Quite odd, me making this thread, as some people already minght know (and might have forgotten, too) that I dislike HP alot. But I recently found that this is not the case and I was disillusioned about HP. I liked them - but only the first four books. The fifth book was acceptable and considerably okay - considering J.K. Rowling's head had already swollen with the movies and stuff...

Never enjoyed reading the 6th book though. Havent read the 7th. But I think I'll go get them now, just to get the full collection. Maybe I'll get the Pirated versions. Dont wanna waste money on the original when i know I wont like it. Though I dislike buying pirated books - all my books, all of them, are originals - I am quite particular on that - but I'll make an exception in this case.

Though, I ended up finding so many loopholes in the story. Like in the fourth book, when after the Priori Incantatem was being recalled by Harry in Dumby's Office, Sirius asks if they came back from the dead, and Dumby says that magic can't bring life. But previously, during the weighing of wands, Ollivander ends up making birds fly out of Cedric's wand (Cedric's, right? I'm not sure whose, but it was one of them).

Yes, I ended up reading them during exams. Odd how exams make you pick up books. I re-read the 3rd and 4th and 5th books again. All in two days...though I'm a bit shocked there - I did the 5th AND 3rd in one day.

First few books were really good.But The Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows failed to meet their standards if you ask me.I was especially disappointed with the ending..somewhat predictable and boring.Ron and Hermione's love-hate relationship morphed into we-are-a-couple thing overnight.
I'm not gonna start another debate over whether HP is good or not(Been there done that XD).But all I can say is that HP didn't become a record-breaking publishing phenomenon for nothing.

Can't resist dissing Harry Potter. (HP = Hewlett-Packard.) How can an author copy-paste so blatantly from so many others (yep, I'm especially referring to the passages practically lifted from Tolkien) and still be considered successful?! Every time I thought she was actually acquiring a style of her own, there she went, snip-snip-stick-stick....

Ithil wrote:...yep, I'm especially referring to the passages practically lifted from Tolkien

Now that you mention it taurius kept telling me the same thing on Animedesh.Ah I guess I should read Tolkien to find out for myself.

There are whole Tolkien passages there. The scene with the acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest is a rephrasing of Bilbo's encounter with the giant spiders in Mirkwood. (The car rescue's reminiscent of a scene from a kid's book called The Magic Bicycle Ride, though this is a more tenuous link.) Then there's the Pensieve = mirror of Galadriel. (But: 'Do not touch the water!') The retrieval of the horcrux from the middle of that lake - Dead Marshes, anyone? ('There are dead things, dead faces in the water.') And, of course, the Halfling (Half-Blood) forth shall stand! (Is it absolutely essential that you be a half-something if you wish to oppose a Dark Lord? )

A couple of pages which list similarities (I'd forgotten some of these, like the giant squid and Wormtail/Wormtongue, and hadn't thought of others):

http://www.mugglenet.com/hpvslotr.shtml
http://web.archive.org/web/20071015105604/http://www.geocities.com/medevam/similar.html

@ Red: LOTR - the dwarves had seven rings. (The humans nine, the elves three.)

Oh my dear gods and godesses. You're right on that. But Arrow told me something about the typical "mystical" theory or something someone wrote that is basically the basic backbone of most stories - Star Wars, HP, LOTR, etc.....

Anyone heard of that?

I totally admit that JKR borrows a lot from Tolkein, esp in the characters of Gandalf and the dark Lord. But what makes HP a better read is that it is more based on ground realities. I mean check out LOTR... I needed the first ten days just to memorise the fictional map, the complex names and their multiple identities; like Aragorn son of Arathorn, heir of Isildor (I hope i've got it right, or else i'm yet to perfect LOTR!!). I mean please, fiction is supposed to relax you, not confuse you with maps!! So that's one major reason i find HP a better read... maybe its just made for dumb-heads like me!!!

Woah! Totally not! I disagree! One of LOTR's most appealing factor is the depth of the history Tolkien provides. He has basically set up a totally different world! He SUCCESSFULLY made the language of the elves - and with Appendix A to F - elaborating that history....absolutely awesome. I bought Unfinished Tales and Silmarillion and was thrilled by the surrounding info they gave. I haven't bought any other Chirstopher Tolkien's books, though.

On the other side of the picture - we have Harry Potter. A dull world where Wizards/witches are hiding their existence from Normal Humans - for reasons with-held. I mean, lets look at the following points:

1) You can wield a wand - kill ppl with it. Assume authority. You can change the world for the better.

2) Wizards dont know about electricity (4th book starting) but use ovens (during the quidditch world cup, Ron complains about ovens).

3) They dont know about the telephone. HOW PRIMITIVE! FLOW OF ELECTRONS! And they consider themselves superior. Bah!

4) The time it takes a wizard to recite a spell will be ten time as long as required to press a gun trigger. Or I could just snipe them. Only advantage of killing using a spell, is that there is no visible wound - BIG DEAL!

5) Somehow, we have been ignorant to flying cars, speeding buses, mythical animals and what not.

6) Apparently human technology cant detect these animals either.

----

As for relaxing...both, LOTR and HP are both relaxing in their own ways. And you dont need to memorize the map. Just keep referring to it as the story progresses to trace the Fellowship's Paths - looking from time to time.

Okay Rowling's luck seems to have run out-

http://www.andpop.com/2010/02/19/j-k-rowling-sued-for-plagiarism/

I wonder what would've happened if Tokien had been alive.Would he have sued her for another 500 millions?

I used to like it dont any more =_= why do i become an ******* for hating it? other people say its brilliant i dont agree so i become a weirdo. Lemme put it simple and easy: the story is a mess.

Yeah, the series had a great start !
And the books were great, till The Goblet of Fire
The Order of the Pheonix was complete bull-crap with nothing but teenage heartaches and how Professor Bitchass Umbridge is Hades in disguise and tortures our beloved hero, HP.
The Prophecy in the end DID have a significant role but the book could have been a LOT shorter -___-"
The Half Blood Prince was ultra-boring as well. Hunting the Horcruxes, yeah that sounded cool but it was kinda predictable.
Deathly Hallows LOST IT! It frikkin LOST IT coz the story no more took place within the enchanted and beloved walls of Hogwartz.
The final fight was pretty good, yet again too many unnecessary deaths
And after all the hype about Lord Voldemort, the Dark lord succumbs to a simple first-grade Expelliarmus. Yeah, there is so-called "justification" for this but sounds to damn far fetch'd.
I enjoyed watching Potter Puppet Pals more than reading Deathly Hallows ^___^
WOLF OUT !

I've read the entire series twice, just for the heck of it. And damn its totally overrated =_="
J.K. Rowling lost me when she killed Sirius Black :O
She lost my ghost when she killed Dumbledore :O
SHE KILLED MY VERY ESSENCE WHEN SHE KILLED VOLDEMORT T_T T_T

She killed DOBBY!
How could she?! :O
Heartless biastch!

I know!!! Dobby!!! The big eyed cute little thing!!! I loved him!!! He was so stupidly(adjective...) honorable!!!

*nods head in agreement*she lost me after Sirius, Dumbledore and Voldemort! Dobby i hated Winky...but Dobby!? why couldn't she kill Winky instead ?>.<

lost interest after the 3rd book!

Azkaban was the best book of the lot. ANd she needn't have killed Cedric

the killing only starts after the 3rd book