Harry Potter: Like it or hate it?

[hArdyPUNKmArk]

** Possible spoilers if you haven't read the books **

What's everyone's opinion on the books (Not the movies). I am a big fan and have read the series numerous times especially the last 5. I loved it and still do, what are your thoughts on the Boy Who Lived?

JK Rowling published the books between 1997 (Philosophers Stone) and 2007 (Deathly Hallows). As each book was released there seemed to be more excitement and more fanfare every time. I remember growing up and waiting for each book to be released and it was a very exciting time when the time finally came to read a new adventure.

The stories from Harry learning from Hagrid that he is a wizard to Harry defeating Voldermort were great, in depth and a joy to read. I'd like to know what everyone else liked and didn't like so we can get a decent discussion going about the series.

Post away

 

[HBK-aholic]

I LOVE them. I've read them so often I could practically read them to you without the book in front of me. They're interesting, and I've never seen anything grasp both adults and children so much - to the extent people queue outside bookstores in the middle of the night to be one of the first.

The twist with Snape was one of the best things I've ever read; I honestly almost dropped my book and my jaw dropped. It was so great.

I'm aware of all the criticism it gets from those boring literature people. The simple reason being because it's pretty easy to understand. Only the likes of Shakespeare, or Charles Dickens are seen as brilliant. Why? Because you actually have to think to understand. *Yawns* I really don't want to do with with what's supposed to be an action-packed book. It'd be pretty damn impossible, and a horrible read.

 

[X]

I don't care if it makes me a geek or a loser, I adore the Harry Potter series and always will. I grew up with the books and remember reading the first one when it came out and everyone was talking about this crazy new fantasy book called Harry Potter. I instantly fell in love with it. It took all of the fantasy elements of something like Lord of the Rings, and made it accessible to everyone and easy to read.

I spent a few years really obsessed with HP. I used to RP it in the old AOL chat room days, I've read every book more then once, and I've seen every movie more then once. I cannot wait until the new film comes out in a few weeks.

Harry Potter just has this really personal connection to me. As weird as it may sound, HP was a stepping stone to meeting a lot of people that were/are extremely important parts of my life. The first serious girlfriend I ever had I met at the midnight release of the Goblet of Fire.

So yeah, I more then like it, I love it, and in a very personal way. They'll always hold a special place in my heart like virtually nothing else (outside of maybe growing up with wrestling) ever will. JK Rowling just doesn't realize how much she changed so many of our lives with those books.

 

[The Rob]

I don't really like reading books. I just don't have the time to sit down and read a book. However, the Harry Potter is the exception to this. I love the Harry Potter books, their all magnificent pieces of work. Each of the 7 books have their strengths and each are great in their own way.

I love the characters, the setting and the style that the book is written. JK Rowling wrote all the books so well. Plus if we're honest, love it or hate it Harry Potter has made a positive contribution to society as it has encouraged children and adults worldwide to switch off their TV's/Playstation's etc and read.

 

[Razor]

I like them as a whole. The build over the novels was fantastic. She somehow made Harry Potter slowly gathering a group of 6 (give or take) friends ready to fight believable. You weren't at all surprised when everyone started dying in the Deathly Hallows. And that final battle at Hogwarts? Fuck yeah. It was perfect.

One thing I would count as a negative against the series? Harry Potter, from about the 4th book onward, spent at least half of every book complaining. My god. It went straight from "Man. This sucks. Bad guys are everywhere" to "Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah. 15 chapters of wah." I understand he's a teenager growing up AND having to fight all powerful evil wizards. But heroes are only supposed to complain so much. Then they grow a pair and man up.

 

[Blade]

No one should be ashamed at liking the Harry Potter books. I know they were aimed at younger people at first, but the storytelling in each book has yet to be rivaled by an author this century. And certainly not by Dan Brown... Anyway.

The books arer some of the most brilliant and consuming stories I have ever read, they should go down in history as such.
In Ireland, the goverment is considering making them part of the english syllabus for secondary school. That's how good the books are.
And they're not "kids" books . The darkness and despair in the books from the third onwards (And even in the first two a little bit) are very adult orientated.
And the twists are amazing. I wonder how she managed to come up with one amazing twist, let alone 7 or so.
And of course, we should always be thankful to JK Rowling that we didn't open the cover of the last Harry Potter book only to read "I've got more money than the queen, screw this..."

 

[Shadowmancer]

Yep I have read Harry Potter, the entire plot is ripped anyway, the characterisations get blander and blander as the series progresses, JK Rowling doesn't even develop so called important characters and expects people to go along with it. Its almost like Vince Russo wrote the book. It is only popular because there are movies made about it now. It took until 1978 before an attempt at a movie was put out. Harry Potter is a flash in the literary pan. It is actually a terribly written series with leaps in logic that are stupid in the first place. As a story with a happy ending what does it say, that a whiney person that is morally ambiguous goes off with the main character. That the main character is a right dumb idiot and has plot holes that are filled by simplistic narrative devices, oh how convenient Harry sees the Mirror of Erised before he needs to use it, it also just happens to be in the Room of Requirement. The sword and the pheonix show up because he believed in Dumbledore, what kind of bullshit is that. watching Wrestling gives a great ability to suspend disbelief, but the amount of utter crap within the series is in and of itself so poor that a dung beatle would struggle to even get near it due to it being that crap.

I am quoting from the fantasy book thread because I can't be bothered typing it all out again. Mainly to sum it up, Leaps of logic within the relationship side that make no sense, the plot holes that are created by narrative convenience rather than actually making sense. I gave up on the series from being decent in the end by halfway through the sixth book. when The entire idea of Harry was supposed to be being trained by Dumbledore, what did he get taught, nothing of actual use other than that Voldemort was a person that relied on things that had connection to the founders and all that shit. What help did he get for actually defeating the guy in the end? Not really much that wasn't already known, i.e that Voldemort was Tom Riddle and he was an orphan, that is something that could have been solved very quickly by making that statement. Why was there no training during the holidays between fourth and fifth years, why was there no training all the way through 5th year? If you want to set up for a massive fuckoff battle at the end wouldn't you have the hero preparing for it on the way through to it? rather than being a whiney little bitch that really couldn't be worth anyone's time?

 

[HereComesThePain101]

I read the first one when i was 10 years old and i still to this day love them. i have read the first six seven times apiece and the last one three times. they are still my favorite series of all time.

 

[Raw Power]

I really liked it, although I probably find it captures my imagination a little less now, the mystery elements and the way JK Rowling builds up suspense etc. is great - my favourite was probably Prisoner of Azkaban, with Half Blood Prince a close second due to how they told Vodlermort's life story, which was really cool.