J. K. Rowling announces three new Harry Potter books!

If you don't know that J. K. Rowling has recently released Harry Potter & the Cursed Child I'm not entirely sure where you've been for these last few months. Yet despite the hype, this has actually proved quite a scandal more than anything because despite there being some Potterheads who are overjoyed at having tickets for the play and getting a chance to sink their teeth into its script, not everyone--myself included--is that pleased. I have no desire to read through a tedious script of nothing but dialogue and I know that others agree, many of whom feel cheated that Rowling didn't release the story as a proper and fully-fledged novel for them.

Yet we don't have to be that disappointed and Pottermore has officially announced that there will be three new books set in the Potter world! I know this has all been very hush hush and I didn't believe it at first either, but the announcement is right here on the Pottermore site!

It looks like each of the new books will be an anthology that explores the mythology surrounding the Harry Potter books and many of the characters that have featured in the core series. What's more Pottermore claims that the three books will be released on 6th September, which is ludicrously soon and will really wet our appetites for the upcoming film, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, in November!

2016 is really shaping up to be a good year for Potterheads everywhere and I'm definitely looking forward to the new releases! Are you?

New Harry Potter Book Coming Summer '16!

It's been nearly a decade since J. K. Rowling published Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, but the Potter hype has never quite ended. The series has captivated millions of minds worldwide, whether through Rowling's books themselves or the Warner Brothers cinematic adaptations, and everyone has been asking the same question: when will the next chapter in Harry Potter's life be revealed.

The answer was given in 2015 when Rowling announced that she had developed a screenplay called Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, which describes Harry's life as an official for the Ministry of Magic seventeen years after the events of the last book. Excitement for the play was high and, obviously, it sold out in record time. This left millions of Harry Potter fans tasting bitter disappointment, but Rowling has just announced that she will be releasing the play's script as a book on 31st July 2016 after countless appeals! Her agents have confirmed that the play will be released in novel and ebook formats that will hopefully lead to more Potter novels!

Series Review: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

OVERALL RATING: FIVE STARS
AWARD: SHELF OF FAME

Harry Potter is just an ordinary boy, albeit a rather downtrodden one. After his parents were killed in a car accident while he was just a baby, he was sent to live with the Dursleys.' His uncle likes to think Harry doesn't exist, his aunty ignores him and the only attention his cousin, Dudley, gives him is to criticise or bully. Harry can't foresee his life getting better any time soon and was as surprised as any of his family when a letter arrives, addressed to Harry's cupboard under the stairs. It was a letter that changes everything and Harry learns that he is not an ordinary boy afterall. He is a wizard--just like his parents before him--and has been offered a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry!

Harry's life takes a dramatic change and he finds himself in a world where the magical and fantastic are mundane. He takes classes for transfiguration and potions, defence against the Dark Arts and charms. He learns how to fly on a broomstick and has the freedom of living in a boarding school. But, best of all, he has friends. It is not long before Harry meets Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, two fellow students that would fight at his side. For not all is at it seems at Hogwarts and Harry Potter is the Boy Who Lived. Lord Voldemort is neither gone nor defeated and many of his old supporters escaped the wizard prison of Azkaban after the first war against He Who Must Not Be Named. Voldemort is determined to return to his full power and knows that Harry is the key to his success.

Plots circle Hogwarts like the tightening of a noose and every year sees Harry face perils that even a fully trained wizard or witch should not face. He learns courage and defiance in the face of evil as the gruesome truth of his parents murders come to light. But most of all, he learns that there is power in love and strength in the true, unwavering friendship of loyalty . . .

Book 1: Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone
Book 2: Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets
Book 3: Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban
Book 4: Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
Book 5: Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
Book 6: Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
Book 7: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

The Good
The Harry Potter series needs little introduction and the fact that the franchise is one of the most successful children's series in history speaks for the quality of J. K. Rowling's work. Rowling writes each book with a vivid, fast-paced style that makes their reading effortless. She has managed to perfect the balance of events, dialogue and description, allowing her to produce a detailed, vibrant world to back-set her stories. I fell in love with the Harry Potter books ever since I began reading The Philosopher's Stone as a child, but I don't think this has biased my opinion of them in any way. They are unbelievably enjoyable to read and I did not become bored a single time! In fact, I read The Philosopher's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets and The Prisoner of Azkaban within three days when I re-read the series last year!

