I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 on Thursday (opening night). Woweee! Completely awesome - there were tears pouring down my face for a full half-hour during the movie.
Talk about epic! I HAVE to see it again on the big screen real soon.
Snape's "revelations in the pensive" scene reminded me that I wrote a post on a message board on 25 July 2005, the day after I finished reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. You'll recall that Dumbledore dies at the hand of Severus Snape at the end of that book. This is what I wrote. I reckon I was pretty close, don't you?Oooh ohh! I just finished reading it last night too! I cried at the end too. I just didn't see that coming at all. Oh boy.
OK. Here are my thoughts. Apologies in advance at the length of them. Once I got started I just couldn't stop.... It's mostly about Snape ‘cos I find him fascinating.... *g*
I don't think Snape is a Death Eater. I think he's DEEP under cover and he has to stay that way. Voldemort is the most powerful dark wizard evah. He's equal in power to Dumbledore - pure evil vs pure good. Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to defeat Voldemort - of course, that's Harry's job - but I also think that he decided long ago that a double agent - a hidden enemy - would be much more likely to be able to weaken Voldemort in some unexpected way than he (Dumbledore) ever could. Thereby allowing Harry to finish off Voldemort at the end of book 7.
Did you notice when Snape was talking to Bellatrix and Narcissa about Malfoy's task that he never actually said anything specific until they had already mentioned it? He talks in very general terms - or says nothing at all - and lets Narcissa spill (some of) the beans herself. This makes me think that he doesn't know what the plan is at that stage, but wants to find out - and needs to keep under cover, whatever the price. That's why he agrees to the Unbreakable Vow - and why he twitches his hand when Narcissa puts in the final bit about doing the job should Malfoy fail. Because obviously he doesn't want to agree to that, but has to, or his cover will be blown.
So throughout the book we have Snape trying to find out from Malfoy what his task is - and Malfoy refusing to tell, thinking that Snape wants all the glory for himself. Snape has figured out that Malfoy has to kill Dumbledore - Malfoy says that Snape guessed it was him with the necklace and was angry about the fact that it could have "blown everything". Dumbledore also tells Malfoy that he had figured out he was trying to kill him. But Snape doesn't know details, and I think it's these that he's been trying to get out of Malfoy. I think that Snape and Dumbledore would have discussed it, thought through all the consequences of the Unbreakable Vow - and would have come up with a plan. The problem was, Malfoy never told Snape about the Vanishing Cabinets, and so Snape would have had no way of knowing that there would be other Death Eaters at the school that night - which kind of complicated things for him.
And once again Trelawney sees it coming in the cards. Cool.
OK. So they both know Malfoy has to kill Dumbledore. They both know that he may not be able to do it. In which case, Snape will have to do it for him. If he doesn't, his cover will be blown - oh, and he would die anyway, for breaking the Unbreakable Vow. Dumbledore believes that, in the end, Snape will be of more use to Harry than he (Dumbledore) could be. He's always looking at the bigger picture, and I reckon he knows he must sacrifice himself in order for ultimate good to triumph over ultimate evil.
Dumbledore makes sure that he gets the whole story from Malfoy before he dies - and that Harry is forced to stay where he is so he hears it all too. There's obviously stuff in there which Harry will need to know in book 7. I think Dumbledore is telling the truth when he tells Malfoy that he couldn't have spoken to him about his task, in case Voldemort used Legilimancy on Malfoy. But I think that's as much to do with maintaining Snape's cover as protecting Malfoy.
Having said that, I think Dumbledore's very keen to "save" Malfoy - to bring him back from the dark side - which means ensuring that Malfoy does not kill him. I think this is partly because Dumbledore has an abiding ability to see the best in people and to believe the best of them - and also - from JK Rowling's point of view - because I think she actually wants Malfoy to redeem himself in book 7 - for her readers' sake maybe? Bad boy turns good - "hey kids, you can stop bullying your mates and be a good guy instead" kind of a thing. Maybe?
The pleading with Snape just before he kills him wasn't to spare his life - it was to take it - something which Snape would have obviously not wanted to do (assuming I am right about Snape, of course! *g*). Snape's look of "revulsion and hatred" just before he does Avada Kedavra could be read as being towards Voldemort, and because of what he has to do, rather than towards Dumbledore. I think it's also possible that Dumbledore either knew he was going to die soon anyway from having drunk the potion in the cave - or, that he knew if he stayed alive, there was something in the potion which would allow Voldemort to read his thoughts or something (remember how he tells Harry that he didn't think the potion would kill right away, because Voldemort would want to know who had drunk it and whether they knew about the horcruxes). So he has to die before Voldemort gets inside his head, otherwise Snape's cover will be blown - and Voldemort will know that Harry knows about the horcruxes.
