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Seventh Harry Potter Book Named 449

Croakyvoice writes "JK Rowling has today given fans of the Harry Potter books the name of Book 7 of the very popular series via a Christmas present on her site, to get to the name you need to follow a complicated procedure but thankfully the name of the book has been revealed as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
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Seventh Harry Potter Book Named

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  • Christmas (Score:5, Funny)

    by ggKimmieGal ( 982958 ) on Thursday December 21, 2006 @10:44PM (#17333430)
    I'm so obsessed with Harry Potter. This was the best Christmas present she could give out... short of the book itself.
    • by Woldry ( 928749 ) on Thursday December 21, 2006 @11:07PM (#17333578) Journal
      I'm not a demanding fan. I'd've settled for a hefty chunk of the advance from the new book. That would be enough of a Christmas present for me. :-)
    • If you go to jkrowling.com, click on the eraser and you will be taken to a room you'll see a window, a door and a mirror. In the mirror, you'll see a hallway. Click on the farthest doorknob and look for the Christmas tree. They click on the center of the door next to the mirror and a wreath appears. Then click on the top of the mirror and you'll see a garland. Look for a cobweb next to the door. Click on it, and it will disappear. Now, look at the chimes in the window. Click on the second chime to the right
  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 21, 2006 @10:46PM (#17333444)
    What part of the "stuff that matters", don't you understand?
  • Damn... (Score:4, Funny)

    by locokamil ( 850008 ) on Thursday December 21, 2006 @10:49PM (#17333462) Homepage
    ... I was hoping it would be called "Harry Potter and the Back Alley Abortion."

    Seriously, why do people keep on reading this stuff? :: goes and pre orders five copies-- one for self, one for wife, one for sister, one for children, one for mother ::

    • New Name (Score:3, Funny)

      by Aqua OS X ( 458522 )
      No, It's going to be named " Harry Potter and the Franchise of Sequels."
      • Re:New Name (Score:5, Informative)

        by 75th Trombone ( 581309 ) on Friday December 22, 2006 @01:17AM (#17334186) Homepage Journal
        For what it's worth, J.K. Rowling intended there to be seven books in the series from Day One --- before she even knew whether the first one would sell enough to get the others published. She has said unequivocally that Book 7 will be the last (except MAYBE someday she'll publish all her unpublished notes that didn't make it into the books, or got changed before they made it into the books, etc.), and she'll stick to it.

        If she doesn't stick to it, THEN you're more than welcome to pull out the "money-grubbing" accusations.
    • Re:Damn... (Score:5, Funny)

      by Walt Dismal ( 534799 ) on Thursday December 21, 2006 @11:50PM (#17333802)
      "Harry," said Dumbledore, "we frown upon sex with younger students, especially freshmen boys. You see, this is why we have female goblins and elves around here."

      "I don't quite understand, Sir," said Harry.

      Dumbledore took him by the shoulder. "Ah, Harry, that's what I like about you. Sometimes you're thick as a brick. Which allows us to keep the series going for so many books."

      Hermione interrupted. "*I* understand, Sir."

      "And I've been meaning to speak to you, Hermione. About those candles, broomsticks, and bowling pins the housekeepers report littering your bedchamber..."

      ---- sometimes, you just DON'T want to see the parts Rowling edited out of the draft manuscripts...

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by Kelson ( 129150 ) *
        "Harry," said Dumbledore, "we frown upon sex with younger students, especially freshmen boys. You see, this is why we have female goblins and elves around here."

        The sad thing is, you can probably find this story on a Harry Potter fanfic site.

      • Re:Damn... (Score:5, Funny)

        by identity0 ( 77976 ) on Friday December 22, 2006 @07:21AM (#17335822) Journal
        Somehow, I want to imagine Harry as a closet RPG and fantasy geek who keeps his 'hobbies' hidden because of the ridicule hed' get from his friends for being a real wizard who's into fantasy...

        "Harry", said Hermione, "Are you ready to... take this to the next level?"

