It surprises me but for some in the Fantasy community, Harry Potter is considered the black sheep of the family. Like it if you must, but we’d rather you didn’t. I’ve even seen people argue that it’s not fantasy at all – you know, despite the magic and the wands and the house elves and dragons and such stuff.
I resisted Harry Potter when it first came out. I’d covered a lot of fads and this had fad written all over it. But I was working for a magazine around the time of the first movie and needed to write an article about it. Now some can know nothing about a property and write about it as if they are a fan but I think such articles lack an honesty that can get the writer rumbled if they slip up on a fact. So I decided that I had to read the first book.
I remember sitting down that night thinking “well at least it’s short” and then being hit with how great the book was. I went out and bought the other 3 books then available in the series the very next morning.
Because I’ve been keen to avoid spoilers, it’s meant that for the last 3 books I pretty much locked myself away for 24 hours and read them solid. I knew, doing what I did, I’d not be able to turn on the computer without getting some spoiler.
I’d like to go back and re-read them all at some point but for now I’m just happy to re-enjoy them through the films. And I really can’t wait until Deathly Hallows. It was an exciting book and the film looks fab