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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Release Date Announced

Posted by CowboyNeal on Thu Feb 01, 2007 09:28 PM
from the allegedly-the-last dept.
Sci-Fi Entertainment
Croakyvoice writes "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, the seventh and final book in the best-selling series, has been scheduled for release at 12:01 a.m. on July 21, 2007, Scholastic announced today." A deluxe edition for collectors and enthusiasts is also planned with a simultaneous release.
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[+] Seventh Harry Potter Book Named 449 comments
Croakyvoice writes "JK Rowling has today given fans of the Harry Potter books the name of Book 7 of the very popular series via a Christmas present on her site, to get to the name you need to follow a complicated procedure but thankfully the name of the book has been revealed as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
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  • Regardless of the release date (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Tebriel (192168) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:32PM (#17853954)
    I'm sure someone will have posted spoilers to the internet months in advance, and if you care about Harry Potter, you'll have inadvertently stumbled upon them and cursed loudly.
    • I'm sure the T-shirt printers are getting ready: "Harry Potter dies on page 573, I just saved you 15 hours and $29."

      • Re:Cue spoiler t-shirts. (Score:5, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 01 2007, @10:28PM (#17854466)
        I'm sure the T-shirt printers are getting ready: "Harry Potter dies on page 573, I just saved you 15 hours and $29."

        It's going to be hilarious when you're torn limb from limb by a horde of enraged 12 year old girls.

        • Re:Cue spoiler t-shirts. (Score:5, Insightful)

          by miyako (632510) <miyakoNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Friday February 02 2007, @02:44AM (#17855934) Homepage Journal
          Actually, it's the last book because since the beginning of the series, she planned on making 1 book for each of the seven years at Hogwarts.
          I don't think that it's fair to criticize the fans of the series. There are certainly people who are fans of the series who are young, or who are older and not well read, but there are also many people who are well read and can appreciate the stories.
          As for the comments regarding the plotlines being predictable, the series does make use of a number of themes that are common to the fantasy genre, and certainly in retrospect it is easy to see how the plot has followed those common themes. I think this applies especially to the large thematic arches of the series. There are, however, surprising and interesting subplots that can be enjoyed.
          The thing is though, even these subplots are not exceptionally intricate, and I do not think that the series is meant to be read like a standard mystery or thriller, where you spend the book trying to figure out who done it, where, how and why. The series isn't really about telling a new story and trying to figure that story out. I think that the real strength of the series is it's implementation of common fantasy themes. To use the cliche`, it's about the journey, not the destination. Reading the Harry Potter series is about seeing how these traditional events unfold in a certain time and place. The author understand that, and focuses on those elements of the story- creating a vibrant living world with three-dimensional characters and exploring how these recurring themes effect them and the world they live in.
          It is perfectly fair to not like the series, but don't completely dismiss it or the people who enjoy it.

    • Re:Regardless of the release date (Score:5, Insightful)

      by porcupine8 (816071) on Thursday February 01 2007, @10:00PM (#17854264) Journal
      I've honestly never seen an honest-to-god HP spoiler. Where do you find them? There's always tons of speculation, but the only real info is whatever JKR releases on her site - which is rarely to never anything really useful. There were some supposed "spoilers" of Dumbledore's death, but there were just as many sites saying it was going to be Hagrid (or one of several other characters).

  • Live Blogging from B&N (Score:5, Funny)

    by thesupermikey (220055) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:32PM (#17853966) Homepage Journal
    Just letting people know i started camping out in front of my local Barnes and Noble This afternoon. If anyone could bring me some coffee, that would be super-sweet.

    Im going to get back to writing my erotic fan fiction where Hairy and lee adama from Battlestar Galactica become close friends (wink wink)

  • So does this mean (Score:3, Funny)

    by jlechem (613317) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:34PM (#17853978) Homepage Journal
    I can finally kick my habit of dirty nasty but delicious harry on ron on hermoine on snape fanfics and get into some real book reading?

  • Harry Potter's Deathly Hallows breakfast cereal (Score:3, Funny)

    by j00r0m4nc3r (959816) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:34PM (#17853984)
    I can't wait to eat a bowl of Deathly Hallows. I might even mix in some C3POs if I'm feeling saucy.

  • Summary of the story (Score:4, Funny)

    by Frogbert (589961) <.moc.liamg. .ta. .trebgorf.> on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:38PM (#17854018)
    1. Harry goes to school.
    2. After a few weeks something weird starts to happen.
    3. Ignore it until just before the school year ends.
    4. Find out what was causing whatever was weird to happen.
    5. Defeat it/Showdown with Voldemort.