        "You bet", said Harry. "I'll put on my robe and wizard hat."

        "What? That's not what I'm..."

        "I cast Level 3 eroticism. You turn into a beautiful woman, instead of a flat dork."

        "What did you call me?!?!"

        "I wave my wand of undressing and you turn naked."

        "You have no idea what to do, do you?"

        "I look through the Pokedex for the best creature. Hermione, I choose you!"

        "My god, you're somehow more pathetic than a muggle dork, you play pretend magic even though you're a real wizard?!"

        "Okay, if that's the way you want to play, then I'll use this tome of unspeakable horrors I found in the library. The Necronomicon."

        "What?! Harry, you're not supposed to-"

        "ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn! Ia! Ia!"

        "My god, what is that thing!?!? It's all tentacle and-"

        "I hope you enjoy this, Hermione, I saw this in a Japanese cartoon once..."

        "*NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!* *mrrrrhhhh*"

        Ah, well. One can dream, can't he? (References to bloodninja [adamchance.com] and Cthulu [yog-sothoth.com])
  • What's a Hallow? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by davecrusoe ( 861547 ) on Thursday December 21, 2006 @10:50PM (#17333470) Homepage
    Our friendly Webster dictionary says: (and I quote) "Etymology: Middle English halowen, from Old English hAlgian, from hAlig holy -- more at HOLY 1 : to make holy or set apart for holy use 2 : to respect greatly : VENERATE synonym see DEVOTE" Interesting -- unless there's something that I'm missing, from earlier books in the series? Thoughts?
    • I don't think the word you looked up is the one meant in the title. First off, the word you reference is a verb, and in the title it is used as a noun. I have found a reference to the word here [mystical-www.co.uk] that has a meaning that makes more sense: a hallows is a relic.
      • Re:What's a Hallow? (Score:5, Informative)

        by gardyloo ( 512791 ) on Thursday December 21, 2006 @11:12PM (#17333602)
        The OED has "hallow" (the noun form) meaning one of the following:

              1. A saint, a god of the heathens, or something belonging thereto (like a relic);
              2. A loud shout or cry, to get dogs to chase, or to draw attention;
              3. The parts of a hare given to hounds as a reward or encouragement after a chase. (I really hope it's this meaning that Rowling has in mind!)
    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Woldry ( 928749 )
      Knowing Rowling's punning nomenclature, "Hallows" could be a pun on "hollows" (in the sense of a small, steep valley) / "hallowed [ground]". It's also an old word for a Catholic/Anglican saint, so it may have something to do with that.

      Either way, or even if I'm off base on both counts, I'm definitely on tenterhooks...
    • Re:What's a Hallow? (Score:4, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 21, 2006 @11:17PM (#17333626)
      It's almost certainly a references to the Horcruxes mentioned in the previous book.
      They are 'Hallowed' magical objects into which "He Who Must Not Be Named" has poured a portion of his soul, to keep himself functionally immortal. The last one we saw did a real number on Dumbledore's hand, so yes, these things will convey serious hit points.

      Harry's gonna have to destroy them all before he goes head-to-head with ... Him ... again.
  • Hallows? (Score:5, Funny)

    by WilliamSChips ( 793741 ) <full...infinity@@@gmail...com> on Thursday December 21, 2006 @10:52PM (#17333484) Journal
    Hallowed are the Ori.
  • It was originally called "Harry Potter Laughes All The Way To The Bank". But the publisher convinced her to change the title.
  • by Stormwatch ( 703920 ) <[moc.liamtoh] [ta] [oarigogirdor]> on Thursday December 21, 2006 @10:55PM (#17333506) Homepage
    It's actually: "Harry Potter: the plot is shallow".
    • by zobier ( 585066 )
      Mendel Quoth [pangloss.com]:
      Deathly Hallows

      at the blue river valley

      your babies left swinging, in the boughs.

      a fly grasping warmth while perched on an integrated circuit
    • by syousef ( 465911 )
      I thought that was the last one. The new one is: Harry Potter: Ka-ching!!!$$$$$

      Long as the kids enjoy it and you teach them about franchises and marketing when they first get hooked by this sort of thing, I'm not so sure it's that bad. Let them buy into all the commercial BS and you'll have a mindless drone albeit a literate one if they go for the book.
    • It's actually: "Harry Potter: the plot is shallow".

