Comments on: Rereadings: What to read after Harry Potter?

By: The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw « Literary Transgressions

The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw « Literary Transgressions — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:35:39 +0000

[...] the continuing adventures of my search for something to read in a post-Harry Potter state of depression, I turned this week to Ali Shaw’s The Girl with Glass Feet. The novel has been billed as a [...]

By: Corey

Corey — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:59:57 +0000

I have read “The Golden Compass” but I didn’t adore it. I enjoyed the book well enough, but I didn’t feel compelled to read the next ones, although I’ve heard variously that they get worse and better as you go along!

Kate is actually our resident Pullman expert since she wrote her master’s dissertation on this series, so if you want a more informed opinion, I would definitely ask her! :) Thanks for the recommendation, though!

By: Jo

Jo — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 02:41:30 +0000

I don’t know how you feel about hype around books, but I found Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass (and the next two books, which I can’t remember right now) to be intriguing, engrossing, and immensely well-written Pullman creates a very different world from Rowling’s world, but it is equally as encompassing.

Let me know what you think!

By: Corey

Corey — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:24:52 +0000

Sounds great! I really need to start making a proper list of all the excellent-sounding books you have recommended to me. :)

By: Corey

Corey — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:23:43 +0000

Glad you’re in agreement. I was really fairly stunned how much more I liked “Hallows” the second time around. It actually ended up rivaling “Azkaban” in my affections!

By: Iris

Iris — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:58:20 +0000

Those were exactly my thoughts after rereading it. Reading the Deathly Hallows the first time around it felt rushed and confusing, but the second time around I liked the book much better. I agree about the epilogue though: either write a decent one and tell us a little more about each person, or don’t write anything at all. This epilogue was very unsatisfying.

I’m going to click over and read your review of the Magicians now.

By: “The Magicians” by Lev Grossman « Literary Transgressions

“The Magicians” by Lev Grossman « Literary Transgressions — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:18:18 +0000

[...] one of the things that makes The Magicians a perfect book to read in any post-Harry Potter state of depression is that Mr. Grossman aptly engages with the deeper questions and darker side of magic (or at least [...]

By: Britney

Britney — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:36:02 +0000

Well, Diana Wynne Jones is an excellent fantasy writer with an enormous backlist (after writing my original post I realized I've been reading her books since 2001 and I still have a few to read!) but her Chrestomanci books are probably the closest to Harry Potter and they're compared frequently (some uninformed readers have claimed that she copied). Chrestomanci does have a castle filled with magic users and enchanted objects - and he does tend to show up in a lot of places in his dressing gown. Witch Week is a ton of fun because it takes place in an alternate world where Guy Fawkes succeeded in destroying the Houses of Parliament but Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant explore more about the role of Chrestomanci. (Christopher Chant is the uniting character in all the books, though he's not always the protagonist.) One of the great things about Harry Potter is that many of Diana's books were reprinted. :) She's an excellent world builder and many of her books are different enough that if you don't like one of them, you could probably find another that suits you better.

By: Corey

Corey — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:10:51 +0000

Ooo, neat solution! Fortunately, I already love British mysteries so perhaps I can just channel my interest in that direction, too. :)

I’ve never heard of the Gabaldon, but I’ll have to look into it! Gripping fantastical stories are never a bad thing. Thanks for the tip!

By: Corey

Corey — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:10:03 +0000

Hmm, thanks for the suggestion! In what ways are the Jones books similar to Rowling’s? Or are they just generally good fantasy?

In any event, library here I come!