Today’s strip came about due to a conversation I had with a couple of friends – vowed Harry Potter enthusiasts – who didn’t know their beloved author, J.K. Rowling, had released a new book, The Casual Vacancy, last week! And after their initial excitement, I saw the enthusiasm drain from their faces when I mentioned this new novel wasn’t Rowling’s return to Hogwarts and was instead a more “mature” work from her, targeting adults. (Even though I’d say I knew just as many adults who read and enjoyed the Harry Potter books as I did kids.) Anyway, I understand why my friends might not embrace something totally new from J.K. – they want more Potter, dang it! And they don’t know what else to expect since that’s all they really know of her. Myself, I’m not completely guiltless in all this – I got as far as downloading the sample to my iPad but haven’t read it yet, much less paid for the entire book. Still, I’m at least open to the idea of being excited for J.K.’s novels beyond the Potterverse, and that’s something, right? Hmm. Okay, I’ll read that sample and actually give the book a chance, once I’m done with a new book I just started – Among Others by Jo Walton. Which so far, is pretty brilliant, and I’m enjoying it immensely when I actually get the chance to read a few pages here and there.
You sit like that in a bookshop reading books and talking to random who come to get the book your reading?
Thats kinda weird 😛
while i don’t make a habit of talking to strangers often, i do frequent bookstores and peruse books and magazines all the time, Shruikan. usually when killing time before a movie or dinner. don’t worry – i’m not like, stalking people or anything!
and check you out – with the first comment, you just achieved the Shades of Firsting! wear them well – these help you lurk around bookstores much more covertly:
😎
Doesn’t everybody? I sure do. 🙂
heheh. glad i’m not the only one, JP.
I do that too. And Suggesting other books based on what they have in their hands:P
heh. awesome, dj. wish you hung out at the bookstores i frequent. 🙂
You gotta tell us what you think of the sample
most def, Jereme! will try and check it out in the next day or two.
damn. missed by an inch.
Not very fond of JK Rowling work though. patrick Rothfuss’ is my poison right now.
so close, jf300!
and i’m ready to drink that same poison any day now! i have physical copies of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear sitting by my bed and just waiting to be read. i’ve actually started Wind a few times now, and just haven’t committed. maybe after i finish Jo Walton’s Among Others i can finally take the plunge.
i would love to tell u to drop everything and read Wind but i dont want to be that douche-bag. just read it once u cleared everything. Im reading it for the fifth time now and there are some parts of the book that u will appreciate once u get older.
wow! that’s quite a recommendation, jf300 – i’ll get on it as soon as i can. 😀
Novels, ugh. They just look weird and boring to me. I like either really long fantasy book like HP or short scary books…
while i like long fantasy books and short scary books, there’s definitely something to be said for novels, too, DressesAreStupid. lots of stuff by Bradbury, Asimov, King, Hemingway, Crichton, Anthony, Chabon and more to recommend!
it has recently come to my understanding that novel in english means the same as the swedish “roman”, which means a longer story. I enjoy reading those more than novels, which to me means shorter stories.
The interesting this is, those little kids who were just old enough to read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or Sorcerer’s for you ‘Mercans’) and grew up with them as the books matured, will be ready now for a ‘grown ups’ novel along the lines of this new JKR book!
From what I’ve heard, it sounds quite interesting in a gritty, urban sort of way. Let us know what you think of the sample, will you?
i thought this very thing, Jim – even when reading the HP novels themselves, each one got more and more mature with the stories and themes all the way up until the final book, which definitely wasn’t just for kids. i’ll post an update – good or bad – after reading the sample.
I actually applaud J.K. Rowling for going a new direction with her writing. A lot of authors get stuck in a single rut and can’t break out to try something different. I’m hopeful she’ll have an automatic audience with the kids who grew into adults reading HP, but we’ll see.