      I know you're just being funny, but the LAST thing you can accuse the HP plot of is being shallow. That world is HUGE and very complex. I think that's one of the reasons that adult readers can get dragged into it as much as the kids. Supposedly JKR has boxes and boxes full of notes about how various things work. She's said she might publish an encyclopdia of the world based on her notes (for charity, like the other two charity books).

  • by Khakionion ( 544166 ) on Thursday December 21, 2006 @10:57PM (#17333526)
    Seriously, a book has been titled? So what?

    I can't believe this is on the Beeb and Slashdot's front pages.
    • Out of curiosity, have the read the other 6 books?

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by BoberFett ( 127537 )
      Of course it's on the Beeb, it's major financial news. Harry Potter is the UK's only export. :P
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by jacobw ( 975909 )
      Why is this news? Well...

      Whether or not you like her work, J.K. Rowling is the most financially successful author in the history of the written word. And, no, that is not hyperbole: that is a mathematical fact. According to Forbes magazine, she is the first person in the history of the world to become a billionaire by writing books. Whatever her place in the history of writing as an artform, she has a major place in the history of writing as an industry--equal to Samuel Johnson, the first person to earn
  • by Watson Ladd ( 955755 ) on Thursday December 21, 2006 @11:02PM (#17333550)
    Would be Hirsute Ceramist and the Holy Lambda [mit.edu] for those of us who like Lord Voldemort's Schemes.
  • by MjrTom ( 68324 ) <trjames@ucLIONhicago.edu minus cat> on Thursday December 21, 2006 @11:09PM (#17333582)
    I was so hoping for Harry Potter and the Closed Casket Funerals. Guess I should have known that that wasn't going to happen.
  • by coredog64 ( 1001648 ) on Thursday December 21, 2006 @11:22PM (#17333656)
    I was hoping it was going to be "Harry Potter and the Balance of Earth" and that it would come bundled with a copy
    of "An Inconvenient Truth" and some moon sapphires...
  • I'm sure there are people in the intersection of Slashdot readers and Harry Potter fans who are cursing you for posting this news without hiding the name behind the 'Read More'. Hey, 'complicated procedure', might be one of those little treasure hunt things some people like doing, but now there's no point in solving the puzzle if you happen upon Slashdot first, is there?

    Regardless: Harry Potter and the what the fuck? I think every other book had a title that made sense to the uninitiated, but "Deathly Hallo
  • by tyrr ( 306852 ) on Thursday December 21, 2006 @11:32PM (#17333724)
    "The Hallows could refer to the Four Hallows of Arthurian legend. They are intimately connected to the Grail and ultimately probably go back to the Four Treasures of the Tuatha de Danaan of Irish myth.

    The Four Hallows are:

    The Cup or Chalice
    The Baton or Wand
    The Sword or Dagger
    The Coin, Disc or Pentacle

    I think we were right all along in connecting the horcruxes to the four elements. These hallows are associated with the elements, and match up quite nicely to the remaining horcruxes:

    Cup (HH)
    Baton or Wand (RR)
    Sword or Dagger (GG)
    Pentacle (SS locket)

    Just my two knuts!"

    Read here: http://www.leakylounge.com/index.php?showtopic=368 09&st=0 [leakylounge.com]
  • Deathly Hallows? Really?

    I think Mrs. Rowling has been getting title ideas from Mr. Lucas and/or other young children.
  • www.jkrowling.com (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Aeron65432 ( 805385 ) <agiamba@g m a i l.com> on Thursday December 21, 2006 @11:44PM (#17333778) Homepage
    If you go to her home, click on the eraser and you will be taken to a room -- you'll see a window, a door and a mirror.

