![]() Cover art of the first UK edition | |
Author | J. K. Rowling |
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Illustrator | Cliff Wright (first edition) |
Language | English |
Series | Harry Potter |
Release number | 3rd in series |
Genre | Fantasy |
Publisher | Bloomsbury (UK) |
Publication date | 8 July 1999 |
Publication place | United Kingdom |
Pages | 317 (first edition) |
ISBN | 0-7475-4215-5 |
Preceded by | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
Followed by | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and is the third in the Harry Potter series. The book follows Harry Potter, a young wizard, in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along with friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry investigates Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner from Azkaban, the wizard prison, believed to be one of Lord Voldemort's old allies.
The book was published in the United Kingdom on 8 July 1999 by Bloomsbury and in the United States on 8 September 1999 by Scholastic, Inc. [1] [2] [3] [4] Rowling found the book easy to write, finishing it just a year after she began writing it. The book sold 68,000 copies in just three days after its release in the United Kingdom and since has sold over three million in the country. [5] The book won the 1999 Whitbread Children's Book Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and was short-listed for other awards, including the Hugo.
The film adaptation of the novel was released in 2004, grossing more than $796 million and earning critical acclaim. Video games loosely based on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were also released for several platforms, and most obtained favourable reviews.
While Harry is living with the Dursleys, Aunt Marge comes to visit. When he and his late parents are insulted by Marge, an angry Harry accidentally inflates her. Harry packs up his stuff and leaves the house, choosing to spend the last weeks of summer at the Leaky Cauldron inn in London. While there, Harry is warned that a former follower of Voldemort named Sirius Black is seeking him out after having escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban.
At Hogwarts, the guards of Azkaban, known as the Dementors, patrol the school looking for Black. Harry is unusually affected by their presence and asks help from Remus Lupin, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, in learning to repel them. Lupin teaches Harry the incredibly difficult Patronus charm, but Harry isn't able to produce a full-bodied Patronus to fight off the Dementors. Meanwhile, Black is reported to have been sighted in the village of Hogsmeade, close to Hogwarts.
Harry is given a secret map by Fred and George Weasley, which reveals everyone inside the castle and its grounds. Harry uses it to sneak into Hogsmeade without permission. Hiding inside a pub, he overhears a conversation in which he learns that Black is actually his godfather, and that he killed his own best friend, Peter Pettigrew, while also betraying Harry's father, James, to Voldemort.
Harry, Ron and Hermione visit Hagrid at his hut and are surprised to find Ron's missing pet rat, Scabbers, hiding there. As they walk back to the castle with Scabbers, Ron is attacked by a large dog. The dog drags Ron into a secret tunnel and disappears, coming out on the other side in the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. The dog is revealed to be Black in his Animagus form.
Harry and Hermione reach the Shack, followed by Lupin, who spots them on Harry's map. Lupin disarms Harry, then explains why he believes Black to be innocent. Black claims that the crimes attributed to him were actually committed by Pettigrew, who escaped suspicion by faking his own death. Pettigrew is also an Animagus, and has been hiding as Scabbers this whole time. Harry suggests handing Pettigrew over to the Dementors.
While walking back to the castle, the full moon suddenly emerges and Lupin, secretly a werewolf, starts transforming. Black turns into the dog to protect the others, and Pettigrew escapes amid the chaos. Harry, Hermione and Black are accosted by Dementors, and Black ends up being captured.
While Black is held captive inside a tower in Hogwarts, Dumbledore confirms with Harry and Hermione that he is indeed innocent. He instructs them to save Black by going back in time and setting him free before he can be handed over to the Dementors. Using a Time Turner, which Hermione has had since the beginning of the year to get to all her classes, they travel back a few hours. Present-day Harry saves his past self and the past versions of Hermione and Black from Dementors using a Patronus. He then allows Black to be captured by Snape before using Hagrid's hippogriff, Buckbeak, to release him from the tower and escape.