I actually hang out at the local bookstores all the time, especially Barnes and Noble; the fireplace is a great place to curl up with a book and occasionally interact with people around me.
i applaud her too, T, and hope she finds success beyond the Potter novels. i love her imagination and she definitely has talent so it’ll be interesting to see where her career goes after this.
glad you hang out at bookstores, too! the Barnes & Noble is where i go, as well. sadly, the awesome used bookstore i used to go to as a kid was bought up and shuttered a long time ago. 🙁
I go to the local used bookstore sometimes, but it’s one of those places that doesn’t encourage people to find places to roost and read. Every time I walk down the rows of shelves, I’m frightened something will drop loose and kill me. I do love going there, though, and perching in their little cafe for an hour or two at a time. I’ve gotten into some great geek debates with people there.
i looooove old bookstores, T – dodging towering stacks of books and rickety shelves is half the fun! ;D
Years ago I fell in love with the writings of a science fiction author named W. Michael Gear, he wrote about 10 great Science Fiction books (which, BTW, I’d recommend if you can find them.) Anyway, after doing all those books he left Science Fiction to write Pre history (IE, before North America was discovered) Native American stories with his wife, of which I have read none.
Can’t really explain why, I loved his Science Fiction writing but the change of Genre was such a huge shift from what I was used to I decided I wasn’t going to like it and never even gave it a chance. So, I’m guessing that’s what’s going to happen with some people over the new J.K. Rowling books.
not familiar with W. Michael Gear, TPC, but if i happen to run across his stuff, i’ll definitely give it a look – at least his science fiction stuff. i can see your reasoning behind not giving his pre-history books – especially since that isn’t your “thing” – but it might be worth downloading a sample or two, just to see if maybe he has some approach to it that might pique your interest.
Personaly Im looking forward to find out how is she going to write for adults when her previous works were full of wordplay making the reading less serious and more fun. Will she still use same letters in both given name and surname, for example?
i don’t think there’s as much of that kind of alliteration, Maryz, but just glancing over some of the names – “Barry Fairbrother” and “Krystal Weedon” for instance – it still appears they’re fun to say. especially with an english accent. heheh.
Heh heh, it is true that I get a little bitter about anything new from an author when they make something after the series that I liked is finished.
glad you can relate, Anime fan. i think some of that is human nature – i know i do that with musicians, actors and directors, too.
You know, As much as I love me some Harry Potter, I’m interested in seeing what she can do for adults as well. I’m going to wait a few weeks after the craziness dies down to pick it up.
Oh and BTW. Good Morning Botiverse and welcome to all the new readers. Cookies of doom yadda yadda yadda *passes out* Sleeeeeeeep
morning, Pixie! with as much enjoyment as she’s given us with the HP series, i almost feel like i owe it to her to pick this book up! i’ll definitely be giving it a chance soon.
I’m about like you are with regards to her new novel, Jeff. I am happy for her to have published something for adults, and I hope it is awesome, but it can’t possibly be the same without Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Snape, Dumbledore (snif), Draco, Luna, Nevile, and the rest of the gang. But I’m sure I will give it a try eventually unless I hear from a bunch of people that it is awful. And even then, I might try it out of loyalty to her.
so far, the reviews i’ve read have been mixed, Shanna, which i’d expect since no matter what she put out after Potter would be highly scrutinized. but, like you, i’ll give it a try no matter what out of loyalty.
hee. Way to wooo the girls there Jefbot. 😀 😀 😀 😉 By the way, where is your gamer gf?
And p.s. Do you think that perhaps their wanting more Harry Potter from J.K. is akin to the college crowds wanting more “Mighty Mouse” from Andy Kaufman after he did that on SNL?
You’ll see Cel in the “Jefbot/Reaper’s Legacy” crossover ( if Jeffrey Schuetz is interested in doing that ). I’m going to start up my new web comic ASAP but first I’ll need to advertise that it’s there. I’m planning to do this by doing crossovers of my upcoming strip with existing ones. I have the story line pretty much thought out for this crossover. I’ll have Norman Zimmerman (from “Reaper’s Legacy”) visit Cel’s arcade and play some old video games that include the Grim Reaper such as “Rygar” and “Time Killers”. Also, he’ll play “Samurai Showdown” and possibly other games where the afterlife is mentioned. He’ll make comments about how the Grim Reaper and the afterlife is portrayed in these video games as opposed to reality (at least within the universe of my strip). Of course Norman will meet some “Jefbot” characters in the arcade. I haven’t decided yet, however, if the “Jefbot” chacters will learn that Norman is the over 300 year old non-aging assistant to the Grim Reaper or if they’ll go on thinking he’s just a person (and a lunatic because they don’t believe the things he mentions to them).