    But seriously I love the books.

  • What? NOT a Vista article? (Score:4, Funny)

    by GFree (853379) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:40PM (#17854032)
    Unless this new Harry Potter book has some gratuitous Microsoft/Vista-basing incorporated somehow, it has no place on Slashdot!

  • Since when do books have more than one edition? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:40PM (#17854034)
    "A deluxe edition for collectors and enthusiasts is also planned with a simultaneous release."

    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Deluxe Edition
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ultimate Edition
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Home Premium Edition
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Home Basic Edition
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Business Edition
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Enterprise Edition ...

    Don't think it won't happen.

  • Gotta give her credit (Score:5, Insightful)

    by edwardpickman (965122) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:42PM (#17854070)
    All jokes aside it's impressive accomplishment to go from a single mother on the dole to the most successful author of all time and she's still relatively young. The big question really has to be what next?

    • Re:Gotta give her credit (Score:5, Funny)

      by Bwana Geek (1033040) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:50PM (#17854168) Journal
      I'm guessing we go 2 or 3 years with nothing, then out comes Harry Potter Jr. and the Redundant Storyline of Destiny.

      • Re:Gotta give her credit (Score:5, Insightful)

        by dr_dank (472072) on Thursday February 01 2007, @10:25PM (#17854456) Homepage Journal
        The Harry Potter series may not be Ulysses, but it did weave a tapestry of fantasy that not only appealed to a wide range of readers, but also grew with the kids that they were primarily aimed at. The protagonist went from having normal adolescent troubles being the most of his worries to being thrust into adulthood to face a showdown with a frightfully powerful antagonist and his followers. Green Eggs and Ham, this ain't.

        All this aside, when has there been this much hoopla over a book in recent times? People will camp out in front of stores for the latest game consoles, hottest movies, etc, but its truely unique to see that kind of reception for a book. Instead of rotting their brains in front of the tv sets, kids are exercising their imaginations with these books and *gasp* even picking up other books along the way. Kids who may not have otherwise gotten into reading for pleasure have been introduced to it from reading Harry Potter.

        If this is "catering to the lowest common denominator", then I say we need much more of it.

      • Re:Gotta give her credit (Score:5, Insightful)

        by NMerriam (15122) <NMerriam@artboy.org> on Thursday February 01 2007, @10:35PM (#17854514) Homepage

        She's the literary Britney Spears.
        In their own times, so were Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare. Don't even get me started on Dumas.

        The only question is whether the story and craft appeals across generations, which Harry Potter seems to do very well so far.

          • Re:Gotta give her credit (Score:4, Insightful)

            by GospelHead821 (466923) on Friday February 02 2007, @09:03AM (#17857946)
            I agree with your assessment that the Harry Potter books are juvenile fiction, but they are also a refreshing deviation from the spineless stories that have passed for juvenile fiction for years. They are, furthermore, entertaining enough to be enjoyable light reading for adults. Although they may be targeted at adolescents, they appeal to a larger audience, which is a noteworthy attribute. In my opinion, the Harry Potter books are a model of quality juvenile fiction. They are literary enough and bold enough that they are likely to inspire readers to continue reading even after they've grown out of juvenile fiction. Previously, I was of the opinion that most juvenile fiction set kids up for disappointment when they found failure, death, and other unhappy endings in more adult fiction.

      • Re:Gotta give her credit (Score:5, Insightful)

        by daviddennis (10926) <david@amazing.com> on Thursday February 01 2007, @10:49PM (#17854614) Homepage
        i have enjoyed reading her books.

        I have never, at any point, enjoyed the "music" created by Britney Spears.

        The fact that people ranging from kids to Slashdotters to more or less typical adults have enjoyed the books seems like an excellent tribute to their quality. It's very hard writing something a general audience enjoys. In particular, very few science fiction/fantasy authors have done it.

        I think fans of SF/fantasy should be congratulating her on her success instead of trying to cut her down.

        The general public sometimes shows surprisingly decent taste. This is one of these times.

        D

          • Re:Gotta give her credit (Score:4, Insightful)

            by miyako (632510) <miyakoNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Friday February 02 2007, @02:52AM (#17855978) Homepage Journal
            I suggest you read books 5 and 6, and to a lesser extent 4. What you point out is pretty heavily used in the first three books, and a bit in book 4 as well. By the end of book 4 and during 5 and 6 however, things definitely begin to change. Harry still wins for the most part, but it becomes less about serendipity and hidden powers, and more about paying the price for good. There is a scene early on in book 6 where harry confronts malfoy, and ends up petrified on the floor with a broken nose from malfoy stomping his face in. Not to mention the deaths of Sirius and Dumbledore.

