Harry Potter

[Nana_Ama]

I love Harry Potter books.  Does anyone else in this forum read Harry Potter?  What do you think is going to happen in the sixth book?

[Pumpkinhead]

Yeah, dude. As weird as it may seem, 16 year old punks do enjoy the Potter series. Seriously, thay're the only books I've read more than once! anyways, the Great War begins of Course!!! Dumbledore dies.      

[Tash]

i used to like them but have kinda moved on now, though i'll read the rest of the series just for finality. i like lord of the rings better!

[DarkWind]

Yeah, dude. As weird as it may seem, 16 year old punks do enjoy the Potter series. Seriously, thay're the only books I've read more than once! anyways, the Great War begins of Course!!! Dumbledore dies.      

I haven't read them all. THANKS FOR TELLING ME.

[bizgirl]

Yep, I'm obsessed.  I made myself robes a couple weeks ago that I plan to wear to the next movie.  November 18, 2005!

DarkWind, Pumpkinhead wasn't spoiling anything.  Dumbledore had not yet died.  That was just his guess of what will happen in book 6. So sad.

As far as my thoughts on book 6, I've got a lot.  Unfortunately, I also think Dumbledore's death is very likely.  McGonagall  seems like she could take his place.  Did you notice that Dumbledore was Professor of Transfiguration before he became Headmaster?

[donjuan]

I have never read the Harry Potter books.  Everyone seems so nuts about them.  What is it about them that makes you enjoy them so much?

donjuan  

[rph108]

Read them and find out.

[bizgirl]

Oh, don't be so cruel!  Yes, reading them is the best way to find out why people enjoy them so much, but I'll at least give you the reasons I like the books.  
First of all, the story line is much deeper than most of the new series' I've read.  You can read them twenty times and still find new details that you overlooked before.  Also, the fact that there are still two more books to be written makes it kind of fun.  You can come up with your own predictions for what will happen in the coming books based on clues given in the first five.  You can tell by reading them that J.K. Rowling has put a lot of thought and research into them.  A lot of the animals are based on mythological creatures, a lot of the characters have features (noses in particular) which have mythological signifigance and say something about the character's personality.  Most of the spell names, and some of the character names, are made of combinations or forms of Latin words.  For instance, Professor Lupin is a werewolf and lupos is the Latin word for wolf.  (The Harry Potter books have helped me tremendously in remembering my Latin vocab!)  Try them and let us know what you think!

[donjuan]

alright, I will get something from the library.  Which one is the first one?

[paris]

i enjoyed all books about him, it's getting on my nervs when somebody says that books are for little kids!
but i didn't like the movie about him

[Nana_Ama]

I haven't read them all. THANKS FOR TELLING ME.

Actually, we don't know if Dumbledore dies... he hasn't yet :-/

[Nana_Ama]

i enjoyed all books about him, it's getting on my nervs when somebody says that books are for little kids!
but i didn't like the movie about him

I don't like the movies either... they don't seem to capture the essence of the book.

[Nana_Ama]

alright, I will get something from the library.  Which one is the first one?[/quote

Book no. 1 Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone

[Spatula]

Of course, movie adaptations rarely comprise of the deep roots of its counterpart novel.

[benji]

I love the Harry Potter series!

Hmmmm... I have no idea what's going to happen next, besides the impending war, and the eventual replacement of Fudge as Minister of Magic. It sucks that the next book isn't coming out till next year!  

[bizgirl]

The first book is called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the US.
The books are definitely not only kids books.  I got my dad (who hasn't read anything, much less fiction in years) hooked on them.  The books on tape/CD are also a good option if you don't have time to sit down and read them.
The movies are definitely not as good as the books.  I'm really worried about the fourth one, actually.  In order to be any good I think it needs to be AT LEAST four hours and I'm afraid it will be the regular two and a half.  No good.

[benji]

 I'm really worried about the fourth one, actually.  In order to be any good I think it needs to be AT LEAST four hours and I'm afraid it will be the regular two and a half.  No good.