It's interesting also that Snape could have killed Harry as they race for the front gates - but doesn't - and that he stops one of the other Death Eaters from doing it too. OK, he says it's because he needs to be saved for Voldemort - like a mouse for a cat to play with - but then why doesn't he take Harry with him right then? Or he could just have gone against Voldemort's orders and killed off the only real threat to Voldemort's power. End of problem, Voldemort rules the world. OK, he might be a bit pissed off that Snape spoiled his fun, but still, he'd rule the world....
Did you also notice that Snape stops Harry from doing the Cruciatus curse - that's one of the Unforgivable Curses - in fact he says that to Harry as he parries away the half-spoken curse. Is this because he needs to ensure that Harry stays "pure", stays "good" and isn't sullied by the speaking of a Dark curse? [It occurs to me that this might also be why he's so angry with Harry for using Sectumsempera (which he describes as being Dark magic) on Malfoy - as well as, because, you know, he nearly sliced him open!]
And his mighty over-reaction in the chase to the school gates when Harry calls him a coward - he goes nuts! I think Snape truly dislikes Harry - can't get over what Harry's dad and his mates did to him at school - so imagine how he would feel if this upstart kid - whom he has sworn to protect at all costs - including just murdering his good friend Dumbledore for the greater good - just called him a coward when actually he's nothing of the sort. No wonder he freaks out!
And I think Dumbledore is definitely dead (much as I'd like to think otherwise). The fact that the Freezing Charm lifted from Harry once Dumbledore fell, and that Fawkes sang the lament and then flew away, makes me think that. Although, Harry does think he sees a phoenix rising from Dumbledore's funeral pyre, so maybe........ we shall see.
I think from a plot/storyline point of view, Dumbledore had to die - it is the classic Merlin/Arthur, Gandalf/Frodo pattern, isn't it? Wizard/mentor/father-figure teaches star pupil all he can, and then has to die off so that the boy hero can become a man and fulfil his destiny. (As far as Frodo is concerned, Gandalf is dead, so that still fits, even though G is resurrected.) In the end, Harry has to do it by himself. The fact that (if I'm right) Snape will help him somehow, which slightly spoils the classic storyline, is mitigated by the fact that Snape and Harry truly dislike each other, and that Snape can in no way be seen to be playing the father-figure/mentor role.
Interesting that Hogwarts may close next year, which means that Ron and Hermione are free to go with Harry on his quest with no regrets (which Hermione might otherwise have had) and that we have no regrets about missing school either, because there is no school. I also agree that Ginny isn't going to get pushed away quite so easily. It's a crap argument anyway – “I can't love you because then you'll be a target for Voldemort" I mean, Harry loves Ron and Hermione as much if not more as he cares for Ginny, so they'll be obvious targets anyway. Mind you, again going back to the "classic storyline" - the hero generally does have to kill the dragon before he wins the fair lady.... But I just think JK spent much of this book building Ginny up into a strong, no-nonsense kind of girl, who in the end won't allow the others to go off into danger without her.
And of course Ron and Hermione will get together. How could they not? She's been building up to that one since book 1!
So there you go. Did I fill a whole page???? I used to love English at school. I had a crush on my English teacher in fact. Sigh.
Technorati tags: Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, HP7, Snape, Severus Snape, Dumbledore, Voldemort, plot, character, good or bad, literature, JK Rowling, movie, WebWeaver's World, webweaver.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 - Snape's true character
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
It's 4.44am. I finished reading the book at 3.19am. I'll go to bed soon.
Unbelievably, despite the attempts by (amongst others) The New York Times (shame on you, NYT!), Alice and I managed to obtain our copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows completely un-spoilered - basically by switching off most access to the outside world for the past week - no TV news, no radio, very little internet (no surfing!). Oh - and iPods on from 11.01am onwards inside Dymocks... I never thought we'd do it, but we did!
The book is - awesome. I cried. Rather a lot. Rather a lot of times.
Some of my predictions were right, some were wrong. I won't tell you which, though.
I'm not going to spoiler anything for you. It's been a wild ride, and I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone else. I'll be re-reading it from tomorrow onwards. Once is simply not enough.
Thanks, Jo! You are a wonderful writer! Thank you SO MUCH for introducing a whole generation of children to the wonders of reading - and for reminding many adults of the absolute joy of disappearing into a beautifully-written story. As I read the final tale of Harry's journey I imagined millions of other people around the world doing exactly the same thing. In these dark times, a little bit of escapism, an opportunity to step into a fantastical world for a while, is never a bad thing.
Technorati tags: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, spoilers, book 7, New York Times, WebWeaver's World, webweaver.
Friday, July 20, 2007
One more sleep till Harry!
So here we are - it's Friday night - the night before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released in NZ.
Against ALL the odds (thus far at least) I have managed to avoid ALL spoilers. I have no idea what happens in the book. No idea at all. I have many theories, of course - that Snape will turn out to be a good guy after all; that although Harry may not be a Horcrux, his scar is (or was); that there are not only reflections of alchemy within the books, but Ancient Egyptian symbolism too.
