Less than 5 months to go till Deathly Hallows. Everyone has started the process of re-reading those first 6 books, right?
Since I have very little time right now, I’ll be working my way at least once more through the books by listening to the Stephen Fry audiobooks. I have to finish Order (7 chapters to go), which I started listening to at the end of last year, and then I’ll start right off at Philosopher’s Stone and listen straight through as many times as I can before July 21. I’m suspending all other radio listening for now and playing HP nonstop on my drives to and from work.Â
What are your plans, if any, for getting through the first 6 books one more time before Deathly Hallows?
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Any reason why you are listening to the Fry version rather than Jim Dale? I haven’t heard Fry but I can’t imagine he is better than Dale.
I don’t have time to read the print versions but I think I’ll listen to them all again. (Until a few months ago all we had were the audiobooks.)
For the past year, I’ve been listening to the audio books (Dale versions) via my iPod. I go through all six continually. It’s kind of strange, but I’m impressed by my knowledge of the series’ minutae. I ace all the Potter quizzes.
And I love Dale’s voice.
Jeremy, I heard Dale first, and I said to myself, “I’ll stick with buying Dale, ’cause there’s no way Fry could be better.” But I was able to obtain the Fry recordings for cheaper.
Fry is better. Loads better. Dale wins on Dumbledore’s voice and the house-elves by a mile, but as far as narration, dialogue, and overall story-telling quality, Fry is far better, in my opinion.
When I heard Jim Dale’s characterizations I set my teeth on edge. It just seemed to cutesy and Hanna-Barberra cartoon-like. Stephen Fry’s work doesn’t make you feel like you’re at Kiddies Corner in the local library.
Fry = Quality
Dale = Bilge
…
To me.
Matt
I have read all and up to most of OotP. I’m reading sections of HBP. That book really is so dementional. A few HP fans have criticized it, but I love it. If it sets up DH as well as I think it does, it could very well be my favorite in the series.
Matt, I’m not sure I’d go so far as “bilge” to describe Dale
but I get what you’re saying. It’s a little too overly dramatic for me, especially the way he does Snape.
Like I said, though, I think Dale really gets Dumbledore, and a lot better than Fry on that particular character. And Fry’s house-elf voices are annoying.
But overall, Fry “gets” the feel of the series better, and the Harry/Ron/Hermione stuff is bang on. Have you listened to Fry read the Voldemort rebirthing scene from GoF? Absolutely chilling, the way he does Voldemort.
Michael, I agree with you that we’ll soon find out that HBP has beautifully set up DH. While OP remains my favorite book, I think HBP is the most brilliantly written thus far.
I got the Dale version because I got such a great deal on them. I am curious about Fry, though. Enough of that! I’ve been rereading and listening in the car, and am amazed how many details I’m picking up this time. OoP is definitely my favorite. In it, Harry is beginning to fully comprehend his destiny. He matures so much in this book. You get glimpses of the man he will become (if JKR lets him live, and I think she will.) The wizard world definitely is like ours–good and evil abide, but there’s so much in the gray area, as well. Appearances are deceiving. Other than Voldemort, those who seem evil may not be. The same goes for good. I can’t wait until Deathly Hallows to see if my gut feelings about many of the characters are correct. Reading about JKR and her views on life, etc., I’ve found that I see the world much as she does and hope my theories on book 7 match her outcomes. If they don’t, who cares? It’ll be fun anyway.
I’ll admit some of Dale’s voices stink. Like Grubly Plank and Prof. Sprout. Hate it. But overall…
Overall, you think he would have troubled to find out how to pronounce the Author’s name. Hearing him mispronounce “Rowling” on international television was just very very sad.
I just have to write in that I LOVE Jim Dale and never heard of Stephen Fry (but will have to check him out). How did they end up with two guys doing the audiobooks, me wonders?
I’ve never had much to complain about how Jim Dale does things. I personally love how Harry sounds like a dumb jock, the way Mr. Dale does it. And sometimes I forget he’s a man, he does Fleur and Hermoine so well.
The only thing I really hate is the tinny music at the end, which always reminds me of the corny music at the end of The Mind’s Eye Lord of the Rings. Foul.
But overall, my second greatest fear these days, after J.K. Rowling dropping dead before she finishes Book 7, is that Jim Dale might drop dead before he can record Book 7. I simply love his reading.
To answer your original question, Mr. Prinzi, we’ve been listening to all the books again (Jim Dale versions) in preparation for July 21. We’d be done by now except that we gave up HP for Lent. We’ll try and stagger it out during Easter as long as we can. Then we intend to go to all the fanboards and start feverish wars-to-the-death with all those holding theories we disagree with.
Regina, welcome to the conversation. It’s always nice when people who I link to (because I think they’re great) make their way to my little corner and join the discussion. (I think this is the first time you’ve commented, or have I missed them before?)