  • Good news for OOTP movie (Score:3, Interesting)

    by nebaz (453974) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:44PM (#17854088)
    I'm sure the producers of the fifth Harry Potter movie are jumping for joy, as their movie [yahoo.com] comes out very close to that time (July 13). The publication of the last book would generate much more buzz about Harry Potter than any thing they could come up with for the movie on it's own.

  • missed opportunity (Score:4, Interesting)

    by jtcm (452335) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:45PM (#17854100)

    I can't believe they're not releasing the book 2 weeks ealier!

    The 7th book should really be released on 7/7/07.

  • Spoilers... (Score:5, Funny)

    by penguin_dance (536599) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:55PM (#17854224)

    I've got the scoop the story:
    "The school and Harry's friends are scandalized when he shows up to the prom naked on a horse."

    Ooops...sorry, wrong story [equustheplay.com].

    • Re:Sci Fi (Score:4, Interesting)

      by bennomatic (691188) on Thursday February 01 2007, @09:40PM (#17854050) Homepage
      Didn't Clarke say something along the lines of, "Any science, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic."? The it's Ma-Fi (magic fiction, but maybe someone thought the reverse was true, and that this magic was indistinguishable from science.

    • Re:Sci Fi (Score:5, Insightful)

      by 1u3hr (530656) on Thursday February 01 2007, @10:18PM (#17854396)
      And WTF is the idea of linking to a random gaming forum for this "news"?

      The publisher's press release is here [bloomsbury.com]. Why does Slashdot indulge people who cut and paste from a primary source to their lousy site/blog/forum/Piquepaille to get clicks? Aside from the clicks, it often gets distorted and cut to the submitter's agenda, or just cluelessness.

      • Re:Sci Fi (Score:5, Insightful)

        by jmorris42 (1458) * <jmorris.beau@org> on Thursday February 01 2007, @11:19PM (#17854796) Homepage
        > And WTF is the idea of linking to a random gaming forum for this "news"?

        Can I get an AMEN?

        It needs to be a rule that only primary sources get linked. That means a blog can't be linked unless the primary content of interest to the /. crowd is the actual creative output of the blogger and not some asshole's opinion about a link to a primary source. Commentary from random assholes is what SLASHDOT is for. Lets not get all circular with slashdot posting a link to a forum talking about a blog post that said something interesting about a piece on a newspaper's website about a piece of proposed legislation on some congressman's website. The potential for a huge circlejerk here is massive.

        Besides, when the article links to a site with comment posting discussion should be taking place on that site, not slash. So Hey, Taco! Why the hell do you want to drive those valuable comments (pageviews) to another site? Huh?

    • Re:'scifi'? (Score:4, Informative)

      by jmorris42 (1458) * <jmorris.beau@org> on Thursday February 01 2007, @11:08PM (#17854716) Homepage
      The same sort of mental disease that infects the Sci-Fi Channel. The kind that called John Edwards (The biggest Douche in the Universe) Sci Fi. The sort of idiots who call Freddy and Jason Sci Fi. Bugger em all.

      Harry Potter is FANTASY people, not Sci Fi. If it has 'magic' and elves in it is NOT Sci Fi. Not that I won't be reading this final installment, I will. But it is a pet peeve, especially when the Sci-Fi Channel wastes such a large portion of their day running stuff that is NOT Sci-Fi.

        • Re:'scifi'? (Score:5, Interesting)

          by mikeisme77 (938209) on Friday February 02 2007, @10:05AM (#17858784) Homepage Journal
          That is the current thinking in the English Literature Academia world, yes. Science Fiction/Sci Fi (Sci Fi is a sub-genre of science fiction--where science ficition contains real science and sci fi is for cheap thrills), fantasy, and horror (technically the proper labeling of horror is dark fantasy) all fall under the umbrella term "Speculative Fiction". This is due to the fact that they often have overlapping elements. For example, Star Wars has both science fiction (spaceships) and fantasy (the Force/magic) elements in it; Frankenstein has horror (scary monster) and science fiction (reanimating a corpse through electricity) elements to it, and so on and so forth.

          So while it would be ok to label Harry Potter speculative fiction, it would not be okay to label him with the sub-genre label of sci fi (since there is neither fake nor real science in it)--Harry Potter is clearly made up of almost entirely fantasy elements (although at a stretch one might be able to say there are some dark fantasy/horror elements). One of my professors as an undergrad was the co-editor of Science Fiction magazine and I took his class on science fiction. I'm also friends with an English literature professor and have taken my fair share of literature classes (as required to graduate with a degree in creative writing).

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