Harry Potter sequel ...as a stage play

[arcadata]

Anyone from mobileread who got to see the play?

[Nelebh]

First: hello to everyone! And after reading through the entire thread, I'll reply to some of you. This may be a bit large,

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I thought JKR swore she was never going to allow any future stories set in the Harry Potter world?

I thought that too. Not sure where it did come that idea, but I was sure Rowling had swear off writing anymore Potter's books, as in these lines. But looking it up now [1][2] AnemicOak is right, she was careful to let open a possibility, she didn't say categorically no, I won't write anymore about Harry. I was under that impression though.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Somewhat tangential to this, I've been reading a bit of Harry Potter fanfiction recently, and the only thing more alarming than Dumbledore's tendency to be evil is the fact that, when reconsidering the books, it actually makes a fair bit of sense.

Discovering that Dumbledore was less than the all-great, always right mage, pretty much shocked me when I was reading the seventh book. After six books, the change was dramatic, even more so with he dying. But I enjoyed it, because it made him more complex than simply a paternal figure that was always protecting Harry.

But in retrospective, I can also see the tendecy: he marked a high goal, which was to destroy Voldemort at all cost, and he did everything he thought that would work to achieve it. I was sure of this when Harry discovered that he was in part an Horrocrux just before his final duel with Voldemort. Dumbledore purposelly hide that little tidbit from the very first beginning, in hope to make Harry an ally and gain his sympathy and loyalty before he discovered the full truth. He might have hope that Harry didn't have to die in the end, but he was only concerned with making sure his greatest tool was onboard with the plan. And there were other things too: the fact that he didn't prepare Harry to fight against Voldemort, not really. Dumbledore was, if no anything more, a very clever person, why he didn't prepare Harry in advanced magic attacks and defense from the very beginning, or at least after her first encounter with Voldemort in the Philosophal's Stone? He didn't care. He send him instead to his uncles, again and again. But he did make sure that Harry was well-liked an connected, because in the end, he might die on a duel with Voldemort, but if others liked and respected Harry, they would at least try to avenge him. Or the other things: he didn't tell him about Grindewald, or about the Deathly Hallows.

Originally Posted by issybird

I don't have a horse in this race, especially since I thought Deathly Hallows was so poorly conceived and executed that it ruined the franchise for me forever [...]

I do and did have a problem with the 2 final books. Both the Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows introduce a ton of things that aren't told or even mentioned in passing in the other books. Is like the first books were all about entertaiment and creating a good tale, but without major changes (at the end of the fifth, Harry goes again with the Dursleys, didn't he?) Even with Voldemort supposedly gaining power again.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I've been able to enjoy the books and remain completely ignorant of any ancillary, extra-canonical details from the author for many years.

I didn't and I don't usually go searching for answers beyond what's written on a book, as DiapDealer says. If the author does something I don't like I simply accept it and try to go on (sometimes it's hard when it's a stupid move in your opinion, but what can you do, really?), or if it's too bad a change for me, I don't continue reading anymore. I don't go looking for excuses. If the author writes something, that's it. It's not as if an story has a life for itself and the author doesn't make all the decisions. Trying to change something after it's done is useless.

That's all the major topics I wanted to discuss, I think. Sorry for the so long post. That said, I'm eager to read the new eight book. If anything, it will be interesting to revisit the Harry Potter's world after all these years. I was a teen when I first read the books, but being an adult now hasn't cure me of the soft spot I had for Harry. It was the first series I remember reading by myself, and I haven't stopped reading since them. It's classic amongs the classics.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Nelebh

I thought that too. Not sure where it did come that idea, but I was sure Rowling had swear off writing anymore Potter's books, as in these lines. But looking it up now [1][2] AnemicOak is right, she was careful to let open a possibility, she didn't say categorically no, I won't write anymore about Harry. I was under that impression though.

Well, maybe that is the source of my confusion.

Discovering that Dumbledore was less than the all-great, always right mage, pretty much shocked me when I was reading the seventh book. After six books, the change was dramatic, even more so with he dying. But I enjoyed it, because it made him more complex than simply a paternal figure that was always protecting Harry.

Indeed it does.

When basically good people do the wrong things for the right reasons is when they become interesting as people.

...

I disagree with all those Fanfiction authors who portray an evil Dumbledore, but some of them portray a very well-written flawed Dumbledore -- and illustrate some excellent justifications for the troublesome bits of canon, in a canon-compliant way. Not vindication, justification. as Dumbledore himself pointed out "In fact, being – forgive me – rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger."

A fact which JKR rarely seemed to consider, for some strange reason. Why doesn't the actual canon do a half-decent job of making him a complex person? All we ever get is some fragments more-or-less handwaved away, in the 7th book.

[ProfCrash]

I don't think that JKR had the room to really develop the characters in her books because of how she wrote them. They moved from easy kids adventures to so much more but there was no room in the early books to develop the characters. I also think that more development and longer books would not have been as well received and that the series might not have taken off.