I'm thinking we may lose Hagrid (*sob!*), possibly with Neville playing a vital role in the final moments of the destruction of Voldemort (in the same way as Gollum did for Frodo) - which means we may lose Neville too (*sob!*). I can't bear to think we might lose one of The Three - I just can't imagine losing Harry, Ron or Hermione - so I will choose to believe we won't until I find out any different. I think Snape might be a goner also. Nooooooooo! Not Snape! He's the most fascinating character of all! And I think we're going to lose a Weasley... maybe even Ginny (*sob!*).
Alice and I have tomorrow planned out - iPods at the ready, not too much eye contact with anyone or anything while we're at Dymocks (or on the way there and back) - and once I have my copy it's back home, close the door, phone off the hook, no internet, TV, papers or radio till I'm done.
I'm hoping I can read it in a day - I'm going to Otis's birthday party on Sunday and I really don't want to risk going out into the world without having finished it... but we shall see. At 600ish pages that's one page every 2 minutes - without any time for sleeping, eating, making coffee, going to the loo or watching the All Blacks thrash the Wallabies on Saturday night. Heh.
I realise I'm a bit of an... intense person. You'd think I'd have figured this out by now, but apparently not quite, until now. Seems I don't do anything unless it's at at least 125%. How funny. Well, what's the point of doing anything if you don't put your heart and soul into it? Apparently that's how I like to live my life, anyway.
See you tomorrow, Harry!
Technorati tags: Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, book 7, plot spoilers, end, last book, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Hagrid, Snape, Voldemort, Mugglenet editorials, theories, WebWeaver's World, webweaver.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Oh you bastard! You just gave away the ending!!
Advance warning: this post contains SWEARING. Young Harry Potter fans should probably stop reading now. It does not, however, reveal the ending (or supposed ending) of the book.
You know how it is. You’re planning to see that new movie you've been wanting to see for ages, and you mention it to a friend, who promptly comes out with "Oh my God! Yeah! I saw it last night and - you know the hero DIES at the end, don't you? And of course you didn't know. And you very much didn't WANT to know.
Well that's how it is with me and Harry Potter. You may already have realised that I am planning to be VERY CAREFUL when I go out and buy the book on the 21st, so that I don't inadvertently hear some 8 year-old screaming out the ending while I'm in the queue at Dymocks. And how I'm planning to put myself into COMPLETE ISOLATION once I get hold of the book, and not come out until I've finished it.
Well.
I just went Googling to see if I could find anything about the Embassy dispute with the movie distribution company and I saw a couple of search results saying something like "Hacker claims to know the ending of the final Harry Potter book"...
AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
I slammed Google shut in a hurry so I couldn't even read the headline properly. Fuckfuckfuck. I have been SO determined not to find out the ending before I actually read the book, and I KNOW it's a virtual impossibility that I can avoid hearing what this FUCKING hacker claims to have gotten hold of. It'll be in the paper or on the news or someone'll mention it or send me an email and I'll see it before I realise what it is, and by then it'll be too late.
I know that most grownups don't care one way or the other what happens at the end of some stupid kid's book, but I happen to care quite a bit, and I've enjoyed reading the first 6 books so much - I was really looking forward to reading the 7th book without having any idea of what was about to unfold...
I can't see any way of avoiding finding out what this hacker reckons they've discovered. 10 days is just too much time. I can't lock myself away from the world for 10 days!
It's not even that important whether or not they're telling the truth. If I find out what the ending is supposed to be it will colour my first reading of the book, whether or not it turns out to be the real ending. And that's gonna take some of the fun out of the experience.
Fuckfuckfuckityfuck.
Sometimes people just piss me right off.
---------------------
PS On reflection, I realise that I have no way of knowing how recent this story is, because I shut down Google so fast, you just wouldn't believe. So I could possibly be freaking out for no reason at all.
Which is potentially embarrassing as I've already emailed Shift's communal Fun email list requesting that no-one reveals the hacker story by way of the list. And the story might potentially be MONTHS old. I'm blushing just thinking about it. And of course I can't go check because it might NOT be months old and I might accidentally read the supposed ending while checking just how old it is.
I crack myself up at my intensity sometimes - I really do :)
Technorati tags: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Book 7, Harry Potter, hacker, ending, final book, kids' books, spoiler, hacker claims, WebWeaver's World, webweaver.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
No Harry Potter for you, young lady!
Alice and I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tonight. Perhaps I should rephrase that. Alice and I went out intending to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tonight.
The day they went on sale I had bought us best-seats-in-the-house at The Embassy for opening night. I was mighty proud of myself. Being a lazy kind of person (and because it hasn't stopped raining in, like, a month - well, it feels like a month, anyway) I didn't get around to picking up the tickets before the show. As things turned out, it would probably have been a good idea if I had...
We went to Catch for sushi beforehand, and then made our way to the Embassy. Funny... we couldn't see a single bit of posterage for Harry outside the Embassy... that's strange, they usually do really good job of advertising their movies... and where are the massive crowds waiting to go inside? Have we got the wrong day??? No! It's the 11th! It's opening night! Did we get the time wrong? No! I'm sure she said 8.45pm...
