Deathly Hallows Cover Art

[sharelle]

I was actually quite surprised to come home from work (late, no less) and see that no one on my flist had linked to the recently-released cover art for the 7th Harry Potter. (U.S. cover art, anyway.) So, whee! I'm never first for those types of things!

Therefore, in case your own flists haven't posted it yet, here's a look at Book 7! (As well as the full spread.)

Comments

[sarahetc.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm trying to tell myself that Snape's not gonna make it. I'm repeating that he's got a bullseye on his aristocratic alabaster forehead. He's gonna leap in front of an Avada meant for Harry. He's going to get a harpoon through the chest... no wait. Other favorite character of all time. But he's just TOO GOOD a character, and by good I mean complex and compelling and mysterious and all that, to just heave onto the bonfire of martyr cliche. Can one of the tertiary characters do that? Lupin's not busy, right?

And I hope Dobby just goes away and is quiet. I also know people who think he's the greatest, but I think it's time we grew out of the sycophancy. Obviously, he is not like the other elves. Not. So give the sword to Ron, already.

Okay. I'm really glad you care, because I really like to talk about this and I really spend like, far too much time thinking about it. Yay for you!

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

I've been saying for a long time that, while the story Rowling has created is unique, the formula is not. Harry's is a typical hero's journey, mirrored in everything from King Arthur to Star Wars. Which, of course, means the mentor must die (so the hero can learn to stand on his own two feet), and the longtime adversary may turn out to be more than he seems. (Which, unfortunately, means that he may also die in a heroic flash of cliché.) JKR may surprise us - something I'm holding out for - but the recipe's been right so far.

So give the sword to Ron, already.

I wouldn't mind that, but then I'm also afraid for the misunderstood lesser-Weasley. He's been building toward that "something special" for several books now . . . and somehow the payoff has never been very satisfactory. All we've gotten is flying brains and retrospective descriptions of what he's done (be it quidditch or fighting Death Eaters in Hogwarts). As the loyal sidekick and (*ahem*) "funny one," he may finally outshine his family and come into his own . . . just in time to get that pesky harpoon through the chest himself.