8th book

[Cayal]

I read, sorry can't find the link, JK Rowling is thinking of writing an 8th book and it wouldn't be focused around Harry Potter.

IMO stupid idea.

[pyan]

IMO stupid idea.

Why's that, Jaire? lots of people write different series based around different sets of characters....why should she be any different?

[Cayal]

I think once a series is done, it should be done. No spin offs, no prequels nothing. It ruins the story.

[pyan]

But has that stopped you reading books like the Legends of the Riftwar series, which are essentially spin-offs of the main Midkemia series?

[Marky Lazer]

I disagree somewhat. Yes, lots of prequels, sequels spin-offs are less good than the original, but some work. How about Buffy-Angel, for example? Or LOTR after The Hobbit, definately a sequel! If it's done good and in the same line as the original, and with the same high standard qualitywise, then it can't do no harm, can it?

By the way: JK Rowling to pen Eighth Harry Potter Book? | /Film

[KoffeeKat]

Saw JK on the TV last night (a year in the life of...) and although she's worked out who marries who, has kids, dies etc, she stated it was just for her own personal satisfaction.
There will be no new HP book.
She's writing a political fairy story (her words) at the moment.
.........end of......

[Marky Lazer]

Well, don't underestimate 'personal satisfaction'. Tolkien wrote his ME for personal satisfacition as well.

[GOLLUM]

That link says it will be more like a HP reference book rather than a new story.

[Lenny]

I saw a similar link t'other day (I'll see if I can find it) that was the same story, except different. Rather than a reference book, which I do believe she's already writing, she said she'd love to write an eighth book in which Harry is not the main character.

Which I've just realised is what Jaire said in fewer words in his first post.

With those details, I see it less as a spin-off, and more as a novel set in the same Universe.

EDIT: Here's the link I found. JK Rowling drops hints of possible eighth Harry Potter book | the Daily Mail

A big IF, and one that might come to fruition 10 years down the line.

[Cayal]

Originally Posted by pyan

But has that stopped you reading books like the Legends of the Riftwar series, which are essentially spin-offs of the main Midkemia series?

It's different with Feist and Rowling.

Rowling wrote a story focused on Harry Potter. Feist isn't writing focused on one character rather a story about Midkemia over many years with many characters.

[power to the J]

I hope this doesn't happen, cuz people will rush out to buy it and not even look at the flaws of this entire series, which somehow became popular as adult fantasy, which it isn't.

I've read somewhere (can't remember) that she might go to crime writing next. Now that would be good for laughs.

[Fake Vencar]

Well she hasn't got much to work on to be honest. The Harry Potter world is very small compared to Middle-Earth and Midkemia, which have been mentioned. And with an almost next to nothing character list after her ending in the last book, it just wouldn't work.

[PTeppic]

Rowling has mentioned a number of possible books:

a) Tales of Beedle the Bard (now published)
b) in the Year in Profile show, she was explicitly and physically currently writing a totally non-HP children's book
c) when HP7 was finished she dropped hints at using all her notes, possibly augmented, to produce an HP encyclopaedia
d) the newest rumour is that she has said that yes, possibly, in several years time, she may feel ready to go back to "her" HP universe and write something more. But it won't be HP-centric (himself).

At the end of the day HP finished in 1997, with well, to prevent spoiler-age you know the rest. She could easily resume the story "today", which is ten years on. If she doesn't start writing for another ten years, that's another ten years of gap. With 20 years of "peace" (presumably) there is quite easily room for a new tyrant to start developing (either out of Voldemort's ranks or entirely independently: always two there are, a master and an apprentice... ). Or, the peace could be falling apart. IMO, for children's stories written in the HP-verse it works the best with a really strong villain, rather than just happy little skipping-along, flower-picking stories of purely goodness and light.

[PTeppic]

Originally Posted by Fake Vencar

And with an almost next to nothing character list after her ending in the last book, it just wouldn't work.

Why does she need ANY character list from the previous book? Whilst it would help tie-in the storylines, as per my previous post it could easily be set 10-20 years AFTER the end of HP7. In which case you'd virtually expect an entirely new cast. And that's what she started with in the first place, of course.

Or, she could go back and do some historical HP-verse, if she chose to. A lot of the wizarding world is pseudo-Victorian anyway, so if she's happy to do some Victorian period research for the Muggle side of things...

[Feordel]

In thatd Daily Mail Article, you have no idea whether that has come from JK or not. Unless I hear her say it or announce it on her website, I don't trust the source. In the documentary people saw her say the series is over but that she will do an encyclopoeida, but she wants the series to end there.