SO CLOSE

[cleolinda]

The end is near: Rowling bids her boy wizard [i.e., the series] goodbye. Also, bakes sponge cake.

Meanwhile, padawansguide is telling me that commenters are spoiler-bombing YouTube, and lauramcvey says spoiler entries are also up on Wikipedia, and since apparently even the New York Times can't restrain themselves (Rowling angered as NYT reviews last Potter; that link about the review may not have spoilers, but I don't know), I'm going into internet lockdown. I stayed off the computer most of yesterday anyway, but even when I'm on, today and yesterday it's been nothing but Snarkfest (where we actually closed registration for the week to prevent random trolls) and my email to check on what our plans for tonight are going to be, and I'm a little nervous about my email at that. All my RSS feeds are piling up at Google Reader, but--it's just not worth it, you know? CONSTANT VIGILANCE, etc.

(God! I can't believe I'll be reading the very last book in less than 18 hours.)

I don't really have any predictions to make; I just want Harry to live. Despite everyone going on and on about how the hero is supposed to die in these things, I can think of plenty of epic stories in which the hero doesn't, and I've believed all this time that Rowling wouldn't kill Harry because the book's mostly written in limited 3rd person from his POV. (I mean, besides the fact that she loves him.) Occasionally we're given opening chapters from outside Harry's perspective (the Frank Bryce chapter in GOF, or Narcissa's Unbreakable Vow and "The Other Minister" in HBP), but what's interesting about the rest of the series is that anything involving Harry himself is always from his own point of view; the only reason Rowling breaks this perspective is to give us scenes that Harry isn't privy to. If Harry's there, we're seeing all the interactions and characters from his point of view, even if it's still in third person--we never see "Hermione walked down the hall, thinking that Harry was a shouty great capslock dink," for example.

How do you write a character's death from his own perspective?

The simple answer is that you don't--if Rowling were to kill Harry, she'd probably ease over to some horrified onlooker's POV (Ron's and/or Hermione's?). But the thing is--and this is more on a gut level than anything--you've had all these kids grow up reading these stories about Harry with Harry, as Harry, and killing him off would be fairly traumatic. On the other hand, Rowling isn't afraid to turn the screws, as with Dumbledore's death when Harry opens the locket and realizes "it was all for nothing," so... I'm prepared to bawl my eyes out, is what I'm saying. I can defend the choice not to kill Harry, but I'm in no way certain that she'll take that path.

Okay, so. Comments on this entry should be SPOILER-FREE. But tonight, before I leave, I will post a free-for-all where you can start discussing as you finish the book. And I will not have those comments emailed back to me, so it's going to be an unmoderated Wild West in there, caveat lector. As of this evening, I will be completely unreachable until I finish the book myself, which could be as early as the wee hours of Saturday or as late as... later that day, I guess. Depends on how tired I am when I get home; I clocked myself at about 100 pages of HP hardback an hour when I was reading the last two books this week. I'm still on GOF because I didn't have as much reading time as I thought I would, but considering that the concept of Death Eaters is introduced in that book, I think I've fulfilled my original plan of catching up on all the major loose ends.

Comments

[lo0o0ony-lauren.livejournal.com]

I don't think she'll kill him off. I don't know why, I just, I don't think so. Maybe because back in the earlyish days, like before the fourth book came out, people would say "why don't you write stories where Harry's TOURING THE WORLD AS A GRIZZLED ROCK-STAR" and she'd be all smiling, like, "well how do you know I won't kill him off?"

I just think that if she WAS planning to kill him off, she would have been less open about it, less... coy, perhaps? I don't know. I'm probably just being hopeful!

Ah well, we'll soon know.

[unexpectedgift.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY! killing him would be the perfect Rowling mindfuck--that is, if she didn't say anything about death beforehand. Come on, did anyone besides those bookies in Yorkshire (? I think) know who was doomed in HBP?

[caitlen.livejournal.com]

Good luck reading Cleo! I also clock myself at about 100 pages, but I believe we'll get the book before the US - it's being released at midnight across the US, right? We'll get it at 9am here in Melbourne, Australia, which is 7pm EST in the US. I could have this wrong.

ANYWAY that's not the point of my post. The point is that I've created a community for people to come and display photos of themselves with the book that they've bought tomorrow! It's hallows_alldone. I'm encouraging people to join it ONLY after they've finished the book, not before, and not if you've read the spoiler edition online. If you've got your hands on a copy of the book, and have finished it, come along and discuss it. It will be open for moderated membership at 9am Aussie EST (which is +9 from GMT) and open for membership 3 hours later.

:) Have a great read! I can't BELIEVE it's 10 hours till I get my book!!

[atalantapendrag.livejournal.com]

Er, I went to join and got a "this community is closed to new members" page...

[mamomo.livejournal.com]

I think it'd be more interesting if Harry bit it just b/c of the dark nature of the books, but I really doubt that will happen. Rowling probably won't hesitate to kill off some of the other beloved main characters, but there would undoubtedly be teenage girl riots in the street if Harry died. And like you said, it'd be awkward for her to write his death considering the book's perspective.

