Life After Harry

At three thirty am this morning I reached my home.

It only took me around twenty minutes to write my review for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It can be found at http://misspentyouthfilms.blogspot.com.

Despite the greater part of my time, dreams, influences, conversations and style being connected to Harry Potter - I've always been aware that JK Rowling isn't the only writer of fantasy.

Leading up to the final film's release, there was an explosion on Twitter of how people were going to miss the stories, the regular films and that a part of their childhood was ending.

To me this is silly.

My childhood is still ongoing. Mainly because of the books and cartoons I have.

To all those out there who thought the stories have ended. They haven't.

Think of all those book that influenced JK Rowling. Then all the books that have been influenced by her. Then all those books in the same genre. Followed by those that are aimed at the same market.

I for one am looking forward to the load of books and films out there.

If you're looking for a Gothic castle, head for Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast. Only recently did I find out that Peake's fourth manuscript Titus Awakes was completed posthumously. Pages and pages of gorgeous descriptions, detailing the castle's labyrinths and bizarre characters.

A school for wizards isn't anything new. Ursula Le Guin had one for her Earthsea creation - a mythical world that's probably more user friendly that Tolkien's Middle-Earth.

The late Diana Wynne Jones has stories of magic well before Rowling ruled the fantasy realm. Her Chrestomanci series spanned over a number of novels - but she's also responsible for Howl's Moving Castle.

Think Harry Potter was dark? One of the finest novels of the past fifteen years is Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Not overly explicit on the magic, but much more chilling - the story of two magicians in early 19th century England. Beautiful, English, creepy and exceptionally long.

And if all else fails, there's Terry Pratchett.

There is so much more. T.H. White's retelling of the Arthurian legend The Once and Future King, . The Shinigami present Death Note. The one I'm looking forward to is Clare Cassandra's Mortal Instruments series.

Already I've said the same thing to many folk.

The magic didn't start with Potter, and I certainly won't let it end with him