So, who waited in line last night until midnight to pick your pre-ordered reserved compy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?
What do you think the book is going to be like?
When do you think you are going to finish it?
And when you are done reading, start voicing your opinions about it!
*snrk* Huh? Uh wha? Harry Pooter? What about Harry Pooter? When did we care about a looser like that..Do we owe him money?
Quote from: Zedd on July 21, 2007, 01:03:15 PM
*snrk* Huh? Uh wha? Harry Pooter? What about Harry Pooter? When did we care about a looser like that..Do we owe him money?
Um...Zedd? You do know there might be spme Harry Potter fans on this board?
Anyway, my dad had to work a bit more a Walmart last night because of the people wanting to buy the book. Of course he brought a copy home for my mom (she likes the books), and I have not had an opportunity to read it yet. When I do get a chance to read it, I'll post what I think of it.
Well, I went to the bookstore today to buy a certain 7th book from a New York Times bestselling author. I came back with an 800 page book, and by the time I went to sleep, I was done with the 7th book in an extremely popular English fantasy series.
I wasn't sure if it was available yet. No sign of it when I went to Asda to buy a tripod, but since it seems to be released now, I guess they've sold out. I'm currently re-reading the sixth book and I'll get the last one fairly soon.
I've had the book finished for a week (behold my cool and internet-fu). I'm actually surprised that no one posted a thread for this sooner!
So was I. That's why I decided to take the initiative and post it.
In fact, I'm also surprised that it was Zedd, not Bill, who tried to bastardize this topic first.
Thats the thing...Ever seince I saw the paper at the Con...I swear its not like I am or was a fan of the series...Its just redundent of how it went. I mean its not a bad thing though
Quote from: techmaster-glitch on July 21, 2007, 03:14:41 PM
So was I. That's why I decided to take the initiative and post it.
In fact, I'm also surprised that it was Zedd, not Bill, who tried to bastardize this topic first.
I am offended.
Quote from: BillBuckner on July 21, 2007, 05:33:39 PM
Quote from: techmaster-glitch on July 21, 2007, 03:14:41 PM
So was I. That's why I decided to take the initiative and post it.
In fact, I'm also surprised that it was Zedd, not Bill, who tried to bastardize this topic first.
I am offended.
You were slow. :mowtongue
Quote from: DarkAudit on July 21, 2007, 05:40:41 PM
Quote from: BillBuckner on July 21, 2007, 05:33:39 PM
Quote from: techmaster-glitch on July 21, 2007, 03:14:41 PM
So was I. That's why I decided to take the initiative and post it.
In fact, I'm also surprised that it was Zedd, not Bill, who tried to bastardize this topic first.
I am offended.
You were slow. :mowtongue
JUST LIKE BARRY BONDS' THROW HOME
(woops)
Quote from: BillBuckner on July 21, 2007, 05:43:20 PM
Quote from: DarkAudit on July 21, 2007, 05:40:41 PM
Quote from: BillBuckner on July 21, 2007, 05:33:39 PM
Quote from: techmaster-glitch on July 21, 2007, 03:14:41 PM
So was I. That's why I decided to take the initiative and post it.
In fact, I'm also surprised that it was Zedd, not Bill, who tried to bastardize this topic first.
I am offended.
You were slow. :mowtongue
JUST LIKE BARRY BONDS' THROW HOME
(woops)
Yaz has just as many rings as Barry... none. :mowtongue
GREAT BASE BALL PLAYER BARRY BONDS
I really hope whoever catches his 756th HR throws it back. That would make my lifetime.
(that's ted williams btw asswhole)
One of my most vivid memories (okay, only memories) of harry potter at all was arguing with my sister about it.
she is a teacher for emotionally disturbed (read- autistic, they hand her the kids who freak out over nothing) children of roughly middle school age. she applauded harry potter and has several copies for herself and her classroom as it helped kids learn that reading could be rewarding and kept them sitting still for a few minutes.
I however read 'the hobbit' when i was in second grade and the trilogy by grade four, and consider HP to be a kiddy book. I refuse to read it and ive only seen half of one movie (my mom had it on during thanksgiving knowing how much sis loved it) and don't really care to see more. compared to LOTR i knew it couldn't
the argument had more or less ended at a draw- neither of us was willing to read the others books so we accepted that we couldn't have a fair discussion. however a week later my sister rented the VHS of 'felowship' the day it came out. Following morning she drove over, grabbed me by my shirt from where i was working in a garden and demanded i give her the books. she HAD to read it now, and coulndt even wait to get to a lybrary.