The next day, Lupin is forced to resign, as his secret identity as a werewolf is now known to the school. Harry is upset at not spending more time with Black, but Dumbledore asks him to take comfort in having saved his life. On the train journey back to London, Harry receives a letter from Black, who also sends a replacement pet owl for Ron.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in the Harry Potter series. The first, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , was published by Bloomsbury on 26 June 1997 and the second, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , was published on 2 July 1998. [6] Rowling started to write the Prisoner of Azkaban the day after she finished The Chamber of Secrets. [7] Rowling said in 2004 that Prisoner of Azkaban was "the best writing experience I ever had...I was in a very comfortable place writing (number) three. Immediate financial worries were over, and press attention wasn't yet by any means excessive". [8]
Upon release, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban received mostly positive reviews. The Daily Telegraph reported on reviews from several publications with a rating scale for the novel out of "Love It", "Pretty Good", "Ok", and "Rubbish": Daily Telegraph , Guardian , Times , Independent , Sunday Telegraph , and Sunday Times reviews under "Love It" and Observer review under "Pretty Good". [9] [10] [11] The Guardian reported an average rating of 9 out of 10 for the book based on reviews from multiple British newspapers. [12] [13]
Gregory Maguire wrote a review in The New York Times for Prisoner of Azkaban: in it he said, "So far, in terms of plot, the books do nothing new, but they do it brilliantly...so far, so good." [14] In a newspaper review in The New York Times, it was said that "'The Prisoner of Azkaban' may be the best 'Harry Potter' book yet". [15] A reviewer for KidsReads said, "This crisply-paced fantasy will leave you hungry for the four additional Harry books that J.K. Rowling is working on. Harry's third year is a charm. Don't miss it." [16] Kirkus Reviews did not give a starred review but said, "a properly pulse-pounding climax...The main characters and the continuing story both come along so smartly...that the book seems shorter than its page count: have readers clear their calendars if they are fans, or get out of the way if they are not." [17] Martha V. Parravano also gave a positive review for The Horn Book Magazine , calling it "quite a good book." [18] In addition, a Publishers Weekly review said, "Rowling's wit never flags, whether constructing the workings of the wizard world...or tossing off quick jokes...The Potter spell is holding strong". [19]
However, Anthony Holden, who was one of the judges against Prisoner of Azkaban for the Whitbread Award, was negative about the book, saying that the characters are "all black-and-white", and the "story-lines are predictable, the suspense minimal, the sentimentality cloying every page". [20]
In 2012 it was ranked number 12 on a list of the top 100 children's novels published by School Library Journal . [21]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban won several awards, including the 1999 Booklist Editors' Choice Award, [22] the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers, [23] the 1999 FCBG Children's Book Award, [24] the 1999 Whitbread Book of the Year for children's books, [25] and the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. [26] It was also nominated for the 2000 Hugo Award for Best Novel, the first in the series nominated, but lost to A Deepness in the Sky . [27] Prisoner of Azkaban additionally won the 2004 Indian Paintbrush Book Award [28] and the 2004 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award. [29] Additionally, it was named an American Library Association Notable Children's Book in 2000 [30] as well as one of their Best Books for Young Adults. [31] As with the previous two books in the series, Prisoner of Azkaban won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Medal for children aged 9–11 and made the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. [32] In both cases, it was the last in the series to do so. [33] However, in the latter case, a Children's Best Sellers list was created just before the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in July 2000 in order to free up more room on the original list. [34] In 2003, the novel was listed at number 24 on the BBC's survey The Big Read. [35]
Prisoner of Azkaban sold more than 68,000 copies in the UK within three days of publication, which made it the fastest selling British book of the time. [5] The sales total by 2012 is said by The Guardian to be 3,377,906. [3]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was issued, prior to publication, in two distinct UK proof editions, and one US "Advance Reader's Edition". [36] The first UK proof, in purple wrappers, differs from the second in a number of respects, and is thought to have been printed in a small edition of 50 copies. [36] The second UK proof is in green wrappers and was printed in a somewhat larger run.[ citation needed ] The US Advance Reader's Edition is the last of its kind in the Harry Potter series, as no Advance Reader's Editions are known for books 4 through 7. The rear wrapper of the Advance Reader's Edition reveals the circumstances of the US publication of the book:
