JK Rowling Announcement

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I dunno. I think once you've created something as successful as Harry Potter, the daunting thing is coming up with something that's even better.

Stephanie Meyers, well, don't really understand the appeal (and I tend to love vampire fiction). I think I just read the first two pages of Twilight and promptly abandoned it.

Yeah, I would think struggling under the weight of your own fame would suck.

I don't like Twilight -- although I show my "dislike" by meticulously deconstructing it on my website, so take that for what you will -- but I DID like The Host.

Same themes of Twilight, but with an "alien invasion / Prisoner of War" setting and it worked MUCH better, imho.

[Kevin2960]

OK ... so we can't make her President of the US ...

So how about we make her an Honorary Moderator here on MR instead

Originally Posted by phenomshel

LOL Kevin. She can't be President - you have to be born in the U.S. for that to happen here.

I personally think that yes, JKR opened up new reading vistas to thousands of kids and a lot of adults, too. I read them all and liked them all. But in my opinion (for what it's worth, which isn't much) she's STOOPID (yes, caps and misspelling intentional) to block her work from official ebook release.

But then again I think ANY author who blocks their work from official ebook release is dumb and shooting themselves in the foot, not to mention alienating present or possible future fans.

I'm not disputing that it's her (or any other author's) decision, I'm just saying it's a silly decision.

[anamardoll]

There may be such a thing as taking author worship a bit far.

[6charlong]

Originally Posted by Daithi

At the risk of showing my ignorance, what's an MMO AnemicOak?

Phenomshel, I too would be happy with a new book even if it wasn't in the HP world. Although, I think whatever she is going to announce will be HP related because her pre-announcement mentions something called "pottermore".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNyg1ftMIU

[tubemonkey]

Never read the books; never saw the movies ...and never will

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Daithi

So you can probably just count me underwhelmed. Somebody poke me when she writes something new. (Same with Stephanie Meyers. Apparently once you have earned massive amounts of cash your desire to write isn't as strong as it once was.)

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I dunno. I think once you've created something as successful as Harry Potter, the daunting thing is coming up with something that's even better.

This. The HP series is closed. She wrapped it up and put a tie on it. So, she needs to find a whole new idea and work that out. And as the expectations will be high, it better be good. The higher you climb, the harder you can fall.

Originally Posted by carld

I'd actually be interested in that. I'm an MMO geek dating back to Meridian 59 and text MUDS even before that.

Depends on how it's done. And to be honest, I don't care too much about games around an existing universe. It often feels as if they must add those well-known characters in there which makes it feel forces to me.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

Perhaps in the next book in the series Rony and Hermione have had 5 kids and Hermione has left him for their old, drunken friend Harry? That's real drama, and fantasy readers can't stand it...

There was a series of JKR / Potter "e-fanbooks" - a term I hadn't heard before I entered digitology - about a grown-up Potter/ Weasleys, etc.. , written by, well, a fan, and dedicated to the original.

JKR didn't give her seal of approval, but I believe decided not to sue or whatever.
Fairly grown-up attitude I thought, for an author some would like to portray as a money-grubbing Luddite with a hatred for electronic books.

As far as I recall, all the grown-up protagonists had a lot of children.
Yes, they were about James Potter, son of Harry.

I started to read one, but it didn't, umm..., quite measure up to the real thing.

Mind you, it might have stymied her thoughts of a sequel....

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by Daithi

So you can probably just count me underwhelmed. Somebody poke me when she writes something new. (Same with Stephanie Meyers. Apparently once you have earned massive amounts of cash your desire to write isn't as strong as it once was.)

If it was just about the money, she could handwrite Dumbledore's memoirs on parchment and sell them to the highest bidder.

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I dunno. I think once you've created something as successful as Harry Potter, the daunting thing is coming up with something that's even better.

Not just better, it has to be different enough as well. If it has magic, 3 friends going on an adventure, tragic event in the main character's childhood, etc., there will be many who will say that it is too similar to HP, even if they will still buy the books.

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I don't like Twilight -- although I show my "dislike" by meticulously deconstructing it on my website, so take that for what you will -- but I DID like The Host.

Same themes of Twilight, but with an "alien invasion / Prisoner of War" setting and it worked MUCH better, imho.

I read the Twilight books because I got them as a present, but I wanted to read them anyway, because I had to see what inspired such an idiotic film. Basically there was this line in the film that went something like: her name is Isabella, and that's Italian, so she must like pasta. It isn't in the book.

The Host was different, and in my opinion, better. The thing is, there is little that Meyer could have done to make her next book worse, while Rowling will have a much harder time with the next book.

[Kevin2960]

But I may have meant becoming a Moderator here on MR as an insult

Originally Posted by anamardoll

There may be such a thing as taking author worship a bit far.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Never read the books; never saw the movies ...and never will

I prefer the movies. Same with LOTR in my case.

I enjoyed the first HP book, and started some of the others, but couldn't get in to them.
My wife really enjoyed all the books (she went to some of those midnight events to get the hardcovers as soon as they came out), and I do admire the richness and depth of the story when she tells me about the differences 'tween the books and movies.

I really can't understand why some call the HP books 'trash.'

[DiapDealer]

I really can't understand why some call the HP books 'trash.'

Simple. If one person's trash can be another's treasure... surely the reverse is true, as well.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Simple. If one person's trash can be another's treasure... surely the reverse is true, as well.

Quite true. Let me rephrase.
I can't understand what ABOUT them those who find them trash consider to be trash.

If one person throws out a mangled steel chair, I can see how, say, a sculpture artist or scrap dealer could see value in it. I can see reasons on both sides. I just am not sure of the reasons on the other side here.

ApK

[ApK]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Yeah, I would think struggling under the weight of your own fame would suck.

I must just not have the same work ethic or artistic drive as some.

If I spent years and years creating a body of work that influenced a generation, made a significant (and mostly positive, or at least non-negative) cultural impact and made my fabulously wealthy, I just could not see myself fretting over what I will do next.
What I, personally, would do next is start a grant foundation to develop cool new technology, and watch the progress from my beach house in Hawaii.

That's just me.

[DiapDealer]

I can't understand what ABOUT them those who find them trash consider to be trash.

In my case (and I would never use as strong a word as "trash") it's the over-used stable-boy/kitchen-boy fantasy trope. You know... the; "orphan discovers hidden heritage and/or power and subsequently goes on to battle forces that they have no business defeating—but you just know they're going to win anyway" one? I outgrew it a long time ago (that's not a maturity crack, btw) and wouldn't touch a book/series based on that premise with a ten foot pole.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

In my case (and I would never use as strong a word as "trash") it's the over-used stable-boy/kitchen-boy fantasy trope. You know... the; "orphan discovers hidden heritage and/or power and subsequently goes on to battle forces that they have no business defeating—but you just know they're going to win anyway" one? I outgrew it a long time ago (that's not a maturity crack, btw) and wouldn't touch a book/series based on that premise with a ten foot pole.

Not a Star Wars fan then either, I take it.