Books of Magic vs Harry Potter

[Steve]

---  "stacygalore" <stacygalore at ...> wrote:
>
> ---  "Steve" <bboyminn@> wrote:
> >
> > ---  "stacygalore" <stacygalore@> wrote:
> >>
> >> The thread about Stardust got me thinking about 
> >> Neil Gaiman and his graphic novel "Books of 
> >> Magic". ... A good friend of mine refused to 
> >> read Harry Potter because he was convinced JKR 
> >> ripped off Neil Gaiman. Has anybody heard of 
> >> this theory?  ...
> > >
> > 
> > bboyminn:
> > 
> > Well, let's see. Harry Potter has magic; Lord of the 
> > Rings (LotR) has magic. Harry Potter has wizards,
> > LotR has wizards. Harry Potter has elves, LotR has
> > elves. Harry Potter goes on a quest, Frodo goes on a
> > quest. So, Harry Potter must have ripped off LotR? 
> > Believe me there are thousands who believe this is
> > true.
> > 
> > ... Since there hasn't 
> > been a lawsuit by Gaiman, I suspect he doesn't feel
> > like he was ripped off. If the author doesn't think
> > so, I don't see why your friend should think so.
> > 
> > For what it's worth.
> > Steve/bboyminn
> 
> Stacy here:
> I should forward this to my friend.  Maybe your 
> words will convince him that he's being silly, and
> coax him to read the books.  I keep telling him 
> he's really missing out on some wonderful stuff.
>

bboyminn:
 
It's odd isn't it, that people can be so fiercely
loyal to books and authors. I know many LotR fans
who absolutely will not touch a Harry Potter book
because the are convinced JKR betrayed their 
favorite author by using what in reality are 
universal themes. 

Your friend seems to be the same, he will not 
betray his favorite author and his favorite story
regardless of the cost. In a way, I admire that
books can inspire such loyalty. That books can
have this wonderful power over people. 

But, really, why deny yourself the fun and adventure
of a great book out of loyalty to another book. I'm 
guessing the author would say READ!, read anything 
and everything. Allow yourself, mind, body, and soul,
to be immersed in the great adventure of stories. 
And you will like what you like and not like what
you don't like; that's just life. But don't deny
yourself the adventure. 

I recently discovered that my sister and her son 
are big Eragon fans, yet, they resist reading
Harry Potter. I think partly because they think
it is just a shallow trendy fad of a book. That
it can't possible have the substance that Ergaon
does. 

But I encouraged them to read the first book anyway.
You can buy the first HP book in paperback for about
$6 or $7, and pointed out that you will never get 
better entertainment value for your money. What else
could possibly provide you with hours of fun and 
adventure for only $7? The absolute worst that could 
happen is you'll only be mildly amused for several 
hours. Is that such a bad thing?

Just a thought.

Steve/bboyminn