One of the reasons the books are so good has to be due to Rowling's flair for characterisation. She has an uncanny ability to make her character's come alive and each one is completely unique. Furthermore, each character reads like a real person, where they have their own thoughts, personality, personal issues and motivation for their beliefs and actions. This helps the whole story seem more real somehow and really makes it easy to engage with the characters. I found I was invested in them and genuinely worried about them at that time when the books were still being released and nobody had any idea what would happen!

Rowling's whole concept of a secret magical world living alongside us 'Muggles' is also extremely well thought-out and she has invested a lot of time in developing their own culture, ways of doing things (including keeping the existence of magic and fantastic beasts secret) and how their society works. The locations of her story, such as Hogwarts and Diagon Alley, have all been beautifully described which forms a solid foundation for the story. As well as this, Rowling has also constructed a very plausible ethos of magic that involves spells and potions. Many authors get carried away with magic and the power a person can have in their books, which isn't always a bad thing in all fairness, but Rowling's limitations on magic and the way it's performed makes it much more believable than it usually is. This basically forms the keystone of the story, one which helped me become truly immersed in the story. It's also clever how most of the spells that are used have their roots in Latin, which provides a very old and very real link back to our rather mundane world.

The last thing that makes the Harry Potter books truly great is the story itself. Each of the books has been beautiful written and is exciting and fast-paced. They are very difficult to put down and are an easy way to kill hours of time. The overall story arc is also fantastic and I really liked how it's simply a battle between good and evil. Obviously, Voldemort and his followers are agents of control and order, believing in the purity of the magic in very old families. Harry and those like him, believe in freedom and the right for anyone to live freely and without fear of persecution. This means that the books carry very powerful messages, such as the power of love and the value of loyalty and friendship. This concept is nothing new, but I think it adds weight to the story and Rowling has written the story extremely well to make sure the books contain powerful messages for children.

The Bad
To be honest, this heading is only here because of my format for reviews. There was nothing I didn't like about the Harry Potter books and they truly are masterpieces of the fantasy genre, being enjoyable for children and adults alike. They're exciting, well executed and show us a world that we've all secretly wished we were part of at one time or another.

My Thoughts
Overall then, the Harry Potter series is a stunning example of what fantasy can be when it's done well. J. K. Rowling has created a rich, detailed world that is in dire trouble. Her protagonists are relatable and plausible, helping to produce an exciting story that's difficult to put down. If you haven't read the Harry Potter books and are only familiar with the films, you really need to. These are books that have captured the imaginations of an entire generation and will probably be moulding minds for generations to come. Each one of these seven books is truly worthy of their place on my Shelf of Fame and I expect I'll re-read them again and again throughout my life.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FIVE STARS

Dumbledore has fallen and the Order of the Phoenix has all but broken. None other than the treacherous Death Eater, Severus Snape, is now the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry and Harry Potter knows that his life will be forfeit if he should return to study there. Even if that was not the case, he knows that he has something much more important to do than continue with his magical education: Dumbledore entrusted him with what is perhaps the most important task of the age and, along with his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry must find and destroy each of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Harry is the Boy Who Lived and fate has prophesied that he must face Voldemort, for neither can live while the other survives.

Harry's task borders on the impossible and he's forced to become a fugitive on the run from Voldemort's Death Eaters and the Ministry of Magic, which the Dark Lord now controls. His life becomes challenging and full of danger, but Harry knows that he must face the adversity before him with a stout heart if he is to defeat Voldemort and finally put an end to his subjugation and terror campaign.

The Good
The Deathly Hallows is an interesting, exciting book that is certainly unique among the Harry Potter series. This is largely because Harry doesn't actually return to Hogwarts this year and most of the book involves his roaming of the British countryside. That being said, the book isn't boring in the slightest and it's as exciting as any of its predecessors, maybe even more so!

