While stupid alter ego Dan is prostrated by the heat (actually, it’s a combination of his allergies, the heat and stupidity), Mr. Crankypants is back for a moment to berate all the idiots who are mad at the New York Slime for publishing a review of the latest Harry Potter doorstop-sized book before the official release date of the book. The horror!
The people who write in to the public editor of the N. Y. Slime say how “disappointed” and “upset” they are with the newspaper’s editors. Wait, isn’t this the newspaper that published George W. Bush’s false accusations that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Is this is the newspaper that you would trust with a review of a book that you really care about? Apparently, the answer to this second question is “yes”:
“I am shocked that The New York Times didn’t consider how upsetting this review would be to fans, like me, who have taken this journey with J.K. Rowling for many years and desperately just want to enjoy the final book without knowledge or hint of what is coming,†said Karl Hinze in a typical e-mail to Times editors.
Mr. Crankypants has advice for Mr. Hinze, and all the other Harry Potter fans who read the reviews before they read the book: Don’t read book reviews of books you care about, before you read the book. Especially not in the Times.
Way to go, Mr. Crankypants!
I’m blown away by how many people (more than 400, last I checked) had written vitriolic
emails to the Times. How very, very lame. Just read the book, people!
Here’s what one of my regular library patrons said to me when I told her that I hadn’t
read the book, but I *had* read the Epilogue: >deep gasphorrified look
hmmmm, your blog deleted the best part of my comment, which was that the library
patron said:
You’re one of THOSE?!?!?!?!
Abs — Sooo… What DOES happen at the end? Mr. Crankypants wants to know, and he’s too lazy to even read the epilogue.
Ok, you asked for it: the Epilogue takes place 19 years after the book. Harry and Ginny
are married and have three kids; Ron and Hermione are married and have a couple of kids.
Both families are at the train station sending their kids to Hogwarts, and they see Draco
Malfoy at the station, also sending his kid off to school. Harry touches his scar, and there
is a comment on how his scar hasn’t hurt for 19 years. Obviously, a lot of people have died,
but the main characters are fine, and the world is at peace.
Glad I’ve read the Epilogue first, because now I don’t feel too motivated to read the book. :)