Today, I couldn’t resist the news hype surrounding the launch of the new Harry Potter book, ‘Order of the Phoenix.’ Curiosity got the better of me, so I logged onto my favorite file-sharing network to see if any copies were floating around on the internet.
After a quick search, I found about 20 different versions of the book. Intrigued, I tagged them all and took a break for dinner. Upon returning to my computer, most of the files had finished downloading. I eliminated some versions that turned out to be ripped copies of JK Rowling’s earlier books with the title changed. Two more were obviously rubbish – too short and poorly written.
I was left with three texts that looked identical in preview. I decided to start reading the real version in vi format. However, after about 10 minutes, something felt off. The narration and dialog seemed a bit flat, as if reading a translation. Skimming through the book, I found the story itself was excellent with smart twists and familiar characters, but it lacked the depth I expected.
Thinking it might be an early draft or OCR’d rip with heavy editing, I switched to the .doc version. It was perfect, indicating it came from the same source as the vi format. Then, the PDF version revealed more metadata, pointing to a website: http://hpfanfiction.net/books/book5/. Curiosity got the better of me again, and I clicked the link only to realize I had been fooled.
It turns out that an enterprising Harry Potter fan site had grown impatient waiting for JK Rowling to write the books. They took matters into their own hands and wrote their own version of ‘Order of the Phoenix.’ The website even has a forum where people discuss suggested storylines, and the final product is a result of a collaborative effort.
These fan-written books are impressively clever, so much so that even little Johnny might struggle to tell them apart from the real thing. The website clarifies that the final version is a sensible amalgamation of the fans’ ideas. Surprisingly, they’ve already completed book 6 as well.
As a Harry Potter enthusiast, this discovery only heightened my anticipation for the real book. I want to compare the storylines and see how the hive mind’s creation measures against JK Rowling’s work. However, I couldn’t find a genuine version of JK Rowling’s new book. It’s surprising, and I’m even tempted to stand in line at a shop in Crawley just to get an official copy before it hits the internet.
In conclusion, I was taken in by the fan-written version, but it made me all the more eager to read the authentic ‘Order of the Phoenix’ and experience JK Rowling’s storytelling firsthand.