I agree. If they leave out any of the Triwizard Tournament, they need to be slapped!

[Nana_Ama]

I think Harry needs Neville in order to face Voldermort...
Percy... hm, I think maybe he's working undercover.
Rowling says we should be asking not why didn't Harry die but why did Voldermort live and why didn't Dumbledore kill Voldermort

http://www.jkrowling.org

[bizgirl]

July 16, 2005

Did you all hear!  Book VI should be coming out in July!  I am so excited!

[Bob]

I've read them.  It's a nice way to escape and refocus the mind with reading.  I liked the first books better, but the later ones seemed to follow a formula.  I started losing track of who is who since the books came out with year intervals.  Very good overall though.

[bizgirl]

You just need to read all of them again before the next one comes out to refresh your  memory!

[Bob]

Yeah.... but that's a lot of work.  They should include a brief summary of the whole story and a list of characters somewhere. 

[Rockitman]

I too don't understand the facination with these books. 
First of all, they are about the simplest read of fiction out there.  A 10 year old would have no problem understanding them. 
My God, the Hobbit was much more complex than HP books, and it was tailored for youth. 
I don't know,  but Rowling sure has made a bundle.   I like to compare her success to those rappers who also make a mint with low quality music.   But that's just me.
Don't take offense if you love the books. 
 But just to prove a point, watch one of the HP movies, then read the book.  You'll see that the movie and the book are one in the same.  The book actually reads like the screenplay.   It's that simple of a read.   

Give me the Lord of the Rings any day.   No comparison. 

[bizgirl]

Yes, Bob, it is a lot of work to re-read the books, but so worth it.  This site has pretty thorough summaries: https://www.bookrags.com/notes/hp/.  They are kind of long though.  It might be easier to just read the book.  I suppose you could consider the movies a summary of the books.  Which leads me to Rockitman's response. 

I am curious, Rockitman, have you read any of the Harry Potter books?  As far as the movies go, don't you think it was the goal of the director to have the film be as much like the books as possible?  Based on your response, he succeeded in this.  Personally, I don't think the movies are that great.  There is so much more to the books. 

The books are very well written.  J.K. Rowling has an amazing understanding of Latin, mythology, etc., which adds a lot of depth to the stories.  It is fascinating when you understand the significance of everything in the books.  Peoples' names and physical characteristics often have historical meanings.  For instance, crooked noses represent wisdom (who would know!) and Dumbledore has a crooked nose.  Nearly all of the spells, curses, and charms (and some names) are based on Latin words.  Another example: in Latin "lupus" means wolf and Professor Lupin is a werewolf. 

I don't think the Harry Potter books are better than the Lord of the Rings books or vice versa.  A lot of people like both series equally.  Just because something is a "simple read" doesn't mean it is bad or worse than something else.  I still enjoy reading some of my favorite children’s books to my younger siblings.  The difficulty of the words does not have any relation to the pleasure of reading the story. 

You pointed out that the books were both written with the same age of audience in mind and, still, there is a great difference in the difficulty of the language used by the authors.  They probably both accurately represent the reading level of the demographic they were intended for when first written.  The Lord of the Rings books were written over 40 years before the Harry Potter books and, unfortunately, reading comprehension level has been declining steadily (at least in the US) since then.

[Bob]

Wow, thanks bizgirl.  Interesting site.  Nothing like Cliffs Notes (they really help me understand broader themes throughout a book, instead of just reading straight through).  That site will definitely make the next Harry Potter book more enjoyable.  Thank you!

Bizgirl, where did you find out all the implied significance of the Harry Potter series, the crooked noses and all that?  It's interesting.


I do remember thinking the writing style for the Quidditch games was very dynamic.  I was surprised how fluid the motion seemed even though it was printed words.

