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devilsgrin - Good points. I'm currently researching that "quote" Gandalf said to Frodo and Sam, to see how accurate is was. My take on Gandalf has always been that his greatest skill was his subtlety: much of the time, when others seemed to be more powerful than he, he was simply letting them...

Jun'ichiro Tanizaki wrote an essay (almost a very short book) titled In Praise of Shadows in which he discusses the contrast between classical (turn of the 20th century) Japan and the increasing influence of the trendy, Americanized West. It's not exactly historical fiction, it's nowhere near as...

Donald - The amulet question is a good one, and one which has bothered me since JKR used it in Book 3. I thought it was kind of a cheap way out, to say, "Oh hey, I can time travel, what a neat solution to this complex problem that might otherwise have required clever writing and effort." Why...

Marky Lazer with the info as usual. Gobbless the great and powerful Wiki. I thought I'd add something I remember from the film, something which I am reasonably certain was present in the books: at some point (I believe it is in Bilbo's house in the beginning of FOTR) Gandalf is asked some...

Originally Posted by Majimaune How so certain? I think Marky Lazer's original article did a fairly thorough job of establishing, by citing the source material directly and quoting from the Encyclopedia of Arda, that none of us can know for sure. Do you have access to some mystic tome...

Being a huge Richard Harris fan, I was upset by the Dumbledore change (how dare he go and die! isn't the fans' interest more important than mortality?) for consistency reasons, although Gambon seems to be warming to the role as he progresses through films. In the interest of consistency, I...

originally posted by Telperaca Whatever else he may be, Severus Snape is far from innocent. Otherwise, he couldn't be the most darkly fascinating character in the entire series. History has proven *using pompously didactic scholarly voice* that the most interesting characters are the ones who...

Dave and Upright Man - the idea that Harry must die because he is a horcrux - lot of potential there. I still don't believe JKR is going to kill him off though. I heard somewhere that the dubious "loyalty" owed to Harry by Wormtail could manifest in the form of some advice or aid that frees...

KiwiBird - I could not agree more. That's exactly how I feel about the HP series. HoopyFrood - I've come across a surprising amount of agreement with your OooP sentiments lately, and the prevalence of such thought has made me cast back and rethink my initial enjoyment of the book. Sirius'...

The posted definition of "hallow" on this thread is very accurate, but HP7's title uses it as though it is a noun, and based on this (I've read) the title may be referring to Voldemort's Horcruxes, the remainder of which Harry is ostensibly tasked with finding and destroying. "Deathly" could be...

Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities is one of my classic favorites; much of his work is heavy and unexciting for me, but that one I can read again and again. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World made a passable film, but the book is one of a long series of British nautical fiction novels...

Bernard Cornwell. Having read almost a score of his historical fiction novels, I can give him my highest recommendation. Thanks to this thread, I've picked up Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire and I must admit it gives Cornwell's battle-writing a run for its money. An excellent read through...