An article in the Life section of USA Today discusses a new Harry Potter book from an unknown author. You've never heard of her because she is primarily a writer of fan fiction. Her name is Melissa Anelli, and she has just completed a book entitled, Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon. Anelli is the 'Web mistress' of the Leaky Cauldron, a enormously popular Potter fan website. There is only one other website that gets more hits in a given month.
J.K. Rowling actually approved of this work and even wrote the foreward. She writes, "The tale of the online fandom is every bit as extraordinary as Harry's own and has left me with a feeling of awe and gratitude." The article mentions Rowling's lawsuit to block another fan's plans to publish a Harry Potter lexicon.
Her approval of some fan fiction and disapproval of other fan fiction seems downright strange to me. The only difference between Anelli's book and the other fan's planned work that I can see is that Anelli's is more of a tribute than anything else. She describes her "love for the boy wizard, the story behind the books, and the growth of the Potter online community." On the other hand, the other potential author (the article does not provide his name) planned on adding some new material and expanding on the vast Potter universe. I suppose I can see the difference, but that line becomes even thinner with every new Potter fanfic novel that is published.
Donahue, Deidre. "Author Touched By Potter's Magic." USA Today 4 Nov. 2008: D1.
11/23/08
11/3/08
The Graveyard Book
I have been really looking forward to reading this book. It has been getting great reviews everywhere, and it is a young adult story that doesn't need several volumes to tell. I know - strange. Anyway, my desire to read Mr. Gaiman's novel doesn't really have anything to do with fan fiction, but the content itself definitely does.
I read the satirical newspaper The Onion religiously. Most of their articles are fake, but their reviews of movies, music, and books are genuine. Zack Handlen, an Onion book critic, mentions that "The Graveyard Book owes an acknowledged debt to Rudyard Kipling...." I read a lot of classic books, but I have to admit that at the time I couldn't exactly remember Rudyard Kipling's famous works. Out of curiosity, I logged onto Amazon.com to see what the site wrote about The Graveyard Book. Sure enough, a part of their review/synopsis states, "The Graveyard Book manages the remarkable feat of playing delightful jazz riffs on Kipling's classic Jungle Books."
While not blatant fan fiction, I find it interesting that The Graveyard Book, which from what I have since read is one of the most unique, thought-provoking novels to come out in a while, borrows many of its themes from an established classic. I haven't read The Graveyard Book or Kipling, so I guess I'll have to check out both and see for myself.
By the way - Zack Handlen gave The Graveyard Book an 'A'. I've been reading the Onion for a few years, and I've never seen a reviewer give a book that high of a mark. I would be willing to bet that it is pretty darn good. I'll let you know.
Handlen, Zack. (2008). [Review of the book The Graveyard Book]. The Onion, 43, 21.
I read the satirical newspaper The Onion religiously. Most of their articles are fake, but their reviews of movies, music, and books are genuine. Zack Handlen, an Onion book critic, mentions that "The Graveyard Book owes an acknowledged debt to Rudyard Kipling...." I read a lot of classic books, but I have to admit that at the time I couldn't exactly remember Rudyard Kipling's famous works. Out of curiosity, I logged onto Amazon.com to see what the site wrote about The Graveyard Book. Sure enough, a part of their review/synopsis states, "The Graveyard Book manages the remarkable feat of playing delightful jazz riffs on Kipling's classic Jungle Books."
While not blatant fan fiction, I find it interesting that The Graveyard Book, which from what I have since read is one of the most unique, thought-provoking novels to come out in a while, borrows many of its themes from an established classic. I haven't read The Graveyard Book or Kipling, so I guess I'll have to check out both and see for myself.
By the way - Zack Handlen gave The Graveyard Book an 'A'. I've been reading the Onion for a few years, and I've never seen a reviewer give a book that high of a mark. I would be willing to bet that it is pretty darn good. I'll let you know.
Handlen, Zack. (2008). [Review of the book The Graveyard Book]. The Onion, 43, 21.
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