NationStates Jolt Archive

Kinda a bit late I guess, but I only just finished listening to Stephen Fry's excellent (as usual) recitation of the last installment of the Harry Potter novel series, and reading the book also of course. So I thought I'd start this up for discussion among any NSG fans on there thoughts on it.

Stephen Fry could tell me that the sky is blue because it's full of many millions of magical blue fairies, and I would believe him.

And the last book: Seriously, where the fuck that all that Hallows shit and wand ownership stuff come from? That stuff wasn't even vaguely alluded to in the other 6 books, and it's the whole basis for how Harry defeats Voldemort.

A few days before the last book came out, Snafturi sent me what turned out to be a fanfiction deathly hallows book. I actually preffered that to the real thing.

It was too obvious that the ending was written separately, the writing changed completely.

It was too obvious that the ending was written separately, the writing changed completely.

Maybe she hired a new ghostwriter?

And the last book: Seriously, where the fuck that all that Hallows shit and wand ownership stuff come from? That stuff wasn't even vaguely alluded to in the other 6 books, and it's the whole basis for how Harry defeats Voldemort.


My friends and I have decided that she watched a whole shit-ton of anime when she wrote it.

The truth is that it wasn't anywhere near as good as the fourth or fifth books. I liked it, don't get me wrong. I got a sort of closure to the series from it, but it was just...sub par for the series. In fact, the only one I liked less was the second one.

My friends and I have decided that she watched a whole shit-ton of anime when she wrote it.

But then where were Voldemort's huge magic powered robots?

But then where were Voldemort's huge magic powered robots?

Doesn't have to be Neon Genesis Evangelion. Could have been Elfen Lied. We think it was the former, but she just couldn't find a way to work Evas into the story.

Doesn't have to be Neon Genesis Evangelion. Could have been Elfen Lied. We think it was the former, but she just couldn't find a way to work Evas into the story.

Evas aren't powered by magic, just really big extension cords.

Doesn't have to be Neon Genesis Evangelion. Could have been Elfen Lied. We think it was the former, but she just couldn't find a way to work Evas into the story.

Evas aren't powered by magic, just really big extension cords.

In b4 anime thread

i thought the ending was surprisingly weak. i wanted a huge duel between harry and voldemort, but noooo... VD's spell rebounds off harry and kills him. big whoop.

and i agree, the whole wand and hallows stuff seemed contrived, considering they weren't remotely used in the other books


still enjoyed it, though

Try searching the string Harry+Potter+alchemy or something like that. There was a detailed discussion of the structure of Deathly Hallows--interesting stuff. I think I found it via Orson Scott Card, but I don't remember for sure.

The wand ownership stuff is paramount. It all makes sense when one actually sits down and thinks about it.

Deathly Hallows FTW!!!!

The wand ownership stuff is paramount. It all makes sense when one actually sits down and thinks about it.

Deathly Hallows FTW!!!!

Yes, but it makes one wonder why it never came up before the last book.

Yes, but it makes one wonder why it never came up before the last book.

If anything, it should have came up in book 6. It would have made that book alot better. That I will grant you.

Stephen Fry could tell me that the sky is blue because it's full of many millions of magical blue fairies, and I would believe him.

And the last book: Seriously, where the fuck that all that Hallows shit and wand ownership stuff come from? That stuff wasn't even vaguely alluded to in the other 6 books, and it's the whole basis for how Harry defeats Voldemort.

A few days before the last book came out, Snafturi sent me what turned out to be a fanfiction deathly hallows book. I actually preffered that to the real thing.They talked about how strange the invisibility cloak was in the other books, and it's obvious that if the invisibility cloak wasn't so rare, someone important like voldemort would have one.

The whole point is that if the wand stuff was common knowlege, voldemort wouldn't have gotten killed. It think it's funny how voldemort is supposed to be so smart, and yet when harry went through the trouble of explaining to voldemort why his wand doesn't work, voldemort just pretended not to hear harry.

Seven was quite good for what it was: an adventure away from Hogwarts, with the gang on the run.

My all-time favorite would be number five: The Order of the Phoenix. The movie wasn't too hot. But then the book was so-long, they'd have to make T.V. series out of it to do it proper justice. The movie was just like a preview for what the actually Harry Potter movie should have been.

It's fine if movie people cut out parts of the book, but instead they tried to jam every element of the book into the movie in the most half assed way.

If I didn't read the book, I wouldn't know what the hell was going on in the movie. I wouldn't know why harry broke up with cho. Worse, I wouldn't even know that they where dating. There's one part where herminone says that cho "can't take his eyes off harry," and yet cho hardly even looks at him in the movie.

They also change things just to make more money. I don't see why they have to compromise the story to make money, many people are going to see the harry potter movies no matter how bad they are. But they do it anyway. They don't show harry being upset over sirius's death in the movie, just because they wanted a happy ending. They'll probably show him being depressed in the beginning of the next movie, just like they had him crying about cedric in the beginning of this one. The only reason harry seemed to be a good mood at the end is because they wanted a happy hollywood ending.

In the book, voldemort was repulsed by harry because harry was greiving over sirius. In the movie, voldemort was defeated just because harry had a flashback to a lame joke.

Another thing I would never understand if I hadn't read the book is the black curtain. There's no way you can know the curtain kills people. All you know is that it mumbles. That kind of wrecks the whole mysteriousness of the thing.

It's fine if movie people cut out parts of the book, but instead they tried to jam every element of the book into the movie in the most half assed way.

If I didn't read the book, I wouldn't know what the hell was going on in the movie. I wouldn't know why harry broke up with cho. Worse, I wouldn't even know that they where dating. There's one part where herminone says that cho "can't take his eyes off harry," and yet cho hardly even looks at him in the movie.

They also change things just to make more money. I don't see why they have to compromise the story to make money, many people are going to see the harry potter movies no matter how bad they are. But they do it anyway. They don't show harry being upset over sirius's death in the movie, just because they wanted a happy ending. They'll probably show him being depressed in the beginning of the next movie, just like they had him crying about cedric in the beginning of this one. The only reason harry seemed to be a good mood at the end is because they wanted a happy hollywood ending.

In the book, voldemort was repulsed by harry because harry was greiving over sirius. In the movie, voldemort was defeated just because harry had a flashback to a lame joke.

Another thing I would never understand if I hadn't read the book is the black curtain. There's no way you can know the curtain kills people. All you know is that it mumbles. That kind of wrecks the whole mysteriousness of the thing.

Just so.

Yes, but it makes one wonder why it never came up before the last book.

It did, in a way. Ollivander pointed out in the first book that the wand picks the wizard - implying a connection beyond just ownership. There are plenty of instances of people trying to use others' wands and having problems.

Thing is, the characters always thought it was just a matter of being used to their own wands or something along that idea. As has been said, it couldn't have been common knowledge, or Voldemort would have already known it.