9th out of 233 books
—
392 voters
Harry Potter: The Prequel (Harry Potter 0.5)
by
J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter prequel is an 800-word story written by J. K. Rowling, and was published online on 11 June 2008. Set about three years before the birth of Harry Potter, the story recounts an adventure experienced by Sirius Black and James Potter.
ebook, 4 pages
Published
June 11th 2008
by crushable.com
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Cute, but WAY too short to be a "book" in my humble opinion. Hopefully if she does stretch it into a full-on prequel/series, it'll be a genuine story instead of a way to milk fans for more money. Not that she'd do that, unlike some authors I could mention (shoots daggers at Stephenie Meyer for The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner). Even though she has kind of milked it with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them & such, at least she donates the proceeds to charities.
Oh, I want a whole series' worth of prequels about James, Lily and the Marauders. It's a pity J.K.Rowling said she won't write such a thing ;(
I'm not sure why precisely it is called 'the prequel' as it is just a small extract that hardly can be seen as the cause of the events in the Harry Potter series.
It feels like J.K. Rowling has written a fanfiction story for her own creation. Very nice indeed. Certainly when she wrote it to collect money for charity.
Although vexatiously short, it's a lovely story. Correct characterization of Sirius Black and James Potter, judging by the image we've seen of them in the books. Funny as well. It's...more
It feels like J.K. Rowling has written a fanfiction story for her own creation. Very nice indeed. Certainly when she wrote it to collect money for charity.
Although vexatiously short, it's a lovely story. Correct characterization of Sirius Black and James Potter, judging by the image we've seen of them in the books. Funny as well. It's...more
I'm not sure why it's called "The Prequel" because it should be called "Random Scene."
James and Sirius are being trouble makers, giving the muggle police a hard time. Then they ride off on broom sticks. The end.
Would ya look at that? I wrote the same story in only 23 words compared to J.K.'s 800. But she did donate it to a charity. Thumbs up for that!
Kind of short, nice snippet though. I'm wondering if this is the kind of thing we will see more of on PotterMore.
I'm happy to read anything by JK Rowling to be honest, but I thought that this was just too short. At two pages, if that, there wasn't much that I could glean from it to add to the mythology in my head.
Sirius and James once had a scrape with the law... ok, not surprising. What was more surprising is that they both seemed to have 'Order of the Phoenix' t-shirts on, unless I interpret...more
I'm happy to read anything by JK Rowling to be honest, but I thought that this was just too short. At two pages, if that, there wasn't much that I could glean from it to add to the mythology in my head.
Sirius and James once had a scrape with the law... ok, not surprising. What was more surprising is that they both seemed to have 'Order of the Phoenix' t-shirts on, unless I interpret...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
09/22/12: This is so wonderfully charming, I cannot even properly explain. As a huge J.K. Rowling fan, I was so excited when I found out that she wrote this prequel to the series. Not only was I excited that she wrote the prequel in general, I was even more psyched that she wrote it about James and Sirius. I think that many Potter fans have a closeness to James and Sirius that was never really able to be fleshed out like they might have been able to, had their deaths not been so early in life. T...more
I so miss Harry Potter.
This short, short story took me back in time, to the first time I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Ah, the good ol' times.
This short, short story took me back in time, to the first time I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Ah, the good ol' times.
I am such a Harry Potter fanatic and I had NO IDEA Rowling wrote a prequel! How could that escape my notice?
ZOMG. LOL. Are there any other ubercool expressions to define that heart-stopping moment when you realize there's Harry Potter content out there that you haven't read? This is the kind of time to create awesome abbreviations, because by golly, the prequel was hilarious, but more importantly, it gave me the chance to revisit the Potter world without actually rereading the books (I hate re-r...more
ZOMG. LOL. Are there any other ubercool expressions to define that heart-stopping moment when you realize there's Harry Potter content out there that you haven't read? This is the kind of time to create awesome abbreviations, because by golly, the prequel was hilarious, but more importantly, it gave me the chance to revisit the Potter world without actually rereading the books (I hate re-r...more
It's only 800 words, so it's not much, but it was all right.
It was sold off at an auction and the money was given to charity, which is why now I think it was more than 'all right.'
It was WONDERFUL! Yep, all 800 words! A little silly, but WONDERFUL!
