h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Essentially I agree with Lady. Harry Potter is just a book. OK, it's the latest one of a very popular series, but also a very hyped series. And that's the point at which I mentally switch off. The Harry Potter books may be great, but they've been hyped so much that I don't want to find out. Richard would like to see at least one of the films, and there are some good actors in supporting roles, but I'm holding out against it. I've too much experience with things that have been hyped turning out to be cr@p.

One question has to be asked, though. How much of this hype over the latest book was started and/or encouraged by the publishers and/or Rowling's agent? I'm sure they're doing a great job (estimated £30 million richer over night - I'd settle for a fraction of that!), but enough is enough. Let's move on and find something worthwhile to get excited about.

BTW, I have adult books and children's books, and my collection of videos and DVDs includes titles made for children. So my annoyance at the hype over Harry Potter is *not* because it's a kid's book. It's because it *is* hype.

Well said.

I'm also sad about the way supermarkets and so on can offer the 'top ten' books at reduced prices, so that many people are unaware of the wealth of books available. I saw an interview with the proprietor of a traditional childrens' book shop, who was saying that the cost to them of the new HP was more than the retail price asked by the local supermarket.

I think it's good if people read HP rather than nothing at all, but there doesn't seem to be much 'now you've read that, try this'. The literary market has got too skewed to selling a small selection of titles rather than promoting a wide range.

I wonder how many HP buyers also visit their local library?

I only 'discovered' the Harry Potter series after the fourth book had been published. So after reading the first book (and enjoying it very much) I was able to buy the other three books and happily read them over the summer - and then had to wait two years for the fifth book!

Re: all the hype and the queues, hysteria, etc to get a copy yesterday, there was none of this here (in Seville). In fact, yesterday I stopped into a bookshop with an English book section and saw they had stacks of both the children's version and the adult's version. Adult's version? I wonder how much this varies from the children's versions (which were the ones I read).

Anyhow, did not buy a copy as a friend has told me she is sending me one as a gift via Amazon - so now I have to wait just a bit longer.

It's a shame to let all the hype nonsense take away from the simple joy of reading these books. I think they are charming. And I hope that the author will be able to finish the series of seven books in the way she originally imagined them.

az

I agree about the hype being out of control. I, too, wonder how much of it is pushed by the author, and how much by her agent.

However, the hype could work to the advantage of other books, if reviewers and commentators (such as BS who has persuaded me to try Ursula le Guin) mention other childrens' books (ok, let's see: The Narnia books, the Philip Pulman Books, dare I mention Blyton?)

At the time the net book price agreement thing was abolished, I thought it would be great, more books due to the competition. But the book industry has gone the way of the music industry with a few major major stars getting all the advertising dollars, and for anything a little new, different or away from the mainstream you have to search long and hard and prepare to be disappointed.

All in all: I wish the hype would go away.

Re: the films. I thought the first two were just fine. And I've seen the cast line-up for the third film (and the third book is actually my favourite to date) and it looks amazing.

az

In reply to Teaswill and the comment: "I wonder how many HP buyers also visit their local library?" There's an insinuation in there that you think they don't...

But look at the children's sections in libraries. And the amount of books for kids available in book shops. Publishers don't publish them for fun. They do it to get money. So obviously, these books sell. I've seen many children reading books other than Harry Potter... the future's not as bleak as many people here like to make out.

And as for hype... it's the modern world. Hype's not going away. Learn to live with it and stop getting so uptight.

And while we're at it... why can't we all just get along?

deemikay

hi deemikay,

I agree with you that hype is not going to go away. In fact, it will probably get even more so. I guess I just don't get bothered too much about hype (though in the case of HP I also don't have adolescent children to cope with who may have got all hyped-up about something like a new book coming out). But personally speaking, it's pretty obvious that it's just nonsense and all about selling more and more and more.

I mean, Harry Potter bedsheets? Give me a break.

It's like all these recent marketing phenomenons - The Lord of the Rings, the Matrix, Harry Potter. It just gets too much. Overkill, really. And yet people keep buying. So, what does that say about people? That they can't make up their own minds and just do what they want? That they are 'slaves' of the marketing mongers? Well, too bad for them.

I am quite happily waiting for my gift book of the fifth HP book to arrive!

az

Hype is going to get more intense... I personally don't have a problem with it. I can quite happily ignore it.

But the thing I don't like are those who get so angry about it! This thread was started because someone didn't like the hype surrounding HP. Why did they get so worked up that they had to share their irritation with us? {And why did I get so irritated that I then had to reply? I can't answer that one... )

I'm a 26 year old guy who's never read any of the books. I also haven't seen the Matrix. I have no interest in David Beckham and a few years ago I didn't care about Oasis v. Blur or the Spice Girls or this or that or the other...