J. K. Rowling has proven her unparalleled ability to bring her characters to life once again and they are as real and engaging as ever. As well as adding to the scope and enjoyment of the story, this makes the inevitable deaths in the war against Voldemort all that more tragic and it's extremely difficult to read about the passing of characters that I kind of regard as actual friends!

I also particularly liked Rowling's epilogue, where she describes Harry and his wife, Ginny Weasley, dropping their children off at Platform Nine and Three Quarters so they can board the Hogwarts Express. This provides a nice little tease for what happens after the story and it's nice to know that even after all of the pain and death in the series as a whole, there is a happy ending at the end of it. I also like the way this scene continues the story forward via the new generation of students at Hogwarts and leaves room for the imagination to delve into what is happening at the school and what it would be like to study there yourself (which I think is one thing we've all secretly done and probably has a role in the series enormous success). It's also nice how Rowling doesn't actually say what Harry did after he defeated Lord Voldemort, leaving this open to the reader's interpretation. I like to think that Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts was so disrupted that he--along with his friends and the other students that were forced to flee the school for their lives--were allowed back to complete their education (where Professor Mcgonagall is the new headmistress), finally having a year of peace where evil doesn't rear its dark head. Once Harry graduated Hogwarts with his N.E.W.T.s, I've always liked the idea that he's so sick of fighting and war he sets aside his ambitions to be an auror in favour of the coveted life of a professional Quidditch player. Once his sporting career invariably wound down, I like to imagine Harry becoming the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, working in Hogwarts alongside his friend Neville Longbottom. Obviously, this is just how I like to imagine 'what comes after' and everyone will have their own ideas!

The Bad
Once again, Rowling's storytelling is excellent and The Deathly Hallows is the perfect ending to an outstanding series of fantasy and adventure that highlights the importance of friendship and love! I have just one fault with the book and that is it being the final instalment of the series! Don't get me wrong and Rowling concludes it perfectly, but I'm always disappointed that my great Harry Potter adventure is over and I have to find something else to read . . .

My Thoughts
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows is the perfect ending to Rowling's world renown series and I can't stress how good a job she has done with it. It's a real page turner, just like the other Harry Potter books and is a must read for anyone - Harry Potter is a definite must for anyone's education and should be added to your reading list immediately if you are only familiar with the series through the films.

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FIVE STARS

After Harry Potter's epic mishap at the Ministry of Magic at the end of his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witcraft & Wizardry, the wizarding world is now aware of Lord Voldemort's return. The erstwhile Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has been dismissed for trying to ignore and cover the problem up instead of dealing with it and Harry is once again considered a hero. Yet it is too little, too late and Voldemort has not been idle in his secrecy. He has seized more power than many dare to realise and is as dangerous as ever.

So it is with a heavy heart that Harry returns to school for his sixth year of study. Aside from his worries concerning the Dark Lord and his advancement to N.E.W.T. studies, he has learnt that Professor Severus Snape has finally managed to procure the position of the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and will he will be taking over Harry's favourite classes! Yet Professor Dumbledore has finally taken more of interest in Harry's studies and has invited him to special lessons in which he reveals just why Lord Voldemort is such a dangerous adversary. Before he took on the mantle of the Dark Lord and changed his name, Tom Riddle did something unspeakable and split his soul into a number of Horcruxes that effectively make him immortal and immune to physical death. Dumbledore reveals that each of these Horcruxes must be found and destroyed before the Dark Lord can fall in a task that will prove to be less than easy . . .

The Good
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince continues J. K. Rowling's precedent of darker writing and delves deeper into Voldemort's ever tightening control of the wizarding world. Murder, torture and mysterious disappearances are now common place and have even begun to affect the Muggle world, in what proves to be an interesting development where Rowling reveals, without doubt, that the Muggle Prime Minister of Britain is aware of the existence of magic and its secretive communities! This adds as nice depth to the story and it's really beginning to sink home just how dangerous Voldemort is and how dark the times are becoming.

Rowling also uses this book to reveal more about Snape's mysterious background and why, or why not, he may actually be helping Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix to resist Voldemort's new regime. This is a great insight into one of the more complicated characters in her world and it's fun, especially if you're new to the story, applying this to Snape in an effort to work out whether he is actually good or evil!

