Harry Potter - The Top 5 Reasons I Love It - #FanFridays 7

It's geek out day again :) For Fan Fridays 7 I have decided to talk about one of my minor obsessions: Harry Potter and why I love it.

Harry Potter - The Top 5 Reasons I Love It

So I never really expected to get into Harry Potter, but it was one of those fandoms that dragged me in and it was the fanfic that did it. I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell anyone what Harry Potter is since it's one of the most successful franchises in the world. I fell into it back in 2001.

1. The books are a great read
   

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   Sometimes I see these huge fandoms with so many people singing the praises of a book/ set of books and I take a look and I can't see what all the fuss is about. Not so with the Harry Potter books. The world building alone is so incredibly amazing that it would have hooked me, but the characters and stories are (mostly) great as well.
   
   I will admit to refusing to read Order of the Phoenix ever again and not liking the way The Deathly Hallows  broke the formula. I really enjoy the formula of Harry goes to Hogwarts and then something bad happens - the last book didn't feel right to me because it didn't do that. Also the less said about the epilogue the better IMHO ;).
   
   My favourite book is The Prisoner of Azkaban. closely followed by The Half Blood Prince. Azkaban is absolutely wonderful in it's story telling and HBP has such wonderful character development. Both books are superb in my opinion.
   
   These books have opened the world of YA fiction so much and encouraged so many people to read that they have to be remembered for that at least, even if you don't appreciate the content of the books. JKR should be commended for everything she has done to bring children (and more) back to books.
   
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2. The films are very well done, unlike many film adaptations
   
   So many film adaptations of books are terrible, either they try to keep in too much information or leave out all the good bits, but, on the whole, the Harry Potter movies found the right balance. I think the fact JKR had so much to do with them helped.
   
   I don't think the movies are perfect, and I have it on good authority from a non-fan (my darling husband) that The Prisoner of Azkaban doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you don't know the book. However, if you are a fan, the films are great.
   
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3. The cast of the films seem to be absolutely lovely
   With some famous film franchises/TV shows, it has been known for the stars to come to resent the fact they can never quite get away from  who they played. The cast of Harry Potter don't seem to have this chip on their shoulders. They are all off doing their own thing and when Harry Potter is brought up in interviews they smile and talk about it rather than closing up and asking for other questions.
   
   I think it helps that Dan Radcliffe appears to be a jewel of a human being and a very, very talented actor to boot.
   
4. The fandom is wonderful
   Okay, so there are sections of the fandom that got a little weird and obsessive back in the day, but, on the whole, the Harry Potter fandom is a wonderful, supportive, fun place to play. Whether you can recite all the spells, potions and charms, have read all the books, seen all the movies or any level of participation, you can enjoy the fandom. Pottermore is great and there are more Harry Potter websites out there than you can shake a stick at.
   
   In the real world you can visit Harry Potter locations from the films. You can do the Warner Brothers Studio Tour and of course there is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal in the US.
   
   There is something for every fan.
   
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5. The fanfiction is absolutely amazing
   Some of the best fiction I have ever read has been Harry Potter fanfiction, I kid you not. The most amazing writers were drawn to Harry Potter and they have and still are creating some of the most brilliant works you can imagine.
   
   It was Harry Potter that dragged me in to writing fanfiction in any quantity and it still has a place close to my heart.
   
   Harry Potter fandom was around way before Archive of Our Own (AO3), but it still has 84036 works under it's Harry Potter tag.
   
   Here are just a few of the other sites out there as well:
   HarryPotterFanfiction.com
   MuggleNet FanFiction
   The Sugar Quill
   Harry Potter at Fanfiction.net
   Fiction Alley
   
   And there are so many more - see the list here on the Harry Potter Wikia.
   
   I once swore I would never write Harry/Draco, slash fanfiction, but that lasted about as long as it took me to read the first good one I found on Livejournal all those years ago. Harry/Draco is always my pairing of choice these days ;).
   
   Just in case you are interested, here's a link to my Harry Potter fanfiction on AO3 - all 63 works.
   
   The Harry Potter fanfiction community helped me to improve my writing and to just love writing so much. It is a wonderfully friendly place, no matter it's ups and downs, and writers and readers alike can learn so much as well as having a wonderful time. I have never been in a more supportive and friendly fandom, ever.

So there you have it, the reasons I love Harry Potter. I have so many more fandoms now, but I will always look fondly on Harry Potter and it still inspires me to write every now and then.

Are you a Harry Potter fan? Movies or books, or both? Do you read the fanfiction? Have any recommendations?

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Still pimping out the Share a Scare Halloween Blog Hop. It will run on the 31st October as you would expect, but now is the time to sign up.

Have something a little bit scary to share? All bloggers, authors and artists welcome. Just click the link to see all the details:

Share a Scare - A Halloween Blog Hop

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And here's another wonderful blog hop all you authors might be interested in. The Trick-or-Treat blog hop is run by the lovely Patricia Lynne and the idea is to give away free books to trick-or-treaters visiting your blog.

Trick-or-Treat Blog Hop