Harry Potter.
ahhhhh.....Harry Potter.
those books generated a lot of hype.
but in my opinion, those books are deserving of the hype.
they are beyond simple children's books, and will be read and re-read for many years in my opinion.
the world, drawing from folklore and myth and J. K. Rowling's own rich imagination, is fabulously complex and fantastic, but not so far removed from our own as to be unbelievable.
the story itself is old, cliched even, but Rowling handles it so well that it is never dull. good against evil, love shall conquer all. Rowling makes it believable, she does it by having such beautifully flawed characters. characters who's motivations are questionable, who appear good, but have nagging secrets, who are selfish but end up sacrificing themselves for good.
over all i think the novel series is brilliant: starting out as a good children's book, and gradually getting more mature with each subsequent novel. revealing the history and backgrounds and reasons for each character gradually as the series progresses. the more knowledgeable and independent Harry becomes, the more complex and intricate the overall plot is revealed to be.
the books are finished now, i'm satisfied, that sadly the series has ended. i do have questions about the future of many of the characters, but they are trite, and not necessary. Harry's story is finished. the plot is brought to a beautiful conclusion.
i hope that J. K. Rowling will continue writing. give us new characters to adventure with, new plots to explore.
now sadly all we have left are the films. the films aren't terrible, but they don't have the same magic as the books. that is not to say that films don't work on a magical level: The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy is a fine example of movies that have the same magical intensity of the novels. but the films are lacking, and it's sad. perhaps J. K. Rowling should have waited a few years, till the final book was finished, to sell the rights. perhaps WB should have waited a few years to produce the movies. that isn't to lay ridicule at the actors, they have done a much better job than any one could have expected. but the inconsistency in style between the movies, having to do with a wide range of director's, is but one of the reasons.
that being said, i will finish watching the films as the come up, and hope beyond hope that the current director (who's slated to direct the next film "The Half-Blood Prince") will be able to capture the magic of that book.
it's a sad day for fans of fantasy, but not completely: those of us who know still have (at least) two more novels of George R. R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire to look forward too. and while not innocently magical as Harry Potter is, that series is highly engrossing. (i read the first four novels of the series, totally about 3600 pages in less than a month).
so we bid you adieu Harry Potter, Hagrid, Dumbledore, Dobby, Snape, Lupin, Ron, Hermione, and Malfoy, but we do so with the knowledge that we can visit you any time, we need only pick up the book.
posted by F.G. Shaw @ 4:25 PM
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