[alexed]

i'm not entirely sure if JKR has categorically said whether tom riddle is NOT the half blood prince, but i'm guessing she's done another 'dobby' twist, as she did say that it wasn't voldemort, but not directly (anywhere that i read) tom riddle

i don't think that dumbledore will die until the last book.

who do you think the 'important character' who will die is? i think it may be one of the weasleys, as there was a 'sign' in molly weasley's boggart in grimmauld place.

just my thoughts

[bizgirl]

Bob, you are very welcome for the site.  I am glad I could  be of assistance.  I honestly cannot remember where I read that thing about the crooked nose symbolizing wisdom, but I will keep looking and let you know if I find out.  I am studying Latin, so that is how I know the origins of the names and spells.  You may want to check out www.mugglenet.com for some interesting information.  I consider this site to be the ultimate Harry Potter fansite.  There are a lot of good ones, but this one is exceptional.

Alexed, in the FAQ section of J.K. Rowling's site she addresses the rumor of Tom Riddle being the half-blood prince:

"Is Tom Riddle the Half-Blood Prince?
Well, as Tom Riddle is the same person as Voldemort, and Voldemort is NOT the Half-Blood Prince… do I really need to answer this?"
<https://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/faq_view.cfm?id=57>

I think that means no.

I desperately hope Dumbledore does not die in the next book.  That would devestating!   What would Harry do without Sirius and Dumbledore?  I really have no clue.  Every time I re-read the books I look for a specific thing, such as: all of the instances in which socks, watches, frogs, and lemons/lemon-flavoring are mentioned (have you noticed how frequently these things come up?), all of Ron's statements (he has some great lines and a lot of times they foreshadow things that happen in the future), etc.  Now that we are talking about it, I am really curious.  I need to go read them again and pay attention to all of the death omens.

[alexed]

bizgirl: that was exactly the quote i was talking about! don't think i haven't read her site!! the point is, she DIDN'T categorically state that it wasn't tom riddle, did she? she could easily have said, No. but she didn't..

unless she wanted us to think it is him.. now i'm confused..

[Daniel_piano]

I think Harry Potter is good
I read the first book before it became famous
I suggested people to read it and they always said "I'll never read that stupid stuff" then it became famous and all of them read it, go figure

The first books were better than the last ones and I think the books laked some details on the people feelings and relationships while it was grate in making detail about a parallel magical world where impossible and magical things (as well as kind of absurd things) happens
The Harry Potter saga is good in convey the feeling of "impossible plausible" while sometimes it can also generate the feeling of "possible implausible" (like a school game, Quiddich,  so violent that one can lose ones life)

Anyway, I think I'm less willing to say that Harry Potter is a masterpiece of fantasy genre because of other books published before Harry Potter who managed better the creation of a parallel magical world while also being really detailed in describing characters emotions and feelings, and I think they're superior to Harry Potter

I'm talking about the:
Narnia Chronicles Series:
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Magical Nephew,  Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Horse and his boy, The Silver Chair and  The Last Battle.

and the Time Series: A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, Many Waters and Swiflty Tilging Planet

Now, I'm not saying these series are identical to Harry Potter series, although they are both fantasy, involve magic and have kids as characters, but in judging the book merits in creating a fantasy world and giving detailed description of characters feelings and emotions there are better imo than Harry Potter as Harry Potter characters are sometimes too much black and white as well as being sometimes dull and not perfectly detailed in their range of emotions, fears, love, affection, friendship , doubts and so on

Daniel

[noelle]

I like Harry Potter, also.  It's a light, quick read; I can pull off four pages a minute easily because the text is so big and the structure so simple

The 800 page books are all so people can say "umg I just read this MONSTER BOOK."  Ahem.

I don't think it should be glorified on the grounds of research and symbolism.  Heck, before Rowling there was ... hmm ... Hawthorne, Dickens, Austen, Brontë, Tolkien, Conrad, Carroll, Lewis, and many other famous authors.  I'd say a number of them have just as much - or more - symbolism/research/planning, but most people seem to hear "Classics are those books you want to have read, but don't want to read" and avoid them at all costs, except for school.  Because of the antiquated dialects, they're not so "light" and thoughtless; the symbolism is, often, less obvious.  I thought the same of The Da Vinci Code - nice idea, but making the symbolism ridiculously obvious, etc., etc., sort of ruined the intellectualism in it for me.