The Bad
Yet again, there is nothing to criticise with Rowling's story and she has done as fantastic a job as ever!

My Thoughts
J. K. Rowling writes the penultimate instalment of the great Harry Potter adventure with her typical talent of vivid storytelling, engaging characters that seem like real people and page-turning events. The book, as is the series as a whole, is a true testament to the fantasy genre and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike -  there's really no reason not to read it!

Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FOUR STARS

After the fiasco of the Triwizard Tournament at the end of his forth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, Harry Potter was involved in a terrible incident that saw the death of fellow champion Cedric Diggory and the Lord Voldemort's rebirth! Yet none but Professor Dumbledore are keen to believe Harry's tale and, worse still, Cornelius Fudge (the Minister of Magic) believes Voldemort's apparent rise is a plot of Dumbledore's to seize power. Fudge is desperate to cover the whole thing up and has begun a vicious slander campaign at Harry and Dumbledore's expense. Fudge has even gone as far as appointing Dolores Umbridge as the Hogwarts 'High Inquisitor,' a position he has invented to control the spread of rumours at Hogwarts itself!

Yet Fudge's closed-minded fear does not deter Albus Dumbledore. The headmaster is busy at work and re-establishes the Order of the Phoenix - a secretive group that is dedicated to defeating Voldemort and his campaign of terror whatever the cost. Harry is quickly drawn into the group and must use all of his wits if he is to survive his fifth year of study and ready himself, friends and peers for the war to come . . .

The Good
The Order of the Phoenix is the point where the Harry Potter story begins to grow darker and J. K. Rowling's writing becomes more gritty as she delves into the atrocities Lord Voldemort is committing as he gathers new and old Death Eaters alike to his cause. Rowling has put a lot of thought into the story and it is more a tale of intrigue like the early novels in the story were. I found the twists and turns of this book very exciting to read and she's really beginning to set the precedent for later instalments of the series.

Rowling has also done a brilliant job with Umbridge's 'love to hate' character. Umbridge is truly a despicable woman and her actions frequently left me seething to rage, even though Umbridge cannot be called 'evil' in the same way as Voldemort and his followers are. Yet there are different shades of darkness and Umbridge is certainly not good or innocent!

The Bad
Once again there is nothing to fault with this book per se and the only issue I have with it is a bit of upset involving one of my favourite characters and a certain, mysterious archway . . .

My Thoughts
The Order of the Phoenix continues the Harry Potter series in a darkening instalment that finally sees Lord Voldemort return to power and begin preparations for a new war to purify wizard-kind. It's exciting, superbly written and is almost impossible to put down!

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FOUR STARS

Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft & Wizardry promises to be his most exciting one yet. True, the inter-house Quidditch league has been cancelled this year, but this is due to the fact that Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament - a competition that hasn't been seen for a terribly long count of years! The representatives of Durmstrang Institute are arriving for the competition from Scandanavia, along with those from the French, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

Each of the the three world renown magical schools will have a champion chosen by the Goblet of Fire, who will compete against each other throughout a series of dangerous and possibly fatal challenges for the glory of their school. Yet there are those who seek to ruin harmless fun and twist it to their own purposes. Even as Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour and Victor Krum are chosen as champions, so is Harry Potter in a mysterious and unprecedented violation of the tournament's rules! Yet Harry is bound by magical contract to compete, despite his fears and those of Albus Dumbledore that something sinister is afoot . . .

The Good
The Goblet of Fire is one of the most exciting instalments of the series so far and has several interesting aspects to its story. The first is the feature of the Quidditch World Cup (which was sadly left out of the adapted movie), which sees Harry and the Weasley family travel via portkey to see Ireland play Bulgaria somewhere in the English countryside. As well as being fun and novel to read about, it gives a nice introduction to Krum, the early activities of Voldemort's Death Eater's and builds an essential backstory to the 'Triwizard Conspiracy' as a whole.

As well as the beginning, the Triwizard challenges are also great fun to read about and J. K. Rowling has detailed Harry's anxiety and misgivings about competing well. I admit that although I am a fan of Quidditch of the matches Rowling describes, Gryffindor winning almost every match can get a bit repetitive. The absence of the school's league in this book helps give a nice break from it and means it's even better in the next book when it all kicks off again!

