Stephen King on JK Rowling
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20044270_20044274_20050689,00.html
Very interesting. Here is a quote from an opening paragraph:
the very popularity of the books has often undone even the best intentions of the best critical writers. In their hurry to churn out column inches, and thus remain members of good standing in the Church of What’s Happening Now, very few of the Potter reviewers have said anything worth remembering. Most of this microwaved critical mush sees Harry — not to mention his friends and his adventures — in only two ways: sociologically (”Harry Potter: Boon or Childhood Disease?”) or economically (”Harry Potter and the Chamber of Discount Pricing”). They take a perfunctory wave at things like plot and language, but do little more…and really, how can they? When you have only four days to read a 750-page book, then write an 1,100-word review on it, how much time do you have to really enjoy the book? To think about the book? Jo Rowling set out a sumptuous seven-course meal, carefully prepared, beautifully cooked, and lovingly served out. The kids and adults who fell in love with the series (I among them) savored every mouthful, from the appetizer (Sorcerer’s Stone) to the dessert (the gorgeous epilogue of Deathly Hallows). Most reviewers, on the other hand, bolted everything down, then obligingly puked it back up half-digested on the book pages of their respective newspapers. And because of that, very few mainstream writers, from Salon to The New York Times, have really stopped to consider what Ms. Rowling has wrought, where it came from, or what it may mean for the future.
All I can say is, there is one and only way test of popularity, of social impact and the effect on history worth considering: have moderators begun to put characters from your books in their role-playing games? The first game I ever played, had both Ents from Fangorn and Jedi-Knights from STAR WARS roaming the halls of the dungeons that led eventually to the long-buried Krell machine from FORBIDDEN PLANET.
Has anyone taken characters (or broomsticks) from Rowling and put them in their RPG’s? If so, she has won her laurels of immortality.
(Since the characters from ORPHANS OF CHAOS and LAST GUARDIAN OF EVERNESS were originally based on role-playing characters, I actually assume it would be rather easy to come up with RPG versions of these characters. THE GOLDEN AGE would be harder to reduce to playable dice-mechanics: the difference between vast levels of intellect is difficult to play and keep game balance.)
About John C Wright
John C. Wright is a practicing philosopher, a retired attorney, newspaperman, and newspaper editor, and a published author of science fiction. Once a Houyhnhnm, he was expelled from the august ranks of purely rational beings when he fell in love; but retains an honorary title.
