<p>I can't believe how much I missed out on when I was a kid! :C J.K. Rowling is a brilliant woman...</p>
<p>Hogwarts needs to exist.</p>
<p>Hermione dies…</p>
<p>Nice try. x)</p>
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<p>Thanks for the lulz</p>
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<p>How old are you now?</p>
<p>Harry Potter is amazing. And I cannot believe the final movie is coming out in July 
I hope you LOVE it. What book are you on now? What part? :D</p>
<p>I’m seventeen haha. I was intimidated by the books when I was younger (considering their size and level), so I never really read much of them. I’m in the process of going through the second one now.</p>
<p>Harry Potter is wicked good.
Favorite book EVER. I’m quite obsessed.
Glad you picked them up!
And, yes, JKR is a genius.</p>
<p>A couple more months and the magic is over. July…</p>
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<p>No, she most certainly is not.</p>
<p>Yes, she most certainly is.</p>
<p>It is very formulaic, if I remember correctly (haven’t read any of them in awhile, though I’ve read them all). It felt like every book followed the exact same general plot, just with different events and whatnot.</p>
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<p>Exactly. They’re very good books: very entertaining and accessible. In, fact, I liked them so much that I read them all several times. Genius, however, they are not. They’re extremely derivative and unoriginal, and the writing is bland. There’re more holes in the plot than in a block of swiss cheese.</p>
<p>Good? Yes. Entertaining? Absolutely. Genius? Hell no.</p>
<p>Harry Potter <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 IT’S MY LIFE. <3
Enjoy the books! :] Obviously you will, but… you know… thought I’d say it anyway.</p>
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Really? I hadn’t heard that. Could you be specific?</p>
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What do you mean by bland writing?</p>
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It’s not that bad, especially in the earlier novels.</p>
<p>You know… People can say they’re unoriginal, but I don’t care. They are some of the best works of fiction I’ve ever read. People with strong imaginations will love them.</p>
<p>They really do feast your imagination. </p>
<p>When I read the first few pages of Twilight, I was nowhere near as enthralled as I was with the first few pages of Harry Potter. Then again I shouldn’t compare. :b</p>
<p>In terms of creativity and imagination, these books are nothing short of genius.</p>
<p>The books get much after book 3, when they stop becoming glorified Scooby Doo mysteries.</p>
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<p>What’s the difference between derivative/unoriginal and intentionally making reference to other stories?</p>
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<p>It’s all been done before. Now, I realize that most everything has been done before, but originality can still be had by taking an old topic or concept and putting a new spin on it. I just don’t feel like Rowling did this. It seems like she just took the stereotypical coming of age, boarding school, secret magical world, and dark evil force trying to destroy everything concepts and smushed them all together.</p>
<p>A few months back, I saw an article Orson Scott Card wrote about Rowling stealing the plot of Ender’s Game; I’ll see if I can find it.</p>
<p>Here it is: [J.K</a>. Rowling, Lexicon and Oz](<a href=“http://www.linearpublishing.com/RhinoStory.html]J.K”>http://www.linearpublishing.com/RhinoStory.html)</p>
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<p>I don’t have a copy of the books on hand, so I can’t cite anything to show what I mean, but I’ll give it a shot anyway.</p>
<p>Bland was a poor choice of word on my part. What I really mean is simplistic. Simplistic writing can often be a good thing (I mean, who wants to sit on the toilet and struggle through Dickens?), but I also think that writing can become too simple. This, however, is a flaw that I am willing to forgive, on account of them being children’s books.</p>
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<p>Maybe not, but I believe there is an entire website dedicated to listing the various plot holes in the series.</p>
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<p>Hard to quantify, but I would say two things: credit and intent.</p>
<p>It depends a lot on why you’re making these references. Is it to honor the writer and his story, or is it to make a quick buck off someone else’s hard work? Do you give credit where credit is due, or do you just borrow someone else’s ideas and pass themselves off as your own?</p>
<p>Another factor is the degree of reference. Say borrowing a name vs. copying an entire plot.</p>