(no subject)

[owl]

I saw somewhere that Diana Wynne Jones had been less than approving of Harry Potter, considering that Rowling had nicked her stuff. What was it though? What I think of as DWJ's motif—related parallel/alternate worlds—is absent from Harry Potter, and Harry's magic feels different, more codified.

Perhaps DWJ was reading the Draco Trilogy by mistake? She's really got a case there.

Comments

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

She does occasionally seem to go in for scenes of Dursley-like home trauma, I suppose, particularly in Eight Days Of Luke, and several of the Chrestomanci books have 'rather awkward kids finding their magic' as a theme. Oh, and the main character in Dogsbody is called Sirius, and there's a youngest sister of boys called Gwinny in The Ogre Downstairs. ;) I can't for the life of me think of anything more concrete, though.

I never managed to get more than about three chapters into the Draco Trilogy before wandering off to do something else, so I can't comment about that.

[owl]

I suppose it could well be the Sirius thing.

In the Draco Trilogy Harry and Draco are both Super Speshul Wizards (TM) known as Magids. I was reminded of this when I was reading The Merlin Conspiracy.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I find myself suddenly very, very glad that the Upper Room didn't go and put the Empire in the hands of Harry and Draco, because I bet it really would have fallen with massive collateral damage over about eight realities.

Ooh, thinking about Deep Secret and The Merlin Conspiracy - both JKR and DWJ have centaurs in their books. But it's hardly as if either of them have a monopoly.

[owl]

Harry and Draco trying to save the world and fighting the bit out could actually be quite funny if written right. Of course someone else would then have to step in and save the world from Harry and Draco.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Hermione and Luna to the rescue?

[owl]

The best rescue mission ever!

ps

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Judging by the number of AUs I've seen in which Harry is everything from a dotcom millionaire to a homeless prostitute in the Home Counties, I think we can safely say that he is not a nine-lived enchanter. :p

Re: ps

[owl]

Hah, yes.

[anstruther.livejournal.com]

I guess the Eight Days of Luke set-up is fairly similar to Harry's home situation, and I suppose you could argue there's some overlap with Witch Week? I have a vague (and probably false) recollection that DWJ was annoyed by some report that some of her earlier works echoed JKR's themes and said that if anything it was the other way round.

[owl]

I have a vague (and probably false) recollection that DWJ was annoyed by some report that some of her earlier works echoed JKR's themes and said that if anything it was the other way round.

That may be what I was thinking of. One can see why she would find it extremely annoying. Whoever made the accusation was not only rubbish at checking relative publishing dates, but ignorant of the many books about young wizards & witches at school or otherwise, that turn up in British kidlit.