J.K. Rowling and the Profitable Idea

About ten years ago, an author started a book series about several special adolescents with unique abilities who were destined to save the world from a great evil. She used her initials as more of a gender-neutral moniker to appeal to both male and female readers. The books eventually spawned merchandise and cross-media adaptations. This was the appeal of Animorphs by K.A. Applegate.

You were expecting something else?

In May 2001, the sophomore school year was winding down, and I was eagerly finishing the first major book series I had ever read, started all the way back elementary school (the 5th grade, to be exact). Back then, series like Goosebumps were very popular, but I had more of an interest in sci-fi adventure than lightweight horror. The series was also more fun than Goosebumps for me; it dealt with themes of friendship, love, family, war, the minds of "wild" animals, alien-perspective on human culture (and vice versa) and even the question of existence itself. The sheer detail of the alien races, technology, and worlds was quite exhausting by book #54, however, and having to take in and remember so much over a long period of time had grown wearisome.

So when a classmate gushed about the enjoyability of the Harry Potter series, reeling off facts about Quidditch, Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, I was completely disinterested. I had just finished a long-arc book series; why would I want to start another?

But the Cult of Potter would not be denied. Later that year, the first film was released, and try as I might to avoid it, Harry Potter creapt into my attention left and right. Our English teacher went so far as to play music from the soundtrack whenever we worked quietly on essays. Eventually, my parents rented the feature and we watched it together. They fell asleep, I was enthralled. Once the movie began to run on HBO, I watched it almost every chance I got. When the sequel was released the next year, I kept my fervor hidden, waiting for the release on TV. Again, I watched it as often as it was on, and by the time the third film opened, I openly admitted to liking Harry Potter and attended the film along with all the other Pott-heads.

Still, I had not read the books that started this fandom avalanche. Luckily all the paperback editions were readily available at every (EVERY) bookstore, and though the books increased in length and density, they always had a rather brisk pace. There were legitimate thrills from the numerous twists and reveals (for those who read the books before seeing the movies) and quite a bit of elements for adults as well as children.

Many people wonder just why these books are so special. There's hundreds, thousands of other children's books being released each year. Why are these suddenly so big? For one thing, they are easy to pick up and read, and despite the detail put into Harry's world, it is described in a simple, layman's view. The humor that J.K. Rowling employs is a familiar British wit that dryly notes the obvious even while meandering through the most surreal locales. The author's conversational tone makes the book seem less some epic fantasy reserved for scholars (sorry, Prof. Tolkien) and more an oral fable being given from narrator-to-reader. While some characters may seem usual clichés of mythic fiction, the series makes a point of given complexity to the seemingly straight-forward.

Many religious organizations (a fair number in the U.S.) contend that the books promote witchcraft, (incorrectly labeled Wicca in certain arguments) and Satanism. For anyone who has actually read the books, it is obvious these are groundless accusations. The books' interpretation of magic is acutely secular, with no mention of patron deities or gods, nor demonic or angelic beings. Indeed, magic is a near-science, with observable laws of cause and effect (though the effects are often malleable and able to be overriden). In addition, calling the series "godless" (implying it is without moral virtue) is equally unfounded. The importance of strong morals and proper ethics is the crux if the entire story of Harry Potter. The books stress love, trust, friendship, academic diligence (or at least its rewards), bravery, wisdom, etc. The layered nature of Rowling's storytelling is a key to her popularity with older readers.

The series is also notable as the first major film franchise of the new millennium, starting just one month prior the Lord of the Rings. Alongside LOTR, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Star Wars prequels, Harry Potter established a new era of fantasy filmmaking, with these series featuring the most advanced effects and artistic design the film industry has ever seen.

With the publication of the final narrative book in the series, J.K. Rowling cements herself as one of the landmark authors of the 21st century: garnering an enormous fanbase that stretches into the youngest and oldest readers across the planet (encouraging many youngsters to pick up a book instead of a remote or video game), having amassed a fortune that places her as the second-richest female entertainer in the world (the Oprah cannot be stopped), holding the record for the fastest-selling book in history, and even having an asteroid named after her.

All this because a Manchester-to-London train was delayed for four hours.