Here's something interesting I learned in my daily email from Ideal Bite (http://www.idealbite.com): As the last in the best-selling children's book series of all time, the printing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows novel will use more sustainable paper than any previous book. Of the 16,700 tons of paper used in the first printing of the final book, 65% was certified by the the Forest Stewardship Council as sustainably harvested. U.S. book publishers use 20 million trees per year, so moving to greener paper is a big deal. I also learned that in a 2005 study, doctors in Oxford found child accident rates were lower on weekends when Harry Potter books were released.

Also, if you buy from Better World: Book by Book (http://http://www.betterworld.com/book-P4127498C0.aspx?AFID=14) this retailer puts profits toward building libraries in Asia ($28).

[mamomo.livejournal.com]

Oops! The Better World link didn't work - here it is: http://www.betterworld.com/ (http://www.betterworld.com/)

[stardustshine.livejournal.com]

Those segments that were outside of Harry's POV always really bothered me. I had a real problem with those sections in HBP because I felt like suddenly changing something so integral to the narrative style that late in the series was really jarring.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah--I wasn't going to get into that, but I'm kind of obsessive about keeping POV straight. Like, pick the POVs you want to use and stick to them, because going outside them is kind of cheating.

[aki.livejournal.com]

Good luck!

And thanks for the NYT warning. I would have been tempted to read that one and now I won't.

[jigglykat.livejournal.com]

The NYT review does have spoilers, so I've heard. There was a bit of an uproar in the new_yorkers community, complete with emails to the editors. They insist that they just walked into a bookstore and picked it up, therefore it was okay to write their article with spoilers in it.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

No spoilers except that she says what hallows are, and the alternate title did, too.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

I commented on the NYT review in my LJ, here (http://shezan.livejournal.com/161818.html). (It's got no spoilers and this is MICHIKO KAKUTANI! Who, like, hasn't been that nice to John Updike in yonks!)

[letloverule42.livejournal.com]

Hi Cleo :) I know I don't comment here much, but I just wanted to say that reading your entries during this whole thing has been a pleasure. You're always level-headed, logical, and funny, and with most of the HP fandom going batshit crazy, it's much, much appreciated.

I also wanted to let you (and anyone else who may read this comment) know that I've made my own post on the Potterdammerung, the spoiler leaks, and whatnot (Don't worry, absolutely no spoilers, in the post itself or in the comments) and I'd really like your thoughts on it :) it is located here (http://evilwillowgirl.livejournal.com/36974.html). And if not, that's cool, I understand that today will be an absolutely crazy busy day for you and for most of the fandom at large :)

Thanks again, your posts are always a bright spot on my friends list :)

[lylassandra.livejournal.com]

Icon love!

[shadowmaat.livejournal.com]

The only way I can think of to have Harry live AND make it impossible for Rowling to be pressured into sequels is if Harry has to give up all his magic to stop Voldemort and live out his life as a muggle. Which, IMO, is a fate worse than death, but at least it'd mean he's technically alive.

On the one hand I can see how offing Harry would make sense from a story perspective- his whole wizarding life has been about the fight against Voldemort and if he manages to vanquish that enemy, well, what else is there? On the other hand, though, I don't want him to die. *sigh* Whatever happens I have a feeling the end isn't going to be a happy one.

By this time tomorrow I'll hopefully be embroiled in the book and will find all the answers for myself.

And if someone manages to spoil the end for me before I get there myself... the Cruciatus Curse will be pleasant compared to what I'll do to the offender.

[amberdulen.livejournal.com]

I don't think she'll kill him off either, but my rationale is different: Lily died so that Harry could live, and Harry has spent the last six books just trying to have a normal life. Killing him off would make all that worthless--it would betray the themes and arcs of the series.

I COULD imagine Harry's death scene, especially if it was some kind of intentional sacrifice...he would feel pain, then numbness, then see his parents and relatives stretching out in front of him much like he did in the Mirror of Erised, and then fade to black. Cut to epilogue.

AGH. She better not kill him.

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

That's what I'm expecting actually. My own theory is that this is all being told to Ron and Hermione's kids.

Totally OT... the batshit crazies from the Harry/Hermione lunatic fringe shippers still cracks me up at this point.

And if Harry does die? How man bazillion emails is she going to get telling her she wrote it wrong?

[clodia-risa.livejournal.com]

At this point, I'm not even letting myself think about what may or may not be in the book.

I've also decided to read it at home, even though I'd rather go to a coffee shop because my apartments a mess and my fiance'll keep bugging me about something, I'm sure. I just don't trust people to not yell spoilers out at me.

[artemis-archer.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with what you said about it being weird if Harry died since we've always had the story from his point of view. My mom and I were talking about that the other night and saying that it would be odd to have it suddenly just... blank out or something. Plus the chapters you mentioned that have been the exceptions to this rule have always been at the beginning. It would be strange, probably disappointing and a dead giveaway that he's about to die to have one at the end that suddenly took us away from Harry. I hope it doesn't end like that.

I like to think that the books have always been hopeful despite all the traumatic and horrible things that have happened. Harry doesn't deserve to die or lose more loved ones. Sure life isn't fair but hasn't he had it rough enough already?