I prefer Grey Dumbledore because I think that is the most accurate Dumbledore. He is doing the right thing in fighting Voldemort but the way that he goes about it is questionable.

1) How does Sirius end up in Azkaban without a trial? Dumbledore is the head of the Wizgoten (sp) so he should have been able to make sure that Sirius receives a trial but he doesn't.

2) How does Harry end up at the Dursley's? Seriously, he left a 15 month old child on a doorstep with a note of a women who he knew was jealous of her sisters magic. Seriously? And then he doesn't check on the child for the next 11 years.

3) Dumbledore is the leader of the light with a good number of very powerful and bright Wizards and Witches at his beck and call. He knows Harry's scar is different from day one. He knew that Voldemort had created horcruxes after the Chamber of Secrets. Instead of talking to his own employees, hell limit it to the Head of Houses, or Order members, he keeps this information to himself. His solution is to send three 17 year old Wizards/Witches to find, steal and destroy five horcruxes. Why? It has to be that Dumbledore knows Harry is a horcrux and that the only way to destroy all the horcruxes is to kill Harry. I suspect that Dumbledore knows that no one will accept that and so he withholds the horcrux info from everyone.

[AnemicOak]

Harry Potter and the Return of the Bookselling Frenzy
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...ng-frenzy.html

Harry Potter fans, booksellers, and librarians are getting ready to party like it’s 2007.

Nine years ago this week, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling was published with all the attendant fanfare deserving of the seventh and final tome in the history-making series about a British boy wizard. That Potter magic is in the air again, as Scholastic preps to release, on July 31 (at 12:01 a.m.), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two (Scholastic/Levine).

The hardcover is a “script book” version of the theater production written by Jack Thorne, based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Thorne, and director John Tiffany, which opens in London’s West End July 30. “This is a huge, celebratory moment,” said Rachel Coun, executive marketing director and global brand management at Scholastic, who has worked on the Harry Potter series from the start. The first North American printing is 4.5 million copies.

There are a bunch of places around here doing the midnight release party thing.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Harry Potter and the Return of the Bookselling Frenzy
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...ng-frenzy.html



There are a bunch of places around here doing the midnight release party thing.

I guess I must be totally out of touch with the Harry Potter world, but I had no idea that this was suppose to be a big deal. I went to the midnight releases back when the last four books were released. I must confess, I really don't get it. Scripts are very, very different than regular books. I wouldn't have thought that very many people, especially kids, would be interesting in reading it.

[murg]

There are going to be a lot of disappointed people, expecting a novel, and getting a stage script.

[latepaul]

Maybe. But if they're turning up at midnight you think they'd be a bit more clued in. Now the casual fan might not.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Scripts are very, very different than regular books. I wouldn't have thought that very many people, especially kids, would be interesting in reading it.

I was wondering that too. 4.5 million first print run? It does have "Harry Potter" on it, so it can't not sell out within hours.

OTOH, didn't Shakespeare write mostly stage scripts?

[ProfCrash]

hmmm I'll get the e-book. On a slightly different note, I was happy to see that the Harry Potter books were available in the Kindle for Kids free store. I downloaded them all on my 4 year olds tablet.

Yes, we got the Little Man a tablet. He will use it mainly when we travel because I am tired of giving up my lap top in the name of a quiet plane flight for everyone else. The Kindle Fire works nicely and is cheap. It is not intuitive to use but I am finally figuring it out, kind of.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by murg

There are going to be a lot of disappointed people, expecting a novel, and getting a stage script.

I think so too. As soon as I explained to my nephew that it wasn't a regular novel he had no interest in it at this time. I'm on the library hold list for the eBook and plan to check it out that way.

[MGlitch]

Most places are billing it as the sequel to HP and neglecting to mention the format of the text. Likely because they know it wont sell as well as a novel if people were informed.

The big HP fans wont care, they just want more HP. Note I'm not saying that if you do care that you aren't an HP fan just that there are fans who wont care. Some will buy it just because it's HP and they want to get one to be able to sell as a collectable.

I'll get it as an ebook at some point, but I'm in no rush.

[latepaul]

They've just announced extra tickets for the play to go on sale on Aug 6th. I must admit I'm more tempted to see it than read it.

[Barty]

They should do something like National Theater Live, broadcast a live performance to movie theaters. I bet a lot of fans would line up for that..

[Conan46]

For me the 7 books are canon. I've not been impressed with Rowling's continued tinkering, it reminds me too much of how Lucas could not quit changing Star Wars. My daughter bought the play. We read the book series together as she was growing up. If she likes the book I might borrow or buy one for myself, but my enthusiasm is low. And we were out at midnight for the new book releases years ago. I love and still read the books, but having a growing concern Rowling is going to turn me against the series if she doesn't let it go at some point. It's a modern classic, let's not "Disney" the thing to death.