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Comment by alecst | Hacker News Reader

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. I delayed for too long reading this thrilling book. It was like getting a brain massage. So many wonderful lessons in rational thinking packed into a truly enjoyable and memorable story.

In response to some questions:

It's not a kids book. It's a fan-fiction inspired by the original books, but written with adults in mind.

You can read it for free at http://www.hpmor.com/.

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I second this, it changed how I think in way other books have not. How I look at life, death and problems in general. It sounds dramatic but it really did change my life.

There is also an excellent and free audio book here: https://hpmorpodcast.com/

Note to new readers: it's written so well, it's actually very easy to underestimate. Quite a few things which seem to be weaknesses are very much on purpose (main character's personality is one of them). I could go on but it's not at all a spoiler-friendly book - suffices to say that at some point the author posted the equivalent of "are you daft?!" to the readers in the book notes.

You may also want to take a peek at the Contents. The plot will catch you too fast to notice, but most parts of the book are meant to teach a certain lesson. And yes, there exists the no-fiction version, but it's quite a bit longer and drier :)

Is it required to know the Harry Potter lore and characters to understand this book without missing any detail?

Not at all. You'll miss a few jokes and some trolling about the original ("Canon" in fanfiction speak), but that's it. Regarding Harry Potter, I advice reading the 6th book, as it really stands on its own. You will be able to understand the success of the serial while enjoying a nice novel. You won't be lost as the author keeps explaining what happened a few books ago.

Is it fiction or non-fiction?

It's a Harry Potter fanfic written by a believer in Rationality, so it's a version of Harry Potter mixed in with a strange religion.

Isn't this a series of novels targeted at 12 year olds?

No. The first book is targeted at that age maybe, but I wouldn't read book three to a twelve year old, and five or six get really nasty.

Stephen King put it this way in his review: Harry Potter books are meant to grow up with the child, while many other childrens' books series target a specific age range.

Today you can buy and read all Harry Potter books at once, but it's actually best to follow the release times and keep a year or so between books, if the child is younger.

I still enjoy them at 39. It’s one of those series that suck you into a different world as soon as your eyes hit the words.

I read the last one 10 years ago? Can’t wait to start reading them to my kids.

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