i think that’s a cool idea, Rainey! i always get a kick out of it when people put their characters into the BOTiverse or when JEFbot characters show up in other comics. i’d stay away from too many interactions with bot or cel (especially as she’s still missing) as it wouldn’t be canon, but a cameo might be fun. 🙂
heh. yeah, jefbot is one smoooooth dude with the ladies, Pat wolfman dude. 😉
and, yeah – i think college crowds wanting more “mighty mouse” is a decent analogy; people want the hits! they don’t necessarily want their artists trying something new.
Heh, with that said, what would happen to the consumers of Jefbot if you suddenly went all Calvin and Hobbes and threw away all the elements of artistic design, maybe Picasso, Dali or HA Jackson Pollock. But don’t do Heronimous Bosch. Joker loves him waaaaaaay tooooo much.
hmm. not sure, Pwd. sounds like a fun experiment, tho! we’ll see what happens if i ever start another strip alongside JEFbot…
This is actually the first I’ve heard of JK’s new book (probably because I’m a busy college student who wouldn’t watch the news even if I had the time because I hate politics so much). However, I’m definitely going to look into this novel. If she does half as good a job with this as she did the Potter books (which I doubt; she probably did just as well with this time), it should be a good read.
i knew she was working on a new book but the release of it last week kind of snuck up on me too, Soul Man, probably cuz i’ve been a bit busy lately, too. so hard to keep track of all this stuff. 😉
*Sigh* A sad, but all-too true strip, Jeff.
*group sigh* yep.
I’m less like this about writers, since I read just about everything.. But when a band puts out a new cd, I am never to sure if I like it.
In fact I tend to need to listen to it slowly for a while, get into it a bit and probably after a month make my final decision.
For instance.. Panic at the disco(don’t throw rocks, they are my guilty pleasure). Their first album was fast, and fun to listen to and I loved the instruments involved.
Then their second album came out and it was slow, less instrumental and more simple. I just didn’t like it at first, but I knew I had an issue with new things so I listened to it slowly a few times for a month and all of a sudden I was really into it.
Now their newer album is back to being fast and all I want is the slow again..
i do this all the time with bands, too, Satoshieyes! (though i’ve tried to curb this habit in recent years.) i did it with Ani DiFranco after her first album, u2 when they released Achtung Baby, The Killer’s second album… the list goes on. and i was wrong to do it! Achtung Baby actually became one of my favorite albums at the time, and probably for a couple years after its release.
So true… But I don’t necessarily feel sad for her. It’s not like she’s contemplating ending her life now… She’s made the KAbillions, so she can write whatever she wants. P.S. love the visual of the books! Excellent detail.
it’s true, FunnyShaffer – she has so much money now, she could buy a printing press to print her own books if she wanted to. i just hope she doesn’t get dismissed because of her own success!
lol..
🙂
I’m a librarian by day and let me tell you, the reserve lists for the forty-plus copies of Rowling’s new book are insane.
I liked it—say what you want about the genre or subject matter, J. K. writes the literary equivalent of crack.
Kind of like Stephen King—he made his rep writing terrific horror, but his fantasy and non-genre books are just as excellent.
so happy to hear that you liked it and the reserve lists are so long, Sarah W! i’ve been hearing reports that the book is selling out and is already a huge success but i kind of expected that for this one since i’m sure a lot of people are buying it out of curiosity/loyalty/whatever. the real test will be her next book, methinks, when there’s not as much press over it being her “first book since the Harry Potter novels.”