So we make our way up the stairs and there are literally about 3 people milling around waiting to go in... curiouser and curiouser - I was sure it was going to be really popular! I grab a copy of the screening programme from the counter and.... Harry is nowhere to be seen... Uh oh!
Seems that The Embassy's been having some kind of disagreement with the film's distributors, who pulled the movie from the Embassy the day after tickets went on sale, and sent it to Auckland instead! The rotten buggers! The poor old Embassy had no way of getting in touch with people who had already bought tickets (maybe they made an announcement - if they did, I missed it) so they must have been apologising to disappointed customers for the last two weeks - and tonight they had a couple more.
They were very nice, gave me my money back, gave us two free passes to use at the Embassy any time we like, said sorry (lots) and gave us the times/places of where it was screening around town... but they must be gutted. That would be quite a financial kick in the teeth for them. And what a pain! It's become quite a tradition for us to see Harry Potter at the Embassy... bummer...
So we rushed to Reading Cinema - sold out. Then we rushed to the Manners Mall cinema. Already started and sold out. Rats! So we wandered back to the Reading and booked tickets for tomorrow night instead, and the guy felt sorry for us so he gave us good seats at a cheaper price. Nice man!
After that we went to Espressoholic and drowned our Potterless sorrows in hot chocolate and cake. And tomorrow we'll (try) to do it all over again. Properly, this time!
Technorati tags: Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, movie, Embassy, distributor, dispute, cinema, theatre, Wellington, WebWeaver's World, webweaver.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - the last sentence
Continuing with the Harry Potter theme... let's see how the last sentence (or two or three) might pan out... :)
We know the last word of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is "scar" (probably!) so how about:
"Hurry up Harry, finish your toast or you'll be late for your first day as Minister for Magic," scolded Ginny playfully, as she kissed him lovingly on the top of his forehead, brushing her lips across his scar."
OR
"Harry!!!" screamed Luna, "Quick! Over here before Voldemort comes back! I can see a way out!" Harry grabbed his wand and raced across the cave towards her, but he was only halfway across the stone-covered floor when he felt a sharp pain sear through his brain. The last thing Harry ever saw was an intense flash of green light, and the last thing he ever felt was blazing green fire pulsing across his scar.
OR
"Oh crikey Hermione! Don't die now! We've just beaten Voldemort in the final apocalyptic battle - and I love you!!" cried Ron. But it was to no avail. Hermione, mortally wounded, expired in his arms. "Bummer!" thought Harry, "at least the worst I have to show for my battles with Voldemort is this stupid scar."
OR
As Voldemort kicked aside the pile of ashes that was all that remained of Harry Potter, he felt a strange prickling sensation on his forehead. He reached up with a clawlike hand and felt something that he'd never felt before - the raised edges of a lightning-shaped scar.
OR
"Come here Potter!" hissed Snape venomously. "You're mine now - and this time you won't get away. I have your wand, and all your silly little friends are dead. They can't help you now!" And with evil in his eye, Snape aimed his wand directly at the centre of Harry's scar.
OR
"Blimey, Neville," said Harry. "I can't believe it! Not only did you kill Voldemort and 113 Death Eaters single-handed - and brought Sirius back to life - but you also scored the wonderous Ginny in the process! I thought I was supposed to do all that!" "Oh Harry you idiot" sighed Neville. "Don't you understand we had to convince everyone that you were The One, leaving the way clear for me to fulfil the prophesy? That's why we marked you as a baby with that totally fake scar!"
Heh. Go on - you do one!
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Thursday, May 17, 2007
Making plans for Harry
No - I'm not talking about Harry Wales (that's 3rd in line to the British throne to you!) - although I note with interest that he's not going to Iraq after all. What a surprise! Ah well, guess Cornet Wales will have to sit on his arse at home while his men go off and do their thing instead. Wonder how they feel about that?
But anyway, I digress. I'm talking of course about making plans for Harry Potter - or more specifically, the release of Book 7 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We all need a plan for momentous occasions such as this :)
I was at Dymocks the other day, ordering 2 Harry Potters - one for me, one for Alice (hey Alice! What's up with the NOT blogging, dude?) - and I was thinking, as you do, about getting the book in my hot little hands and settling down to read it.
I plan to read it in as short a time as possible (the first time!), so I get to the end without knowing in advance what happens. I neeeed to read it without knowing!
This involves some pretty tricky planning:
I'm serious! (well ok, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little) - but really - can't you picture it? The ending'll be on the 6 o'clock news! It'll be across the front page of all the papers! If I'm not careful - if I don't turn my iPod up really loud - some 8-year old in Dymocks will yell "Mummy!!! Harry DIES at the end!" or "Mummy!!!!! Snape's a Death DEATH EATER!!!" and I'll hear them - and it will be all over.
Because I really, really don't want to know the ending before I get there...
