Harry Potter

[ben lurie]

i think the epilogue definitely left me sad an unsatisfied, but im not really sure why....i knew all along that harry was gonna hook up with ginny and the same would happen with ron and hermione and i really enjoyed that idea but...maybe there was a better way to have shown that? also, while hearing about the lil kids harry and ginny had was fun and all...it isnt nearly as entertaining or romantic as mabe harry just doing something with ginny when he was still 17 and the harry we all know....rowling could have hinted easily that they were gonna have kids etc. but without the 19 years later thign

[ben lurie]

that is an excellent explanation, interesting that it was a baby though? you would think that the horcrux part of harry would be nasty and evil, as it was not a very good part of harry. characterizing it as a baby makes it seem almost like a good part of voldemort, like him as a baby when he was still innocent and nice

[applepie]

that is an excellent explanation, interesting that it was a baby though? you would think that the horcrux part of harry would be nasty and evil, as it was not a very good part of harry. characterizing it as a baby makes it seem almost like a good part of voldemort, like him as a baby when he was still innocent and nice

I think it had something to do with the fact that at first appearance Voldermort was a baby. Something to do with the whole coming back into a physical form thing. It isn't really likely to come back as an adult. He only achieved that as he gained in power.

[ben lurie]

its amazing how much better i feel just talking out the points...do you think rowling will continue to write? or now that shes a billionaire is she done? even if she does start writing again, im gonna have trouble falling in love with new, unknown characters

[ben lurie]

one problem that i had with harry as a character is that he just isnt bad *** enough. this is definitely a typical guy opinion, but seriously, it would have been more convincing if harry had a darker side, when he got pissed off and actually might kill something once and a while...harry seemed all to sensitive, particularly in the later books, it was more understandable in the earlier installments as he was younger, but you think a 17 year old kid might have a bit more fire in him.....however i do realize it is technically a childrens book...even with all my *****in and complaining i still love all the harry potter books more than any other series

[applepie]

I hope that she will continue to write. Even though they are more for children, her books are fast paced and suck you into the story. I love books that can do this for me, and I think it is great when I find myself reading at the same break-neck speed of the action in a book. I don't have issues with new characters, I just hope that they are as enjoyable as her last ones without being the same characters in a different story. This is a trap some of my favorite current authors seem to fall into, and then I lose all interest in the story.

[ben lurie]

i agree, i cant think of an exact example where the author recycles characters, but i know what you mean...it may be hard for her to write more as anything she writes will be scrutinized and compared to the harry potter series, which is undoubtedly a hard series to top

[Orpheus]

Well, you can't expect her to stop writing just because her work is going to be scrutinized and compared. Would you tell a musician to stop playing because he/she is getting old?

[SleepyWitch]

Did anyone else think that they spent too much time galavanting around in the woods and on the run? This part seemed to dominate a lot of the book and, in my opinion, could have been improved.

yep, I think so, too... what was even worse was that Voldemort spent so much time galavanting around the world.. O.K. he was looking for the Elder Wand and he's daft because he doesn't understand about love etc, but he is the most powerful evil wizard ever, so you'd think he'd get things done a bit more quickly.

about Grindelwald: was he mentioned in any of the other books? sorry, I'm really forgetful, especially when it comes to HP books, and I just don't remember...
here's a funny story: last week (before the book was out) a friend of mine told me she was going to a town called Grindelwald in Switzerland. I'd heard of this name before of course, but it sounded funny anyway and I said "Hahhaha, Grindelwald, that sounds like the name of an evil wizard!" and voilà, there he is

[SleepyWitch]

one problem that i had with harry as a character is that he just isnt bad *** enough. this is definitely a typical guy opinion, but seriously, it would have been more convincing if harry had a darker side, when he got pissed off and actually might kill something once and a while...

yep, I think so too. that's one of the reasons I don't like the Potter brat too much.
he's set up as the good guy right from the start (what with being a poor poor orphan and all that, you've just got to pity him). there's no point where there's actually any real danger of him chosing evil over good... even though he does get grumpy (adolescence?) there's never any REAL danger of him going over to the dark side... well, there is his mental connection to Voldy, but once he's read Voldy's thoughts/feelings a couple of times and nothing much happens, it's clear that he will not turn into a second Lord Voldemort or something.
Ok, Voldy managed to trap him in part 5, but trapping him (=transmitting false information) and influencing his character are two different things...

in other words, there never really is much choice for Harry, he's the good guy because he's set up as the good guy at the start and we all know the good guy will win.
edit: do you guys have any kid brothers/sister or nephews/nieces etc who read Harry Potter? I'd be really interested to know what little kids think about HP, or if they've got anything to say about it except "I like Harry Potter because it's a good read."
I work with 7-12 y/o kids but none of them reads Harry Potter

[Walter]

Can there be more Harry Potter? Of course! Arthur Conan Doyle tried to actually kill off Sherlock Holmes because he wanted to do other things in his life, but the fans demanded otherwise, so Sherlock Holmes came back with an ingenious explanation about how his presumed death had only been apparent.

[Niamh]

I think it was basically the part of Voldermort dying within him. At least that is how I viewed it. That affirmation that it isn't really dead yet, but very weakened. Because of his sacrifice, only the horcrux part of Harry was harmed, I guess. I was a little confused while reading that part too.

i viewed it that way also.

yep, I think so, too... what was even worse was that Voldemort spent so much time galavanting around the world.. O.K. he was looking for the Elder Wand and he's daft because he doesn't understand about love etc, but he is the most powerful evil wizard ever, so you'd think he'd get things done a bit more quickly.

about Grindelwald: was he mentioned in any of the other books? sorry, I'm really forgetful, especially when it comes to HP books, and I just don't remember...
here's a funny story: last week (before the book was out) a friend of mine told me she was going to a town called Grindelwald in Switzerland. I'd heard of this name before of course, but it sounded funny anyway and I said "Hahhaha, Grindelwald, that sounds like the name of an evil wizard!" and voilà, there he is

i think he's mentioned in most of the other books when people mention Dumbledores achievements. may even have been mentioned on the chocolate frog cards in book one.

[SleepyWitch]

Can there be more Harry Potter? Of course! Arthur Conan Doyle tried to actually kill off Sherlock Holmes because he wanted to do other things in his life, but the fans demanded otherwise, so Sherlock Holmes came back with an ingenious explanation about how his presumed death had only been apparent.

yep, you're right... but Harry Potter isn't dead... 19 years later he's married to Ginny and has three little kids and leads and utterly mundane and boring life
if anything nearly as exciting as his fight against Voldy was to happen to him, it would have to be either in between the end of book 7 and those "19 years later" or after those 19 years.

[Walter]

i think he's mentioned in most of the other books when people mention Dumbledores achievements. may even have been mentioned on the chocolate frog cards in book one.

You have a good memory and you are right! Volume 1, page 120, from the frog card:

Albus Dumbledore
Currently headmaster of Hogwarts
Considered by many the greatest wizard of all time. Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicholas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and ten-pin bowling.

I just read it.

[SleepyWitch]

ah thanks Walter
that explains it, I never read part one and two