Told her HP was a kiddy story that couldn't hold a candle to the works of a real author.
also i am angered that JK stole the title of best paid author in history from Jack London. Jack started off as an illiterate dock worker and taught himself to read and write in his spare time after 12-14 hour days doing heavy labor. his books including 'call of the wild' nearly instantly rocketed him into the good life and adjusted for inflation he was the highest paid author the world has known until JK...who i believe is currently competing for title of richest person alive.
QuoteVincent Lombardi -
- The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.
Quote from: BillBuckner on July 21, 2007, 06:20:33 PM
(that's ted williams btw asswhole)
Just as many rings as Barry, too.
I'm sure he'll take the "Best hitter of all time" tag
Unlike Stargell, Williams belongs in the Hall. :B
Quote from: Brunhidden da Muse on July 21, 2007, 07:07:02 PMshe is a teacher for emotionally disturbed (read- autistic, they hand her the kids who freak out over nothing) children of roughly middle school age. she applauded harry potter and has several copies for herself and her classroom as it helped kids learn that reading could be rewarding and kept them sitting still for a few minutes.
I however read 'the hobbit' when i was in second grade and the trilogy by grade four, and consider HP to be a kiddy book.
I wouldn't go that far. I've borrowed the book-on-tape versions of the first couple of books from my brother, so that I could claim to not be tainted by having read any of the Harry Potter books. They're not very good, don't have any redemptive literary qualities, and show no real skill in using literary techniques.
But they're engagingly written, and you do find yourself caring about the characters (or at least mildly interested in what they're going to do next). It's like a Roland Emmerich film. You know it's not going to be high art, but it scratches an itch for some of us. It doesn't scratch one for me, but there are several others that will make me go out an read/see/buy utter crap, knowing full well that it is utter crap.
If it's a suitable incentive for the autistic kids, I say let them read it. It's not going to scar them. It's not going to help them, either.
Oh, and that is rather sad about Jack London, too.
Brun, I held out over Harry Potter for a few years for exactly the same reason. It was my father and brother combined who convinced me to read it, sometime around early 2003.
(My father is well-read with personal library that must contain at least 5000 books - my brother is a PhD in the mathematics of dynamical systems)
IMHO, the first book is crap. The second one isn't bad. It takes off around the third one. It's definitely worth reading, even if you decide you don't like it, at least you'll have something more concrete to base your opinion on. While your point about Jack London is a valid one - remember that The Hobbit was a children's book, and so was LotR - there is something not right about directing venom at a book you have never actually read.
Quote from: Tapewolf on July 21, 2007, 07:48:58 PMIMHO, the first book is crap. The second one isn't bad. It takes off around the third one. It's definitely worth reading, even if you decide you don't like it, at least you'll have something more concrete to base your opinion on. While your point about Jack London is a valid one - remember that The Hobbit was a children's book, and so was LotR - there is something not right about directing venom at a book you have never actually read.
I don't remember if I've listened to the third book. I'll have to see if I can borrow it.
Anyways, The Hobbit was a children's book, but LotR was not supposed to be. The Fellowship of the Ring suffered from a bit of ``writing the last story,'' but you can tell from how Tolkien describes it that it's not meant to be for kids.
I don't wish to direct venom at HP, i just get sick of people treating it like its freaking Tolstoy.
If i remember correctly the Hobbit was billed as "for readers age five to ninety five", Tolkien actually based the world of LOTR off of stories he told his children at bedtime, most of which were assembled into either The Hobbit or bits and pieces of the worlds past. Tolkien thought it a madman's hobby, writing the histories and languages of places that never existed as we know it. most of LOTR was written during the wars, where Tolkien had very up close and personal experiences with evil and the rape of his beautiful childhood shire.
Also, keep in mind that Tolkien was a bit of a mystic, the whole thing started when he sat down and wrote "in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit".... and spent the next hour asking himself what the *bleep* was a hobbit?