Maybe I should take the day off on the Monday, just in case I haven't finished it by the end of the weekend...
So tell me - when you get hold of your copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - are you going to turn to the last page and find out what happens?
Technorati tags: Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, release date, New Zealand, release time, book, chidren's book, literature, ending, Snape, Death Eater, Dymocks, July 21, Prince Harry, Iraq, war, Harry Wales, Cornet Wales, WebWeaver's World, webweaver.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - cover art released
Bloomsbury has released the cover art for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!
The publication date for the final book in JK Rowling's series draws nearer and nearer. I've started re-reading the first 6 books in preparation for book 7. The speculation mounts - who's going to die? Will Harry defeat Voldemort? Will Harry survive? And what of Snape? Is he a baddie through and through, or a super-secret double agent?
Without further ado, let me provide you with yet more source material to ponder over. Here's the complete set of covers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - both the US and UK covers are here. Click on any image to get a larger version.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows US full cover art (front and back)
Hmmm. OK - I see in the background what at first glance appears to be the Coliseum in Rome - except it looks remarkably undamaged - and there are people (depicted only as shadowy figures) seated or standing all around the first level. Is it the Quidditch stadium?
Voldemort and Harry are in the foreground - both reaching for something? Trying to catch something? Or maybe they're both acting - each with an arm raised in dramatic declaration - because at the edges of the book are curtains. Maybe they're stage curtains? Maybe the Coliseum is actually a painted backdrop? The curtains are worn, damaged at the bottom, and there's torn up wooden beams and rocks in the very front of the picture. Will Harry and Voldermort's final showdown be in the ruins of some old theatre somewhere? Or in the middle of the Quidditch stadium? Interesting...
Harry seems to be wearing muggle clothing - a big brown coat and a green jumper, He's also got a leather pouch around his neck - an amulet? Or perhaps a Horcrux - could it be Slytherin's locket maybe?
Note that Harry is alone with Voldemort. Hermione and Ron are nowhere to be seen - and neither are any of their other friends. No Ginny, no Neville, no Luna Lovegood. And no wands. Neither Harry nor Voldemort are holding their wands. Is that what they are both reaching for, or what they have just let go of? Maybe they're both doing Accio spells to get their wands back...
Mind you, as their wands are "brothers", and we know they aren't much use against each other, maybe they're both reaching for something else. I would hope that by the final showdown Harry will have become far more skilled at wandless magic (and especially magic where he doesn't have to speak) - because I think he's going to need it.
UPDATE 30/03/07: After another look, I think Voldemort is trying to magically force something away from himself (look at the position of his hand - it's almost in a classic "STOP!" pose), while Harry is trying to bring something towards himself (again, look at the position of his hand - it's positioned as though he's waiting to catch something). Could be they're aiming at the same thing - Voldemort doesn't want Harry to have it (and doesn't want it himself either), and Harry wants it... Or it could be two different things. We shall see.
Whichever it is, it seems as though the final conflict may be between Harry and Voldemort - solo. I can't wait!
But wait! There's more, much much more...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows US front cover art
Ther's no text shown on the US cover apart from the title and author.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows UK full cover art (front and back)
Harry, Ron and Hermione are falling into a pile of treasure - coins, precious gems, golden cups and bowls - and a silver suit of armour in separate pieces - the most interesting of which is a helmet with a griffon/gryphon on it (or maybe a dragon?). Hmmm. Although Gryffindor's emblem is a lion, the door knocker on Dumbledore's office is a griffon. Wonder whose armour it is? They look pretty freaked-out to be there...
Behind Harry, Ron and Hermione, is a stone entrance through which they have fallen. At first glance it looks a bit similar to the archways shown in the Coliseum on the American cover, but if you look closely you can see it's actually circular, rather than an arch. A circle of stones marking the entrance to something. Are they falling forwards through it, or are they falling down into it, with the viewer looking up at them falling towards us? Like falling down a well? Or - are they being sucked back into it?
UPDATE 30/03/07: Having looked even more closely, I am now convinced that they are being sucked into the round entrance hole. Look at the direction in which their hair (particularly Ron and Hermione's hair) is blowing. It's being blown forwards - and that would only happen if they were moving backwards. Your hair is blown in the opposite direction to that in which you are moving (unless you're in a very strong wind). Try it! I rest my case.
The pile of treasure looks very shiny and well-kept, not like it's been mouldering at the bottom of a well of hundreds of years. Magically polished maybe? Could they have fallen into a vault at Gringott's? Through the entranceway you can see what looks like a sunset behind them - which is very similar to the sunset sky depicted on the US cover.
Hermione and especially Harry look very bruised and battered. Harry's robes are torn in places and he has scrapes on his arms - as does Hermione. It's obviously not been an easy journey thus far. Hermione and Ron appear to be wearing their dress robes. Ron's are green, Hermione's purple. Harry seems to be wearing ordinary black robes. Are they at Hogwart's? Were they at a ball or their graduation ceremony or something?
