I Have A Vision of an Apocalyptic Novel
July 26th, 2007 | by Scott |Where I am the only one left in the world who hasn’t read a single Harry Potter book.
Seriously, am I the only one left? Are there any hold-outs left to form some kind of disaster plan when these people take over?
And for those of you who have read it, what am I missing?
30 Responses to “I Have A Vision of an Apocalyptic Novel”
By Hero on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
I haven’t read them or watched the movies.
I also never “got” Star Wars.
By Scott on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
OK, so I’m not alone. I can peek my head outside and see if it’s safe.
Now, Star Wars I get. I just finished watching the first three, the real first three, with my girls. They love it.
By Jim MacKenzie on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
I have read them (not the last one - it is still in the clutches of my 16 year old and I get it when she’s done), but they do not rate with LotR or other series I have read multiple times. I will probably not read them again although I can hardly wait until I tackle LotR again. The movies are the same way. I enjoyed them but they are forgettable.
By Scott on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
I remember you saying that back in the day. I can’t imagine it being at the same level of Rings or Narnia.
By hermit greg on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
Scott McLemee hasn’t.
By Jonathan on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
I joined the club earlier this week when we read the first chapter of the first book as a family.
By Scott on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
Great article HG links to. Here is an excerpt:
“A confession: I have never read any of the Harry Potter novels nor seen even one of the movies. Aficionados should not take this personally, for it has not been a matter of cultural snobbery or high principle, or even of deliberate policy. It is simply an effect of the scarcity of time — of hesitation before a body of work that will, in due course, run to some 4,000 pages and (by my estimate) more than 17 hours of film.
On the other hand, I’ve long been intrigued by how certain works of fiction create such powerful force-fields that readers go beyond enthusiasm, developing relationships with characters and their world that prove exceptionally intense, even life-changing. Examples would include C.S. Lewis, Thomas Pynchon, Ayn Rand, and J.R.R. Tolkien. (They are listed in alphabetical order, so no angry letters on slights implied by the sequence, please.)”
By Scott on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
Jonathan, nice knowing you.
By hermit greg on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
I also highly recommend the essay by Michael Berube, about how his son with Down syndrome came to understand narrative through Harry Potter, which McLemee links to there.
By matt elliott on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
I’m reading the first one to my son right now, and I’ve never read them before. I have to say, though, that it’s a pretty fun ride.
Judy Thomas — a true book lover and retired school librarian — has a nice take on the Harry Potter phenom, including the perspective that Rowling got boys reading books again:
http://judithannbrandonthomas.blogspot.com/2007/07/endings.html
By Scott on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
Yeah, I need to read them I guess. And I’ll probably give it a shot once all the furor has died down a bit.
I did try to read the first one back in 2000 and even attempted the audio book. I just didn’t like it.
Then again, I was in my death throes of fundamentalism as well and likened it to devil worship.
By The Other Jonathan on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
I think Alan Jacobs (professor of English at Wheaton College and author of The Narnian, a splendid book on CSL) is a commentator worth listening to on Harry Potter. He is a very astute fan of the series without overstating their merit. In this brief (recent) comment, he calls them “the greatest penny dreadfuls ever written“. For a lengthier article from 2000, see here.
By greg on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
So, you’re saying it’s not devil worship?
I’ve never read any of them. I saw the first movie and it was okay, but didn’t really compel me to see any sequels.
By Scott on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
TOJ, thanks for the links. I look forward to reading them.
Greg, they are most definitely devil worship. J.K. Rowling is the King Diamond of fiction
By John on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
Hey they really are fun ride and it’s great that while written for kids, granted really older ones, it still has alot to hold on to adults.
Just sit back with them and enjoy. This said as my wife and I are trying to share one copy of #7 and not fight.
By greg on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
King Diamond reference. Nice.
By Scott on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
Who doesn’t love some Mercyful Fate?
By Marie on Jul 26, 2007 | Reply
Scott, I have never purchased, owned, borrowed or held a HP book. I also have never really felt the need to do so. I’m not much into fantasy type stories. “A Wrinkle in Time” by L’Engel was about as weird and out there as I have ventured…
By That Girl on Jul 27, 2007 | Reply
I have not read the first word of Harry Potter. I haven’t even held one of the books in my hand. I’m probably a bad person.
By Scott on Jul 27, 2007 | Reply
There are a few of us left to battle the zombies.
I picked up “Your Best Life Now, the Harry Potter Edition” last night. I’m hoping that will enlighten me.
By JTB on Jul 27, 2007 | Reply
Brent read the first one–not sure why really, he hates fantasy as a genre even more than SF–and made me summarize #7.
What you’re missing: an inventive story sprinkled with eclectic mythological references and fun Anglicized Latin spells. And a nice showdown in which violence and brute force are defeated by the will to sacrifice self for others…a climax which reinforces the steady message that there are things worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for.
But after all they’re just kid’s books, so what can you expect, really?
By Scott on Jul 27, 2007 | Reply
but does stuff get blowed up?
By hermit greg on Jul 27, 2007 | Reply
Giants knock down walls over which big spiders scurry.
By Scott on Jul 27, 2007 | Reply
Now we are talking. If only there was monster trucks…
By Scott on Jul 27, 2007 | Reply
In all seriousness though I understand the appeal to those themes. I’ll probably read them in a year or so when my oldest is ready.
By John on Jul 28, 2007 | Reply
No monster trucks but a flying car or two.
By jeff_r on Jul 28, 2007 | Reply
Scott -
I read them as Molly read them - she started when she was 6. I quit after the 3rd book (HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban) because I lost interest. They are actually well-written (Rowling is a much better writer than Crichton, Grisham, Patterson, et al), though it’s certainly not literary fiction.
I then picked up reading the 4th book to Macy.
Molly’s read the first 6 books 3 times and finished the 7th book sometime Saturday (we were at the bookstore at midnight the previous evening); Macy is finishing the sixth book. I’m about a third of the way through the 7th.
They are enjoyable, escapist fun. Better than most of what you’ll find on the bookshelves of any bookstore.
By R-Liz on Jul 29, 2007 | Reply
I tried really hard to read the first Harry Potter book, but I couldn’t get through 10 pages. I have trouble keeping my focus with Fiction Books.
So you’re not alone, Scott. But I think I may be alone in being the only person in the world not completely smitten with Little Miss Sunshine.
By Scott on Jul 29, 2007 | Reply
Loved Little Miss Sunshine.
Jeff, how old are your girls? If Molly was six I might start with Chloe soon.
By jeff_r on Jul 30, 2007 | Reply
Molly started when she was in 1st grade (she’s entering 6th in a couple of weeks). Macy started last year while she was in 2nd grade.