[jgoo]

I am a dangerously obsessed Harry Potter fan. (Of the books, the movies are good as movies, but they suck bigtime as adaptations). I've read the first four books several times each and I'm more than halfway through my second read of the fifth book.

To the person who said that HP is not for kids, I agree! The first book may have made it seem like that, but even JKR herself has said that the first book was that way just to ease Harry and the readers into the wizarding world.

Anyway, in Half-Blood Prince (book 6), I think that there are going to be a few deaths (obviously, the wizarding world is officially at WAR again since the end of Order of the Phoenix) but I don't think that Dumbleldore will die until the 7th book, if he dies at all. From what JKR has told us www.jkrowling.com (SPOILER WARNING, DO NOT READ ON IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS) there is going to be a new minister of magic, and, contrary to popular belief, it is NOT going to be Arthur Weasley (I wanted it to be him too). Hermione will be turning 17 shortly after the school year starts, and Ron will turn 17 towards the end of the school year, which means that they will both have come of age and will probably obtain their apperation licenses. (Harry doesn't get to be 17 until the very beginning of book 7).

I think that it's obvious that Ron and Hermione are going to get togehter, but I don't know who Harry will get together with yet (and JKR has hinted that he will date again now that the Cho disaster has passed). A lot of people think that he and Ginny will go out, something that I would hate if that happened. Others think that he'll go out with Luna (gag. I like Luna, but not the idea of her and Harry going out). Ever since the third book, I've wanted Harry to go out with Lavender Brown. I think that she likes him, even though he hasn't really showed any signs of liking her. I think that it's also plainly obvious that Draco and Pansy (GAG!) are an item.

I think that we'll be seeing at least one more priori-incantatem before the series ends, but I think that won't be until book 7.

Rita Skeeter's year long writing ban ended at the very end of OOTP, so we'll get to see what she turns out next, and if she will continue to ruin reputations or not. It'll also be interesting to see Hermione's reaction to the end of the ban and her agreement with Rita. And speaking of Hermione, I have a feeling that S.P.E.W. will somehow come back into play, but I'm not sure if it will be in a good way or a bad way right now, because it really could go either way at this point!

Okay, during the battle in the Department of Mysteries, Ron was attacked by a swarm of brains, which left scars on him. Whose brains where they? I think that they may be the brains of dead unspeakables, possibly kept around to keep their ideas and thoughts alive. It will be interesting to see what effect this attack will have on Ron. Will he have extra memories or thoughts that don't belong to him? It'll also be interesting to see the effects of the attack on Hermione, and if she'll be "different" or not.

Okay, so Umbridge is gone from Hogwarts now (I can't believe that she wasn't killed in the cenataur (sp?) attack!). So, we will have a new DADA teacher to look forward too (of course!) and we will have to wait and see what will become of the D.A. My feeling is that it will become a school wide club.

Okay, now we come to Grawp. JKR has said that he will be more controlable in HBP. Perhaps he'll also learn a bit more English by then too. I think that he may be the key to getting at least some of the giants on the good side. I have a feeling that the entire giant population is going to be torn between good and evil, not moving to either one side or  the other as a whole.

And finally, the dementors, which I most definately think will move to Voldemort's side. I don't think it will be too long before there is a major break out at Azkaban in which all of the caught death eaters from the DOM in book 5 will be free again, along with everybody else in the wizarding prison. I can't wait for Harry to meet up with Lucius Malfoy again! I also really hope that Neville will get the honors of killing off the escaped death eater Bellatrix, or giving her a fate worse than death! Sweet, sweet revenge for what she did to his parents. I know that some people will disagree and say that Harry should get to do it (because of a certain thing that she did to somebody in book 5, won't say what though so that I won't spoil it for people who haven't read it yet) but I really think that Neville deserves to be able to do that so much more.