Due to the unprecedented demand for this book, we have moved the publication date up a full year. (We understand, we couldn’t wait to read it either!). Accordingly, we have rushed to bring this Advance Reader’s Edition to you as quickly as possible.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released in hardcover in the UK on 8 July 1999 [37] and in the US on 8 September. [37] The UK edition was released at the unusually precise time of 3.45pm, so as to avoid children skipping school in order to purchase the book. [36] The first state of the hardback edition features an error on p. 7, with an unintended carriage return in a block quote. Two further issues were released, both fixing the error. Across all three states, 5,150 were printed by Clays Ltd. [36]
The British paperback edition was released on 1 April 2000, [38] while the US paperback was released 1 October 2001. [39]
Bloomsbury additionally released an adult edition with a different cover design to the original, in paperback on 10 July 2004 [40] and in hardcover in October 2004. [41] A hardcover special edition, featuring a green border and signature, was released on 8 July 1999. [37] In May 2004, Bloomsbury released a Celebratory Edition, with a blue and purple border. [42] On 1 November 2010, they released the 10th anniversary Signature edition illustrated by Clare Mellinsky and in July 2013 a new adult cover illustrated by Andrew Davidson, both these editions were designed by Webb & Webb Design Limited. [43]
Beginning on 27 August 2013, Scholastic will release new covers for the paperback editions of Harry Potter in the United States to celebrate 15 years of the series. [44] The covers were designed by the author and illustrator Kazu Kibuishi. [45]
An illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released on 3 October 2017, and was illustrated by Jim Kay, who illustrated the previous two instalments. This includes over 115 new illustrations and will be followed by Illustrated editions of the following 4 novels in the future. [46] Jim Kay announced on 6 October 2022 that he would not be illustrating the final two Harry Potter books and that his last work, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, would be released on 11 October 2022. [46]
The film version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released in 2004 and was directed by Alfonso Cuarón from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. [47] The film débuted at number one at the box office and held that position for two weeks. [48] It made a total of $796.7 million worldwide, [49] which made it the second highest-grossing film of 2004 behind Shrek 2 . However, among all eight entries in the Harry Potter franchise, Prisoner of Azkaban grossed the lowest; yet among critics and fans, the film is often cited as the best in the franchise – in large part due to Cuarón's stylistic influence. [50] [51] The film ranks at number 471 in Empire magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. [52]
Three unique video games by different developers were released in 2004 by Electronic Arts, loosely based on the book:
Developer | Release date | Platform | Genre | GameRankings | Metacritic |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
KnowWonder | 25 May 2004 | Microsoft Windows | Adventure/puzzle | 68.52% [53] | 67/100 [54] |
Griptonite | Game Boy Advance | Role-playing game | 69.58% [55] | 69/100 [56] | |
EA UK | 29 May 2004 | GameCube | Action-adventure | 69.74% [57] | 67/100 [58] |
PlayStation 2 | 72.59% [59] | 70/100 [60] | |||
Xbox | 68.39% [61] | 67/100 [62] |
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. In the first five novels, he is the professor of Potions at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the sixth book, he teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts, and in the seventh book he ascends to the position of headmaster before his death. Snape is hostile towards Harry Potter throughout the series; Harry eventually learns that Snape was bullied by Harry's father, James Potter.
Hermione Jean Granger is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. She first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997), as a first-year student on her way to Hogwarts. She becomes friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley after they save her from a troll in the girls' restroom. Hermione often uses her quick wit, deft recall, and encyclopaedic knowledge to help her friends in perilous situations. Rowling has stated that Hermione resembles herself as a young girl, with her insecurity and fear of failure.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling's debut novel follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school. With the help of his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, he faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the Harry Potter series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of the antagonist Lord Voldemort, O.W.L. exams, and an obstructive Ministry of Magic. The novel was published on 2 April 2003 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic in the United States, and Raincoast in Canada. It sold five million copies in the first 24 hours of publication.
