Book the Eighth : Harry Potter and the Depressed Fans
Warning: If you have not read HP and the Deathly Hallows, and you don't want any spoilers, stop reading. Go no further. Halt. Etc, etc...
And why are the fans depressed you ask? Well, because there are no more books goddamnit!
Yes, I am one of those nutty crazy Potterfiles who camp out for the novels (well, not this year...couldn't very well take the two boys to the bookstore to wait it out could I?) and who see the movies opening day (well, not this year...). For those of you familiar with the series, you know that Snape kills Dumbledore at the end of the 6th year. Because I have an unhealthy obsession with the greasy haired potions master, I held onto the hope that he was still GOOD and acting on orders. Praise be to Rowling for rewarding my loyalty. I cried ridiculously after Voldemort set his snake on dear Severus, at the way his life was just thrown away, for no reason other than pure selfishness and greed (But what did we expect from He Who Must Not Be Named??).
The book was excellent. The death toll rose ever higher and many tears were shed by yours truly. Laugh all you like, but after investing (literally) years of my life in the story of a little boy who one day discovered he was a wizard, and after making friends and enemies with the characters bound between the pages, the deaths were not merely those of fictitious strangers, but deaths of people who had come alive since I began reading their story.
My love of Severus Snape redeemed, I fully enjoyed the epilogue to the novel. As Harry is putting his youngest son on the Hogwart's Express for the first time, the little boy is terrified of being sorted into Slytherin House. Harry looks into his eyes and says, "Albus Severus, you are named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin, and probably the bravest man I ever knew." If that isn't a fitting tribute to one of the most complex characters in modern fiction, I don't know what is. Well, at least, in my humble opinion.
In other Potter news, I FINALLY saw the Order of the Phoenix yesterday afternoon. Beautiful film, really lovely. Lots of discrepencies of course, but allowances have to be made. Really enjoyed the set design and direction. Lots of the jerky camera maneuvers so often seen in horror movies from the last ten years, but they were used in taste I think, and worked well. Very impressive attempt from a British director best know for his television work.
posted by Samantha_K @ 10:47 AM
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