Doesn't mean I'm not interested in the world. Just that I recognise hype and deal with it. By ignoring it. Keeps me sane and well balanced! Well, maybe...

deemikay

deemikay,

<>

Well, perhaps the person who started this thread has children who are being very affected by all the hype, which makes things difficult on the home front. That I can understand.

Of course, as an adult, we can pick and choose what we want to be interested in, regardless of any sort of silly hype stuff. But if you have children being affected by this, then I can see getting angry about it. Especially as so much of this HP hype stuff has been directed towards children.

Meanwhile, you really should read the books. I think they are lovely. Also liked the first Matrix film - A LOT. Even though this isn't my usual favourite film genre. Reloaded (Matrix 2) was IMHO a piece of crap, but oh well!

az

Fair point... I didn't think of folk with children. But that still doesn't explain my childless friend Jacko He get's angry about things like this...

So apologies to folk with niggling children wanting a Harry Potter toothbrush and door mat.

But no apologies to Jacko and his clones who get uptight for no reason.

deemikay

deemikay,

I agree. Adults can make their own decisions about how much they want to let themselves be influenced by hype sh*t.

I mostly see it as total nonsense. Certainly nothing to get upset about. It's like almost everything - how much does this matter and do you really want to join this club? Personal choice.

Hype is what the economic world seems to revolve around now. And they assume that people are so stupid that they cannot make up their own minds about things. But hey - I'm not stupid. It just all washes over me like water off a duck's back.

az

Regarding the hype...
THe Harry Potter is a rare example of the hype *following* the product, rather than leading it. The product was good and became popular, which is the proper way round, n'est pas? Hype did not build the fanbase for Harry Potter. This is in complete contrast to the hyping of, say, a new pop band.

Rowling's books are good. Maybe not spectacular, maybe not 100% original, but good stories well told. If the hype puts you off, then you're just as much a victim of the hype as the person who buys because of it.

How about this... I personally recommend the Potter books as good, fun reading. That's not hype, that's honest recommendation of the product.

(I'm 34.)

hi Geoff,

I also totally recommend the Harry Potter books as quite fine reading. And I'm 46 1/2!

az

I'd agree. I've been reading the books long before the hype started, so I read them for myself, then I read them to little , then I read them again to little and now I'm reading the new one to him too!

They're good and well researched.

I'm waiting to see them on the library shelf!

Yes, I was aware of the insinuation - I think there are readers who buy the (cheap) top titles and never visit a library. Each to their own. I'm just pointing out that they may be missing out on a wider variety of reading material.

I get books out of the library as well. I do tend to find, though, that the library often doesn't have recently published books in ti, although I was rather pleased when my local one had 'The Dancing Wu Li Masters' - bit of a result, that!

Mine is quite good for recent adult paperbacks. The popular ones take a while to get onto the shelves because there's usually a long list of people who've reserved them.

At least its hyping a decent product. Rowling's writing style isn't the strongest, but then every time I hear (or think) that, I can't help but remember that the same was true of Phillip K. Dick.

And the Lord of the Rings and The Matrix are certainly quality products.

Even Oasis & Blur have a few good songs between them.

Sure, I'd rather the publicity was going to The Dark Materials or Fight Club or something else with genuine originality, but there are far worse things out there that could be hyped.

I mean, at least Rowling had the decency to upstage william's birthday.

My thirteen year old has plowed through a lot of series at the library. She began rummaging through the adult fantasy and science fiction two years ago.
She's plowed through the Anne McAffrey (sp?) stuff, the Star Wars spin-off novels, the Star Dreck spin-offs, the Micheal Crichton back catalog,
the Xanth books, Elizabeth Moon, the Wild Card series, and everything with a sword, a unicorn or a cat on it's cover.
And she keeps going back to the "Support Your Local Warlock" series, the "Dark Is Rising" series by Susan Cooper Cronyn, and the Harry Potter books.
We got her a set of the HHGTTG series last year, but we loaned them to someone who has since skipped town.
Right now she's beginning to mess around in the world of Larry Niven.

If all she read was the hyped crap, I would be worried. Since she reads old hyped crap without having ever heard of the hype, such as in the case of the Tarzan books, I don't think I have anything to worry about unless she starts reading Jackie Susann.

I read the first four books, starting rather late because they were bought for the child by grandparents.
I kept waiting for something suprising to happen.

I like the bathroom ghost in the movies!
And I liked nearly-headless Nick in the books.

Nearly Headless Nick is good

I read the fifth book yesterday, took me about six and a half hours. I have to say I can see why some people might be disappointed with it, largely because it doesn't go in the direction you might have thought it was going to (this is the same thing that happened with The Matrix Reloaded, which I also liked). And I think this is a good and natural direction for the story to take in Harry Potter, and am now eagerly awaiting the sixth book.

Which, JK Rowling assures us, will be quite a bit shorter than the fifth book, so hopefully won't take her so long to write (and I don't think she's going to take a year off again this time).