Your greatest fear . . .

[Doug Pratt]

No: HPFGUIDX 121203



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "phoenixgod2000" <jmrazo at h...> 
wrote:
> 
> 
> My biggest fear is OBHWF.
> 
> My second greatest fear is Harry losing his powers.  I cannot 
> imagine any ending which would leave me satisfied that would have 
> that as an ingredient.  Harry's given up too much for the world, he 
> doesn't need to give up his power too.


This is my first post, after thoroughly reading and enjoying the 
digests for some time. Quite a group, one of the best (and best-run) 
communities in my wide experience.

I've been thinking about the "biggest fear" question, and come to the 
conclusion that I don't have one. In the years in which I have read, 
reread, read aloud, had read to me, and reread again the HP canon, 
JKR has never disappointed me. I now trust her completely. I have no 
fear that the next two books will be as satisfying and delightful as 
the last five have been.

Look at it this way. JKR has maintained control of the WW through the 
most disruptive experience an author can endure: having their work 
adapted for the movies. Usually, Hollywood can be counted on to 
butcher an author's vision thoroughly, once the screenplay writers, 
the producers, and the marketing and legal departments have gotten 
through with it. This year, another fictional world in which I have a 
large emotional investment was digested and turned into a film that 
had almost nothing to do with the original but the title, and I'm 
still trying to figure out how I feel about it. The HP movies are 
completely different; they are a pleasure to watch, and I especially 
enjoy the interviews where JKR and Steve Kloves talk about how they 
can work together. Clearly, JKR is in charge of the vision. 

That's a strong woman. I have no doubt that she can get us all 
through the next two books. She has earned my faith.

As for what happens when Book Seven is out...well, it will not be an 
end, but a beginning. Look at the Sherlock Holmes canon. Conan Doyle 
created a world and peopled it with characters so compelling that 
many of us feel they are not just fully realized people, but friends. 
Hundreds of years later, people are discussing the original stories, 
creating new ones, and endlessly enjoying the gas-lit world of Holmes 
and Watson. Can any of us doubt that JKR has given us the same gift? 
That's why we're all here!

Very best regards to all,
Doug Pratt
www.pratthobbies.com