Avada Kedavra-ed

I tried not to do it. It's ridiculous. Magic and wizards and little children running around in robes... but somewhere in college, I caved in. I read the damn books. Now I'm hooked. I'm sucked into the vortex and I can't get the hell out. Not that I want to get the hell out... I'm talking about, of course, Harry Potter. What is it about this book series that grabs us and pulls us so far in that there is no hope of escape? Few things give me goosebumps, but when I hear the stupid theme song for Harry Potter it's game over. I can't help it, I love it. The thing that gets you isn't necessarily the writing, but the characters. The writing is okay, and gets better and better as the series continues, but the characters have such an element of humanity to them that we can relate (even if we don't have that magic thing going for us). It's also cool because my generation grew up with them. They were a few years younger than us, but it didn't matter.

Even with all the supernatural stuff running around in the plot, there's still a very strong emotional attachment to the characters which makes this series unlike any fantasy books I've ever read. Magic is fun and stuff, but when people die in other fantasy books, I really really really don't care. It's more of a "oh, guess that sucks" moment instead of bawling over my copy of the Half Blood Prince at one in the morning because Dumbledore just got sent to that giant cauldron in the sky. It mattered. I was sad. Damn near depressed. That's why the books are good; I care. I freaking care what happens to the characters and that's more than I can say for a LOT of books that I've read. That's why I can't get out even if I tried. I've tried to write a few short stories but I could never form the emotional attachment to the characters that's so crucial to the reader. This attachment is what turns a "meh" story into an amazing story. Props to J.K. Rowling who just kept getting better as the years went by and ended up turning all of us into her minions.