QuoteIt is the job that is never started that takes longest to finish
All I know is that people are taking this book way too seriously. My roommate's boyfriend was talking about how he was getting the book today, and I said "HAHA SNAPE DIES YOU KNOW" as a joke. He got upset and stormed out of our apartment. :C
I had to call him up and apologize for apparently "ruining everything" for him.
Such serious business.
We should post the spoilers in the news bar in huge letters imo
Harry Potter was a girl the whole time.
Harry has a civil union with Ron
My theory is that Hermione beats Harry within an inch of his life. Because he forgot the safe word.
Does Hermione get roasted on a spit? Because then I might buy the book.
I think I read too fast.
Got it, 12:20 last night(this morning?)
Started it at maybe 1, was halfway done at noon, didn't touch it until 5, just finished.
whee.
...A couple friends of mine wandered around, spouting out idiotic "spoilers" that people got halfways trhough being angry at us about before realising that they don't make any sense.
"Remus kills Lupin."
"Dumbledore kills Snape"
"Luna's a Horcrux"(To which we got some girl grumbling "Your Mother's a horcrux" At us. ...right.)
"This issue, everybody dies."
And that's my two cents. (Might have more later.)
Quote from: Zina on July 21, 2007, 10:46:14 PM
Harry Potter was a girl the whole time.
Oh-ho! So it was stolen from "Escaflowne"! You know, Delandau was actually the dude's sister who got mutated into a psycho guy by the fate alteration engine.
Ha, I knew JK was ripping anime off the whole time! :B
Posted by: BillBuckner Posted on: Today at 10:15:26 PM
Does Hermione get roasted on a spit? Because then I might buy the book.
Ah-ha! The truth comes out! You like cannibalistic VORE!!! :U
I will admit it. I went to the Borders party and waited until midnight to get my book. I searched the house for appropriate costume, finding a Tee-shirt from Magicon (the Worldcon in Orlando), a wizard's hat, and a racoon puppet as a familiar. Look, if you're going to make a fool of yourself, you might as well do it right.
Too many people seem to feel that books for adults must have sex scenes described in detail. I see nothing wrong in books being written so that they are enjoyed by both children and adults. I like the Harry Potter books. I also like the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett, the Oz books by Frank L. Baum, and the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. I personally feel that plot and character development in these books tends to be better than most of the books on the best-seller list. They are also enjoyable to read.
To paraphrase the Cyndi Lauper song: fans just want to have fun
I will agree that some people are taking this too seriously. However, there are some people who will go way overboard on anything. Take a look at the fans at soccer and football games. Actors who play the villains on soap operas have received death threats from people who can't seem to distinguish fiction from reality.
Besides, which of the following is going further overboard.
People who will wait 48 hours in line to get the first book.
People who are certain that the Harry Potter books are handbooks for Satanic worship.
Quote from: Naldru on July 21, 2007, 11:58:43 PM
People who are certain that the Harry Potter books are handbooks for Satanic worship.
i actually know someone who thinks this, their reason? they claim the books have 'actual spells' in them.
yeah, they speak pig latin and wave a stick. if it were that easy most of the parents and teachers of the western world would have been turned into a newt by now.
QuoteI think you all know which Monty Python quote goes here
Y'know, Belgarath and Polgara didn't need no stinkin' wands. :mowtongue
Quote from: Caswin on July 21, 2007, 11:41:26 PM
"This issue, everybody dies."
That's be just after the rocks fall, right? ;-]
Quote from: DarkAudit on July 22, 2007, 12:23:21 AM
Y'know, Belgarath and Polgara didn't need no stinkin' wands. :mowtongue
neither did Belgarion. He just charged in and waved his sword around. But then, even that series allowed for the use of actual spells - like to summon Demons, or with Vordai the witch. :mowhappy
I'll agree that some folks are going overboard but still I don't understand the need some people have to ruin others fun.
and I'm not talking about the silly stuff like Ron is realy a robot built by voldimort to kill harry
but I mean the people who post the real endings
with the last book I was on a political forum reading a thread with absolutly nothing to do with harry potter and some one posted an image with no warnings at all. the image was a photo of a page in the book where harry said snape killed dumbledor. I was so pissed I mean there was no reason for that sort of thing other then to just ruin the fun for others.
