The End of Harry Potter?

I had high hopes for a book about Harry Potter written by David Langford, 27-time Hugo Award winner.There are so many directions the book could have taken.What I specifically expected was speculation about "where to from here" with some of the main characters. The back cover also implied this.Not the case ...It is a collection of speculation about what will happen in future books pulled from blogs and conversation based on whatever the current book was in the chapter being discussed.Some of the theories are interesting, but, given that all the movies/books are out now, there is not much here for the average reader.

I got this book because I am so bored waiting for the last book to come. I had hoped for some new idea, but basically it is the same ole same old. There are several questions listed on the back, which by page 100 the author still hadn't gotten to. It was written before the name of the 7th book was announced, and you can already see that he is wrong about his guesses. Which is basically what this book is ... a lot of suggestions of what will be "cool" to see in book 7. I hope JK didn't read it. LOL.

This will appeal to all the many who never wanted Harry to end. The author gives us a little more life.

Have read all the books...seen all the movies available,played all the games. (this is a bit late,and a bit redundant.owell.noone should tell us what to think about a movie)

I loved this book. I highly recommonds it to all Potter fans. I couldn't put this book down. A great read!!!

OK. This should be gone. THE 7TH BOOK HAS COME OUT!! There is no reason this book should be read now. I read a sample and it seemed good for people who were reading this in the time before the book came out and people who still think that the tornado is not over (Kansas and that area.)The author is probably not making much money right now.The only thing I do like about it is how the author is a wizard and know's magic (cause there are not many author's that aren't No-Maj's.) Not one but two stars, Z

My goodness, this is certainly embarrassing! I'm the first one to review this book, and I'm a spry young lad of 40. Isn't this supposed to be for fanboys and fangirls? (Whatever those are...)It should be obvious that I'm getting my geek on. With Book 7 coming out in less than three months, and having reread all the books, I found myself craving something "Potter". I don't care much for discussion forums because an awful lot of ridiculous theories get mixed in with intelligent discussion, so I thought this would be fun.It was.The author, David Langford, is a 27-time Hugo Award winner. Those are impressive credentials. He's a very bright, funny guy, and knows the Potterverse well enough to be a more than able guide. Some theories I'd seen, others I'd thought of, but he did manage, more than once, to slip something in that took me by surprise. For example, when discussing Dumbledore's trust of Snape, he opined that perhaps Dumbledore does NOT trust Snape in the way we think he does. He discusses Rowling's ability to fool us in depth, like a magician waving a rabbit in front of our faces but convincing us that we can't see it. She's a master at that. What other kind of trust might Dumbledore have? He might trust that Severus Snape will do exactly as he expects him to, play the part Dumbledore wants for him, and go back to Voldemort's side. So, when he says that he trusts Severus completely, he's saying that he trusts him to be untrustworthy.I'm not sure that I believe that, but it was a new thought, a very valid one, and made me sit up and pay more attention.If you're tired of discussion forums, this is a terrific place to turn.

While I was in high school, I used Cliff Notes and Monarch Notes as a substitute for reading unsavory literature (i.e. Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in particular). I never understood the purpose of these literary products until I enrolled in college literature classes. The coerced reader can understand symbols and see aspects of literature that would be missed. In fact, Cliff and Monarch Notes enable the coerced reader to be transformed into an engaged reader. THE END OF HARRY POTTER? accomplishes the identical tasks as Cliff and Monarch Notes. One BIG difference; no one is coerced to read Harry Potter. After reading Langford's work, I see important aspects of the series that I missed or didn't get. After I read DEATHLY HOLLOWS, I probably will reread the series. Langford will be responsible for that.One aspect of THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX I missed was the linkage of Rowling's life and the symbolism of Umbridge's actions. As a single parent living in poverty, Rowling was confronted with well-meaning but overly bureaucratic social workers. Umbridge's character emerged from Rowling's experience with social workers. An extremely important and eye-opening article that Langford cites is Benjamin Barton's article entitled 'Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy' in THE MICHIGAN LAW REVIEW volume 104, May 2006. I teach a course in community organization and will require my students read Barton's work. The contents will help social work students understand the impact of their actions on clients' capacity to succeed.I can make two points that will help a person decide whether to read THE END OF HARRY POTTER?. First, if you read this review after the publication of THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS, you're too late. The central theme within Langford's book is connections within the first six novels that lead to the last. Thus, THE END OF HARRY POTTER? will not be enjoyable if THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS is read first. Second, the Rowling's purpose is reminiscent of Roddenberry's. The original STAR TREK was intended to be a morality play made palpable to the general public. The Harry Potter series achieves the identical objective. The easier route in life is succumbing to evil. Harry (or Rowling) shows that the long term consequences of taking the moral path is a self actualizing experience that is more satisfying than any short term pleasure.Langford is a master of the written word and THE END OF HARRY POTTER? is worthy to read.