The most interesting thing of all is that there's something or someone on Harry's back - holding Godric Gryffindor's sword raised in its hand. There are rubies on the pommel, so I know it's his sword. As for who is on Harry's back - I can see a bald head and long pointy ears, so I'm guessing it might be Dobby or another house elf - or maybe it's a new character we haven't met yet. Or perhaps it's Kreacher! As Voldemort is now back to (nearly) full strength I don't think it's him - plus I think they would all be looking far more freaked out if it were Voldemort - whereas Harry looks like he's giving the creature a piggy-back.
On the back cover is the outside of Hogwart's at night, with a full moon. On the inside front cover we see Harry's patronus - a stag - in all its glory.
On the inside back cover is an interesting illustration - a snake inside a crystal ball. Is it Voldemort's snake, Nagini? Or a representation of the fact that Harry (the possible Heir of Gryffindor) must battle against Voldemort, the Heir of Slytherin (whose symbol is a snake)? Maybe it's a reference to Harry's ability to speak parseltongue, or perhaps it's a hint that once again Professor Trelawney will see the future in her crystal ball. Is Nagini a Horcrux - or is Harry the final Horcrux? Who can tell?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows UK front cover art
Here's what it says on the inside front flap:Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task; that of locating and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him...
In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited. The spellbinding, richly woven narrative, which plunges, twists and turns at a breathtaking pace, confirms the author as a mistress of storytelling, whose books will be read, re-read and read again.
And on the back cover:Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is comingf to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing - if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him with?
And on the back cover flap:JK (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling has written fiction since she was a child, and always wanted to be an author. Her parents loved reading, and their house in Chepstow was full of books. In fact, JK Rowling wrote her first 'book' at the age of six - a story about a rabbit called Rabbit!
The idea for Harry Potter occurred to JK Rowling on the train from Manchester to London, where she says Harry Potter 'just strolled into my head fully-formed', and by the time she had arrived at King's Cross, many of the characters had taken shape. During the next five years she outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997. The other Harry Potter titles: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, followed. JK Rowling has also written two other companion books, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, in aid of Comic Relief.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows UK adult full cover art (front and back)
The only image on the adult UK cover version (apart from a rather nice photo of JK) is Slytherin's locket - in gold, on a thick gold chain. It's one of those lockets that opens to reveal something - usually a lock of hair or a picture - inside. Wonder what will be inside this locket. It's engraved with a richly-decorated "S", encrusted with emeralds.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows UK adult front cover art
The text on the inside front flap is exactly the same as on the UK (kids) version.
Nothing's written on the back cover - it's filled with the photo of JK. She has some interesting books on her bookshelves - James Joyce, Jane Austen, Adrian Mole, Freud, The Metropolitan Museum, an atlas...
And on the back cover flap:JK (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling has written fiction since she was a child. Born in 1965, she grew up in Chepstow and wrote her first 'book' at the age of six - a story about a rabbit called Rabbit. She studied French and Classics at Exeter University, then moved to London to work at Amnesty International, and then to Portugal to teach English as a foreign language, before settling in Edinburgh.
The idea for Harry Potter occurred to her on the train from Manchester to London, where she says Harry Potter 'just strolled into my head fully-formed', and by the time she had arrived at King's Cross, many of the characters had taken shape. During the next five years she outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997. The other Harry Potter titles: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, followed. JK Rowling has also written two other companion books, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, in aid of Comic Relief.
As befits the release of more info about possibly the most eagerly anticipated book of all time, there's lots of coverage and speculation already. As well as having some truly massive cover images - which is where I got these ones from (thanks for the email, guys!) - the Leaky Cauldron's Leaky Lounge has some pretty interesting dicussions going on. Check them out!
Only 112 days and 23 hours to go! Woohoo! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows countdown clock courtesy of The Leaky Cauldron - get your Harry Potter countdown clock here!
MTV has an impressively thoughtful article on the covers - there's obviously at least one Harry Potter fan working at MTV. Wikipedia has a very detailed summary of what we know about the book so far.
MuggleNet does by far the best editorials - I'm sure there will be a very in-depth one about the cover very soon. In the meantime, here's the MuggleNet Editorial index page - browse away! And here's an interesting take from Beyond Hogwart's - Judging a book by its cover - check out the comments, too. And here's a good piece from the TimesOnline: Final Harry Potter cover unveiled and one from the St Petersburg Times: Spell in the binding. Enjoy!
Technorati tags: Harry Potter, JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, cover, book cover, cover art, illustration, UK cover, UK adult cover, US cover, July 21, release date, publication date, kids' books, children's literature, Snape, Dumbledore, Voldemort, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Horcrux, Book 7, countdown clock.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - release date announced
I love the Harry Potter books. I still read a lot of classic (mainly English) chidren's literature that I loved when I was a kid - Swallows and Amazons, The Borrowers, The Secret Garden that kind of thing - and I think the quality of Jo Rowling's work is right up there with the best of them.
