Monday, July 18, 2005

What's yr take on...

26 comments:

Nobody Special said...

It's for KIDS!

It's a good story. Yes, I'm reading it but let's get a grip here.

It's a modern day Dicken's tale.

A bit of fun but not to get obsessed about. Now piss off and let me get back to reading it.

garfer said...

Not a patch on Pullman. Still ok though. Bought it in W H Smith today for £11.99. Thought I'd bagged a bargain. Walked across the street to Woolies. £9.99.
Fuckin typical.

Ship Creak said...

Crap. Started reading the first one, but got bored. I agree with Garfer that it pales compared to His Dark Materials.

Even tried watching the movie to see if that would get the same point across without wasting so much of my life on it.

I was bitterly disappointed, as I knew I would be.

Sniffy said...

Pullman is brilliant, but it's unfair to put these up against each other in some sort of competition. I think people should enjoy Potter for what it is; an evolving story about growing up. I like the way the style of writing has grown up with each book too - as if she was writing for an audience that was developing with the stories.

I think it would have been much better for her to write all the stories before even thinking about doing the film - I think she's half written the last couple with the screenplays in mind.

£8 from Tesco.

Garth Nix's Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen trilogy was excellent. As was Robin Jarvis's Wyrd Museum.

Connie said...

Christ.... If I hear one more radio call in show, newspaper article, blog post about "what you think about HP" I will... have to find out...

-Who dies in it?
Someone dies....
Every fucking person alludes to this terribly sad ending....
Who dies!!!!!!
-And what is a half-blood prince anyways?

Herge Smith said...

I know - I hate it as well.

I just like drawing people into a rant. I've got a bunch of these to go.

Karen said...

I've never read one. The first two movies were amusing. My roommate ordered a copy for $24.60 Cdn; that's 11.56 GBP.

Herge Smith said...

Hey Karen - surprised you didn't notice the chick in the pic.

Mona said...

Owl sent me. Great blog!

As for Harry Potter? I'm glad it's successful, I'll probably see the movie, but I spend my time reading other books these days.

I'm behind the times, but currently reading "Tuesdays with Morrie." Yeah, I know, it's short, but I read only a few pages a night.

Herge Smith said...

Hi Mona - thanks for stopping by. That Owl aye? he's a good un.

M said...

I'm totally on board with Tina's assessment. I think I've read 12 chapters today, that brings me up to, I think, chapter 17-18.

I had to take a break to rest my eyeballs so I could finish it either tonight or tomorrow.

I have an idea of who's gonna die. We'll have to see if I am correct. The character is disposable. That's my only hint.

Craig said...

MHN, that all depends on one's definition of disposable. Since the answer is all over the freakin' net (and at the end of the book too, obviously), I'm not sure if I'd personally consider the person disposable, but I would say that felt that it was no big surprise.

What's wrong with me? I'm posting about Harry Potter.

M said...

I refuse to look at the end of the book until I get there. I'm kind of a hard ass that way. :-) Actually, it could be two different folks, but again I won't look until I get there. Speaking of, I better go so I can finish the book. Love to you all! Night, herge.

Anonymous said...

mhn, the character was a tampon?

Anonymous said...

I admit it. I've read them, apart from the latest. It all starts off very Famous-Five-y, but in the later ones that gets abandoned as it gets very clear that the main character is in over his depth.

Like Trillion said, it's a bit of fun, but nothing to get obsessed about.

Spirit Of Owl said...

I like reading it to my kids. It's crap writing, but it's a really great concept and story. It's more factually based than that contemptible bullshit DaVinci Code bollocks as well. ;)

Anonymous said...

hopped on the bandwagon, am now reading it.

Rainypete said...

The wife's a junkie so I've read the books because they were laying around the house.

Definitely kids writing as each book only takes a few hours to chew through. I usually spread a book across a weekend just so my brain won't rot clean through.

thordora said...

I'm glad it gets kids reading, because I read crap at first,since my mother wouldn't let me read "Waterloo" (I suppose she didn't want me making any strange Napolean fantasies up at that age)

I won't read them. I frankly find it rather creepy to see tons of ADULTS on subways and buses reading kids books.....

Not sure why it's got to be this huge story on CNN though...

M said...

no Aas. ;-p

Rowan said...

i think it's strictly for children. i have suffered through the movies over and over with my kids. however, i saw the latest book on saturday, and had to buy it because it was 50% off. so i paid 21.00 CA instead of 41.00 not bad. so I intend to read it with my daughter due to her ADD she will read the first page over and over and then get frustrated and leave it predictably.

Faltanus said...

wonderfully dreadful, or dreadfully wonderful - i'm not sure which. how could you possibly compare HP with Pullman's books? A teenage wizard versus a war against God who has become senile in His eternal existence. i'll vote for war against God any day.

Karen said...

On the radio news this evening: This is now the best-selling book of all time. God help us all.

I wonder if J.K. Rowling will surpass Danielle Steel as the best-selling author ever.

Kinda cool they're both chicks, though.

Herge Smith said...

More best selling than the Bible?

I heard the story is just as weak, and some old guy dies at the end... God, I think.

Dark Materials is superb btw - and all those here that are reading Potter and have forsaken His Dark Materials - SHAME ON YOU!

thordora said...

crap crap crap. And GOOD writers like Steven Brust can barely make enough to pay his poker pot...tsk tsk...

M said...

me too Crystal. :-)