Me I pre ordered my copy and am waiting for it to show
Quote from: thegayhare on July 22, 2007, 10:33:18 AM
Me I pre ordered my copy and am waiting for it to show
Weren't most preorders supposed to arrive yesterday? Amazon was actually offering to refund the cost of the book if orders for Saturday delivery didn't show up on time.
Quote from: thegayhare on July 22, 2007, 10:33:18 AMwith the last book I was on a political forum reading a thread with absolutly nothing to do with harry potter and some one posted an image with no warnings at all. the image was a photo of a page in the book where harry said snape killed dumbledor. I was so pissed I mean there was no reason for that sort of thing other then to just ruin the fun for others.
Thanks for ruining book 6 for us, TGH! ;)
Oh, I remember that one. The only thing sadder than the people who get so worked up about Harry Potter are the people who have no other purpose in life than to post spoilers. I found it mildly amusing that there are image generators that have that as the default text, but it tends to be pretty pathetic when people start actually using them.
I'm just glad that it's *over*, and I never have to hear about Harry Potter ever again.
Quote from: DarkAudit on July 22, 2007, 12:00:30 PM
Quote from: thegayhare on July 22, 2007, 10:33:18 AM
Me I pre ordered my copy and am waiting for it to show
Weren't most preorders supposed to arrive yesterday? Amazon was actually offering to refund the cost of the book if orders for Saturday delivery didn't show up on time.
Nope we didn't want to pay extra for the delivery
besides last time we pre ordered from fye it was only 3 days after the release date it arived and that was for Un Lun Dun (or was it Iron council) not soimething like harry potter
And Luser if I realy did I'm sorry realy I am, I just assumed anyone interested would have already read 6 or have heard about what happens by now
Quote from: superluser on July 22, 2007, 12:11:07 PM
I'm just glad that it's *over*, and I never have to hear about Harry Potter ever again.
There's still two movies left to be made, so you're not safe yet.
Quote from: thegayhare on July 22, 2007, 12:21:40 PMAnd Luser if I realy did I'm sorry realy I am, I just assumed anyone interested would have already read 6 or have heard about what happens by now
What part of ;) didn't you understand? I think we've all seen it by now. Encyclopedia Dramatica is calling it The Great Dumbledore Dies Meme of 2005 (the entry contains spoilers about book 7, FYI), and an old meme.
Quote from: DarkAudit on July 22, 2007, 12:56:03 PMThere's still two movies left to be made, so you're not safe yet.
I know, but I have a feeling that it will all die down a bit after this, and people don't seem to get as funny (or at least as funny in public) about the movies. Maybe they'll wake up from their stupor and actually read some good books, like Gravity's Rainbow or something.
Quote from: superluser on July 22, 2007, 01:49:06 PM
What part of ;) didn't you understand? I think we've all seen it by now. Encyclopedia Dramatica is calling it The Great Dumbledore Dies Meme of 2005 (the entry contains spoilers about book 7, FYI), and an old meme.
I knew he was in for it before I even read the sixth book. I think The Guardian handled it best: they ran a competition whereby their readers had to write a death scene in the style of various authors.
My favourite was H P Lovecraft:
http://books.guardian.co.uk/harrypotter/story/0,,1523455,00.html
First: Wow. This is big for me. (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/60344560/)
Second: The climactic quick-draw-ish scene confused me. What happened? (And why does it seem so gosh darn familiar?)
Enjoy Eric make an arse outta himself with his lady friends at the final potter party! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMLLelPt6KU)
Now, I'm not saying I took a week off from the internet because I was waiting for Harry Potter....
Wait, thats EXACTLY what I am saying. :3
And as for the book itself? I loved it!
Oh Ron, your wacky short tempered shenanigans fill me full of joy.
Quote from: Tapewolf on July 22, 2007, 06:05:55 PMI knew he was in for it before I even read the sixth book. I think The Guardian handled it best: they ran a competition whereby their readers had to write a death scene in the style of various authors.
Ha! Also worth reading: The Hunter S. Thompson one, the Catcher in the Rye one, and the TS Eliot one.
Let's see, Dumbledore's death done by Thomas Pynchon...You'd have to change the names. Albus Dumbledore would be something like Albert Dribbleglass, Severus Snape would be Severing Spine, and Harry Potter would be Harry Potsherd.