In any case, I really did love Dale’s voice and overall telling of the HP stories at first, and when I first in Fry’s Philosopher’s Stone, I was a bit irritated…but a few chapters in he had really grown on me, and then he fixed all the things about Dale that irked me – which, ironically, included Hermione’s and Fleur’s voices. How’s that for differences in taste? Oh, and Rowling’s daughter agrees that Fry totally gets Hermione right, so that’s gotta count for something
.
Anyway, my understanding of the two recordings is that Fry does the British recordings, and Dale (a British ex-patriot living in America) does the American recordings (which is good, because I can’t imagine some guy with a Yankee accent like mine doing the recordings, that’s for sure!)
I’ll probably end up purchasing Dale’s version of DH first, unless it really isn’t much more expensive to ship Fry’s over from England.
Regina,
You greatest fear of Rowling dropping dead before she finishes is removed. She announced sometime before the 6th of Feb that she had finished. Her lastest post on her official site is about her feelings about having finished. Worth a look.
Matt
I need to check out Fry’s version. He’s a really good actor.
I started re-reading Sorcerer’s Stone today, and I think I can re-read all six by July. We shall see …
While we’re at it- did anyone hear the Sir Michael Horden readigs of the Chronicles of Narnia. They were great.
Matthew
I have nothing to offer to the audiobook discussion…nothing will ever win over the voices in my head.
I’m in the middle of OotP…I’ll probably read HBP before DH comes out, but I may wait until right before. That book was very patchy quality wise.
And I seriously need to attack my scary book stack. I have three books sitting on the other side of my pillow that I need to go through before the library due date. And I’ve got like twenty books sitting on my desk waiting to be read.
Hrm…only somewhat related, does anyone know how to contact Richard Abanes (an author)?
You’ve… got voices in your head…?
Okay…
Anyway, I know exactly what you mean. I like my own imagination so much more than what I hear on any recording.
Matt
Carla, well, it used to be all you had to do to contact Abanes was to use his name on a blog comment or forum, and he’d come out of nowhere. (He told me he had some research software that alerted him when his name popped up in places).
I am curious as to why you’d want to contact him. Have you read, by any chance, the four posts on this site in which I had a discussion with him?
I never had any way to contact him aside from discussion here, and last time I checked, his website was down.
Oh that’s awesome to hear Travis! I think, the important parts of HBP were written so very well. The romance parts were not amazing BUT you could tell Jo was having a blast with them. And they needed to happened to put the shipping world at ease.
I love reading HBP and knowing that there is so much more going on. ANY little statement, any little quote could at come point come to bite us on the bum in DH. Jo said she was very happy with the book, knowing others may not have been. So if she’s happy, and things are put into place, I get the feeling a lot of our questions will be answered and DH is set to have a lot of surprises for us.
I think the only real questions left unanswered are the kind us nit-picking fans will have. Atleast, I hope they are the only ones that will remain as I don’t want any major loose ends!
I’m relatively new to the Harry Potter story, having only read the books for the first time last summer (and rereading for the second time now.) I have a few questions for those of you who are more knowledgeable about them. 1.) Are there several different versions of each book, i.e., British vs. American; a simpler version for children? 2.) Are there other books that go along with the series? I heard the JKR wrote supplemental books to go along with the regular novels. And, 3.) What’s going to happen to Percy Weasley? I’ve seen no comments on his role in the books. Is it insignificant? His estrangement from his family is intriguing to me. Just wondering.
Ms. Jan, to answer your questions…
1. Yes there are various versions. Not every country has their own version but there are quite a lot out there. There are obviously the UK and US editions, but there a lot of other countries are represented. You should go to Mugglenet where’s the a section that dedicated to all the various versions. And there are no versions for children, per say, but there are versions for adults, with different covers.
2. The only to other books are Quidditch Through The Ages, and Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. They don’t have a lot to do with the books, though they do appear in them as Harry’s text books. They were merely done for charity, by Jo, and give us more information on her wonderful wizarding world, but don’t have much to do with Harry’s journey.
3. I think, and JK has hinted at, Percy Redeeming himself. He spoke with, as you know, with the Weasley’s in book six. Right now, all we can go by is pure speculation. I agree with those who have said that he doesn’t need to apologize, and it’s his family, the twins in particular, who should apologize. They were bullies. Baring a few obvious differences, the twins aren’t much better than Dudley or Draco.
I hope that helped mate.
Wow, Michael. There’s not a lot you’ve said in 2 and 3 that I could agree with.
I’d say that “Quidditch Through The Ages”, and “Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them” have *everything* to do with the books and that they include (carefully placed among some red herrings and trivia) some important clues and insights. Just as the HP books themselves do, in fact. Sifting through them and deciding what’s relevant and what’s not is no easy task, but I would not be dismissing them as you have done.