Anyway have fun at your midnight party and reading the book =]

[unexpectedgift.livejournal.com]

Blanking it out? I'm afraid Tony Soprano has had that pleasure already :)

[sarapada.livejournal.com]

In other news, I am officially in love with the phrase "shouty great capslock dink" - it is perfect and I plan to steal it.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hee, thanks.

[akathorne.livejournal.com]

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ALMOST OVER. *SOB*

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

*pat*

Theory

[mamapduck.livejournal.com]

I think I may know where the locket is. If RAB is who I'm pretty sure he is, there's a possible hint in book 5. We'll see tonight if I'm correct or grasping at straws.

I will be signing of the computer soon myself. NOT getting spoiled, thanks.

Re: Theory

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hey, wait--Kreacher's nest in the attic, right?

This is about Stardust, not Harry Potter

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

Hey, I saw a screening of Stardust last night, and I know you'd been posting updates about it, so I thought I'd let you know that I really liked it. It was unabashedly fantastical, a big mishmash of fairy tale tropes, a well-paced, rollicking adventure with Everyone After One Thing. It appears they changed a lot of stuff from the book, of course, perhaps needlessly, but I've never read the book. As a movie, it's a lot of fun.

Re: This is about Stardust, not Harry Potter

[clodia-risa.livejournal.com]

Oh yay! That comes out a few days before my birthday, so I plan on spoiling myself and seeing it alone in the theaters. I'm glad it's good!

[xlearntoflyx.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with your reasoning behind why you think Harry shouldn't die, and I've been using that explanation to everyone who asks. It only makes sense. The stories are told through his eyes, and killing him would lead to a drop off in POV, and the writing style would have to completely shift. It just doesn't seem like it would logically work.

With spoilers, I don't know, I'm almost amused by them at this point. I've heard so many conflicting ones (I go to digg.com often, all they do is post spoilers in the comments) that I'm regarding them all as ridiculous. I've heard a spoiler about basically each character dying, and then going on and seeing a spoiler that they live. I'm sure some of the spoilers are right, but I figure that at least I haven't seen too many of the same, so I'm forcing myself to think that they're all untrue.

Though my favorite so far: Hermione and Ginny share a "special moment" in the common room. Voldemort films.

[fauxkaren.livejournal.com]

I can't decide if I'm looking forward more to reading the book or to the wank that will surely ensue. Harry Potter wank is the best kind of wank. :-)

[erinya.livejournal.com]

Cleo, I know you've limited your reading to avoid spoilers, so in case you haven't been to Fandom Wank lately: Strikethrough 07, the sequel (http://community.livejournal.com/lj_biz/241182.html?style=mine). Eerie timing, no?

(There are spoilers on the seventh comment page, but the link I've given should be safe.)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I heard about it in passing yesterday, but won't go investigate until I'm out of spoiler danger. Nice timing, seriously.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

OMGSOEXCITEDHARRYPOTTERSQUEE!

*deep breath*

[khaman.livejournal.com]

I hate, but I'm also grateful that today is eaten in with a wedding rehearsal dinner for my brother in law and that the wedding is tomorrow in the late morining.

This means I have a lot of time where I simply CANNOT be exposed to spoilers even if I were to get stupid - and I intend to have a great bulk of the book done by the time of the wedding itself tomorrow.

[miss-daae.livejournal.com]

Hey Cleo,

I know you're trying to report as many HP news stories and remain spoiler-free at the same time. I randomly came across this article at work yesterday and thought it was interesting. In case you haven't seen it (it IS spoiler-free BTW):

For Gen-Yers, last Potter book marks the end of an era (http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0719/p01s06-ussc.html).

[mamapduck.livejournal.com]

ZOMG!!!!!!111!!!!!eleventy!!!11!!!!! ICON LOVE! That is totally teh roxxors!


/silly fan girl oozling

Seriously, very cool.

ZOMG SPOILER!!

[apples-juice.livejournal.com]

At the end...


they roll credits.

[lyn-thorne.livejournal.com]

G'luck, Cleo! I hope that you love the book, and that your Spoiler Stealth keeps working it's...magic :)

I'm not going to the midnight madness tonight, I don't want to be bitten in a rabid fangirl mosh pit (seriously, they take their HP to a whole new level here.) So I'm gonna lurk out tomorrow and get it first thing at my little hidey-hole Barnes & Noble, and just read tomorrow.

I've been having to be careful where I go about spoilers, and I already have a plan for when I have to shut it down on World of Warcraft tonight so I don't get spammed to death about page numbers and such.

See ya after we're all done with our books!

[xoxlizzxox.livejournal.com]

I'm so nervous about more spoilers.
I don't think I'll be getting a midnight book, so I won't start reading till like 9am, and then I have to work at 1:30, at a grocery store selling the book....
I'm not sure I believe spoilers anyway. Two people on MSN decided to put spoilers in their name, and two weren't s big surprise, and the third one didn't make sense.... I read the first 50ish pages of an online copy to confirm one of the spoilers... but I really really don't think that it's a real copy. It's a weird style, and the chacacters are slightly off, and the imagery is much differnt then Rowlings style... guess I'll wait and see.