Quote from: Thomas PynchonDribbleglass tried to remember the exact words that Spine had said to him, but the words wouldn't emerge from the background noise in his mind. Perhaps Spine wasn't coming to kill him. Did Dribbleglass have any real evidence that the Death Eaters really exist, or was it all just another excluded middle, something else that could just be pure fantasy? No, that couldn't be right. There was definitely something going on here.
It was then that Dribbleglass noticed Harry looking at him, with eyes as vacant as the wake from a steaming battleship. He was looking for more information. The information had compressed itself into two pools--The Death Eaters did exist and Spine was coming to kill him, or the Death Eaters did not exist. Which would he tell Harry?
Dribbleglass did not have time to decide, as Harry's eyes jumped to the door. Dribbleglass now saw Severing Spine in the doorway, holding a wand at arm's length. ``Ahura Yugo!'' screamed Spine, and a brief flash of light appeared at the end of his wand. The light made an arc and then went out. It was purely ballistic, now. Harry could see the contrails from the other side of the room. They rapidly dissipated into the grey sameness of the air.
Harry had never heard that spell before. It sounded like a curse, but Dribbleglass was smiling. He was always smiling, though.
[book ends here]
The book has sold millions of copies already. I'd say it's a success. :P
What I don't understand is why retailers are offering discounts as high as 50%. These people are the same rabid, obsessed types who paid $500 for Furby. They could have dectupled the price on the books and claimed 'super-rush express delivery' for the dimwits who paid it, and made a mint doing so!
I don't know what kind of people they have working finance in book sales, but they're obviously alot dumber than the usual accountant ogres who'd know how to take advantage of slavering fans...
I'm just such an evil ogre. >:3
actualy Alondro they say they are making money on the other purchases people make when they order the books.
Yeah, I remember lots of people from bookstores saying that they were making Jack Shit off the book, due to the uber publisher's costs.
Got it at the opening on Saturday morning (very uneventful really, when the box opened and that really awkward one person clapping moment... and I got my book before the people who had pre-ordered, haha). But since I had work I wasn't able to pick up the book until Sunday night. But I finished it Monday night.
I dunno, I just don't have a sense of achievement or it was anything special...
To me something seems wrong if a 2 inch thick book can be finished in one day.
QuoteI love deadlines, they make a cool whooshing sound as they rush by
The reason the book is a "kiddie book" is because it's written from the perspective of eleven year olds. Of course the original book is not going to be a bastion of adult reasoning. However, as the series progresses, the children age, and the issues age as well, to the point that I would not suggest the last three books of the series to many of the children that come into the library.
Incidentally, I found the Ring series books to be tiresome and self-important- bloated to the point that they were unenjoyable. But, then, I didn't like the movies much either (with the exception of the Legolas eye candy.). I rather felt they would have benefited from a nice session with a pair of scissors in the editing room.
Quote from: Damaris on July 24, 2007, 01:00:51 AMIncidentally, I found the Ring series books to be tiresome and self-important- bloated to the point that they were unenjoyable. But, then, I didn't like the movies much either (with the exception of the Legolas eye candy.). I rather felt they would have benefited from a nice session with a pair of scissors in the editing room.
I dunno. If a book can't be self-important, I really can't read it. I enjoy it when an author spends time to make a book that is supposed to have some important message, and when the author spends time to develop that theme.
In the case of LotR, you have to remember that the whole thing is essentially a fanfic of Beowulf and Der Ring des Nibelungen (which was the `real' Ring series). Part of the conceit was to try to write a book much in the style of those old stories, and so sometime he'll write in elements like those other stories. He was also a linguist, and so he spent a lot of time looking at linguistic elements. If neither of those are your personal interests, then I can see why it might be tiresome.
Quote from: Brunhidden da Muse on July 24, 2007, 12:26:28 AM
To me something seems wrong if a 2 inch thick book can be finished in one day.
QuoteI love deadlines, they make a cool whooshing sound as they rush by
They had some people on a morning show on Sunday who'd read it in just 7 hours. =/
Some people are just fast readers. 6-7 hours would be realistic for me to finish a book of that size.
It's not like you have to think hard about that particular story, anyway.