This a short story but really great! I laughed after only a few lines and I wished this would become a total new Harry Potter book. The story is about James and Sirius and it's just great. I wished there would be more then those 800 words but I'm glad that they are there to begin with. A great small story for every Harry Potter fan.
After searching the internet I found that this was written(on a card) by Rowling for charity and she has no plans to write an actual prequel beyond this very short story. This is more of a tease than anything else but without the possibility of a "real" prequel it is a bit disappointing. Its nice to get a bit of a sense of what Sirius and James were like as students but damn I want more!
I only gave it three stars for a few reasons. One, it was ONLY 800 words. As a big fan of the series, of course I wished that she had drawn it out a tad more to explain how the vague and tangled plot of the marauders came to be. After all, we really only learned about the "fore-story" in the second and third books. I would've loved to know and compare James to his famous son.
Also, it was TERRIBLY vague. I understand it was only 800 words, but still. We didn't know who the characters were, thoug...more
Also, it was TERRIBLY vague. I understand it was only 800 words, but still. We didn't know who the characters were, thoug...more
Por breves minutos, voltei, esta tarde à experiência "Harry Potter". Em apenas oitocentas palavras deu para matar um bocadinho as saudades do maravilhoso mundo em que iniciei as minhas leituras.
Mas, mais do que recordar, este prelúdio à série traz também algo de novo: o ponto de vista da juventude de Sirius e James. Estes dois amigos, rebeldes como só os gémeos Weasley (Gred and Forge, para os verdadeiros Potterheads) souberam ser, têm a sua irreverência como o propósito deste pequeno texto, qu...more
Mas, mais do que recordar, este prelúdio à série traz também algo de novo: o ponto de vista da juventude de Sirius e James. Estes dois amigos, rebeldes como só os gémeos Weasley (Gred and Forge, para os verdadeiros Potterheads) souberam ser, têm a sua irreverência como o propósito deste pequeno texto, qu...more
ATTENTION EVERYONE! IT'S NOT ACTUALLY A PREQUEL.
It is a short scene that happens like ten years before Harry. Basically insignificant but I think the author wrote it for a charity event or something, so it's all good. I can't say it was great since it was between two characters I don't really care about, but it is a step above fan-fiction quality. This is not what I would want to see in a prequel (view spoiler)...more
It is a short scene that happens like ten years before Harry. Basically insignificant but I think the author wrote it for a charity event or something, so it's all good. I can't say it was great since it was between two characters I don't really care about, but it is a step above fan-fiction quality. This is not what I would want to see in a prequel (view spoiler)...more
While surfing idly few minutes ago, i came across a new (for me atleast) e-book : "Harry Potter Prequel". Unheard before, unread obviously, i quickly downloaded and opened it. Being a J.K. Rowling admirer, even though not an HP 'Cooler' Fan (huge fan, that's to say; :p) and owning every Harry Potter in hard copy (though unable to read the last 2 parts unfortunately due to some or the other stupid reason cropping :/)
The first of 5 pages was near to illegible scrawl, demanding 'Sirius' attention t...more
The first of 5 pages was near to illegible scrawl, demanding 'Sirius' attention t...more
Jul 18, 2012
Anne Nikoline
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
any potter fans
Recommended to Anne Nikoline by:
J.K. Rowling
So apparently J.K Rowling was working on writing a prequel to the Harry Potter series but only she was not. If I did not know that this was suppose to be a scene from the prequel I would not have liked it to be called a prequel but instead something like 'random scene.'
That said I thought it was great to get a sneak peak into James and Sirius' friendship and traits. They are must similar to the Weasley twins which made my heart ache a little, however, I thought the descriptions were just perfec...more
That said I thought it was great to get a sneak peak into James and Sirius' friendship and traits. They are must similar to the Weasley twins which made my heart ache a little, however, I thought the descriptions were just perfec...more
Read it.
HATED it.
I'm extremely DISSAPOINTED in J.K. Rowling. It was awful. All of us HP lovers already know that Sirius Black and James Potter were troublemakers. We don't need her to tell us this. I am pretty sure that I could have written somethig this simple in my sleep.
I am pretty positive that J.K. Rowling is getting pretty tired of all this HP stuff. She could definitly write a better prequel than this wimpy 800word thing. Unfortunatly, she has decided that she's not gonna write an ACTUAL...more
HATED it.
