Fuck J.K. Rowling and Fuck Harry Potter.
Discuss.
So, when did you discover you hated your parents?
When they made him read the first Harry Potter book?
I have been recommended these books lately, by someone whose opinion I respect. I’ll probably try the first one this summer. Maybe the same week that I buy the pocket version of the latest Robert Jordan :D
I hope you have a big pocket. ;)
My preview of all Harry Potter books:
A direct rip-off of Tolkien, Lovecraft, the King Arthur tales, and anything remotely related to wizards or mythological folk-lore. J.K. Rowling is nothing but a hack.
Bring on the lawsuit, bitch!
The first book reads very much like a pre-teen fantasy novel, so be prepared. Subsequent books become more complex and darker. Rowling is also pretty inventive in some of the smaller details that make world of Harry Potter seem believable, or at least, consistent.
However, Quiddich is a ludicrous game with silly rules that make no sense whatsoever, even if you can fly on a broom. :D
Well, I’ll be in line at midnight to buy a copy. My kids have elected me.
I’ve never read them, but I enjoyed the movies, especially the second one. I’m also glad to see a book generate this much excitement. Fuck The Matrix Reloaded. Cheers for Harry Potter and the printed word.
Give 'em a read, Mark. You should know what your kids are up to. ;)
Not great literature by any stretch of the imagination, but for children’s books they’re really good. Great characters, complicated (for kids) plots, plus your standard reluctant hero myth arc. Some real touching moments, too (the end of book three especially).
Based on the first four, this series holds its own with the Narnia books and Lewis Carroll. And they’ve made Rowling millions and millions of bucks. Few are more deserving.
Troy
The first two books aren’t terribly good. The first one has too much Harry The Wonderboy Who Can Do No Wrong. The second one swings too far the other way. The third and forth books are improved by the new characters and by existing characters starting to form lives outside of Harry’s sphere of influence.
I find them enjoyable, but I read anything. Lupin is a great character, though.
Yup, good stuff for essentially children’s books. Why people spit moronic vitriolic about how popular it became and how much KIDS are waiting for it – you know, fuckin kids? – is beyond me. Folks should be happy kids are actually WAITING IN LINE TO READ, considering the crappy illiteracy in this country today, not to mention on this very board.
— Alan
I keep on switching between him and Mad-Eye Moody as my favorite professors.
I keep on switching between him and Mad-Eye Moody as my favorite professors.[/quote]
Well I’ve only read the first book, but I thought Kenneth Branagh’s Professor Lockhart really stole the show in the second movie.
Lockhart is far more amusing in the movie than he is in the book. Kind of like how Snape is far more likable just for being Alan Rickman than he is in the books.
You have to admit, though, that was a neat bit of casting. I mean, Alan Rickman practically is Severus Snape. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather see in the role.
Yes, it was brilliant casting. Over all I’ve felt the casting for the Harry Potter movies has been excellent. My biggest gripe about the first movie was that Draco was too whiney, not at all a threat. Boy did that kid pay attention to his acting lessons though, because he was significantly improved in the second movie.
I have to admit, I find it somewhat humorous and at the same time sad that far too many people online can’t seem to just ignore the movies, books or music they don’t like and move on with their lives.
There’s far too little “Eh. I didn’t personally find Spider-Man to live up to the hype, but there are always other movies out there” and far too much “OMG! I live to hate Harry Potter, anyone who reads it is a little child! OMG! I HATE the Hulk movie, I must hunt down and redicule anyone who actually enjoyed themselves!”
Live. Experience. Move on. Leave the hate behind.
The Hype bugs me.
The cynical part of me sees the parents lined up outside the bookstore at midnight and makes me think “Are they out there because their children really want the book, or because they really want the book for their children?”
I’m all for kids reading. I’m not for teaching kids that they have to have/do/buy whatever all the other kids have/did/bought. Reminds me a little of the Chinpokomon episode of South Park.
I didn’t think there was enough of Lockhart in the movie. The scenes are so brief and general that the revelation that he isn’t a great monster-slayer isn’t such a big deal. In the book, Lockhart is a man with a reputation. Though Branagh did a great job, you never get the sense that he is a legendary wizard.
Troy