I tried reading the books but just couldn't get into it. Is the first half of the first book a good representation of what the rest is like? Or does it get better?
HP is popcorn literature. The first book goes weaker than a couple of the later ones, but as another poster said, that's really the efforts of editors and publishers, not the author. The core issues are omnipresent, but they're fine enough reads to leaf through once quickly across the course of 2-3 free hours if you're stuck in an airport or something.
I tried reading the books but just couldn't get into it. Is the first half of the first book a good representation of what the rest is like? Or does it get better?
HP is popcorn literature. The first book goes weaker than a couple of the later ones, but as another poster said, that's really the efforts of editors and publishers, not the author. The core issues are omnipresent, but they're fine enough reads to leaf through once quickly across the course of 2-3 free hours if you're stuck in an airport or something.
The best way to get through the books is if you have a grindingly tedious commute and listen to the audiobooks in 30 minute chunks.
Make sure you get the Jim Dale narrated ones. The Stephen Fry narration is downright annoying to listen to.
They improve dramatically after the second book and the last two are wonderful in their scope and character motivations.