I'm extremely DISSAPOINTED in J.K. Rowling. It was awful. All of us HP lovers already know that Sirius Black and James Potter were troublemakers. We don't need her to tell us this. I am pretty sure that I could have written somethig this simple in my sleep.
I am pretty positive that J.K. Rowling is getting pretty tired of all this HP stuff. She could definitly write a better prequel than this wimpy 800word thing. Unfortunatly, she has decided that she's not gonna write an ACTUAL...more
I did read this one!
AND I HATED IT.
Review later :3
Editing time:
The speeding motorcycle took the sharp corner so fast in the darkness that both policemen in the pursuing car shouted 'whoa!' Sergeant Fisher slammed his large foot on the brake, thinking that the boy who was riding pillion was sure to be flung under his wheels; however, the motorbike made the turn without unseating either of its riders, and with a wink of its red tail light, vanished up the narrow side street. Rather awkward, I f...more
AND I HATED IT.
Review later :3
Editing time:
The speeding motorcycle took the sharp corner so fast
I found online. It's this short:
The 800 word Harry Potter Prequel that JK Rowling wrote for the Waterstone’s “What’s Your Story?” Charity benefit
If you are having any difficulty reading the handwritten version, here is a typed copy of the submission. Enjoy!
The speeding motorcycle took the sharp corner so fast in the darkness that both policemen in the pursuing car shouted,”Whoa!” Sergeant Fisher slammed his large foot on the brake, thinking that the boy who was riding pillion was sure to be flun...more
The 800 word Harry Potter Prequel that JK Rowling wrote for the Waterstone’s “What’s Your Story?” Charity benefit
If you are having any difficulty reading the handwritten version, here is a typed copy of the submission. Enjoy!
The speeding motorcycle took the sharp corner so fast in the darkness that both policemen in the pursuing car shouted,”Whoa!” Sergeant Fisher slammed his large foot on the brake, thinking that the boy who was riding pillion was sure to be flun...more
Feb 04, 2012
Emma
marked it as to-read
800 words is not enough!!!!! Show me more!
When I finished reading this short story I thought I had misplaced the rest of it by accident. It’s indeed, very short, and very inconclusive. I think it’s meant only to fool Harry Potter fans about a new series of books with James and Sirius as the main characters or it could actually be a starting point for such a series. If Rowlings just wanted to play with dorky Harry Potter fans, myself included, that’s quite lame. If a new series is actually in the process, good. I think she wants the firs...more
This was interesting. As a whole I did not like the short story. It was in fact too short and unlike the Harry Potter books I had no introduction to the characters and the climax was a little confusing. We readers never really knew who was acting the boys when the cops had them pulled over. Also the ending is a list of questions to the reader which in a rough draft is fine to illicit more ideas for writing at a later date but I would have kept them separate from the story itself.
All that being s...more
All that being s...more
Well, that's a good romp. Classic Rowling. But it's ironic that the story ends with questions, because it left me with several of my own. It's an engaging, action-packed scene, the middle of some crazy chase, no doubt. But years after it was published, I wonder what was the point? It does not seem to connect to anything in any of the fully realized Potter novels. After reading them all, I have no idea what the point of this vignette might be.
And it ends with questions that sound a lot like some...more
And it ends with questions that sound a lot like some...more
I liked this insight into James and Sirius' past as children, but I'm not entirely sure about it.
A) I don't know if it was just me but they didn't really seem like them. What they were doing didn't seem very true to their characters. And wouldn't they have gotten in a hell of a lot of trouble for magic outside of school and in the presence of two muggles?
B) It was way too short. This may have made up for the strangeness. It may have explained it some more or revealed something of their school...more
A) I don't know if it was just me but they didn't really seem like them. What they were doing didn't seem very true to their characters. And wouldn't they have gotten in a hell of a lot of trouble for magic outside of school and in the presence of two muggles?
B) It was way too short. This may have made up for the strangeness. It may have explained it some more or revealed something of their school...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Did anyone read this? | 15 | 99 | Apr 28, 2013 12:02am | |
| Did anyone read this? | 16 | 114 | Feb 19, 2013 12:52pm | |
| Harry Potter fan ...: Harry Potter: The Prequel | 4 | 33 | Sep 28, 2012 07:27pm |
Although she writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling,her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initia...more
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Dec 10, 2012 08:00am
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