I love the fact that she never dumbs down her language or concepts in order to cater for kids - which is just as it should be. Kids get it! And stuff they don't get at first they will understand as they re-read favourite books over the years. I first read The Lord of The Rings when I was 11 and I've re-read it pretty much every year since then - and I still find new things I'd never noticed before.
It's the same with Harry Potter. I've read all 6 books more than once, and there's always new things to discover, and new clues to pick up along the way. So I'm completely thrilled to see that the release date for the final book - Book 7 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was announced yesterday. It's due out on 21 July 2007. Woohoo! At this precise moment (according to The Leaky Cauldron's countdown clock) there are 165 days, 8 hours, 8 minutes and 39 seconds left to wait. And there'll be somewhat fewer by the time you read this.
Time to start thinking about reading the whole series through again in preparation for Book 7. Let's see - a week or so for each book - say 2 weeks to be on the safe side, 6 books, that's 3 months. Hmmm. Not quite time to begin - but soon.
When I had finished reading book 6 I wrote the following piece for one of my message boards (hi CH literature thread!), and I thought it would be interesting to revisit it now that book 7 is nearly here. It lays out my theory about Snape's role in the books, and my answer to the famdom-dividing question of Snape: Good or Evil?
Warning: this piece is basically one big spoiler of book 6, so don't read any further if you haven't read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yet (assuming there's anyone left on the planet who's still planning to read it but hasn't gotten around to it yet!)
Enjoy...
Monday 25 July 2005
Oooh ohh! I just finished reading it last night! I cried at the end. I just didn't see that coming at all. Oh boy.
OK. Here are my thoughts. Apologies in advance at the length of them. Once I got started I just couldn't stop.... It's mostly about Snape 'cos I find him fascinating.... *g*
I don't think Snape is a Death Eater. I think he's DEEP under cover and he has to stay that way. Voldemort is the most powerful dark wizard ever. He's equal in power to Dumbledore - pure evil vs pure good. Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to defeat Voldemort - of course, that's Harry's job - but I also think that he decided long ago that a double agent - a hidden enemy - would be much more likely to be able to weaken Voldemort in some unexpected way than he (Dumbledore) ever could. Thereby allowing Harry to finish off Voldemort at the end of book 7.
Did you notice when Snape was talking to Bellatrix and Narcissa about Malfoy's task that he never actually said anything specific until they had already mentioned it? He talks in very general terms - or says nothing at all - and lets Narcissa spill (some of) the beans herself. This makes me think that he doesn't know what the plan is at that stage, but wants to find out - and needs to keep under cover, whatever the price. That's why he agrees to the Unbreakable Vow - and why he twitches his hand when Narcissa puts in the final bit about doing the job should Malfoy fail. Because obviously he doesn't want to agree to that, but has to, or his cover will be blown.
So throughout the book we have Snape trying to find out from Malfoy what his task is - and Malfoy refusing to tell, thinking that Snape wants all the glory for himself. Snape has figured out that Malfoy has to kill Dumbledore - Malfoy says that Snape guessed it was him with the necklace and was angry about the fact that it could have "blown everything". Dumbledore also tells Malfoy that he had figured out he was trying to kill him. But Snape doesn't know details, and I think it's these that he's been trying to get out of Malfoy.
I think that Snape and Dumbledore would have discussed it, thought through all the consequences of the Unbreakable Vow - and would have come up with a plan. The problem was, Malfoy never told Snape about the Vanishing Cabinets, and so Snape would have had no way of knowing that there would be other Death Eaters at the school that night - which kind of complicated things for him.
And once again Trelawney sees it coming in the cards. Cool.
OK. So they both know Malfoy has to kill Dumbledore. They both know that he may not be able to do it. In which case, Snape will have to do it for him. If he doesn't, his cover will be blown - oh, and he would die anyway, for breaking the Unbreakable Vow. Dumbledore believes that, in the end, Snape will be of more use to Harry than he (Dumbledore) could be. He's always looking at the bigger picture, and I reckon he knows he must sacrifice himself in order for ultimate good to triumph over ultimate evil.
Dumbledore makes sure that he gets the whole story from Malfoy before he dies - and that Harry is forced to stay where he is so he hears it all too. There's obviously stuff in there which Harry will need to know in book 7. I think Dumbledore is telling the truth when he tells Malfoy that he couldn't have spoken to him about his task, in case Voldemort used Legilimancy on Malfoy. But I think that's as much to do with maintaining Snape's cover as protecting Malfoy.
Having said that, I think Dumbledore's very keen to "save" Malfoy - to bring him back from the dark side - which means ensuring that Malfoy does not kill him. I think this is partly because Dumbledore has an abiding ability to see the best in people and to believe the best of them - and also - from JK Rowling's point of view - because I think she actually wants Malfoy to redeem himself in book 7 - for her readers' sake maybe? Bad boy turns good - "hey kids, you can stop bullying your mates and be a good guy instead" kind of a thing. Maybe?
