July 16th. New Harry Potter book. Big hullaballoo. Midnight parties. Kids going wild. Adults going wild. “Who’s going to die this time?”
Excuse me, did you just say “Who’s going to die this time?”?
Yesterday I was sitting on my bed, reading the latest issue of this weekly Indian newsmagazine whose name I forget because they all look and feel the same. The cover-story happened to be – you guessed it – Harry Potter. Never mind that the cover shows Danny “I am tough n gritty cos I am growin up” Radcliffe, surrounded by what the cover-photoshopper decided was angsty Potter-like fire. Never mind that the so-called cover story was more of the same vaguely fandomish remarks like “I love Harry Potter because he wears glasses.” from assorted kids, one of whom was Om Puri’s son. There was a two-page synopsis of all the five books so far – loads of name-dropping and all, and a side story about this psychiatrist who refuses to believe that Harry Potter encourages witchcraft of any kind. Oh yeah? What about those dead chickens I saw near the bookstore, lady? And yeah, the writer of the article even put in a spoiler that was pretty much obvious anyways. The answer to the question that floats around everytime a new post-Goblet Potter book comes around.
“Who’s going to die this time?”
What worried me a little was this – after reading the whole article through, I lay back and began to think of my experiences with Harry Potter. And I found that I could not remember anything at all about Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book, the one which Sasi bought on the day of its release and I read before him.
Things I remember:
- a couple of Fred and George’s misdemeanours
- the Fredric-Werthamish Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher
- things in the magical world falling apart because Voldemort is back
- why the book was called OotP
- the answer to the eventual “Who dies at the end?” dilemma.
Did anything actually happen? In all the other books, the name is enough to give me an inkling of how the story went. Ootp might have been the hugest of the books, but it seems to me surprisingly devoid of any content, other than isolated episodes leading to a random death.
Rowling claims that the ending to the Half Blood Prince is so shocking that it left her unable to write any more. ( well, there is nothing left to write after the ending, so it doesn’t really make sense ) Before the last book, she said the ending made her sit and weep for quite sometime. Granted, all these proclamations might be nothing other than hype – but it seems to me more like a desperate attempt to make things gritty and “serious” than is actually required. I know, I know, Rowling has always said that the books might not end on a happy note; I just don’t like the way the series seems to have become an exercise in guess-who-will-die-next type endings. I have a very strong feeling that I might take to ignoring books 4-7 in the future, and stick to the first three, which were fun to read, and are also good gifts. I mean, you can’t give away books whose endings leave you flabbergasted with random character deaths, can you?
Though there is a strong chance that I might be getting a Rowling-signed copy of The Half Blood Prince when it’s released.
What a G(L)OAT, you! Do you even remember how wickedly happy you were when you finished reading the book? Dusht!
And well, Dumbledore dies, so Harry can die in the last book. :P
Spoiler you!
Yes, I was happy when reading it. I will be happy while reading the next book too. But what really sucks is that 2 years later, I find out that the book was not really that good compared to the earlier ones.
Bah, I am just a whiner!
Can’t agree more about OOTP. ’twas terribly disappointing. In fact, I don’t remember who died! :-)
Hasn’t stopped me from booking my copy in the bookstore at Meerut. Fella says he will give me a tinkle if I am around in town then, though I hope I won’t be. Sure hope this is better.
Well, all the best with the first-time read for this one. May the Force be with you. oops, wrong fandom.
Who will die first? Harry or JK?
they are both born on my birthday and ppl on my birthday live forever. Fact.
Now, now, you’re getting this confused with the Dark Tower series, aren’t you?
>Who will die first? Harry or JK?
The evil seem to live forever, so I’m guessing that Harry will die first. He’s just a victim of his creator, the poor fellow. Scarred for life.
deja who?
remember Lucas going on and on about Sith being a ‘Titanic tearjerker’? blasted hype.
I’ve only read one of the Potter things, Goblet Of Fire.. nice. But yeah, give me Pullman any day.
Aren’t all these ‘who’ll die?’ bits of hypela way too (soap) operatic?
Re: deja who?
Aren’t all these ‘who’ll die?’ bits of hypela way too (soap) operatic?
I think she has hit upon this particular formula because she is too lazy to brush up the stuff she has written. Her last few books have been rather self-indulgent…which is almost understandable but why on earth are her editors quiet?
And yes, Pullman is better any day. As are Stroud and even the hugely derivative Paolini.
Btw, I loved a few lines in ‘Booby Trap’ and then Madhav told me that you wrote it. Just wanted to mention that. :)
glad you liked it, thanks :)
her editors are quiet because the millions are being raked in.
Re: deja who?
But Star Wars is, and always has been a B-movie series with enhanced technology. Potter, when I first read it, was like a literary renaissance – children’s Fantasy, good children’s fantasy post-Blyton. Have you seen the number of fantasy books for kids/young adults coming out nowadays? They were there, maybe, but they wouldn’t have gotten the kind of attention like they get now without Potter’s success. You really must go and read the first three books. Ignore the movies, they are a waste of time.
It’s kind of like beginning to listen to nineties’ pop bands. You always start with Spice Girls. They began it all. ;-)
Problem with Rowling is that she realizes, she actually does, that her target audience is growing up fast. Between the first book and now, the largest chunk of her (then) readers have grown from giggly 10 year olds to pseudo-serious 17 year olds. And she is trying desperately to keep them hooked. Sad, then, that she thinks bumping off a few characters can lend her book the seriousness.
