Pop Culture WI: JK Rowling dies or retires from writing after publishing "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

[baltur2]

Many "Potterheads" and even more casual fans of the Harry Potter book series noticed a radical change of tone, and also a kind of decline in the quality of Rowling's writing following her perhaps most successful book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix".

Fans felt that the more "dark themes" of the sixth and seventh books of the series were cheaply done, important details were left out, and the introduction of the concept of Horcruxes in "Half-Blood Prince" to explain Voldemort's and Harry's mental connection, and the overt Christian allegories and symbolism of "Deathly Hallows" took away a lot from the mystique and uniqueness of the story.

What effect do you think would it have had on popular culture, if the book series were unfinished because after publishing OotP, Rowling either died, or retired from writing?

 

[NibiruMul]

I actually feel like HP fans probably would have been more pissed off if J.K. Rowling had not finished the series. If she had died suddenly, the series remaining unfinished would make sense, but if she had somehow retired, fans would have been furious and possibly accuse her of being selfish. Also, the movies were already being made by the time she released Order of the Phoenix, so they probably would have to come up with their own ending.

J,K. Rowling seems to be in good health, and as far as I know she's never shown any signs of suicidal thoughts, so if we'd have to kill her in an alternate timeline, she'd probably have to die in some sort of accident (car/bus/plane/etc.) or possibly get a noninfectious disease like cancer.

 

[Admiral Spaun]

So essentially leaving the HP book fandom in the same state as OTL Game of Thrones fans.

 

[Nivek]

So essentially leaving the HP book fandom in the same state as OTL Game of Thrones fans.

Without a chance for disapointment? i think that is why GRRM is not wanting to finish it...everyone, specially himself would get disapointed

 

[Driftless]

It was/is a cash-cow. An "authorized" pinch-hitter steps in and finishes the series, based on JKR's outlines. There's no way that a publisher leaves money like that out of the bank.

Legacy would be very much secondary to cash-in-the-bank.

 

[Thomas Jefferson]

Warner Brothers/Scholastic pay someone very well to finish the series using her notes and they take the blame for the decline in quality. Rowling becomes legendary as a Harper Lee-type figure if she retires or as a great children's writer gone too soon if she dies.