Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: P-DAY +2 (impressions/spoilers within)

[Kratz]

Spoiler for Hiden:

-Neville was pretty badass in this book showing that possibly he could have succeeded if he was chosen instead of Harry.

My wife pointed out the following interesting tidbit:

Spoiler for Hiden:

In the end, Neville and Harry *both* fulfilled the prophecy.

[PaulBot]

Neville RAWKS! If he were evil Harry would have some formidable competition! 

[CeeKay]

Neville RAWKS! If he were evil Harry would have some formidable competition! 

I smell sequel material!

[Kevin Grey]

Here's a transcript of a webchat with Rowling where she answers just about every loose end from the series:

http://the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/7/30/j-k-rowling-web-chat-transcript

What's most remarkable about it to me is how fully realized her world his- she knows the answers to questions like each murder used to create each horcrux even though that information is never given (or necessary) in the books.

[Teggy]

Spoiler for Hiden:

-Neville was pretty badass in this book showing that possibly he could have succeeded if he was chosen instead of Harry.

My wife pointed out the following interesting tidbit:

Spoiler for Hiden:

In the end, Neville and Harry *both* fulfilled the prophecy.

I don't know that that's true, because

Spoiler for Hiden:

Voldemort never marks Neville as his equal, and isn't that part of the prophecy?

[Kratz]

I don't know that that's true, because

Spoiler for Hiden:

Voldemort never marks Neville as his equal, and isn't that part of the prophecy?

*shrug*  I thought Dumbledore was pretty clear about there being two possible boys?  Dunno.  Can't remember #6 that well.

[Kevin Grey]

*shrug*  I thought Dumbledore was pretty clear about there being two possible boys?  Dunno.  Can't remember #6 that well.

There were two possible boys, up until the moment that Voldemort chose Harry.  By deciding to go after Harry instead of Neville Voldemort made Harry "The Chosen One" and gave Harry the power to defeat him. 

I think they talk a bit more about it in Book Six, but it was covered pretty extensively in the second to last chapter of Book 5. 

[Jag]

From the Today show interview, summary of what wasn't in the book:

Spoiler for Hiden:

Rowling's commentary on the epilogue

In an interview author J. K. Rowling gave additional information about the characters that she chose not to include in the book.

* The epilogue does not directly state that Ron and Hermione are married, but Rowling states that they are.
* Harry and Ron are both Aurors, and Harry is the head of the Aurors' department, while Hermione is "very high up" in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
* Luna Lovegood has become a naturalist of sorts, searching the world for odd and unique creatures.
* At Hogwarts there is now a permanent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; Voldemort's jinx on this position was broken with his death. There is also an unknown Headmaster, as Professor McGonagall was too old to assume the position permanently. Rowling did not identify either the Headmaster or the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

In an online chat,[57] Rowling also indicated that:

* Ginny played for the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team for a while, and then left behind her athletic career for marriage and family with Harry. She eventually becomes the lead Quidditch reporter for the Daily Prophet.
* Luna Lovegood eventually marries Rolf, the grandson of Newt Scamander.[58]
 Before becoming an Auror, Ron joins his brother George in the jokeshop started by George and their late brother Fred.

[Laner]

Whew!  Finished it last night... a fitting finale.

Question:

Spoiler for Hiden:

When Harry "died", what was the significance of the creepy baby under the chair?  Was that the part of Voldemort's soul that Harry was carrying?

[Kevin Grey]

Laner, that was how I interpreted that. 

[wonderpug]

Just finished it last night, great great finale to the series, and it will definitely make for an incredible movie.

I've been catching up on this impressions thread, and I'm surprised that nobody has yet mentioned the enormous symbolism in the book for real-world history:

Spoiler for Hiden:

Specifically, the repeated symbolism for WWII and the Holocaust.  Voldemort on his quest to unite the world for the "pure blood" race and oust all the lesser races, despite not being of pure blood himself.  The rounding up and imprisonment of those with un-pure blood.  The pile of Muggle bones under the statue in the Ministry as a metaphor for the results of the death camps.  The underground resistance fighting and raising morale under the oppressive occupation (Neville, Luna, and Ginny at Hogwarts), the inconsistent and difficult to tune in underground radio where people in hiding listen for the resistance's updates on the war, the dialogue along the lines of "why worry about him, he's just an elf" "don't you see, it's the elves first, then we're next" (parallel to the "first they came for, but I was not a" poem.

I think there were even more metaphors that stood out to me during reading that I can't currently remember.

[Kratz]

I think the WWII parallels were just too blatant to be of much note.... too clear and obvious to warrant much discussion.

[Farscry]

What other 750 page book do you read that you wish would go on longer?

George R. R. Martin's 900-1000+ page monstrosities, actually. I love them too, and while I'm depressed that Potter's done, at least there's at least two more Martin books left.

[CeeKay]

[George R. R. Martin's 900-1000+ page monstrosities, actually. I love them too, and while I'm depressed that Potter's done, at least there's at least two more Martin books left.

I think there's actualy 3 or 4 left.  At this point I don't think we'll see A Dance with Dragons until late 2008.

[Jag]

[George R. R. Martin's 900-1000+ page monstrosities, actually. I love them too, and while I'm depressed that Potter's done, at least there's at least two more Martin books left.

I think there's actualy 3 or 4 left.  At this point I don't think we'll see A Dance with Dragons until late 2008.

If he lives....

[CeeKay]

[George R. R. Martin's 900-1000+ page monstrosities, actually. I love them too, and while I'm depressed that Potter's done, at least there's at least two more Martin books left.

I think there's actualy 3 or 4 left.  At this point I don't think we'll see A Dance with Dragons until late 2008.

If he lives....

I thought it was Robert Jordan that was having health problems.  I haven't heard anything about George....

[wonderpug]

George is 500 lbs, he's 58 but looks 70, and he has at least 3 more books to write--keeping in mind that the last book took 5 years, the next book was already partially written and is still taking 3 years, and he's got an HBO miniseries to be involved in.

So in short, no official health problems listed, but this does not look like a picture of health:

[Jag]

[George R. R. Martin's 900-1000+ page monstrosities, actually. I love them too, and while I'm depressed that Potter's done, at least there's at least two more Martin books left.

I think there's actualy 3 or 4 left.  At this point I don't think we'll see A Dance with Dragons until late 2008.

If he lives....

I thought it was Robert Jordan that was having health problems.  I haven't heard anything about George....

Just a matter of time

[Starshifter]

Just finished this today!  Fantastic book.  Fantastic series.  Bittersweet.  It's like losing a family or friends you've spent years with.  This has only happened to me three times before.  Once upon finishing the Dragonlance series (Weis & Hickman), upon completion of the Elric of Melnibone (Eternal Champion) saga by Michael Moorcock and the completion of Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter of Mars series.  I felt such a loss when I completed all these and now Harry Potter joins those ranks.

[wonderpug]

I think the WWII parallels were just too blatant to be of much note.... too clear and obvious to warrant much discussion.

Missed this response the first time 'round.  I guess my point wasn't that I thought the Holocaust analogies were subtle, but that they were so strongly present that I thought their "blatant" nature, as you say, would have already been commented on.