Dumblwdore's pleading with Snape just before Snape kills him wasn't to spare his life - it was to take it - something which Snape would have obviously not wanted to do (assuming I am right about Snape, of course! *g*). Snape's look of "revulsion and hatred" just before he does Avada Kedavra could be read as being towards Voldemort, and because of what he has to do, rather than towards Dumbledore.
I think it's also possible that Dumbledore either knew he was going to die soon anyway from having drunk the potion in the cave - or, that he knew if he stayed alive, there was something in the potion which would allow Voldemort to read his thoughts or something (remember how he tells Harry that he didn't think the potion would kill right away, because Voldemort would want to know who had drunk it and whether they knew about the horcruxes). So he has to die before Voldemort gets inside his head, otherwise Snape's cover will be blown - and Voldemort will know that Harry knows about the horcruxes.
It's interesting also that Snape could have killed Harry as they race for the front gates - but doesn't - and that he stops one of the other Death Eaters from doing it too. OK, he says it's because Harry needs to be saved for Voldemort - like a mouse for a cat to play with - but then why doesn't he take Harry with him right then? Or he could just have gone against Voldemort's orders and killed off the only real threat to Voldemort's power. End of problem, Voldemort rules the world. OK, he might be a bit pissed off that Snape spoiled his fun, but still, he'd rule the world....
Did you also notice that Snape stops Harry from doing the Cruciatus curse - that's one of the Unforgivable Curses - in fact he says that to Harry as he parries away the half-spoken curse. Is this because he needs to ensure that Harry stays "pure", stays "good" and isn't sullied by the speaking of a Dark curse? [It occurs to me that this might also be why he's so angry with Harry for using Sectumsempera (which he describes as being Dark Magic) on Malfoy - as well as, because, you know, he nearly sliced him open!]
And his mighty over-reaction in the chase to the school gates when Harry calls him a coward - he goes nuts! I think Snape truly dislikes Harry - he can't get over what Harry's dad and his mates did to him at school - so imagine how he would feel if this upstart kid - whom he has sworn to protect at all costs - including just murdering his good friend Dumbledore for the greater good - just called him a coward when actually he's nothing of the sort. No wonder he freaks out!
And I think Dumbledore is definitely dead (much as I'd like to think otherwise). The fact that the Freezing Charm lifted from Harry once Dumbledore fell, and that Fawkes sang the lament and then flew away, makes me think that. Although, Harry does think he sees a phoenix rising from Dumbledore's funeral pyre, so maybe........ we shall see. Maybe Nova's right and he will do a Gandalf....
I think from a plot/storyline point of view, Dumbledore had to die - it is the classic Merlin/Arthur, Gandalf/Frodo pattern, isn't it? Wizard/mentor/father-figure teaches star pupil all he can, and then has to die off so that the boy hero can become a man and fulfil his destiny. (As far as Frodo is concerned, Gandalf is dead, so that still fits, even though G is resurrected.) In the end, Harry has to do it by himself. The fact that (if I'm right) Snape will help him somehow, which slightly spoils the classic storyline, is mitigated by the fact that Snape and Harry truly dislike each other, and that Snape can in no way be seen to be playing the father-figure/mentor role.
Interesting that Hogwarts may close next year, which means that Ron and Hermione are free to go with Harry on his quest with no regrets (which Hermione might otherwise have had) and that we have no regrets about missing school either, because there is no school.
I also agree that Ginny isn't going to get pushed away quite so easily. It's a crap argument anyway – “I can't love you because then you'll be a target for Voldemort" I mean, Harry loves Ron and Hermione as much if not more as he cares for Ginny, so they'll be obvious targets anyway. Mind you, again going back to the "classic storyline" - the hero generally does have to kill the dragon before he wins the fair lady.... But I just think JK took care in this book to build Ginny up into a strong, no-nonsense kind of girl, who in the end won't allow the others to go off into danger without her.
And of course Ron and Hermione will get together. How could they not? Rowling's been building up to that one since book 1!
Ohohoho - and did you notice the veiled reference to possibly slightly more than snogging going on between Harry and Ginny???? When Romilda Vane asks Ginny whether Harry has a Hippogriff tattooed across his chest? Although Ginny reports that she made a joke of it and told Romilda it was a Hungarian Horntail, the fact that Romilda asks, and Ginny answers, and no-one's in the least bit surprised or shocked make me think that *gasp* Ginny has seen Harry with his shirt off. Oooh-er! Snigger.
So there you go. Did I fill a whole page???? I used to love English at school. I had a crush on my English teacher in fact. Sigh.
UPDATE 14/04/07: Since I write this post, the cover art for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been released. Here's my in-depth analysis of the cover art and what it might reveal of the storyline for book 7.
Technorati tags: Harry Potter, JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, July 21, release date, publication date, kids' books, children's literature, Snape, good or evil, Dumbledore, Voldemort, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Book 6, Book 7.
