Umbridge, detention, scars, and plotlines, oh my!.

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 125927


>>Betsy: 
>JKR hasn't taken the easy route before.  Why would she do it now?<

>>Lupinlore: 
>Well, I certainly hope you are correct, Betsy.  And perhaps I am 
rather pessimistic because after waiting three years post-GoF I 
found OOTP to be a sloppy, half-baked mess that badly needed another 
six months of work followed by about three heavy sessions with the 
editor. But I suppose everybody is allowed one mess-up.  Harry is 
allowed his mess-up year and JKR should be allowed her mess-up book.<
<snip>

Betsy:
Ah.  This is where we part ways, I guess.  I quite liked OotP.  I 
don't recall any scenes that I thought unnecessary to the plot, 
nothing I would have cut.  I liked how JKR ratched up the tension 
and introduced more depth to the storyline.  I love that not all of 
Harry's enemies are minions of Voldemort.  I love that friend and 
foes are not easily identified and I love that Harry's choices are 
not automatically correct.  (Now if we could just work on dear 
Hermione... <g>)  

I think we've gotten into discussions before about how the various 
characters changed - I quite liked the changes and thought they 
flowed well from previous books (i.e. Percy leaving the Weasleys, 
Molly's breakdown, Neville's bravery and determination).  Ginny was 
a bit jarring.  There could have been more foreshadowing in earlier 
books there, though I did like Ginny's character.  And I could have 
done with more Draco (though I think his development for good or ill 
should occur or at least start in the next book).  But I liked the 
new characters JKR introduced (pause for Luna love moment), and the 
introduction of more folks not Gryffindor.  

You mentioned some other series that have disappointed you.  I 
haven't read the Sword of Truth series, and I've only read the first 
two or three books in King's Dark Tower series.  So I can't judge on 
those.  I am a big fan of Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and I 
disagree about it falling apart after the first three books. (Mat 
isn't fully realized until further into the series, IIRC.)  But 
then, I love the plottiness and the almost realistic politics of 
Jordan's world. 

However (and to save the above comments from being completely OT) 
JKR has one strong advantage over Jordan and King:  She knows 
exactly how long her series will be.  She knew from day one that the 
series would last seven books, one for each year.  That knowledge 
would have forced her to do some fairly strict outlining.  I believe 
she's said in an interview or two that she's had the final chapter 
written for a long time now, mainly so she'd always know what she 
was aiming for.  And she's so keen on puzzles and riddles, I imagine 
she's had to plan for every mystery's outcome.  So I think we're 
reading a series that has been very well planned out.

Not to say that there hasn't been errors along the way.  Ginny is 
the most glaring one, IMO.  And I really think that was a matter of 
not dropping big enough hints than an authorial change of mind. (I 
reread the books with Ginny in mind recently, and her OotP 
personality was there, you just had to search for it.)  But as far 
as realistic (within the genre) development of the characters, I 
think JKR has done an excellent job.  No one is unrealistically 
perfect.  No one is unrealistically evil.  Even Voldemort - with his 
supervillian posturing - was originally Tom Riddle, poor little 
orphan boy.  (Again - all within the genre.  I'm not arguing that 
JKR has written a true to life documentory type story.)  

I also think JKR has bravely stepped a little beyond genre and added 
some unsearched for depth to the characters and her world.  I love 
that the Weasleys are not a perfect little family.  I love that the 
WW can engage in rather mob-like behavior and be swayed by charisma 
and good press.  I love that Fudge can seriously screw with 
Dumbledore's plans while still being an incompetent little toady of 
a Minister.  And I love that Harry can get a little unhinged by the 
pressures brought to bare on him and throw himself a proper teenage 
temper-tantrum.  It adds depth to the story.  And I think it's a 
part of the reason so many adults enjoy the series.

Of course, it could all fall apart in the next two books.  JKR has 
set up certain expectations of redemption and comeuppance.  She's 
set the bar pretty high on what will constitute a satisfying 
ending.  I have confidence in her though.  After all, she's not 
trying to figure the ending out as she goes along, and she's not 
bowing to public pressure. (Hello Chris Carter - yes I'm talking to 
you.)  The ending has long been written, and JKR has been aiming for 
it from book one.  I think she'll hit the bullseye.

Betsy, who seriously held back on waxing worshipful on Mat.  And 
didn't even mention Min!