Harry Potter 6 Thread (NO SPOILERS PLEASE!)

[bendogg]

I thought this might be a good thread to discuss the latest Harry Potter book. I just started reading it last night. Please don't post any major plot spoilers here (like what characters die)! I can't stand having the surprise ruined for me!

What are your initial impressions of the book? I was pretty surprised to see that it's only 634 pages long! With Goblet @ 734, Pheonix @ 870, I was hoping for 1000! I guess Rowling is trying to make the job easier for the Hollywood screenwriters who have to turn the book into a movie script.

Let's discuss the upcoming HP & The Goblet of Fire film here as well! I saw a 4-minute exclusive trailer @ Comic-Con this weekend in San Diego... It was SWEET! I was surprised at how fast the main actors are growing up! I think this film will definitely have to be their last one! What do you think? --Ben Dogg

[Jenny]

In the books, are they all still the same age? Or are they progressing in the books as well?

[bendogg]

Hey Jenny, (your avatar is SWEET by the way)-

The kids age one year in each of the books. I just checked Book 1, & Harry turns 11 there, so it follows that in #2 he's 12, 3-13, 4-14, 5-15, 6-16, & 7-17. The problem, of course, is that while the actors were probably the right ages when filming on Sorcer's Stone (Book 1) began, as time goes on they keep growing, and the producers can't always crank out a new movie every year. Then there's the fact that Rowling hasn't been cranking out the new books once a year. So, the screenwriters can't even begin to think about writing the movie script for Half Blood Prince until this week!

I had read a lot of speculation on the net that Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) would be the last movie for the kid actors, but they signed them back up for Goblet of Fire (Book 4). I think Goblet will be it for them.

They don't have the same problem with the older actors. First, they aren't aging a huge amount in a year+'s time as the kids are. Second, age is not a big deal in the books (at least for the adults). People seem to live for a really long time. I think Dumbledore is like 150 years old! Unfortunately, the original Dumbledore actor (Richard Harris) couldn't do likewise, and died before the Azkaban shooting started.

[Sir_Froggy]

page 606 does that count as a spoiler?

[bendogg]

No. That is a really good way to point something out to those that don't mind jumping ahead to find out what happens while not pissing people like me off! Good job! I'm sure there will be a spoiler thread started soon (or, you could start one) to discuss things more specifically. Thanks again for not spoiling it for me!

[TofuNinja]

I liked the book and I believe that JK set it up that if she wanted to go past book 7 she can now do it.

[bendogg]

I have not finished it yet (on page 80, finally got a day to sit down and read it). I'm sure J.K. could write 7 MORE novels in the series without upsetting anyone (and making her even RICHER!), but I do think she'll stick to her plan and only write 7 for this series. I think I may have read somewhere that she is considering writing a book to show what happens to all of the characters after 'The Final Showdown' between Harry & Voldemort. She could also write a pre-quel about Voldemort's initial rise to power.

Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins did this with the very popular Left Behind series of books about the end times and rapture of the Christian faith. They had also only planned 7 novels (one for each of the 7 years in the Tribulation), but stretched it to 12 before all was said and done. Within the last few months, they published The Rising, which was a pre-quel to the series and told about the birth and early life of the Antichrist and one of the series' main characters.

Anyway, back to Potter. I promise I'll start a new thread here to discuss the book's end (a spoiler thread) the moment I finish the book. I'm sure there are already a few out there, but I must stay away until I finish it for myself!

[gear02]

I WANT MY BOOK!!!!

I'm still overseas right now and I ordered my book from overstock and it's currently sitting in my apartment's office. I don't get it until I return to the US in early August :(

I was very tempted to buy a second book when I saw a HUGE stack of them in Kuala Lumpur's airport. Man...this hurts a lot. When book 6 came out, I read it all weekend, and when I couldn't finish before the end of the weekend, I took a sick day :)

[BigJon]

Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins did this with the very popular Left Behind series of books about the end times and rapture of the Christian faith. They had also only planned 7 novels (one for each of the 7 years in the Tribulation), but stretched it to 12 before all was said and done. Within the last few months, they published The Rising, which was a pre-quel to the series and told about the birth and early life of the Antichrist and one of the series' main characters.
Breifly interrupts...


I loved that series.


Back to Potter.

[brainsmile]

spoiler: "you're a wizard Harry" Hagrid

[InfiniteNothing]

Hey Jenny, (your avatar is SWEET by the way)-

The kids age one year in each of the books. I just checked Book 1, & Harry turns 11 there, so it follows that in #2 he's 12, 3-13, 4-14, 5-15, 6-16, & 7-17. The problem, of course, is that while the actors were probably the right ages when filming on Sorcer's Stone (Book 1) began, as time goes on they keep growing, and the producers can't always crank out a new movie every year. Then there's the fact that Rowling hasn't been cranking out the new books once a year. So, the screenwriters can't even begin to think about writing the movie script for Half Blood Prince until this week!

I had read a lot of speculation on the net that Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) would be the last movie for the kid actors, but they signed them back up for Goblet of Fire (Book 4). I think Goblet will be it for them.

They don't have the same problem with the older actors. First, they aren't aging a huge amount in a year+'s time as the kids are. Second, age is not a big deal in the books (at least for the adults). People seem to live for a really long time. I think Dumbledore is like 150 years old! Unfortunately, the original Dumbledore actor (Richard Harris) couldn't do likewise, and died before the Azkaban shooting started.

The actor started at 10 and I think if everything goes as scheduled he'll be 20 when the last movie comes out.

[VTGreg]

I have not finished it yet (on page 80, finally got a day to sit down and read it). I'm sure J.K. could write 7 MORE novels in the series without upsetting anyone (and making her even RICHER!), but I do think she'll stick to her plan and only write 7 for this series. I think I may have read somewhere that she is considering writing a book to show what happens to all of the characters after 'The Final Showdown' between Harry & Voldemort. She could also write a pre-quel about Voldemort's initial rise to power.

Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins did this with the very popular Left Behind series of books about the end times and rapture of the Christian faith. They had also only planned 7 novels (one for each of the 7 years in the Tribulation), but stretched it to 12 before all was said and done. Within the last few months, they published The Rising, which was a pre-quel to the series and told about the birth and early life of the Antichrist and one of the series' main characters.

Anyway, back to Potter. I promise I'll start a new thread here to discuss the book's end (a spoiler thread) the moment I finish the book. I'm sure there are already a few out there, but I must stay away until I finish it for myself!

This book sets it up well if Rowling wants to continue past 7 books. As for a pre-quel, I don't know how likely that is since a lot of the past has been explained through the series so far and much of Voldemort's past is explained in 6.

[bendogg]

Good point VT Greg, I hadn't thought about it that way. I think a post-Hogwarts book would be nice and would sell very well (kinda an unofficial Book 8). We'll see.

[Devhux]

AWESOME book -- I really enjoyed reading this one, although now I'm anxiously awaiting book 7. Two years is way too long to wait. :)

[gear02]

Dear lord...I just finished the book and I'm just stunned...

[bendogg]

I also just finished it and am depressed! I will, of course, not SPOIL it here for you that haven't read it yet, rather I will add my take to the spoiler thread already in existence: http://www.gotapex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90041