The Death Eaters are characters featured in the Harry Potter series of novels and films. They are a radical group of wizards and witches, led by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who seek to purify the wizarding community by eliminating wizards and witches born to non-magical parents. They attempt to create a new order within the Ministry of Magic by spreading fear through the wizarding community and murdering those who speak out against them. Their primary opposition is the Order of the Phoenix.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the second novel in the Harry Potter series. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls of the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber of Secrets" has been opened and that the "heir of Slytherin" would kill all pupils who do not come from all-magical families. These threats are found after attacks that leave residents of the school petrified. Throughout the year, Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione investigate the attacks.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2001 guide book written by British author J. K. Rowling about the magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe. The original version, illustrated by the author herself, purports to be Harry Potter's copy of the textbook of the same name mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first novel of the Harry Potter series. It includes several notes inside it supposedly handwritten by Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, detailing their own experiences with some of the beasts described, and including inside jokes relating to the original series.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series. It follows Harry Potter, a wizard in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the mystery surrounding the entry of Harry's name into the Triwizard Tournament, in which he is forced to compete.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 fantasy film directed by Alfonso Cuarón from a screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the 1999 novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) and the third instalment in the Harry Potter film series. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger respectively. It chronicles Harry's third year at Hogwarts and his quest to uncover the truth about his past, including the connection recently-escaped Azkaban prisoner Sirius Black has to Harry and his deceased parents.
J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter universe contains numerous settings for the events in her fantasy novels. These locations are categorised as a dwelling, school, shopping district, or government-affiliated locale.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the seventh and final novel in the Harry Potter series. It was released on 21 July 2007 in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publishing, in the United States by Scholastic, and in Canada by Raincoast Books. The novel chronicles the events directly following Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005) and the final confrontation between the wizards Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.
Magical creatures are an aspect of the fictional Wizarding World contained in the Harry Potter series and connected media originally created by British author J. K. Rowling. Throughout the seven main books of the series, Harry and his friends encounter many of these creatures on their adventures in Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, or other locations throughout the Wizarding World. In addition, students learn to take care of creatures such as hippogriffs and unicorns in the Care of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts. Rowling has also written Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a guide to the magical beasts found in the series, and based on the fictional textbook of the same name written by Newt Scamander and used by students at Hogwarts.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 action-adventure game. The game is based on the 2004 film of the same name from the Harry Potter franchise. The game was developed by KnowWonder, Griptonite Games, and EA UK each for different consoles and was published by Electronic Arts under the EA Games label. The game was released as a trio, with separate versions for Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, and home consoles. The game received mixed reviews by critics.
The fictional universe of British author J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of fantasy novels comprises two distinct societies: the wizarding world and the Muggle world. In the novels, the Muggle world is the world inhabited by the non-magical majority, with which the wizarding world exists coextensively, albeit mostly remaining hidden from the non-magical humans. The plot of the series is set in 1990s Britain, but in a veiled and separate shadow society wherein magic is commonly used and practised, and those who can use it live in self-enforced seclusion, hiding their abilities from the rest of the world. The term "wizarding world" refers to the global wizard community that lives hidden in parallel with the Muggle world; the different terms refer to different communities within the same area rather than separate planets or worlds. Any new works taking place in this universe are released under the "J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World" brand.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the sixth and penultimate novel in the Harry Potter series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores the past of the boy wizard's nemesis, Lord Voldemort, and Harry's preparations for the final battle against Voldemort alongside his headmaster and mentor Albus Dumbledore.
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's conflict with Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic, and subjugate all wizards and Muggles.
Harry Potter is a film series based on the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. The series was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). A spin-off prequel series started with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), marking the beginning of the Wizarding World shared media franchise.
Ronald Bilius Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. He was introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as a first-year student on his way to the wizarding school Hogwarts. During the school year, Ron befriends Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Being the only member of the trio who was raised in wizarding society, he provides insight into wizarding customs and traditions. Along with Harry and Hermione, he is a member of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts and is present for most of the action throughout the series. Ron is portrayed by Rupert Grint in all eight Harry Potter films. He was one of the first Harry Potter characters that Rowling created.
Sirius Black is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Sirius was first mentioned briefly in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as a wizard who lent Rubeus Hagrid a flying motorbike shortly after Lord Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter. His character becomes prominent in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, in which he is the titular prisoner, and is also revealed to be the godfather of the central character Harry Potter. He is portrayed in the film adaptations by Gary Oldman.
Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. She evolved from an unnamed peripheral character in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire into a major antagonist in subsequent novels. In the final installment of the story, Rowling established her as Lord Voldemort's "last, best lieutenant". Bellatrix was the first female Death Eater introduced in the books. Bellatrix had a fanatic obsession with the Dark Lord although she was clearly fearful of his magical abilities and absolute power over his forces. She is almost as sadistic and homicidal as Lord Voldemort, with a psychotic personality.