by MADELEINE PARTOUS

J.K. Rowling, who remains the only novelist to sell out Toronto's Skydome, has a good chance of doing it again. The Order of the Phoenix is the much-anticipated fifth installment of her staggeringly successful Harry Potter series… and it's a winner.

That sounds trite - no other fiction writer has ever sold 1.8-million copies on the first day, so obviously it's a winner, at least fiscally. But for those of us who found the fourth book (Goblet of Fire) heavily flawed, The Order of the Phoenix marks a return to the Harry Potter universe we knew and loved - with a twist.

Harry's worst enemy isn't Lord Voldemort this time: it's himself. He's an angry young man, deep in the throes of a troubled adolescence. In fact he's really pissed.

American scholar and mythology expert Joseph Campbell described "the hero" as an ordinary individual faced with extraordinary circumstances. Until now, Harry embodied this definition. Somewhat vapid and clueless, buffeted by circumstances beyond his control, he careened blindly through his adventures and survived thanks to a mysterious power he wields over the greatest evil wizard of all time, help from his friends and mentors, and a fair amount of sheer dumb luck.

The Order of the Phoenix brings a marked change to our beleaguered hero. If you've ever wondered why Harry always seemed so eager to return to the wizarding world after the summer holidays in light of the fact that each new school year brings havoc, injury, loss and near-death experiences, you'll be glad to hear that Harry's finally beginning to question it too. The novel is angst-ridden in ways that The Goblet of Fire only hinted at, epitomized by Harry's confrontation with Hogwort's headmaster Albus Dumbledore after the dust settles somewhat:

"I DON'T CARE!" Harry yelled at them, snatching up a lunascope and throwing it into the fireplace. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE…"

"You do care," said Dumbledore. He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Harry demolishing his office… "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it."

Rowling makes a smooth transition from the prepubescent characters to full-blown adolescents - including the first real stirrings of sexuality. The characters are increasingly real. Dudley Dursley has gone from bully to gang leader; Harry is angry, bitter and unexpectedly vindictive, his towering temper a constant presence through the book, much to his friends' consternation. There's a hint of stronger language, including Mr. Dursley's surprising "Enough - effing - owls!"

Most of the characters from previous books make a reappearance, including Remus Lupin, the werewolf who taught Defense Against the Dark Arts in The Prisoner of Azkaban; the real Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody from The Goblet of Fire, a battle-scarred paranoid rabid in his search for Voldemort's followers; and Sirius Black, Harry's Animagus godfather who was wrongly imprisoned for multiple murders and remains on the run in the shape of a dog. A new character brings a nice light touch: Nymphadora Tonks introduces a new magical talent to the mix as a Metamorphmagus who can change her appearance at will and affords welcome comic relief.

Everyone knows by now that a major character dies in the end. Rowling has warned that this will happen in both books still to come; in a recent talk to students in England, she refused to promise that Harry himself won't be the ultimate victim.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is still a book for children: older children, perhaps, who've grown up with the first books and for whom the teen angst should resonate nicely. But like the previous novels, it's also a book for adults. And though it is longer than its predecessor, it remains tightly woven, compelling and well nigh impossible to put down.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, Raincoast Books, HC, 766PP, $43