The Bad
Once again, I have nothing to fault with the book and Rowling has done a fantastic job bringing her world and characters to life!

My Thoughts
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire is one of the most exciting and unique books in the series and continues Rowling's story in the same manner of literacy excellence as its forebearers. The characters are lively and realistic, it's exciting and Rowling writes with a vivid, flowing style that makes the book almost impossible to put down!

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FIVE STARS

Harry Potter has just finished his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That year was a dangerous time and saw several attacks on muggle-born students when an eidolon of Lord Voldemort opened the fabled Chamber of Secrets. Harry played a large role in saving the school and, as the summer holidays draw to a close, he's hoping for a quieter year.

Yet fate seems to have its own ideas and the notorious murderer Sirius Black has escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban. Harry doesn't know why, but the Ministry of Magic has suddenly taken an unprecedented interest in his personal safety and he soon comes to suspect that the murderer may be connected with his past and the first war against Lord Voldemort. Harry and the staff of Hogwarts are on high alert, but Black has his own ideas and was a master trouble-maker when he studied there, knowing several ways into the school's grounds that even Dumbledore doesn't know exist . . .

The Good
The Prisoner of Azkaban was always my favourite Harry Potter book when I was growing up and that certainly hasn't changed now. Re-reading the story was very nostalgic and I quickly lost myself in Rowling's wonderful world of magic and imagination. Once again, Rowling's story is excellent, being well-paced and properly developed. Her characters are as dynamic and realistic as ever and the book doesn't lack for excitement.

One of the other things I really liked about this book is how it goes into Harry Potter's past and Rowling has begun to build a backstory for Harry's origins, of his parents and the first war against Lord Voldemort that is critical to the overall series, but is also fun and interesting to read about.

The Bad
Once again, there is nothing I didn't like about this book and even the hardest critic would struggle for negative points. Despite being a children's book, it still stands up to an adult's mind and is a real gem for all ages of reader alike.

My Thoughts
The Prisoner of Azkaban is a superb instalment of the Harry Potter series and did not disappoint me. The book is exciting and full of all the magic and characterisation that first made me fall in love the series all those years ago . . .

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FOUR STARS

Harry Potter is very different from other teenagers, mainly because the summer holidays are his least favourite time of the year and he dreads having to spend those hot months with the Dursley's in Private Drive. For Harry Potter is not like normal boys. He is a wizard and spends most of his time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the fantastic has common place,

And so he waits patiently in the muggle world for his second year at Hogwarts to begin, excited and full of anticipation. But Harry soon finds that not all is what it seems this year at Hogwarts and old forces that are full of chicanery are at play. The Chamber of Secret's has been opened for the first time in 50 years. The deadly monster that lives there has been unleashed and it is set on but course: to continue the iniquity of Salazar Slytherin and purify Hogwarts of all muggle-born students . . .

The Good
J. K. Rowling continues her Harry Potter series with a fantastic book that's full of suspense and intrigue as she unravels the mystery of a sinister plot. She has established the events well and even leaves clues throughout the book as to what exactly is going on, which are fairly obvious if you already know the story beforehand and is yet another example of how clever her writing is. Rowling has stayed true to the dogma she established in The Philosopher's Stone and the book is bursting with magic and imagination in every page!

Rowling's characterisation is simply superb and she had an uncanny way of bringing her world and characters to life. Her prose style is very light and flows easily meaning that I read chapter after chapter without stopping for a break as I do in some 'heavier' works that require more concentration. I think this is largely due to the fact that the series is aimed for children and young adults, but, her colourful writing and characters make the book just as enjoyable for adults!

The Bad
Like I said before, this is Harry Potter . . . What could be bad about it?!

My Thoughts
The Chamber of Secrets continues Harry Potter's great Hogwart's adventure in a vivid, page-turning style and makes a great instalment to the acclaimed series. Rowling has shown once again why her books have been so successfully and I had a lot of nostalgic fun reading this book!

Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling

RATING: FIVE STARS

Harry Potter is a normal boy, even if he is a bit downtrodden by the aunt and uncle he lives with. Harry's life at 10 Private Drive leaves much to be wanted: he is bullied by his family, forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs and has very few possessions, let alone friends! You can imagine Harry's surprise when he is visited by a giant of a man, a man who claims he is the grounds keeper for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

For Harry is a wizard and his mundane life becomes one of spectacular imagination in an instant. Not only does he have magical powers which he can hone in one of the best wizarding schools in the world, but he quickly finds out that he's a celebrity. Harry Potter is the Boy Who Lived, surviving not a car crash as the Dursley's had told him, but being murdered by Lord Voldemort himself--the most powerful and evil sorcerer who has ever lived!

Yet not all of the attention Harry receives is for the best and, aside from new friends, he draws the eye of an evil that has been in hiding for the past 11 years. This evil, which should not be named, has its attention fixed on Harry, Hogwarts and a rare artificial of unimaginable power that is being hidden there--the philosopher's stone . . .

The Good
I grew up on Harry Potter as a child, being lucky enough to be at that perfect age when J. K. Rowling was actually writing them for my age! I remember falling in love with her characters and world from the first few pages of The Philosopher's Stone and reading this again (after about 10 years) was very nostalgic. What really impressed me though, was the sheer number of things I had missed or taken for granted as a child and I had forgotten what a talented writer Rowling actually is. Her characterisation and dialogue is simply stunning and she created a whole host of unique, believable characters that can easily be related to in a staggeringly short amount of time.

What's more, is now I know what's going to happen in the series (as I imagine you do), I was amazed at how ever clever Rowling's writing is. The book is filled with hints and clues to not only what's going to happen at the end of the first, but hints at what is going to happen in later books! Rowling clearly knew exactly where the series was going right from the start, which only adds to the depth of the world and proves the ability of her writing!

I don't really need to talk about the quality of the story here, since you'll be more than familiar with it, but why not? The Philosopher's Stone is an exciting book that's full of magic and imagination. It quickly drew me into the hidden world of wizards and witches and has left me with many day dreams of being a wizard at Hogwarts myself! This book is as good a reads for adults as it is for children and leaves the reader wanting for very little!

The Bad
It's a Harry Potter book . . . What more needs to be said?!

My Thoughts
Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone starts what is undoubtedly one of the greatest modern series in fantasy. The fact that it's so loved speaks as a testament to its quality and, if you're more familiar with the films than the books, it's high time you read them. Rowling writes with a fun, enjoyable style that you just breeze through and you can have read a dozen chapters before realising it. The book (and series as a whole) has a prized place on my Shelf of Fame and is truly deserving of that status!

The True Cleverness of Harry Potter

Some authors are cleverer than others and although people often notice this, with it being evident in works like Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings, some series seem to be overlooked. One such series is Harry Potter and I recently read an article online that outlined 21 cases where J. K. Rowling had been exceedingly clever. She had made clear predictions about events that would happen later in the series and even revealed things about certain characters.

The article (which can be read here) is extremely interesting and is definitely worth a read by all of the Harry Potter fans out there!

J. K. Rowling has written a secret crime novel!

After her phenomenal success with the cult Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling has hinted several times that she would like to publish any new books she writes under a pseudonym. Rowling had not previously confirmed if she had done this yet, but it has recently come to light that she has written a crime novel under the name of 'Robert Galbraith'.

The novel, which is called The Cuckoo's Calling, is about a war veteran who becomes a private investigator after retiring from armed service. The book has sold around 1, 500 copies* since it was released in April and Rowling has said that "it has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation". She is slightly disappointed that the secret has emerged so soon, but writers in the Sunday Times became skeptical that a debut writer could produce such "accomplished work". They consequently investigated the matter and were surprised to find that Galbraith and Rowling not only had the same agent and editor as each other, but were both publishing with Sphere, which is part of the Little, Brown Book Group that published The Casual Vacancy late last year.

Rowling has said that "being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience" and clearly plans to continue writing under the pseudonym as there is already a sequel in the pipeline, which is due to be published sometime next year.


* at the time this post was published