No thoughts?

[Barnakunlogged]

Can't believe the OOC section isn't already full of tearful and outraged fans of the various dead characters.

I won't give away any spoilers, but I do have a few thoughts to put down that shouldn't ruin anything for anyone:

Book 1 had a style that was a cross between Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. Through books 2 and 3 JKR seemed to be finding her own style, and her own 'voice' became clearer, her writing stronger. Then everything went to shit in book 4. It was like she just didn't care any more. She'd lost the feel of half the characters. Speech sounded hollow. She didn't seem to know what age her audience was, and as the plot darkened and became more serious you could feel abrupt changes as she suddenly put in a few chapters of tosh for the kiddies. You could almost say, it was rather like Emma Watson's attempt at acting.

Books 5 and 6 were no better, and what with all the bloody 'shipping they were almost painful to read (one of my friends dubbed it 'Snogwarts' after reading 6). Then BAM: book 7 is a carefully crafted, well rounded piece of work that not only largely avoids most of the pitfalls of JKR's past writing, but also manages to fill in a few gaping holes. After reading the first paragraph, I turned the book over in my hands a few times trying to see if I could spot it as a forgery.

The only reason I do not believe that the entire book was ghost-written is that one could hear in several various snatches of prose JKR's voice and her own sense of humour and true sense of who her character's are. JKR's new editor, whoever you are: why didn't you appear earlier? You saved the book, and with it the hopes of several nations of fans. It was a truly enjoyable read, and brought back to me all the reasons that I stayed awake all night when I picked up the first one. I thank you.

On a less positive note, however, I turn to my favourite character. Firstly, I wish to shout this proudly, and I do not in the least consider it a spoiler, merely bad English: TOLD YOU ALL HE WASN'T EVIL!

Snape's character had more depth that Harry's right from the beginning, and I quickly lost sympathy with the many-foibled hero who seemed perfectly happy to jump to some very unscientifically-reasoned conclusions. Snape, bless him, is a child; unable to achieve the maturity to deal with his own feelings and take responsibility for them without resorting to violence of one kind or another, inward or outward. What he does have, that Harry lacks, is discipline. He is pretty transparent, and most of his character's inner workings are predictable right the way back to book 1.

And this is what bothers me. Everything that happened in book 7 (relating to Snape) was predictable from book 1. There was a single layer there. Nothing more going on. Just everything we could all see from the beginning. I felt bitter disappointment after reading book 7, not at the eventual outcome - which I had been convinced of for some time now and believe that in terms of plot device was exactly as it should be - but at the fact that it was so simple, that there could have been more, the tracks were laid for more, but no more was there.

I almost taste the jealousy for everything still being about Harry.

I will post the rest elsewhere so as not to give anything away. Read on, the unfinished, and enjoy.

[Godric Emerindyl]

Ah yes, Barnak, I could hear your squeals of delight (if indeed that is possible) when the final solid truth of Severus Snape was revealed. As you say Snape was a character with a lot of depth and many of us didn't think so much to be possible from the beginning, though in hindsight I am sure we'll all claim to have had. It was so deliciously possible that he was just a jerk without a cause and those of us who remember our school days will be able to remember at least one incidense when our teachers bring their personal issues to work.

Moving through the series it did appear there was more to Snape then meets the eye, and I will decalre now that Snape would have had a snow-balls chance in hell of hidiing his true alleigiences from anyone if they knew what his patronus was. I find it difficult to believe that no one else who knew of James and Lily and saw Snape's patronus; the fact that they did not put two and two together is just retarded. When I was reading the book I will boast the following; "The doe... hmmmm... Harry's mum... but she is dead.... someone close to Harry's mum? Snape maybe..."

more later. people waiting for me to watch a movie.

[Mariana Torrenne]

I found the book to be slow to start actually. The big scenes were as big as they needed to be though and it climaxed a lot throughout the book, but i thought it was a little silly how much time was spent on them travelling again and again moving the tent and so forth. I did really enjoy the book though and I think it was masterfully written. Quite easily my favourite of the series. A pity it is over, though I have heard that JKRowling is thinking about publishing an encyclopedia of answers to things she couldnt fit in the series.

I also saw an interview where JKRowling went into more details about the different jobs the characters had after the book. Like Ron and Harry totally revolutionising the Auror's office (though how they did this I dont know, Ron isnt exactly Einstein and Harry's not much better) though apparently they did. And that Hermione is very high up in the Department of Magical Law enforcement. Interesting! Or not... I dunno.

How about Neville becoming a teacher at Hogwarts! That is pretty cool I think.

I still think Umbridge should have been killed... or tortured again.

[Barnakunlogged]

I liked Neville teaching too: who knew he had it in him? He's probably terrified of his Slytherin students

Frankly I found Umbridge tedious, and though I can understand your desire to see her in pain, I just couldn't be bothered reading about it.

That's one thing I will say against the style of the 7th book. Find another way to tell it! Because if I have to read one more bloody letter, or book snippet, or newspaper clipping... Gah!

I thought it was a bit of a farce that all the Slytherins left. They aren't supposed to be 1-dimensional evil, are they? I thought they were just really ambitious and the nasty ones tended to congregate there. Some of them are just as proud of being at Hogwarts as any other student, so why didn't they defend it? That was a bit silly.

One more complaint: Borders has bookmarks pertaining to the OOTP film. But when I asked the girl at the counter, she said they never had any Hermiones and no Snapes! Woe is me. Why make anything without at least one of the three main characters? I hope they make amends next time.