I just wish Sirius gets resurrected.
There is always the handy dream sequence to help you with that. Harry will start having disturbing dreams in this book, just you watch.
I don’t expect the book to be good [though I do hope ’tis better than book 5] but I’ll still read the book. Then again I just finished _Armies of Hanuman_…
Yeah, I read about it on your LJ. You have crossed all levels of masochism I was aware of. :)
*g*
And here I was proud of myself for not finishing _What The Body Remembers_….
I jsut hope her editing is better on this one.
Signed copy??? How’d you wangle that?
My sister. She’s in the UK, and her house (or office, I didn’t figure out which) is on top of a bookstore that is organising a signing. Heh.
>My sister. She’s in the UK, and her house (or office, I didn’t figure out which) is on top of a bookstore that is organising a signing. Heh.
Don Beatzo Corleone.
hee hee…all said and done, hype or no hype, publicity or privatecity, there is no doubt that anybody who has read Rowling so far is going to clamour for a copy of the latest book as well. So what if Goblet was full of erratic plot sequences? so what ir OOTP was a complete disappointment and the death of sirius, almost insignificant in either the plot or the action of the story?
I can hardly wait. Hardly wait…argghhh…
Oh, I know perfectly what you mean. The same reason that’s going to make me read all the books. But I have a feeling that – if I’m talking to a Potter-newbie a couple of years from now, I will be sadly shaking my head and saying – “Potter? Read the first three books, ignore the rest. They are not worth it.” The guy I am talking to might not listen to me, but that’s not the point. I am worried I will actually say these words.
something like listen to Metallica’s first few albums..i so-know that feeling.
“Though there is a strong chance that I might be getting a Rowling-signed copy of The Half Blood Prince when it’s released.”
Now you shouldn’t be making claims like that yourself or some jealous reader might raid your home, and YOU might die in the end!!
Arnav
Everyone dies. It’s just a matter of time. :-)
…and what you leave behind.
And I found that I could not remember anything at all about Order of the Phoenix,
See, I told you, Harry Potter is crap. It is.
Oooh. Look who’s Johann Sebastian back!
Your kingdom for a pun!
>Granted, all these proclamations might be nothing other than hype – but it seems to me more like a desperate attempt to make things gritty and “serious” than is actually required.
It is an attempt to imbue the irredeemably banal with drama.
>Rowling claims that the ending to the Half Blood Prince is so shocking that it left her unable to write any more.
That is good news. The whole series is shocking: shockingly bad.
I think I have become an old codger. [begin: old codger-ish rant] The popular literature of the day just seems so dreary. People like Jerk Rowling, Robber Jordan and Darned Brown don’t seem to know how to write. And I’ve tried to read them all, I really have. They appear to be out of the same mould. Their individual writing styles blur into a collective mish-mash. They just swipe stuff and paraphrase it [badly]; this is the copy-paste era. Also insert impassioned outburst about the Wizard of Earthsea and Phillip Pullman. [trails off, mumbling in the sun, drooling].
> the answer to the eventual “Who dies at the end?” dilemma.
The correct answer to that is: why should anyone care? As long as they all end up in the Bad Place after they die.
Now that is a rant. :-)
Can’t really see why ( or how!) I can defend the trio you name. Robber I’ve read and puked, Darned I’ve no desire to read at all – but yeah, I have a soft corner for Jerk.
But Pullman? Erm?
>But Pullman? Erm?
Oh, I read one of his books immediately after reading the Potty in which that dog-dude snuffed it. Seemed quite respectable, in comparison. Perhaps you have learnt more about Pullman, to your cost? I was actually thinking of picking up a couple of his books, so if you have anything to say, now’s the time.
> ( or how!) I can defend the trio you name
You can always say they are in the same writerly league as Ayn Rand. That should make some people happy.
I found Pullman’s Sally Lockhart trilogy a Victoriana-based extension of old Hardy BOys-Nancy Drew mysteries. Really.
BUT…
Do NOT miss out on the Dark Materials trilogy, they are very well-written – and take a very blasphemous turn midway. Highly recommended!
Oh, that’s cool then. The first Dark Materials book was what I read. Thanks!
you might enjoy Barry Trotter of Hogwash by Michael Greber:)
Ugh, NO! That’s the pinnacle of forced tripe-pretending-as-humour, the kind of cheese Mad Magazine brings out nowadays.
i suppose it still gives Rowling haters an iota of sadistic pleasure – just for kicks, maybe not as a piece of literature we’d hold on for posterity:)
It’s a rip-off of the Bored of the Rings style. Appropriate I suppose: a rip-off of a parody to spoof the original that is a rip-off.
so you don’t like order of the phoenix? no?
Can’t you ask simple yes-or-no questions?
spoiler included..
maybe’s he’s trying to be all dumbledorish. whatever that is. oh wait he died. yay, now there’s some kids left to go. its like reading agatha christie’s “and then there were none” in a volume set.
damn livejournal and its anonmymous/livejournal options that have never heard about a third alternative… and not open id either.
http://zimbly.blogspot.com