Harry Potterfans are among the most rabid of fan bases that pop culture has ever encountered, perhaps rivaled only byStar Wars,Star Trekand a small handful of other properties. That being the case, it is no surprise that fans of the franchise are very excited about the release ofHarry Potter and the Cursed Child. The book version of the stage play just went on sale a couple of days ago, and it is already on top of the Amazon and Barnes and Noble charts.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter,Harry Potter and the Cursed Childhas already sold more than 2 million copes in just two days of release. That makes it one of the fastest selling books of all-time, even though it isn’t even close to the staggering 8.3 million copies thatHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallowssold on its first day of release back in 2007. What is perhaps most impressive is that this is not a novelization of the story from the play, it is simply a manuscript of the play itself. Not only that, but it is the rehearsal version ofHarry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is not the final version that is being used for the play that is currently running. And while the book is a hit, the fact that it is a play hasn’t sat well with some fans, despite plenty of advanced warning from J.K. Rowling about exactly what this book is.
The fact of the matter is, this newly released book of thestage playis the only way that most fans are going to be able to get their hands on the newestHarry Potterstory for quite some time. The stage show is one of the hottest tickets in the world right now, and showings are sold out for quite some time in advance. Not to mention that mostHarry Potterfans don’t have the money or resources to see the show anytime soon, even if they wanted to. It is also worth noting that even thoughJ.K. Rowlingdid come up with the story forThe Cursed Child, she didn’t actually write the play that is being sold. Stage play directorJack ThornetookRowling’s story and converted it into ascript.
Regardless of the authorship, it is very muchRowling’s story and it is also a continuation of the actualHarry Potterstoryline, unlike the spinoffFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which is coming out in November. The story picks up 19 years after the battle at Hogwarts fromThe Deathly Hallowsand is told in two parts. But maybe the most important reason fans should be feeling particularly feverish aboutThe Cursed Childis thatRowlinghas said it will be the lastHarry Potter storyshe will do. That is not to say there won’t be other stories in the wizarding world she has created, butPotter’s story is done after this. Here is what she said about it in a recent interview with Radio Times.
“He goes on a very big journey during these two plays and then, yeah, I think we’re done. This is the next generation, you know. So, I’m thrilled to see it realized so beautifully but, no, Harry is done now.”
Harry Potter 8has been getting rave reviews so far, at least as far as the play is concerned. The book version, on the other hand, has been a bit mixed. While fans have appeared excited to get the story, the version fans are getting to read doesn’t offer much in the way of scene or setting descriptions, and is almost entirely dialogue. That has made it a bit difficult to grasp entirely for some readers. Not only that, but it is very long. Given that the stage play in both parts totals around 5 hours, that isn’t very surprising. Maybe long isn’t bad, since this is the lastHarry Potterstory we are going to get, assumingRowlingdoesn’t change her mind at some point.Harry Potter and the Cursed Childis on sale now.
