Harry Potter

[Fellfrosch]

Since everyone's always takling about them, I went out and grabbed a bunch of Pratchett books and started reading them. Having now read four, will I get lynched for saying that he's not all he's cracked up to be? The city guard is very good, but the rest of the world just seems a little too...forced. Like he's trying to be as wacky as he can, and all he can think of is having the alchemists blow up every now and then, and making all the clowns sad.

[Slant]

The Discworld series are a mixed bag.  Many are tedious,  but there are quite a few gems mixed in.  One of my favorite characters is Cohen the Barbarian, a gutsy, sword-swinging tough guy who happens to be pushing eighty, yet is still out there with a sword in one hand and a girl in the other.  The vampire book (Carpe Jugulum) is also well written and funny.

[Fellfrosch]

Carpe Jugulum is sitting on my shelf, but I disliked the last witch book (Lords and Ladies) enough that I'm hesitant to read it. I'll probably give it a try, on your recommendation.

[Oxphocker]

well...  its funny, but I am a college student going into education and I get a great kick out of reading the Harry Potter series.  But then, I grew up reading things like the Redwall series and other sets like it.  Hey, if it's enteraining and people like it, then I don't see any harm.  At least people are reading instead of watching tv (excepting the movies).

[Lieutenant Kije]

I've only actually read the last chapter of the last Harry Potter book, but I saw the first two movies and I listened to the 3rd and 4th on CD on a road trip.  Having now established my Harry Potter credentials (meager as they are) I want see if anyone has predictions about the forthcoming fifth book...

[Mr_Pleasington]

While I don't have any real predictions, since the books have gotten progressively better I look to this next one to be really good...and something of a turning point.

I think the whole focus of the series may shift.  The door has certainly been left wide open for just about anything.

[Slant]

These are my predictions.  Keep in mind that they have no basis in fact, so are not spoilers.  They are merely where I think the books are going.

*  Harry Potter will get in serious trouble, and hero himself out of it.
*  There will be a romantic triangle.
*  Snape will be revealed as a vampire.
*  The real Mad-Eye will make at least a token appearance.
*  Harry will use his magic to get jiggy with Britney Spears.

Okay, so the last one is more of a wish-fulfillment thing than a prediction, but if I were a teenaged boy with magical powers, I wouldn't be sitting in a cold room in some weird castle trying to mix potions.

[Lieutenant Kije]

I think one of these years Harry should actually get expelled.  He's got to have some kind of ego for all that he gets away with and is rewarded for.  Maybe he'll carry it too far and actually do something really stupid and get sacked.  That probably couldn't happen until book six or seven, unless they finagle some way of reinstating him on probation or something like that.

[Mr_Pleasington]

Without spoiling the fourth book, I'd just like to say tha given what's happened that I really doubt school will be the focus of at least the next book.  Once things calm down I imagine school life will get on like it once was, but I given how big a target Hogwart's is I don't see how they can have classes.

I do predict that Harry's Aunt and Uncle will be targeted though and Harry must save them and perhaps they would come around...

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Part of me wants a massive 4 book arc to start: with a continuity instead of the brief episodes. I kinda think this is where it's going. After alll, Gryffendor won't have a problem with the cup, and they've won Quidditch. (of course, they introduced a new, better player to face down Harry,so that could be restored).

Another part of me thinks that will get away from the charm of the earlier books.

[42]

I'm with Mr. P, I don't think the daily events at the school will be as a large an issue in this next book.

I think it would be cool if Harry's aunt and uncle were targeted and then discovered they had magical powers too.

I can see Malfoy being kicked out of school, or withdrawn from the school, or completely rebelling and becoming Harry's new best friend. I think something has to happen to that character, he just can't stay at the school and pretend nothing happened.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I *don't* think Malfoy will become Harry's friend. It's not characteristic of him or of the book's progression. Though I'd love to see how Snape's hartred of Potter and favoritism for Malfoy works out. Rowling has some real potential to pull off some zinger reversals with that situation.

[Lieutenant Kije]

I agree with St. Ehlers in that the Snape - Potter relationship is great.  It's my favorite part of the books.

I don't see how Rowling can leave the school, though.  It would be too much of a departure from her formula (which has worked tremendously well.)  Perhaps it's in her best interests but my prediction is she'll do what's easy and keep her bajillions of readers and stay at Hogwarts.  The next book will have Harry's romantic life as a focus.

[House of Mustard]

I'm with you Kije.  I imagine that by August no one will have seen Voldemort for three months and everyone is just a little warily nervous.  There'll probably be heightened security at the school, but things will progress pretty much as they have in the last four.

That's not what should happen, but I bet it will.  After all, how many bad things have gone on in that school and they just carry on unconcerned?

[Fellfrosch]

Part of the charm of the books is how nonchalantly they shrug off horrible events--when Harry loses all the bones in his arm they just sigh and give him a potion and that's the end of that. On the other hand, one of the most mind-numbingly frustrating things about the books is that they take the same attitude with legitimate danger. The end of the fourth book is essentially the first time the adults get in gear and realize that this is bigger than prep school shenanigans, and the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. I think that if Rowling goes back to her standard formula, people will hate her.

She's really at a turning point--the end of the fourth book promised a lot of more serious adventure than we've ever seen before, and on top of that her core audience is getting older. But at the same time, her formula has worked very well so far and she's probably reticent to leave it behind. If this book is just another romp at school where they get into detention and ignore the serious dangers, there will be a big backlash. If the book strays too far from the formula there will be a similar backlash. She'll be treading a very fine line, and I'm interested to see how she pulls it off.