@shootzee:
FYI, I found what breaks the italics and what causes the bad background color in Opera here. Just edit your http://jefbot.com/wp-content/uploads/css/custom_style.css file to have these CSS fixes:
.shr_compact_tick s, i {
border-bottom: none !important;
border-left: none !important;
border-right: none !important;
border-top: none !important;
display: inline !important;
}
#submit, #searchform button, .type-post, .type-page, .type-comic, .type-showcase, .type-music, .sidebar h2, #comment-wrapper {
background: #DCDCDC !important;
}
thanks! i’ll give these fixes a try, soon, HiEv! for now, people can have functioning italics by using “< em> < /em>” instead of “< i> < /i>“
crack? lol crack is over-rated you shoulda went with heroin if she’s that good
Maybe, but ‘cracktastic’ flows better than ‘herointastic.’ 🙂
ha! i’m going to use “herointastic” in conversation one day just to see if anyone raises an eyebrow.
I knew about the book and that it didn’t have anything to do with magic, but the release date compleaty went unoticed by me. I’ll have to give it a try…if I had the money or technology. All my money is going to towards, rent, gas and food and then what I have left is being saved for Pokemon White 2. I guess it’ll make a nice Christmas present.
Pokemon White 2… *drool*
sadly, i still need to finish Pokemon White 1, GardeBlaze! arrrghh!!!
I have my pre-orders for White 2, Black 2, and the Collector’s Edition guide all paid for, but I’m still a long ways from completing White 1. Sadly it’s fairly normal for me (after all, I have Mass Effect 1 & 2, even though I’m barely well started in 1, and I have FFXIII and FFXIII-2, even though I’ve got dozens of hours to go still in the first, and I have all three volumes of Atelier Iris, even though I still haven’t completed the first, but they don’t have a singular story line across all volumes like the .hack games, which I also have all of, I think you get the picture here).
Also, thanks for that link to ‘The Casual Vacancy’, I might try getting it through Paperback Swap once the paperback version comes out (the site does also support the trading of hardcover editions as well as CD books, but the shipping is a lot higher if I decide not to keep it), unless the library gets it first. From the initial description I don’t think it’s one I’d want to add to my collection, heck I’m not even sure if I’d enjoy it all that much. The main reason I’ll even give it a try is because of my opinion of the author (I’ve never enjoyed any of Anne McCaffrey’s romance stories, but I’ve loved nearly everything else she’s ever written, the only ones I don’t love and aren’t romance I probably haven’t read yet).
let me know how the Collector’s Edition guide is, Razmoudah – i saw that on Amazon and was intrigued. hoping to get more White1 in this weekend, but i fear i’m still many, many days/weeks away from completion. just got through Chargestone Cave a couple days ago, which i’m hoping is at least halfway through the game.
I’m not shooting for a total completion, just a main story completion (as that’s when I can finally transfer in that Celebi, Shiny Raikou, Shiny Entei, and Shiny Suicune), which is a lot earlier in the game (actually, from the looks of the guide nearly half of the game is optional stuff that’s only available post-main story). I’ll certainly let you know once I’ve got the games and guide though. Also, from checking some stuff on the official Pokemon website they’re introducing three new mythological Pokemon (the ones that are only available through special distribution). Keldeo is a pre-release insentive available through Gamestop, though that’s about to end, and require White 1 or Black 1. Genesecht will be a Nintendo WFC exclusive starting on the 7th, and it can be back-traded to White 1 or Black 1, though you’ll need White 2 or Black 2 to get it. And Meloetta is a new one that they’ve recently announced, though they haven’t mentioned how it will be made available, and it seems to be a White 2 and Black 2 absolute exclusive. Also, Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus have been given new Therian forms that are exclusive to White 2 and Black 2, the original forms are called Incarnate now. Surprisingly we get the same starter Pokemon though, and again it’s going to be Bianca who brings them to the character in game to let us choose one to take.
Well, I got the pre-orders. I’m not entirely certain just what the Collector’s Edition guide has as extras, but I do know that the interviews with some of the Game Freak staff and concept art are unique to it. I don’t think it has any actually games specific content unique to itself, like the White/Black 1 Collector’s Guide did. The Volume 2 guide for White/Black 2 will be out in November, and I’ll have to wait until then to have a current Pokedex to work with (they have a nasty tendency to change what moves are learned, when they are learned, what the TM’s are, and at times who can utilize which TM’s even when they couldn’t learn that move before). It does have a ‘guide’ to completing the new Unova Pokedex, which has 300 Pokemon in it. They’ve added several ‘old’ Pokemon to the region, including Ditto, so there will be some interesting and new things to do, as there are also several new areas.