Okay, this was a long post. Sorry.

[galonia]

And finally, the dementors, which I most definately think will move to Voldemort's side. I don't think it will be too long before there is a major break out at Azkaban in which all of the caught death eaters from the DOM in book 5 will be free again, along with everybody else in the wizarding prison.

I thought that already happened in Order of the Pheonix.  At the end, doesn't Draco point out to Harry that since there's no one guarding Azkaban, his dad will be out again in no time?

I refuse to watch the movies since I love the books too much.  But the, when my father was watching the first film on tv recently, I caught a bit of it, and when Harry meets Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, the first thing I thought when I saw Voldemort in his black cloak was...

Darth Vader!!!

[Bob]

(head spinning from jgoo's post)

Yes, now I remember....  I couldn't keep track of it all and just plowed through that last book that came out.   It's getting too complicated for me....

[alexed]

The 800 page books are all so people can say "umg I just read this MONSTER BOOK."  Ahem.

erm... really? i don't think that's why she wrote it you know! i think it's somehow more to do with the fact that she had a storyline!

[jgoo]

I thought that already happened in Order of the Pheonix. At the end, doesn't Draco point out to Harry that since there's no one guarding Azkaban, his dad will be out again in no time?

Well, Dumbledore did tell Fudge to remove the dementors from Azkaban at the end of OOTP, but I don't think that at that point they were already completely out of ministry control. Remember, it was (SPOILERS!!!) Umbridge who sent the dementors after Harry down the alley between Magnolia Cresent and Wisteria Walk. And Umbridge is, as she reminded us constantly "a fully qualified ministry official", and although she is evil, she is not in leauge with Voldemort. (To quote from Sirius: "The world isn't divided into good people and death eaters.").

[jgoo]

Another thing, I just remembered, yes, there was a major jailbreak during OOTP (the one in which Bellatrix Lestrange, along with several other deatheaters, escaped, and it was believed by the ministry that Sirius Black was their "Rallying Point"). I did touch on that jailbreak in an earlier post, but forgot about it in my last one. What I was talking about was that I think that deatheaters caught in the Department of Mysteries at the end of OOTP will break out not too far into Half-Blood Prince. HOWEVER, it is something that definately won't be happening right away. JKR has said that now Lucius is in Azkaban that we WILL be seeing some more of Narcissa Malfoy (so far we've seen her but she hasn't had any speaking parts). So, the jailbreak will happen, but not before we get to know Narcissa a little more first.

[galonia]

Well, Dumbledore did tell Fudge to remove the dementors from Azkaban at the end of OOTP, but I don't think that at that point they were already completely out of ministry control. Remember, it was (SPOILERS!!!) Umbridge who sent the dementors after Harry down the alley between Magnolia Cresent and Wisteria Walk. And Umbridge is, as she reminded us constantly "a fully qualified ministry official", and although she is evil, she is not in leauge with Voldemort. (To quote from Sirius: "The world isn't divided into good people and death eaters.").

Oops - sorry jgoo - Dumbledore told Fudge to remove the dementors from Azkaban at the end of Goblet of Fire, not Order of the Phoenix.  And the jailbreak that happened in Order of the Phoenix was because the dementors had joined Voldemort (you're right, they were still under ministry control at the start of the novel).

[jgoo]

Too right you are. I was getting the two mixed up. I was thinking that Dumbledore gave those instructions to Fudge along with removing Umbridge from Hogwarts and to make the aurors stop searching for Hagrid. But yes, he did tell Fudge to take the dementors out of Azkaban in the end of the fourth book, not the fifth. I'm still in the middle of re-reading OOTP and I've only read it once before, and I haven't gotten to the jailbreak this time through yet, so I couldn't remember all of the details surrounding it.

[jgoo]

Let's go back to who might die. First though, let's count the deaths in Harry Potter so far:

(EXTREME SPOILERS AHEAD. DON'T READ ON UNLESS YOU DON'T MIND KNOWING WHO HAS DIED IN BOOKS 1-5 OR YOU HAVE ALREADY READ IT! LAST CHANCE: DO NOT KEEP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT THESE SPOILERS!)

