Yes, it’s almost time. I can’t resist a post about the forthcoming Harry Potter book, number 7, which ends the epic story of the boy wizard. Incidentally, my wife and I are only one book away from finishing another 7-novel series, which I think clocks in at a few hundred pages more, although we’ll see how heavy The Deathly Hallows proves to be.
You may think my reference to M. Proust suggests I intend to contrast high literature with middle-brow pop fiction, but actually I truly admire J.K. Rowling’s storytelling prowess. From the twisting moment in Goblet of Fire when Harry and Cedric end up in the graveyard, and the book turns out to be about a whole lot more than a competition for school bragging rights, I’ve been utterly hooked.
I’m thinking about jotting down some of the dangling clues and hints that have been dropped. What’s the deal with Neville’s parents? How did (or does) Snape feel about Lily Evans? Did we just happen to learn that Dumbledore has a brother? Where have the enchanted automobiles been? And will the wizard chess episode from Book 1 prove prophetic about the outcome of Book 7? (Ron had better hope not.)
We had a friend visit us this weekend, and we couldn’t resist hashing all of this out, repeatedly. Going to see the excellent film rendering of Order of the Phoenix on Friday probably ensured we’d be talking Harry Potter. The movie was excellently-paced, and whereas the last movie kept distracting me by pissing me off, this one never disturbed my suspension of disbelief.
One other thing. I’d be curious to see the velocity with which wikipedia’s massive Harry Potter content is updated beginning Saturday morning. Of course, I can’t witness it in real time, since the spoilers would be toxic, but I may take a look at the change logs later.