The Dilemna of the Deathly Hallows

The arrival of the latest Harry Potter book on Friday causes a real issue here.  How to read the book.  Should I devour it, or should I savor it?

Anyone who has read a highly anticipated book understands this issue.  However, when you are dealing with a limited series, it is even greater, especially when you come to the end of that series.

I mean it’s the last book.  The last time that you will hang out with these characters.  The last time you will have any insights into their personality. 

However, the Harry Potter series has an even bigger wrinkle…  And that is spoilage. I mean think of the biggest ‘highly anticipated’ novel other than Harry Potter that has recurring characters.  The best example I can think of is when the book Hannibal, the sequel to Silence of the Lambs was released.  I mean some spoilers did take place with this book… but they really took place when the movie came out and there were to be differences.

The difference is that millions of people will be reading this book in the next few weeks, and even more significant, millions of parents and news outlets will be reading the book. 

So, there’s the true spoilage of the book, and this can be avoided with some care, but fairly easily… These are things like:

• Is Snape good or evil?
• Does Dumbledore help Harry from beyond the grave?
• Who is R.A.B.?
• What are the Deathly Hallows?
• Who wins the final battle/war?
• Does Hogwarts reopen at the beginning of the book?  At the end of the book?

But then there’s the front page spoilage of the book.  These things are few and far between, but include:

• Harry dies at the end of the book.
• Hermione dies at the end of the book.
• Ron dies at the end of the book.
• Snape dies at the end of the book.
• Hagrid/Neville/Ginny/Lupin/Tonks/Luna/McGonagall/Draco dies at the end of the book.
• Who kills Voldemort.

The things that can be dropped as a joke in a comedian’s monologue.  The details that can be referenced in articles.  I mean can’t you see it in one of the newspapers:

“Last night the New York Yankees lost their fifth game in a row, leaving them 20 games behind the Boston Red Sox.  Like Harry Potter, the 2007 season is dead”

or…

“Another one of Senator McCain’s advisor’s has resigned, I haven’t seen death and destruction like this since I read the latest Harry Potter book”

You get the idea. 

Although, I don’t imagine we’ll see “Harry Lives” spraypainted on the New York City Subway or on the bumper stickers of VW Bugs.