Book 1:

Professor Quirrell (was killed after trying to kill Harry. The protection Harry got from his mother Lily kicked in when Quirrell was touched by Harry (or when Quirrell tried to touch Harry). Vapormort, who was possessing Quirrell at the time, got away).

Book 2:

In a way, Tom Riddle. (The memory that he stored of himself in his diary.)

Book 3:

Nobody that I can think of died at any time during this book, though there were a few close calls.

Book 4:

Frank Bryce (The old muggle murdered by Lord Voldemort at the beginning of the book. He was the Riddles' gardener.)

Bertha Jorkins (The witch who worked for the ministry, killed by Lord Voldemort after having Wormtail kidnap her for him. He cursed and tortured her until she gave him all the information he could get from her before finishing her off.)

Barty Crouch Sr. (Was killed by his son Barty Crouch Jr. while disguised as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody on the grounds of Hogwarts.)

Cedric Diggory (Was murdered by Wormtail on the orders of Lord Voldemort on the night of the third task, after he and Harry arrived at the graveyard via the triward-cup portkey).

Barty Crouch Jr. (Was actually given a fate worse than death when Cornelius Fudge brought a dementor with him when going to interview Crouch Jr. The dementor immediately performed the kiss upon sensing Jr.'s presence).

Book 5:

Karkus (the Gurg of the giants at the time Hagrid and Madam Maxime arrived to wherever the giants are hiding at. He was killed during a fight amongst the giants and his head was found at the bottom of a lake. A giant named Golgomath then replaced Karkus as Gurg).

Broderick Bode (An unspeakable who was injured in a deatheather attack and lost his power of speech. While recovering in St. Mungos Hospital he was assassinated by a so far unknown person, who gave him a devils snare plant disquised as a harmless plant as a gift. The devils snare strangled Bode to death).

Sirius Black (Was killed in the battle at the Ministry of Magic by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. They were in a room in the Department of Mysteries when Bellatrix hit Sirius with a so far unknown spell, which sent him falling backward through the mysterious veil, which properties are so far unknown).

Okay, so have I forgotten anybody? If so, please let me know.

(END SPOILERS)

Okay, so we know that JKR deffinately isn't affraid to kill people off, whether we know them or not, whether we love them or not. In book 6, the wizarding world is officialy at WAR. All of those deaths happened during a time outside of war, which means that we can probably expect a great number of deaths throughout the last two books. I for one fear that Hagrid will die. I feared for him in the fifth book too. He's the only one that I can think of right now that I'm really scared of him dying soon. I think that Lupin is going to live through the end of the series, despite the whole thing with him being a wereworlf and Wormtail now having a silver hand. Though that is a good argument for his death, I just have this feeling that Lupin will make it through.

[galonia]

I also think Remus Lupin will survive, and I think Dumbledore will die, but not in the sixth book, I think he will die in the seventh book.  It is through Dumbledore's dying that Harry can manage to kill Darth Vader somehow.

I think McGonagall will live, I think Ron and Hermione will live, I think Draco Malfoy will live (because even after the defeat of Voldemort, the battle between good and evil never really ends, does it?)

I really have no opinion or feelings about who will die in the sixth book - wish I did, so then I could see if I'm right... before the fifth book came out, I had a hunch that Sirius would die, although I also thought JKR wouldn't be so mean, surely...

[minimozart007]

I would have to say.... Harry hooks up with Ginny or Hermy

[Asho]

I enjoy the Harry Potter books quite a lot.  The books are great and the films aren't in my opinion.  I developed a love of fantasy from Harry Potter, and have branched out into:

Raymond E Feist: The Riftwar Saga
Robert Jordan :The Wheel Of Time
Tolkein: LOTR
R.A Salvatore: Anything he's wrote from Demon War to Forgotten Realms
Terry Pratchet: Discworld

and a few others