hallows or horcruxes?
Jul. 22nd, 2007 12:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alenxa_classicMy original plan was to save Deathly Hallows to read during Comic-Con so I wouldn't be fighting ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kelson for the computer back at the hotel. That, however, got blasted all to hell in what started as a 5-chapter-at-a-time measured allotment and ended up as a marathon sprint through the whole damn book. I believe I actually finished it within a 24-hour period. And while I did catch myself skimming in places, I also forced myself to go back and reread every time that happened. (Darn faulty eyesweep.) For a huge book, it goes pretty fast.
Advice for those who can still take it: do go back and reread HBP, or at least the Wikipedia summary. (Warning, though: I just removed a spoiler from the article, which has been heavily edited over the last couple of days and may contain other spoilers.) You'll feel like less of a dope at some of the reveals. And if you're reading this without air conditioning, please remember to be considerate of your neighbors and close the windows at 11 pm or so. No matter where you are in the book at the time.
And now for the spoilers.
1. Not going to go too literary on this one except to say that it felt like The Silver Chair. This was a pleasant surprise because I was expecting something more on the order of either The End or the Belgariad. I very much like tSC because it dares to have the heroes act human and blunder around rather than doing what's been scripted for them, and everything works out pretty well in the end anyway. That's kind of how I feel about this book too: whether you concentrate on hallows or horcruxes, breaking in or staying free, you'll still reach pretty much the same end of the story. The adventure is in what you do with what you're given, not just what happens as a result.
2. I've got to hand it to Barb over at Fiction Alley for HP and the Time of Good Intentions. Snape/Lily's never been my cup of tea, but if unrequited is canon I can stomach that. God knows I'd probably have horrified some of the people I've liked in my day. Still, I'm not sure whether to classify the entire Snape reveal section as plain reveal or a Re Vision. I can just imagine the legions of Snape fangirls poinging around over the next few weeks. Might alter the earth's orbit.
3. OK, Fiendfyre? Very cool and will look great in CGI, but unfortunately will probably result in the scene being overlong and displacing some rather more affecting stuff. Also borders on an Ass Pull for its Horcrux-destroying properties. Seriously, how much effort would it have taken for Hermione to mention a few of the other ultra-destructive substances back in chapter 6? It'd have been 20 words, tops. We wouldn't have minded.
4. I need to send JKR a thank-you note for her over-telegraphing of Lupin and Tonks. There is a huge difference between having your heart ripped out and having it subsequently stomped upon, and I'm grateful that it only felt like the former. What really shocked/impressed me was the implicit comparison between them and the Malfoys during the final battle, though. Getting a little morally gray here, are we?
5. The next time I play D&D, the only available Bags of Holding will be lavender and beaded.
6. Neville rocks my socks. My biggest beef about character development in this book is that we don't see enough of it with anyone but the Trio.
7. Pumpkin Pie goes glub glub. HALLELUJAH.
8. 2005-07-20, #4 and 5: I RULE. Not 100% on the money, but I think I got at least a bubblegum cigar.
9. Epilogue = sort of expected. Except Scorpius, which nearly reduced me to a pile of shrieking Jell-O. I really pity that poor kid around Muggle-borns.
More if I think of it.
kelson for the computer back at the hotel. That, however, got blasted all to hell in what started as a 5-chapter-at-a-time measured allotment and ended up as a marathon sprint through the whole damn book. I believe I actually finished it within a 24-hour period. And while I did catch myself skimming in places, I also forced myself to go back and reread every time that happened. (Darn faulty eyesweep.) For a huge book, it goes pretty fast.Advice for those who can still take it: do go back and reread HBP, or at least the Wikipedia summary. (Warning, though: I just removed a spoiler from the article, which has been heavily edited over the last couple of days and may contain other spoilers.) You'll feel like less of a dope at some of the reveals. And if you're reading this without air conditioning, please remember to be considerate of your neighbors and close the windows at 11 pm or so. No matter where you are in the book at the time.
And now for the spoilers.
1. Not going to go too literary on this one except to say that it felt like The Silver Chair. This was a pleasant surprise because I was expecting something more on the order of either The End or the Belgariad. I very much like tSC because it dares to have the heroes act human and blunder around rather than doing what's been scripted for them, and everything works out pretty well in the end anyway. That's kind of how I feel about this book too: whether you concentrate on hallows or horcruxes, breaking in or staying free, you'll still reach pretty much the same end of the story. The adventure is in what you do with what you're given, not just what happens as a result.
2. I've got to hand it to Barb over at Fiction Alley for HP and the Time of Good Intentions. Snape/Lily's never been my cup of tea, but if unrequited is canon I can stomach that. God knows I'd probably have horrified some of the people I've liked in my day. Still, I'm not sure whether to classify the entire Snape reveal section as plain reveal or a Re Vision. I can just imagine the legions of Snape fangirls poinging around over the next few weeks. Might alter the earth's orbit.
3. OK, Fiendfyre? Very cool and will look great in CGI, but unfortunately will probably result in the scene being overlong and displacing some rather more affecting stuff. Also borders on an Ass Pull for its Horcrux-destroying properties. Seriously, how much effort would it have taken for Hermione to mention a few of the other ultra-destructive substances back in chapter 6? It'd have been 20 words, tops. We wouldn't have minded.
4. I need to send JKR a thank-you note for her over-telegraphing of Lupin and Tonks. There is a huge difference between having your heart ripped out and having it subsequently stomped upon, and I'm grateful that it only felt like the former. What really shocked/impressed me was the implicit comparison between them and the Malfoys during the final battle, though. Getting a little morally gray here, are we?
5. The next time I play D&D, the only available Bags of Holding will be lavender and beaded.
6. Neville rocks my socks. My biggest beef about character development in this book is that we don't see enough of it with anyone but the Trio.
7. Pumpkin Pie goes glub glub. HALLELUJAH.
8. 2005-07-20, #4 and 5: I RULE. Not 100% on the money, but I think I got at least a bubblegum cigar.
9. Epilogue = sort of expected. Except Scorpius, which nearly reduced me to a pile of shrieking Jell-O. I really pity that poor kid around Muggle-borns.
More if I think of it.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 12:30 am (UTC)All in all, I liked it, and am also glad that I'm not in that fandom any more, so I don't have to deal with hundreds of people freaking out about it. It's very freeing.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 03:45 pm (UTC)2. Scorpius cracked me up too. What young James Potter won't make out of that name...
3. I liked seeing how Petunia's and Lily's relationship degenerated. No wonder she thought wizards were weirdos if she met old sister-stealing Snape first.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-24 03:15 pm (UTC)