pages in... admitedly after that it's a quick trip to Rivendell (or it is in the films, maybe it's longer in the book) where I presume it starts to get interesting, so maybe I quit a little early... Also I think I was 13 or 14, so perhaps my age affected my interest in it somehow (though I don't think I am much more competant at reading now as then, perhaps faster, but I don't think I had any trouble with sentence structure of complicated words at 14)

The earlier parts, namely Part I, tend to feel less mythic and more real, but i find that to be one of their more endearing qualities. The Shire always felt more realistic than any of the kingdoms of Men in that series

I don't think it was a standstill. Dumbledore appeared in full control and got the better of Voldemort who had to leave and try to possess Harry. But at this time Voldemort was immortal and there is nothing Dumbledore could do about that.

Great series, glad I started reading them before the last one was out so I had the pleasure of waiting for it to come out. Have now read the series through twice, a series I believe will stand the test of time. I hope Rowling will write again, not sure if I would want a new series to be in the same world or not.

I got into the series way back when it first came out (my mom actually forced me to read it, then I tried to hide that I actually liked it). So I never really viewed it as just some crappy mainstream thing. I grew up with the books, and they were to me what the Lord of the Rings is to many others. The books kinda set a bar for every other book I read to overcome, and I never really knew just how special the books were until I branched out into more stories.

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The movies are not nearly as good as the books. But outside of Lord of the Rings (anyone else excited for The Hobbit??), I don't think there will be many movie adaptions that can ever match the quality of the books. That said, they made a lot of really dumb decisions in the movies. For one, I was sad when Richard Harris died, cause I thought he was the perfect Dumbledore. Then they chose Michael Gambon, who was an impulsive and blunt Dumbledore, and it completely destroyed the character for me.

The lack of consistency didn't help; it was jarring to see the change in Hogwarts from 1/2 to 3 (and so on), and whoever decided to go with a billion different directors is a moron. I know that a director might not be available for each movie, but I'd like a situation like with Peter Jackson and LotR. There's a guy who was really passionate about bringing these books to life, and wanted to stick through the whole project to the end. And he did. And the result is unmatched. By having a billion different directors, the movies felt too disconnected to me.

The soundtrack is another thing... I wish John Williams had done the whole thing. I love the first three. Four and five are good, but I hate the last three with a passion. They, more than anything else, hurt the last three movies for me. For example, in DH2 during the epic battle, you had this slow, monotonous, somber music. It's a battle! It should be exciting and thrilling, keeping you on the edge of your seat, not make you want to fall asleep. That kind of music is fine for, say, Snape's death, but for a battle? It just didn't work for me. The first three movies had some really memorable themes. Harry's Wonderous World? That sounded... magical to me. Voldemort's theme from 1, the Chamber and Fawkes from 2, and Window to the Past from 3... not to mention Hedwig's theme. Speaking of, remember that version of Hedwig's theme in the first DH2 trailer? It sounded broken and shattered, yet I didn't hear it at all in the movie. I can't tell you how disappointed I was not to hear it when "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" appeared on screen. It would have set the mood perfectly. I was also highly disappointed when it turns out that "Lords of the Realm" was composed by someone else entirely. John Samuel Hanson. It wasn't in the movie at all, yet I thought it was a fantastic theme. Better than the entire soundtrack for DH2.

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All that said, I find the series to be one of the best I've read. And if you've ever read Twilight as well, you'll understand why I (and so many others) get so frustrated when people even try to compare the two. There is no comparison. Twilight, despite a relatively interesting world/history, is terrible. Bella has one goal in life. To have hot sparkly demon sex for the rest of eternity. There is no relationship at all. Edward is a stalker. And Jacob is a dick. I hate him. (If you're wondering why I read them... blame my ex. She made me do it.)

^I definitely agree about the music, the first two films are still abominations to me, but the music and setting they created was brilliant.