Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
I'll admit that I came in to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with low expectations. I've been slowly losing interest in JK Rowling's version of the wizarding world for years now. More and more she sticks to a narrow, unresearched view of a world that pales in comparison with the things fans have come up with. She takes credit for diversity after the fact (revealing that Dumbledore is gay or allowing Hermione to be black) without ever explicitly including it in her work. (It shows up in this story in the obvious chemistry between Albus and Scorpius, paired with the shoe-horned in inevitability of Scorpius/Rose).
I've been actively consuming Harry Potter fanfiction since I was in high school. Frankly, the world that the fans have come up with is more interesting and more thought-out than the so-called canon. I read this book mostly because I saw fans complaining about it, and I still love the franchise enough to see what all the fuss was about. And I paid full price for the hardcover both so I could go into it relatively unspoiled and because I do, after all, admire where Rowling funnels her profits. (Did you know she's the only person to take herself off the billionaire list because she gave so much to charity?)
Anyway, there wasn't much here that I haven't seen done, and done much better, by fans over the years. Sure, Potter goes into Magical Law Enforcement, as was his stated goal when he was 15 (and everyone always follows through on the career goals they made at that age). I'm far more interested in the version of Potter that becomes the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, breaking the curse on the job once and for all. Or the Potter who simply can't integrate into society after the fight with Voldemort is over and becomes an often-absent but well-loved uncle figure to the Weasley grandchildren. The Potter who utterly fails to empathize with the son whose childhood is strikingly similar to his own is, frankly, unbelievable. Yes, Harry loved Hogwarts. He also went through periods of being shunned by the entire school and surely he would find a way to relate to his son when he goes through the same thing.
This plays read like bad fan-fiction. Not because I've seen dozens of iterations of the Voldemort-comes-back story, but because the characters were acting out of character. You cannot expect me to believe that Hermione would become a mean, bitter, Snape-clone because of one failed relationship. Or that Cedric would, in any reality, join the Death Eaters and kill Neville. Or that Ron and Hermione's entire relationship is based on a foundation of jealousy. Or that Bellatrix would give birth to Voldemort's child and not tell anyone. I fully believe she would give birth to his kid. I think it would have been her idea, as descendants aren't really in line with Voldemort's concept of immortality. But to keep it a secret?
There were good parts of the story, of course. Scorpius was, as many have said, an absolute delight. Not to mention that the existence of the more-than-five-hours time-turner coupled with Hermione's burning desire to study it provides even more evidence for the Ronbledore theory. But if you want an interesting, nuanced look at where these characters end up 20 years down the road, or a story about Voldemort's heir pulling a Kylo Ren, or a fun romp about Death Eaters traveling back in time to thwart Harry Potter, then the fandom has done a better job of it than Rowling ever will. These stories are important and this world is important, to any number of people for any number of reasons. And Rowling's insistence on a cookie-cutter happy ever after cheapens that.
I've been actively consuming Harry Potter fanfiction since I was in high school. Frankly, the world that the fans have come up with is more interesting and more thought-out than the so-called canon. I read this book mostly because I saw fans complaining about it, and I still love the franchise enough to see what all the fuss was about. And I paid full price for the hardcover both so I could go into it relatively unspoiled and because I do, after all, admire where Rowling funnels her profits. (Did you know she's the only person to take herself off the billionaire list because she gave so much to charity?)
Anyway, there wasn't much here that I haven't seen done, and done much better, by fans over the years. Sure, Potter goes into Magical Law Enforcement, as was his stated goal when he was 15 (and everyone always follows through on the career goals they made at that age). I'm far more interested in the version of Potter that becomes the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, breaking the curse on the job once and for all. Or the Potter who simply can't integrate into society after the fight with Voldemort is over and becomes an often-absent but well-loved uncle figure to the Weasley grandchildren. The Potter who utterly fails to empathize with the son whose childhood is strikingly similar to his own is, frankly, unbelievable. Yes, Harry loved Hogwarts. He also went through periods of being shunned by the entire school and surely he would find a way to relate to his son when he goes through the same thing.
This plays read like bad fan-fiction. Not because I've seen dozens of iterations of the Voldemort-comes-back story, but because the characters were acting out of character. You cannot expect me to believe that Hermione would become a mean, bitter, Snape-clone because of one failed relationship. Or that Cedric would, in any reality, join the Death Eaters and kill Neville. Or that Ron and Hermione's entire relationship is based on a foundation of jealousy. Or that Bellatrix would give birth to Voldemort's child and not tell anyone. I fully believe she would give birth to his kid. I think it would have been her idea, as descendants aren't really in line with Voldemort's concept of immortality. But to keep it a secret?
There were good parts of the story, of course. Scorpius was, as many have said, an absolute delight. Not to mention that the existence of the more-than-five-hours time-turner coupled with Hermione's burning desire to study it provides even more evidence for the Ronbledore theory. But if you want an interesting, nuanced look at where these characters end up 20 years down the road, or a story about Voldemort's heir pulling a Kylo Ren, or a fun romp about Death Eaters traveling back in time to thwart Harry Potter, then the fandom has done a better job of it than Rowling ever will. These stories are important and this world is important, to any number of people for any number of reasons. And Rowling's insistence on a cookie-cutter happy ever after cheapens that.
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