The Continuing Adventures of Neville Longbottom
Sorry for the lack of posts, but we’ve been reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
It’s been our tradition, at least since Book Five, to read aloud to one another, Elvira and I alternating chapters. This time, we got the book a week late and even after a four day marathon read, we’re still coming in a little late to the discussion. Everyone’s already said almost everything there is to say , but what use is the Internet if not to say what everyone else has already? Rawling’s usual expository dialog and adverb infestation made things a little clunky at times but overall, I was pleased with the pace of the Deathly Hallows. The characters were, as usual, fun, well developed and there were just enough twists to make it really exciting. It would have been easy to do a by the numbers wrap up but instead, we got a complex tale of hard choices balanced equally by joy, resignation, defeat and triumph. all in all, a very satisfying ending to the series.
And I liked the Epilogue. Some people thought it excessive or a little too slight but come on folks, it’s Harry’s story, not Luna’s or Neville’s. As much as I’d like to know what Lee Jordan was doing nineteen years after the battle of Hogwarts, it can wait for the forthcoming compendium of all the other bits and pieces that didn’t fit into the books.
a few people have wondered if the epilogue might not be a set up for another series and all I can say is I hope so, but why just one?
Elvira and I were discussing it and there’s enough room in the world Rawling has created for at least two series. The first, geared towards children, could follow the adventures of the next generation of Hogwarts students. I’d love to see a dozen or so stand alone adventures, some featuring the Potter-Weasley clan, but others could focus on new characters entirely. Though, the adventures of Professor Longbottom and his herbology students would be fun.
The second series of books could be geared more towards the adult fans, focusing on political intrigue inside the Ministry of Magic, a sort of CSI: Wizarding World. After all, just because Voldemort’s dead, it doesn’t mean there aren’t a few recalcitrant Death Eaters out there, or just other Dark Wizards who feel that maybe Voldy would have succeeded if only he’d have been a little more sly. This could give us a larger picture of the adult Wizarding world, with Werewolf prejudice and blood purity politics, mingled with interesting characters who are a little more mature.
And it’s not like J.K. Rawling has to write every one of the books either. She could hire out the writing to a stable of up and coming authors, letting new talent shine but still keep editorial control with approval of the subject matter and plots of the books. Imagine the Star Wars novels, only readable and interesting.
Comments are closed.