James Potter and the Hall of Elder’s Crossing
Hopefully you’ve read the first ten chapters of James Potter and the Hall of Elder’s Crossing and now we can discuss! Chat with me and others on twitter, instagram,and on this blog.
I’m going to briefly discuss my thoughts, and then turn it over to you!
Personally, I’d never read this story before and I thought it started out with a ton of promise. The prologue was gripping and tense, and the reveal of Mundungus was exciting. I loved the professional look of the story, with the artwork and how it was set up like an actual published book would be.
Other things I enjoyed were how James made friends with a group of misfits, just like Harry did. I also thought the mysteries woven throughout the book were fascinating, and I was really impressed with how much the author has made me absolutely loathe the Slytherins, particularly the prefect Tabitha Corsica. I’m talking I felt Umbridge level rage as I read how she was undermining Harry and propping up “Lord Tom Riddle” as some misunderstood tragic woobie figure, and to me that takes a lot of talent to write someone that loathsome.
I wasn’t so fond of the “technomancy” stuff and by “not so fond” I mean I was bored stiff by it. I found the forced American stuff over the top, and this is as an American myself. I would’ve been okay that one of James’s buddies is an American but then we also get like forty-two American professors and dignitaries and delegations and Benjamin Franklin is somehow alive and a wizard even though that syphilis should’ve killed him ages ago.
It was distracting to me how the students were weirdly co-mingled, like how Teddy and James shared a room, and even worse, the older kids had lessons with the younger students, which makes zero sense.
I would’ve liked it if James had at least one female friend, and the part where James and Teddy and co were calling themselves “gremlins” and were pretending to be aliens to scare innocent people…
Overall though the mystery kept me coming back for more. What are your thoughts?
Meet with me us two weeks on September 20th at 10am Pacific Standard Time to talk chapters 11 through 16!
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So write up for James Potter and the Hall of Elders’ Crossing. Overall I liked it better than The Cursed Child. Don’t mean to dunk on that particular story but I did enjoy it much more. The opening was fairly standard (following the “stations of the canon” except tailored for James instead of Harry), we had the Hogwarts Express, the Sorting, the First day etc. I did like how James was concerned with living up to his father’s legacy but then decided to forge ahead and be his own person. It would have been fun to see a “Potter in Slytherin” plot, but with Zane sorted there it did give us a “one good Slytherin.” I liked that. I also liked that James’ new friends were outsiders to the wizarding world. It was a good choice that I felt helped the author avoid the whole ‘oooh you’re Harry Potter’s son” thing. (Also I am using way too many quotes. I don’t know what that is happening and it’s not usually indicative of my writing so…Who knows. I’ll try to correct it as I go.) So all in all I liked the opening. There were some things I didn’t like, but that’s going to be touched on in the later questions so I will address it there. Also very excited to be doing a book club. It’s not often I get to geek out now that my podcast is on hiatus, so this is fun.
Artwork I really enjoyed. It was very reminiscent of the Harry Potter novels and gave this series an air of legitimacy. Fun to see the characters and the aforementioned nostalgia element made me feel like I was coming home to Hogwarts again. 10 out of 10 stars.
Favorite character: Going to go with James. Its fun to see a Potter again. I like his inner monologue and I like that he wants to break away from his dad’s legacy but still wants to be a good son. I’m glad he isn’t portrayed as a jerk or a bully. kind of got that impression from Cursed Child and like that that portrayal is not here. Least favorite character: not big fan of Tabitha Corsica. Just when I think Sytherin’s are being nice she’s got to throw a monkey wrench in. I did like that idea of a Voldemort apologist. It’s a neat touch on some real world issues of people trying to whitewash the past and not own up to past misdeeds. It’s also fun because I’ve read a few fanfics where what the Progressive Element is saying was true and it flips canon on it’s head. I was happy to see that acknowledged and dealt with. So yeah, like the idea of Tabith and I think it has great story potential. Don’t care for her. Also I don’t like Zane. I just don’t. I did pop for the “James Bond” reference because I think that a lot when characters introduce themselves with their last name first, but he grates on me. His ‘Oh you Brits are so backwards” stuff and how he has to let us know that he’s American. Like..did you know that? He’s American you silly Brits. I just wanted to tell him to chill. So yeah..not a Zane fan.
I can bet you have guessed my feeling on all the American Elements. I didn’t like it. If it was just Zane and he wasn’t so obnoxious I would have been fine with it, but that the DADA is an American thing and that it felt like basically the American were taking over: I didn’t like it. It felt like the author wanted to write about America and just put his idea for an American school in the Hogwarts. I guess what I’m saying is that it felt like an episode from a popular tv show where they are introducing a spinoff. You know what I mean? LIke on an episode of The Office if Jim and Dwight drove to Pawnee to sell paper to Ron Swanson and got to interact with his wacky staff. Then at the end of the show it would say “if you like Ron and his crew tune in at 9:00 for Parks and Rec. It felt like the Harry Potter world was an excuse to introduce the American School. I would have preferred straight up Hogwarts and British elements, but its just my opinion. I don’t want to yuck someone’s yum.
The idea of the “Gremlins” was interesting as a successor to the Marauders, but like Hermione, I didn’t like the scaring innocent people. Reminded me of Mr. Weasley saying that line about “Muggle Baiting” and it was a little too close to the Quiddich World Cup stuff the ex Deatheaters were doing to be cute. Just my thoughts.
So overall I think I will stick with the book. Not crazy about the American aspect but do want to see where it goes. Thanks for including me in the club and I look forward to talking more.
OMG I just wrote out a whole long reply and my computer ate it! *cries*
Okay take two!
I definitely loved this more then the Cursed Child but full disclosure, I HATE the Cursed Child so that isn’t hard to do lol. I too enjoyed the fact that there’s finally a “good Slytherin” considering I waited in vain in the original story for a good Slytherin. And not like, a Death Eater who sought redemption. It just seemed so weird that a quarter of the students in the school are EVVVVIIIL.
I agree that James making friends with outsiders was ideal! Also agree that James being not a bully like he was portrayed in the epilogue/CC was preferable. I refuse to believe Harry would raise a bully!
I’m one million percent with you on hating the “American” elements. I’m American and I still detested it! Let me read about British wizards in their British school, dammit! Your comparison to a spin-off is so accurate…it was like in The Office’s last season when they attempted a Dwight spin-off episode to see if it would work. (spoiler, it didn’t!)
Yes you’re totally right about the “Gremlins” thing being weird Muggle baiting! Teddy should know better. ☹
I say let’s finish off this fic and then we can chat about reading the rest of the series or a totally knew fic…