There was apparently a long-awaited children's book published at the weekend.
A few years ago, I did read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sorry JK, but it was tedious crap. And so so obvious - the evil house had slithery names and malformed badguys, the good house resonated with heroic imagery, supposed difficult incantations just looked like mis-spelt Latin. It was as if the whole thing was written for 11-year-olds.
Apparently the later books are a bit more sophisticated. Anyway, some children's writing is great. The curious incident of the dog in the night time was a blaze of magnificent writing. Yet Harry Potter just seemed like a kids' version of Lord of the Rings.
But Lord of the Rings was tedious crap too. I barely got a hundred pages into the book or an hour into the film before nodding off. I just don't get the fantasy stuff. Keep it real.
Yet the best fiction is not real. It does expand the horizons of the mind. So maybe I should read some Asimov. Does a bee care if the last question is not answered?
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2 comments:
I fell asleep in the Lord of the Rings film. The hype persuaded me to attempt to read it but I, too, found it dull.
I have no such problem with HP. I like the obvious good vs evil, which in some of the later books becomes a little perveted. I love the playing with latin.
Although, I'm currently over a third through Deathly Hallows and I am wading through treacle. I know things will pick up again and I'm sure the tedium, at this point, is intentional. I recommend moving beyond the Philosopher's Stone.
I guess that elves and goblins and dragons do nothing for me. But what's worse is what you've described as the "get out of jail" card, he's trapped, he's threatened, how can he get out? Oh he's got a magic wand...
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