I mean, if you compared it to, say, Umberto Eco's The Name Of The Rose, or some of Asimov's Black Widower stories, there's more thinking involved in those, even though they're shorter.
Well, ok, TNoTR is close on as large as Harry's latest epic, but even so...
Quote from: thegayhare on July 23, 2007, 08:50:50 AM
actualy Alondro they say they are making money on the other purchases people make when they order the books.
That's my point. They could have dramatically raised the price on Harry Potter, still sold all the books, and made tons of money to boot, like the people do on ebay when they sell something for a trillion times more than it would normally retail when it first comes out because there are morons who MUST HAVE IT FIRST AT ALL COSTS!!
The idiot public is for fleecing! >:3
Quote from: Alondro on July 24, 2007, 09:55:56 AM
Quote from: thegayhare on July 23, 2007, 08:50:50 AM
actualy Alondro they say they are making money on the other purchases people make when they order the books.
That's my point. They could have dramatically raised the price on Harry Potter, still sold all the books, and made tons of money to boot, like the people do on ebay when they sell something for a trillion times more than it would normally retail when it first comes out because there are morons who MUST HAVE IT FIRST AT ALL COSTS!!
The idiot public is for fleecing! >:3
its the whole concept of a sale, they're hoping you say "oh well, i came all the way here i may as well buy some bacon and underwear as well". However my local walmart still has piles of this book by the entrance (uncommon for a sale, usually they make you walk by all the expensive stuff they hope you are compelled to buy) that are about four foot wide and come up to my armpit.
Just wait a month, theyll be so desperate to get rid of the damned things theyll cut the price in half or offer them free with purchases over 20 dollars.
QuoteSigmund Freud once said, "What do women want?" The only thing I have learned in fifty-two years is that women want men to stop asking dumb questions like that.
*WARNING* Minor spoilers ahead, for anyone of you non-fast readers, or poor souls who haven't even gotten your hands on a book yet.
Started and finished the book yesterday, though the reading was broken up several times, so I ended up finishing at exactly 2:55 A.M. this morning.
I liked it. Ultimately, it was a fitting end for this series. The only gripe I have is throughout the book, especially toward the end, I was thinking: Whoever said earlier, I think it was Charline, said that 'everyone dies'. Disturbingly close. :[ I kept thinking toward the end, 'Oh come on! The
Harry Potter story isn't supposed to be turning into the
Jack comic! But that's just me. I know it doesn't actually come near to comparing to
Jack, but that's kinda what it felt like. But that's only a minor gripe, and I think the final end made up for it.
A part I particularly liked:
Quote
"I'm Draco Malfoy, I'm Draco, I'm on your side!"
Draco was on the upper landing, pleading with another masked Death Eater. Harry Stunned the Death Eater as they passed: Malfoy looked around, beaming, for his savior, and Ron punched him from under the Cloak. Malfoy fell backward on top of the Death Eater, his mouth bleedig, utterly bemused.
"And that's the second time we've saved your life tonight, you two-faced bastard!" Ron yelled.
I like that line, I might make it into one of my quote-signatures...
Quote from: llearch n'n'daCorna on July 24, 2007, 08:19:05 AMIt's not like you have to think hard about that particular story, anyway.
I mean, if you compared it to, say, Umberto Eco's The Name Of The Rose, or some of Asimov's Black Widower stories, there's more thinking involved in those, even though they're shorter.
I used to be a pretty fast reader. Then I started reading Joyce and Pynchon. If you're even capable of reading them fast, you'll miss out on the whole book. I've learned to take my time, enjoy what I'm reading, and not worry about how much I'm reading or what others think.
Quote from: James Joyceriverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs. Sir Tristram, violer d'amores, fr'over the short sea, had passencore rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war:
Quote from: RJ on July 24, 2007, 07:31:44 AM
Quote from: Brunhidden da Muse on July 24, 2007, 12:26:28 AM
To me something seems wrong if a 2 inch thick book can be finished in one day.
QuoteI love deadlines, they make a cool whooshing sound as they rush by
They had some people on a morning show on Sunday who'd read it in just 7 hours. =/
Why does the brat want a cookie or a nice pop in the mouth for be such a dillweed for having a lousey talent...Thats my brothers motto
The failure of the book stores and publishers to jack up the price of the Harry Potter books is not due to ignorance. There are strong market forces that stop them from doing so.
