Harry Potter: Continuation of a Favorite

Harry Potter fans all over the world rejoiced this summer with the release of the new Harry Potter Book: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

The story originally premiered as a play in London at the Palace Theatre.

The script from the play was published as a book on July 31. It was written by Jack Thorne, John Tiffany and J.K. Rowling.

It takes place 19 years in the future and focuses on Harry’s son, Albus Severus Potter.

Many emotions accumulated among readers, from the time of the announcement, to the release date.

Dru Keizer, a junior at Dimond, said, “I kind of lost my mind a little bit and got really excited trying to figure out what it would be about, and when I found out it was about Harry’s kids I was excited because you get to see the next generation.”

Naomi Oakley, a Dimond junior, mirrored this opinion. “I was really excited that J.K. Rowling would be releasing another book, especially with this new generation that we basically knew nothing about,” she said.

However, some fans held a much more pessimistic view.

Dolan Drury a junior at Dimond, shared that he, “thought the book might be stupid because every series that continues with the main characters child can be redundant. They’re trying to continue even though the story is dead.”

Many fans were hit with a wave of emotions when experiencing the continuation of their favorite childhood series.

Ripple Sato, a Dimond graduate, current student at Harvard and long time Harry Potter fan, said, “After reading the book I got very nostalgic. It reminded me of growing up with Harry Potter.”

In the book, much of the plot centered around the concept of time travel. This invoked a spectrum of reactions among readers.

Oakley said, “I liked how they played with time travel and tried to rethink the original series plots, but I felt like it was excessive.”

This opinion was not an uncommon one to hold.

Keizer agreed, “My only concern about the book was that it didn’t actually take place 19 years later, they kept going back in time.”

Although many people loved the original series, finding time to read the new book was difficult for some.

Drury said that he is a “busy person,” and has not actually found time to read the book yet.

Keizer also had difficulty finding time to read the book.

She said she, “expected to be at the bookstore opening day, but then  procrastinated and didn’t get the book until recently”

However, Oakley finished the book within hours of getting her hands on it.

The release of the book fulfilled many people’s curiosity of what happened 19 years in the future.

Yet, the inability to see the play in person created a sense of longing.

Sato said, “ I need to see that play, I need that joy in my life”

Drury explained, “plays always enhance the experience of anything”

Despite any negative opinions readers may hold of the book, it is quite obvious that it has created much excitement among fans. Needless to say, Harry Potter continues to remain a timeless series.