The bad economics of Harry Potter

[evwhore]

via patrissimo, a discussion of HP that captures more succinctly and clearly than I could, various elements of why I hate the series and stopped reading after #4. I also love the predictable fanboy responses railing against nit-pickers and people who are too smart for their own good and can't turn their brains off, heh. I don't know about you, but I can

Comments

[prock]

Yeah.

That basically sums up every genre of fiction. I mostly stopped reading fiction a long time ago because of all those reasons and the related issues. I'll admit to having read the Harry Potter books though. Hard to be a hypocrit otherwise.

Remarkably well done

[alohamike]

That was one of the best critiques I've ever read, anywhere. I've read and enjoyed the first five, but mostly in a quick, intellectual hand-job sort of a way. I'm sure I'll read 6 (as soon as I bother to borrow it from the division of Amazon that now lives in my basement) and 7 eventually.

She absolutely crystallizes the real problem with the series, though. I never fully understood the source of my disquiet. Tolkien would stand up admirably under thorough analysis (witness krblack's somehow-prize-winning thesis). Potter would crumble quickly.

[nworbsirhc]

hate the series and stopped reading after #4.

At what point did you begin to hate the series? It would seem very odd to me to give up on a series based on one book, but odder still to read 3 books in the series, dislike them, and then finish a long 4th book before giving up in disgust.

[evwhore]

I never really warmed up to it at all, and 3-4 was where it became unbearable. As for why I stuck it out that long, I received all 4 on loan at the same time, and I read pretty quickly, so it wasn't a big deal. And maybe I held out some hope the series would turn around.

Would somewhat disagree

[cdawggy14]

My favourite Fantasy Series is going on 12 or 13 books (I can't remember anymore) and I would have to say that after Book 6, it has gone steadily down hill - do I keep reading, Yes - do I know why, possibly.

When you've already invested and it starts to get worse, you feel that you've got to keep going because you want the answers (I know it's a sunk cost, but you neeeeeeed the answers). And the authors milk that once they start making the big dough!

Most of these series (hey, it's Fantasy) are so utterly predictable and can be done much quicker (i.e. 4 books not 7) but the author's making money and wants to push that money further - thus thin stretched out plots and he got tired of it and dropped it!