JefBot’s face in the last panel is perfect. XD
aww, thanks, Harry!
I take issue with this book, simply because of her diva attitude about it. She outright said that, because of her monumental success with Harry Potter, she’s free to write whatever she wants. So, either it doesn’t matter if it makes money because she’s already insanely wealthy (for an author), or it doesn’t matter if it sucks because people will gobble it up simply because of her name.
Also, that whole “I can write whatever I want” line flies in the face of the origins behind the Harry Potter series. Wasn’t she writing whatever she wanted back then and just caught a one-in-a-billion lucky break with her publisher?
I get the feeling that that’s only the case because Harry Potter was such an enormous success that no one can begrudge her the ability to write another book & genre without getting flak for it and without having to go under a pseudonym. There are a lot of authors who achieved mediocre success in a certain range and now are stuck there forever.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that it’s pretty relatable to Meyers’ success with Twilight letting her write The Host, which I think is a much more mature book.
See, to me that still boils down to being guaranteed success simply because of the name on it. It’s not that she can write whatever she wants. It’s that she can write whatever she wants, and people will don the Shades of Rosiness simply because of her reputation. If it’s a matter of writing what she wants because she doesn’t have to worry about money, well she had a steady job with a livable income before she started HP.
hmm. i’ll have to check that quote for context, E. A., as J.K. seems very humble in every other interview i’ve read of hers, at least for a mega-millionaire. still, even if true, had i written the HP series, i’d probably have some diva-ness myself. 😉
and while this novel may have insta-success on it, being the first novel she’s written after Potter, her next novel isn’t going to fare as well unless it’s good on its own merits. also, i’ve been reading that The Casual Vacancy isn’t “flying off shelves” as much as had been predicted.
No magic?! Hmph. Well, Harry had a good run, so I guess it’s time to move on. But on the topic of magic, I haven’t given up just yet… I’m reading The Fellowship of The Ring! Have you, Jeff?
have u read The Hobbit? its outstanding and i honestly like it a bit more than the LotR series(i think there making into a movie soon which i will be there for the midnight release)
The Hobbit was my favorite book as a kid, MrSnow! loved the animated film, as well. and did you hear that they’re splitting the movie into three parts!? not sure that’s a wise decision, but i’ll be there as soon as it opens, too.
Yes I have!
i’ve read Fellowship and the rest of the trilogy many times over the years, ROM! love those novels. might read ’em again before The Hobbit comes out.
still… three movies from one book? Is it just me or are they milking it of everything?
If you want more potterverse, go to FF.net, there are tonssss of stories there. I’m okay with a non-magical Rowling book. I’ll get around to reading it eventually
that’s kinda my feeling, too, dj – i’m not super excited about it, but i’ll get to it eventually.
I will admit that never finished the Harry Potter books.(even though I watched all the movies) Guess I just got bored of them.
While I may have given up reading the HP series, I haven’t stopped reading. I’m currently reading Flight of Eagles by Jack Higgens and I’m really enjoying it.
reading the books definitely fleshes out the holes left open by the movies, Fijiman, and they’re fun reads. i think “never stop reading” is a great way of life!
Sadly Rowling has fallen in the same trap as Arthur Conan Doyle. She is now know just for HP, and it’s all people are gonna expect from her even if she writes more interesting stories.
true that, Kanashe – she’ll always be known for HP. if she becomes famous for something else it’ll be quite a feat!
I read anything I can get my hands on (except romance, urgh), although I am severely burnt out on the vampire/werewolf genre these days. People are aware that these guys use to be monsters and not supermodel/boyfriends, right?
i agree, Oz. i think it’s time that whole genre gets reinvented again.
Sadly it may take a very popular book to make vampires and werewolves the wonderful monsters that once haunted our nightmares. Or a lot of popular comics/movies.
Ahh Jeff! You’re so popular, I love it. C: I think Bot looks adorable in the third panel.
in my not so humble opinion Miss Rowling should just stick with the fantasy genre