Regarding Percy, our views diverge even more dramatically. He may (or may not) redeem himself in DH, but up to this point he has behaved in a uniformly narcisistic and self-serving fashion. You may think that selling your friends and family out to petty power brokers for your own gain and advancement is perfectly acceptable but I’m afraid I don’t. And as for the twins, I would say that the differences between them and Dudley/Draco are fundamental and profound. The contrast between lighthearted mischief (even if occasionally misdirected) and mean-spirited malice is not a subtle one.
Oh Seriously_Black, I know the two smaller books could possibly have information that could be important. That’s a given with everything JK does, but as far as them being a story, like a pre-qual, or something to that degree, they are far from it. But I answered the question with that thought in mind. The books themselves have no story, and whilst they are Harry’s books, thy are not about Harry, and more about JK’s world.
As for Percy, I do think he’s made mistakes, and was probably quite flippant in my statement, but the boy has been through a lot of crap, and the twins are, to me, almost as bad as Dudley and Draco. He’s had to endure their cruel taunts, with only his mother there to stick up for him. I just think it’s not all a one sided train, as the books kind of make it out to be.
Didn’t mean to cause a debate, dear Michael and Seriously. But, are there differences between the British version and the American one? Lingo, perhaps? I’m curious to see a British version of the book. Re: Percy–I believe he brought on the taunting. He is ‘full of himself’ (a real git!) and the twins let him know, as brothers will do. His mother, of course, loves him no matter what he does, as she does the twins, no matter what they DON’T do. Mrs. Weasley is a typical loving, nurturing, obsessing mother who has raised a lively bunch of children. I love her!
Hi Jan,
The UK and US editions are different in both language and spelling – and I understand that they have typos in different places in a few cases.
The language differences are mostly fairly unimportant to the story, as I recall. Eg “cookies” in the US are called “biscuits” in the UK.
Perhaps the most significant difference is in the title of the first book, which was called Philosopher’s Stone in the UK, but was changed by Scholastic for the US Edition (seems they didn’t think it would sell as well if it had the word “philosopher” in the title…)
Seriously_Black and Michael, thank you for answering my questions!
Travis, trying to present all sides of the argument I guess.
I haven’t seen those discussions yet will look for them.
Okay, read, them. Still would like to talk to him, because (at least in the interview) he’s not entirely wrong.
At the moment I’m trying to decide whether to add any of his books to the website.
The biggest issue I have with Abanes…well two biggest, is 1. He’s using an overbroad idea of the word “occult”. 2. He’s assuming a direct correlation between the popularity of Harry Potter and the rise in Wicca/neo-paganism.
I think the link is indirect at best. Harry on his own isn’t going to lure any halfway reasonable person to the occult or wicca (and I don’t think Wicca can be considered occult any longer). However once you back Harry up with Buffy and a hundred other oddly placed pro-witchcraft/Wiccan messages, then YEAH the media has influenced culture and vica-versa.
However putting all the blame on Harry is beyond grossly unfair, and more than that unproductive. Really detailing Harry’s universe in comparison to real occult practices is useless to the average parent and probably does more harm than good. Dismissing the whole lot as fantasy is the safest mental course.
However, I can see where someone ready to move past spiritual or literary baby food might have some interest in the subject.
But from what I’ve heard from some other sources it sounds like Abanes does what the guy at Kojs and what he accuses John Granger of doing, he stretches the facts to fit his point.
J.K. is a Christian, but she’s certainly not a Fundamentalist. She draws a lot from Catholicism, and well, I’ve heard wiccans refer to Catholics as Junior Pagans. (he, I’ve cheesed everyone off at this point)
However, I still think she’s writing a basically moral story and weaves elements of Christianity into it. Not just the names of Saints, but some hardcore Biblical themes.
Reading over her interviews, I’m coming to think she’s doing this (at least to some degree) intentionally. It’s hard to weigh in on whether she is just exploring certain themes or actually writing allegory until book seven….which is thankfully close by.
Alchemy is making more sense to me, possibly on some levels John Granger isn’t thinking about. …but then, who knows.
I pre-ordered Deathly Hallows yesterday. $39 Australian rather than the $50 without the preorder. The book distributers will only allow the book to be sold from 9:01 AM 21st July here. They asked me if I wanted the children’s cover or the adult cover. Adult cover it is. I’ll be waiting in line. Wedding anniversary on the 22nd might be a non-event. Whatever happens- there’ll be a total media blackout in our house.
Just thinking, what do you think Rowling will turn her hand to after Harry? I know she’s mentioned a prequel or encyclopedia of characters, or something like that, but do you think she’ll keep writing fantasy fiction or branch out into screenplays or whatever?
Matthew
Matthew, wedding anniversary July 22? Mine’s the 24th, and Sophia’s birthday is the 22nd. In our house, the celebration of both Sophia’s first birthday and our third wedding anniversary will be delayed