    In the mirror, you'll see a hallway. Click on the farthest doorknob and look for the Christmas tree. Then click on the center of the door next to the mirror and a wreath appears. Then click on the top of the mirror and you'll see a garland.

    Look for a cobweb next to the door. Click on it, and it will disappear. Now, look at the chimes in the window. Click on the second chime to the right, and hold it down. The chime will turn into the key, which opens the door. Click on the wrapped gift behind the door, then click on it again and figure out the title yourself by playing a game of hangman.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      When you've completed the puzzle, congratulate yourself excitedly, then get hit with sudden depression at the realization of your lack of social life and the fact you could have been getting exercise outside or perhaps plowing a member of the opposite sex rather than following a clicky game on some fantasy author's site and playing a game of hangman to get a book title that was already announced on your daily nerd news site. You poor sod.
  • Damn... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ka D'Argo ( 857749 ) on Friday December 22, 2006 @12:14AM (#17333912) Homepage
    Mod me down if you must but damn, the one time I don't have mod points to use and like the majority of comments are just flamebait and trolling. Quite a few nerds are into Harry Potter, let's not forget nerds extend into the fantasy genre, and there has been plenty of news on such things as Lord of the Rings or Warhammer on /. in the past...So why the hate for HP? If you dislike the novels for their story and such, thats your opinion you are entitled too but damn, don't dis on Neil for putting up a story many of us are interested in.
    • thanks for saying that. I think some current slashdoters don't appreciate decent story telling, or just assume the series is *just* a children's series.
  • by illuminatedwax ( 537131 ) <stdrange@alumn i . uchicago.edu> on Friday December 22, 2006 @12:14AM (#17333914) Journal
    I am now severing my connection to the Internet. I can no longer trust even the most unlikely sources for Harry Potter spoilers. Fucking Richard Stallman ruined it for me last time. He sure got an earful from me, though.
  • by glwtta ( 532858 ) on Friday December 22, 2006 @12:21AM (#17333946) Homepage
    Man, that naming formula is even more boring than Star Wars' "Episode NUMBER: VERB of the NOUN".
  • by jjohnson ( 62583 ) on Friday December 22, 2006 @01:56AM (#17334414) Homepage
    One of the best comments ever was in a long thread about the technicalities of RAID hardware. Someone wrote four long paragraphs, and halfway through the second, tacked on to the end of one sentence "and besides, Hermione dies in the last book anyways." *

    The outrage was tremendous because, before you even realized you were reading a spoiler, you'd finished and comprehended it. Sweetest troll ever.

    * No one knows who dies in the last book, if someone does. At the time, Rowling explicitly said she hadn't decided who. It wasn't a real spoiler, and isn't now. Don't freak out.
  • by Animats ( 122034 ) on Friday December 22, 2006 @02:21AM (#17334540) Homepage

    As the series is sometimes referred to by less successful working writers.

    But at least Rowling writes her own books. Tom Clancy seems to have given up writing in favor of licensing his name. Latest "Splinter Cell" book: [amazon.com] "Tom Clancy" in big letters at top of front cover. "Written by David Michaels" in small type in grey letters on black background at bottom.

  • by tmk ( 712144 ) on Friday December 22, 2006 @02:32AM (#17334606)
    Joanne K. does it again: she announces the death of two main characters. She did this before 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' and killed Sirius Black in a pretty inconvincing way.

    Who will die this time? My guess: Dudley eats himself to death and owls hunt Uncle Vernon into the sea...
  • by mushadv ( 909107 ) on Friday December 22, 2006 @03:00AM (#17334732)

    Snape kills Dumbledore!

    Oh wait...

  • by Legion303 ( 97901 ) on Friday December 22, 2006 @03:15AM (#17334780) Homepage
    _Harry Potter and the Dark, Moist Cave_.

In space, no one can hear you fart.

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