All of the major book stores give high discounts on new books that are expected to be best-sellers. From the standpoint of the book stores, the Harry Potter book is a true commodity - a book purchased from Barnes & Noble is exactly the same as one purchased from Amazon or Borders. Consumers will go to a different store to get a higher discount, as long as it isn't too great a distance. In addition, the large book store chains are able to get high discounts from the publishers because they are purchasing in bulk. Stores that charged over list price would not see any shoppers for the book and might suffer greatly in future sales because of consumer antipathy.
If the publisher doubled or tripled the price to the book stores, it would reduce the rate at which the books were sold. Some consumers would decide to wait a few months, and others would decide to form small groups that would share one copy among members of the group. It would antagonize the book stores and consumers. Remember that the book stores purchase books in very large quantities and have a lot of bargaining power. Scholastic Books is planning to sell many books other than Harry Potter and doesn't want to kill the golden goose of future sales. In addition, anger by consumers over a price increase might anger the readers enough that their emotional attraction to the Harry Potter series would be damaged.
Part of the reason that publishers like the idea of selling a very high portion of the print run in the first few weeks is that it reduces costs by eliminating the need to carry inventory for long periods of time.
Another factor is that the emotional appeal of owning the Harry Potter book is that it is a group activity, their friends are also buying and reading the book. If only one percent of the population could own a Harry Potter book, the value of the book would actually decrease. If only one percent of the population can have a Furby or a Tickle Me Elmo, the value goes up because in this case the goal is to have something that others don't have.
Quote from: techmaster-glitch on July 24, 2007, 03:00:18 PM
I liked it. Ultimately, it was a fitting end for this series. The only gripe I have is throughout the book, especially toward the end, I was thinking: Whoever said earlier, I think it was Charline, said that 'everyone dies'. Disturbingly close. :[ I kept thinking toward the end, 'Oh come on! The Harry Potter story isn't supposed to be turning into the Jack comic! But that's just me. I know it doesn't actually come near to comparing to Jack, but that's kinda what it felt like. But that's only a minor gripe, and I think the final end made up for it.
Huh, you're kidding! There was what, a dozen recurring characters that ended up dead... I expected much much more. I was even a little disappointed.
Quote from: Eibbor_N on July 25, 2007, 02:03:17 AMHuh, you're kidding! There was what, a dozen recurring characters that ended up dead... I expected much much more. I was even a little disappointed.
I had expected the death toll to include some of the other characters, too. Judging from the Wikipedia article, enough of the main characters survived (no spoilers kthx) that the continuators (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuator) will be able to...er, continuate.
What Eowyn Types- bbbbbkkkkkk,,,,,,, rrrrrggggggtttmmmmm
What Eowyn says- no book, bed book. story
What Eowyn means- I don't know if I will ever read this, but from time to time Brun reads to me from the Grimm's fairy tales, some of those stories are weird and silly.
Quote from: superluser on July 21, 2007, 11:08:31 PM
My theory is that Hermione beats Harry within an inch of his life. Because he forgot the safe word.
Holy shite, I just noticed that Super had invisible text in his quote!
Did anyone else notice that?
I finished it last night. A bit disappointing.
Half-Blood Prince had some sections - notably Harry's lessons with Dumbledore - which I kept re-reading again and again after I'd finished the book. For the most part, I found Deathly Hallows to be pretty forgettable, with the exception of the final confrontation at the end, and the part where they talk to Kreacher.
Again, HBP had some wonderful lines, for example, where Harry asks Professor Slughorn the same question that Voldemort did decades ago and in exactly the same way. I can't offhand think of anything which worked quite as well in DH. It might grow on me though...
Quote from: Tapewolf on July 30, 2007, 07:49:06 AMI finished it last night. A bit disappointing.
Well, you have to allow that it's an ending, and she had to include specific things in the ending, rather than allowing the story to develop as it would otherwise. She may have included some things to make the story difficult to continue without her--which could detract from the story.
She also might just suck at endings.
It's not the ending that was disappointing, it was how it got there...
Quote from: Tapewolf on July 30, 2007, 03:37:48 PMIt's not the ending that was disappointing, it was how it got there...
My point was that the whole book was an ending.