Okay, I've done my part.
I have finished reading the first two Harry Potter books and watched the first movie.
What I will say is this - the Harry Potter books are infinitely better written than the Twilight series of books. The use of language, clear plot mapping, character development, etc. done by J.K. Rowling is leaps and bounds ahead of Stephanie Meyer.
However, as I have said from the first time I was told 'You should read the Harry Potter books!', they just aren't my thing. They were enjoyable enough for a light read, but I could never become obsessed with them.
You see, my brand of fantasy story is a type where the fantastical exists in real time, in the real world, with real people/beings that I can relate to. While Harry Potter is technically set in England, it's not really England. The England of my world doesn't have hidden train platforms and a virtual alternate dimension where a school for wizards hides and flying cars sneak past us regular folk. And I just can't relate to an 11 or 12 year old boy discovering magic.
I get absorbed in a story when I can see pieces of me in the characters. They react the way I would react to their circumstances. I just don't see any of me in Harry Potter or Ron Weasely or Hermione Granger and because of that I can't lose myself in their story.
The movie was somewhat more enjoyable for me, mostly because these kind of fantasy stories work better on film for me (like the Lord of the Rings series, I could never get through the books but quite enjoyed the movies).
So ultimately they were fine books. If I find myself short of something to read in the future, I may pick up the next in the series to fill the space. But, I'm not rushing out to get it, and if I never got the opportunity to continue the series I wouldn't be heartbroken.
Edward Cullen wins this round.
Cheers!
I have finished reading the first two Harry Potter books and watched the first movie.
What I will say is this - the Harry Potter books are infinitely better written than the Twilight series of books. The use of language, clear plot mapping, character development, etc. done by J.K. Rowling is leaps and bounds ahead of Stephanie Meyer.
However, as I have said from the first time I was told 'You should read the Harry Potter books!', they just aren't my thing. They were enjoyable enough for a light read, but I could never become obsessed with them.
You see, my brand of fantasy story is a type where the fantastical exists in real time, in the real world, with real people/beings that I can relate to. While Harry Potter is technically set in England, it's not really England. The England of my world doesn't have hidden train platforms and a virtual alternate dimension where a school for wizards hides and flying cars sneak past us regular folk. And I just can't relate to an 11 or 12 year old boy discovering magic.
I get absorbed in a story when I can see pieces of me in the characters. They react the way I would react to their circumstances. I just don't see any of me in Harry Potter or Ron Weasely or Hermione Granger and because of that I can't lose myself in their story.
The movie was somewhat more enjoyable for me, mostly because these kind of fantasy stories work better on film for me (like the Lord of the Rings series, I could never get through the books but quite enjoyed the movies).
So ultimately they were fine books. If I find myself short of something to read in the future, I may pick up the next in the series to fill the space. But, I'm not rushing out to get it, and if I never got the opportunity to continue the series I wouldn't be heartbroken.
Edward Cullen wins this round.
Cheers!
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