Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows countdown

[Radhil]

We might want to split this off... I myself devoured it in eight hours (and feel that qualifies me to never judge a book ever again), but I know some people still reading through it. And I'd rather we not be the crappy spoiler people to anyone here.

I hereby invoke the mighty powers of Jan! Er, if you would, aren't too busy, y'know.

[Lunan]

i'm happy to comment a bit now. i'm afraid i found the book a bit lacking. and there are some serious holes that annoy me. mainly polyjuice potion, she set a strick 1 hour time limit and in this book she basically ignores it

the book felt hurried, rushed. she didn't put the same kind of effort into this as she did in 1-5 (i wasn't to happy with 6 either)
snape turning out to be really working for dumbledore was BEYOND OBVIOUS even in book 6, i wish she had done a little better job with that (ok its a fiarly common plot element but still could have been handled much better)

and then the "deathly hallows" themselves. Dues Ex Machina much? she could still have told this story(and likely done a better job) without them.

i'm not so thrilled with the new info dumped in this book, ok a certain amount of new info in any book for a series is always needed but if this was REALLY planned and plotted so far ahead as has been claimed then some of the info could have been slipped into the previous books, a small mention of dumbeldore's mothers name, a mention of the elder wand or the ressurection stone in some passing referance(paticularly the wand, could easily have been slipped into a "history of magic" lesson)

it really just feels like all she was doing was tying the series up so she coul dbe left alone for awhile(and i don't blame her)

the whole between life and death sceene also bugs me, it just didn't feel smooth.

overall while i did enjoy the book, it just wasn't up to expectations at all

[Kloreep]

Just finished it today. Whew. I think it may be my favorite of the series.

Anyway, must resist saying more.

[WorkerCaste]

Closing in on halfway through... my reading time is very limited. Although, I seem to be squeezing in more time than I thought or would (or should, for that matter )

[I love Lyta]

Then why not start a spoilerish thread where you wouldn't have to hold back?

[Lunan]

indee, i'm avoiding posting spoilers myself for at least the next week, otherwise its rude to those who don't want em and may come across em. i have even had to bite my tougne a number of times

[NotSoWize]

Read it, (mostly) loved it, no spoilers here!

[I love Lyta]

wizards of the coast and magic the gathering, which has a worldwide playerbase of something like 50 million

A bit off topic, but everyone I know including myself has stopped playing Magic and sold their cards when WotC started spilling new expansions/editions in intervals in which some people change their underware.
I'd really like to know how many players they've lost since let's say 5th ed.

[babylonlurker]

so I will not be going to a midnight book release, but i am curious, will any of you be going to one (i expect i'll get the book sometime on saturday, maybe)

Not going to any midnight release , just going on Saturday.

[Lunan]

so I will not be going to a midnight book release, but i am curious, will any of you be going to one (i expect i'll get the book sometime on saturday, maybe)

[tarasis]

Unfortuantly I couldn't resist tracking down the website that has some photos from the book and a Q&A page about it. Certainly going to be an interesting book and I actually like the stuff in the epilog (sp).

I have the problem that if spoilers are available I find it hard to resist not looking; be it the web, books or magazines. (Hell I used to read Starburst, TV Zone & Starlog with regularity until I went to UNI and had access to the net).

So now, I believe, I know the end which is a shame but at least I can still enjoy the journey there.

[WorkerCaste]

i have seen some startling things figured out when it comes to NDAs, at least with wizards of the coast and magic the gathering, which has a worldwide playerbase of something like 50 million, and the leaks have been global, this leak is from the US version of the book. ABC spent like 10 mins looking into the book, found the town where its printed, how trains come at the dead of night, the mayor of the town signed a massive NDA, book sellers arn't even allowed to use certain words, it was scary the security net thrown around this book, i'm willing to bet that it can be traced

Because of the copyright infringement and the massive dollars involved, I wouldn't be surprised if the FBI is involved, so there's the distinct possibility of an IP trace to find out who posted. Then from there who knows what tricksy tools the Feds can bring to bear.

[Lunan]

And I understand that as the books were printed, they were put up on pallettes with GPS tracking and locked in warehouses with very limited access. And things like audio book production aren't done from the book itself. There might be fewer people with access than you might think. Not to say that it would be easy or even likely to figure out, but it might just be possible. Then the lawyers get involved since everyone needed to sign some very explicit non-disclosure contracts I believe. Add to that, they used the facsimile of the actual book, rather than just leaking story points, etc. That means property rights on the story, the illustrations, and the presentation. There could actually be jail time involved.

But, I do doubt they'll figure it out.

i have seen some startling things figured out when it comes to NDAs, at least with wizards of the coast and magic the gathering, which has a worldwide playerbase of something like 50 million, and the leaks have been global, this leak is from the US version of the book. ABC spent like 10 mins looking into the book, found the town where its printed, how trains come at the dead of night, the mayor of the town signed a massive NDA, book sellers arn't even allowed to use certain words, it was scary the security net thrown around this book, i'm willing to bet that it can be traced

[WorkerCaste]

And I understand that as the books were printed, they were put up on pallettes with GPS tracking and locked in warehouses with very limited access. And things like audio book production aren't done from the book itself. There might be fewer people with access than you might think. Not to say that it would be easy or even likely to figure out, but it might just be possible. Then the lawyers get involved since everyone needed to sign some very explicit non-disclosure contracts I believe. Add to that, they used the facsimile of the actual book, rather than just leaking story points, etc. That means property rights on the story, the illustrations, and the presentation. There could actually be jail time involved.

But, I do doubt they'll figure it out.

[Lunan]

Pfft. Yeah right.

You've got boxes on boxes of the book stuffed in stores or waiting in warehouses for the proper day. Multiply by a hojillion stores and about a dozen shifty, impatient, and bored employees each. Probability one person worldwide will crack: rapidly approaching point-blank certain.

*IF* they ever find him, most that'll happen is that he'll rapidly be employed at a old record shop for being a rebel.

That said, I might have to start my Internet cut-off early. I've seen yokels blurt everything out right on the title line, no need to read threads to kill 800 pages of tension.

according to abc news(at least it isn't fox) the books will not arrive in stores untill friday morning in the US