Hallelujah, J.K. Rowling is officially releasing a new book. Sure, there's no title yet, it doesn't have a release date, and the tease of "further details will be announced later in the year" could mean a variety of things. But the author whose only legacy right now is the beloved "Harry Potter" books is finally releasing a new novel -- this time for adults -- and I couldn't be more pleased.
Even though this novel is going to skew towards an older audience, there are still many elements from "Harry Potter" that Rowling can bring over into a new series. While I'm guessing this new book probably won't include children as much as "Harry Potter" did, there are still plenty of other components that worked great in that series and will likely work even better in an adult story.
Strong Female Characters
It's no surprise that Rowling likes writing about ladies who can hold their weight alongside the guys. Hermione Granger was arguably more powerful than her two cohorts, Harry and Ron, and she repeatedly was the most mature character of the trio. I hope Rowling includes similarly strong female characters in her new novel, perhaps even in the primary role.
A Love Triangle
Okay, so fans have made Harry, Ron and Hermione's romantic relationship into more of reality than it actually was (thank you for that, Harry and Hermione shippers), but there still are many love triangles that take place in the "Harry Potter" series. From Lily, James and Snape to Harry, Cho and Cedric, there was plenty of romantic tension going on in Rowling's previous series. Well, why not go all out and have a full-blown love triangle in a novel geared towards adults? I'm not talking about making it the plot point upon which the book hinges like in "The Twilight Saga" or "The Hunger Games," but we're adults now Rowling. We can take a little loving.
A British Landscape Both Familiar And New
Rowling might have seen most of the world now thanks to her many "Harry Potter" book tours, but her home is still the UK. "Harry Potter" is definitively a British story, and I'd like to see Rowling's next book follow suit. That being said, "Harry Potter" walked the line between showcasing familiar (King's Cross Station) and unfamiliar (Hogwarts) locations in Great Britain. Here's hoping that Rowling takes us on a similar journey in her upcoming novel, and takes us someplace we've never been before.
Magical Elements
There are likely people out there who would prefer it if Rowling's new book did not involve magic in any form. I am not one of those people. In all likelihood, Rowling will steer clear of magic in her adult book in order to differentiate it from the "Potter" series, but there are many ways magic can manifest itself. While I'd love to see Rowling tackle an entirely new subject matter, it would still be nice to have some sort of supernatural component at play.
Darkness
The darkness in "Harry Potter" is a big part of what made the books so powerful. I've long said that the shift in "Potter" takes place in "Goblet of Fire," which is the first book in the series that has an unhappy ending, but the darkness can be found beginning way back in "Sorcerer's Stone." It's hard to expect that Rowling would write a light and fluffy adult novel after crafting one of the darkest children's series of our time, and I think it will be genuinely exciting to see how dark she can make a book without having to cater to a young audience.
Are you as excited for Rowling's new book as we are? What elements from "Harry Potter" would you like to see carry over into this new novel? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!
Tags Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
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What J.K. Rowling's New Book Can Take From 'Harry Potter'
Posted 2/23/12 12:27 pm EST by Terri Schwartz in Commentary
Hallelujah, J.K. Rowling is officially releasing a new book. Sure, there's no title yet, it doesn't have a release date, and the tease of "further details will be announced later in the year" could mean a variety of things. But the author whose only legacy right now is the beloved "Harry Potter" books is finally releasing a new novel -- this time for adults -- and I couldn't be more pleased.
Even though this novel is going to skew towards an older audience, there are still many elements from "Harry Potter" that Rowling can bring over into a new series. While I'm guessing this new book probably won't include children as much as "Harry Potter" did, there are still plenty of other components that worked great in that series and will likely work even better in an adult story.
Strong Female Characters
It's no surprise that Rowling likes writing about ladies who can hold their weight alongside the guys. Hermione Granger was arguably more powerful than her two cohorts, Harry and Ron, and she repeatedly was the most mature character of the trio. I hope Rowling includes similarly strong female characters in her new novel, perhaps even in the primary role.
A Love Triangle
Okay, so fans have made Harry, Ron and Hermione's romantic relationship into more of reality than it actually was (thank you for that, Harry and Hermione shippers), but there still are many love triangles that take place in the "Harry Potter" series. From Lily, James and Snape to Harry, Cho and Cedric, there was plenty of romantic tension going on in Rowling's previous series. Well, why not go all out and have a full-blown love triangle in a novel geared towards adults? I'm not talking about making it the plot point upon which the book hinges like in "The Twilight Saga" or "The Hunger Games," but we're adults now Rowling. We can take a little loving.
A British Landscape Both Familiar And New
Rowling might have seen most of the world now thanks to her many "Harry Potter" book tours, but her home is still the UK. "Harry Potter" is definitively a British story, and I'd like to see Rowling's next book follow suit. That being said, "Harry Potter" walked the line between showcasing familiar (King's Cross Station) and unfamiliar (Hogwarts) locations in Great Britain. Here's hoping that Rowling takes us on a similar journey in her upcoming novel, and takes us someplace we've never been before.
Magical Elements
There are likely people out there who would prefer it if Rowling's new book did not involve magic in any form. I am not one of those people. In all likelihood, Rowling will steer clear of magic in her adult book in order to differentiate it from the "Potter" series, but there are many ways magic can manifest itself. While I'd love to see Rowling tackle an entirely new subject matter, it would still be nice to have some sort of supernatural component at play.
Darkness
The darkness in "Harry Potter" is a big part of what made the books so powerful. I've long said that the shift in "Potter" takes place in "Goblet of Fire," which is the first book in the series that has an unhappy ending, but the darkness can be found beginning way back in "Sorcerer's Stone." It's hard to expect that Rowling would write a light and fluffy adult novel after crafting one of the darkest children's series of our time, and I think it will be genuinely exciting to see how dark she can make a book without having to cater to a young audience.
Are you as excited for Rowling's new book as we are? What elements from "Harry Potter" would you like to see carry over into this new novel? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!
Tags Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
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