Product Description

When Harry and his best friends go back for their third year at Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There's an escaped mass-murderer on the loose and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school. Lessons, however, must go on and there are lots of new subjects in third year - Care of Magical Creatures and Divination among others - to take Harry's mind off things!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #798 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

Absolutely amazing; the best Harry Potter book yet!
What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said by someone here? It was absolutely amazing! I've loved the Harry Potter books since I read the first one last spring, but this is my favorite of them so far. The beauty of it, the layers of betrayal and friendship that are slowly peeled away chapter by chapter, are all simply breathtaking.

I started Prisoner of Azkaban one night as I got into bed, planning to read only a few chapters and then sleep. 435 pages and many hours later, watching the sun start to come up, I finally put it down, having finished the entire book. In the process of those 435 pages, I laughed, I gasped in surprise, and believe it or not I cried. The emotions of the characters expressed in this book as, bit by bit, the story of what really happened that Halloween night that Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter, were absolutely perfect.

One of the finest books I've ever read!

A Masterpiece!
I thought Harry Potter couldnt get better after the Philosophers Stone but then I discovered The Chamber of Secrets and now, to surpass them all comes The Prisoner of Azkaban! Stephen Fry continues to amaze me with his ability to draw the "listener" into the story. I listen to Harry Potter every morning and evening on the way to and from work. Before discovering Harry, I used to get frustrated with the hours drive home in traffic queues but now look forward to having a long journey home, just so I can hear more of Harry. Im an addict - officially! Im 25 and my partner thinks Im crazy for being into this "kiddy" thing - well im here to tell you that imagination doesnt stop when you leave school and I find this the perfect antidote for a stressful life - I can escape it all and listen in bliss to the great Stephen Fry excelling himself and complementing the already brilliant Harry Potter!

Best of the first three books
Firstly, I would like to start on a negative note before concentrating on the book. My rant to other reviewers: Please stop spoiling these books for other people by letting slip important plot elements in your reviews. These reviews are not the place to do this, go on the HP forums and discuss these things with others who have already read the books if you like but don't ruin it for others. Already I have stumbled across a couple of important facts about books 4 and 5 that I certainly didn't want to know just after a brief flick through some Amazon reviews. This shouldn't happen and I'm annoyed that it has. Just stop it, OK! My advice to people is not to read the reviews on here for books in the series they haven't read yet. Rant over.

OK, so far I have just read the first three in the HP series, having come late to the phenomenon as a curious almost-thirty-year-old. I enjoyed the first two books a lot, raced through them and thought 'That was good fun.....but I am too old for this?' They were obviously primarily for younger readers but I could enjoy them too. The third booked I feel bridges the slight age gap of the first two and is a truly wonderful read for all ages. The characters are more interesting and fleshed out, the story starts to take on a slightly darker edge as has been said many times before. This is the book that really made me start to care seriously about the characters and what is happening in this magical world. The second half of the book is magnificent and had me racing through it in no time, now I can't wait to get started on Goblet of Fire. Put simply, I just haven't enjoyed reading a book as much as this for a long time (and I've read a LOT of books); at the end I thought to myself, 'Now that was brilliant'. The book really captures your imagination by starting to delve more thoroughly into the past of the Potters' and their friends, leaving you more hungry than ever to find out more in the following book. Personally I'm glad I came late to HP, as it means I can get through books 1-6 without an agonising wait for my next fix; but waiting for book 7 could be painful once I get that far. Highly recommended.