Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - POTENTIAL SPOILERS

[Snapdragyn]

Re: Daniel Radcliffe:

typecast probably forever....

I think him appearing nude on stage in "Equus" is a pretty strong opening move to counter that.

Completely unrelated, but he does turn 18 tomorrow according to imdb.com. *cough*

 

[Ilium]

The powers of the room are sort of in flux. He wanted a room to keep it safe, and the room gave him a hiding place. But, what good is a hiding place that's communal? Heck, if Harry had sought the room, requiring the Horcrux, would the room have just coughed it up without the search?

Remember the sequence in which Neville is praised for his ability to get the room to do what he wants. Apparently you have to be something of a Rules Lawyer. I wonder if Neville posts on EN World?

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I really enjoyed it. Glad to see Snape was redeemed and Dumbledore was not a total fool. The battle at Hogwarts was awesome and should make a great movie part. I'm so glad that the core trio survived too, I think she made a great choice in not having any of them killed off. Sucks to see that Lupin and Tonks bought it, but it seemed like a brutal battle. God a bit choked up when Fred died. I really loved the Weasley twins and almost shed a single manly tear at that point...almost. Neville kicking ass was great, him doing the snake was an awesome part.

I thought the ending was fine, no need to see how Luna, and all the other minor characters were doing that far down the road.

Just finished it about a half hour ago so I'm sure I'll have more thoughts later. Its been awhile since I've read a book that fast, reminds me of when I would read 300 page novels in an afternoon when I was a kid.

 

[blargney the second]

The whole 'Deathly Hallows' angle didn't work for me. Bringing such important new things into the story so late in the game felt forced. My personal feelings are that focusing on the Horcruxes story-line exclusively would have been stronger. Or may if the Hallows had been mentioned in a previous book.

Total opposite reaction for me. I'd always wondered what the deal was with the cloak of invisibility. Tying it to a wizarding fairy tale was a deft touch.

I also loved the part where Harry was forced to make a decision between pursuing the Horcruxes or the Hallows. It was a great way to show his fundamental character, which is impressive after seven books.

 

[Ambrus]

Just finished it. Overall I enjoyed it. There were definitely some edge-of-your-seat parts, such as the escape from the Malfoy mansion and the battle of Hogwarts. Although the endless camping scenes were slow, in a way I kind of liked them. They helped to reinforce the idea that isolation and utmost secrecy were important the characters' survival and to emphasize that finding the hoarcruxes with few clues was a frustrating and drawn out process.

I'm curious how many people figured out the plot twists before they occurred. I got a few myself (Ron and Hermione disappeared for awhile to go retrieve basilisk teeth from the chamber of secrets and that the diadem was the same one that Harry had coincidentally slapped onto a bust in the Room of Requirement). Still can't figure out how Voldermort could keep believing that no one else had ever stumbled into the room of requirement since it was clearly piled high with junk, or since Draco had found it and used it to lead an army of Death-Eaters into the school. Hm, I wonder if when he entered it, if it had showed itself to be empty to him because that's what he needed to see...

Some twists I was anticipating however proved to be wrong; at first I was certain that Ravenclaw's diadem was in fact the door-knocker to the Ravenclaw common room (it sounded to be roughly the right size and shape, it had an eagle embossed on it, it imparted wisdom by asking riddles and Voldermort inexplicably had indicated that he wanted Ravenclaw tower under surveillance rather than the room of requirement).

The endless series of Snape memories also kind of had me wondering how he'd managed to organize so many thoughts and memories so effectively in the few seconds he'd had before he expired. I guess one's whole life really does flash before one's eyes at the moment of death.

And even if the sword of Gryffindor has been described as appearing for any Gryffindor in need, I do agree that having it suddenly pop out of the sorting hat for Neville did make the whole deal with the goblin turncoat rather pointless...

Lastly, did it seem odd that a wizard can cast mutliple charms simply by holding multiple wands simultaneously as Harry did in the Malfoy manor? Why doesn't every wizard simply walk around with a half dozen wands strapped to his forearms?

 

[Victim]

The endless series of Snape memories also kind of had me wondering how he'd managed to organize so many thoughts and memories so effectively in the few seconds he'd had before he expired. I guess one's whole life really does flash before one's eyes at the moment of death.

I figured he had been keeping those memories in liquid form to make sure Voldemort, awesome mind reader, couldn't detect them. So they'd be preorganized.

 

[Berandor]

I enjoyed the book a lot, even though I didn't think it was perfect. The camping scenes were just there, imo, so that the book could cover more or less another year. There was too much exposition for my tastes crammed into the final chapters (Go to Voldemort at the Shrieking Shack – instead of battle, have chapter explaining Snape – go to Voldemort at the woods – instead of resolution, have another chapter, this time with Dumbledore); I'm not sure about a few decisions (such as how Voldemort leaves the room immediately after Snape is bitten, even before he's dead; or having Voldemort die by his own spell). I think the story would have been more powerful if Harry had died (see "Stranger than Fiction"), and the epilogue was unnecessary.

On the other hand, I really liked how Rowling filled her book with ambigious characters – the only straightforward one is Voldemort, really. Harry not wanting to believe in someone's claims, but wanting to know the truth for himself – great, as well as him then sticking to Dumbledore. The good guys using stupefy spells and binding spells instead of killing curses. Them saving even bad guys, like Malfoy and Doyle.

So I really liked the ideas behing everything, but in certain moments, I wasn't so sure whether the writing was up to it.

Still, I'd recommend the book.

 

[Demmero]

Still can't figure out how Voldermort could keep believing that no one else had ever stumbled into the room of requirement since it was clearly piled high with junk, or since Draco had found it and used it to lead an army of Death-Eaters into the school. Hm, I wonder if when he entered it, if it had showed itself to be empty to him because that's what he needed to see...

I wondered the same thing, and I'm thinking that your guess hits the mark. I had the same reaction regarding Draco initially, but somewhere in book 7 it states explicitly that Voldemort's plot to have Draco attempt to kill Dumbledore was mostly a punishment for his father's missteps in previous books, so it's very likely that the Dark Lord didn't follow Draco's progress closely, if at all.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

And even if the sword of Gryffindor has been described as appearing for any Gryffindor in need, I do agree that having it suddenly pop out of the sorting hat for Neville did make the whole deal with the goblin turncoat rather pointless...

I don't think Harry really thought of that - and if even he did, he needed the sword for right now and certainly couldn't count on pulling it out of the hat at any given time, I don't think - even assuming he could get to the hat at all, which could very well be the even stronger consideration.

Lastly, did it seem odd that a wizard can cast mutliple charms simply by holding multiple wands simultaneously as Harry did in the Malfoy manor? Why doesn't every wizard simply walk around with a half dozen wands strapped to his forearms?

I swear, my DM hat came on there as I thought that if I let one character get away with that, I'd be fighting off rules lawyers wanting to try it again and again....

I also liked that the password to Snape's office was "Dumbledore" if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I figured he had been keeping those memories in liquid form to make sure Voldemort, awesome mind reader, couldn't detect them. So they'd be preorganized.

Possibly. But Snape was a master of Occlumency so he probably didn't need too, maybe those memories were so core to him they were always on the edge of his mind?