J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Hack Thorne
HARRY POTTER and the Cursed Child
Arthur A. Levine / Scholastic
Young Adult / Fantasy
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not a novel. It is a play. The story is by Rowling, and was written by Rowling, Thorne, and Tiffany It is the eight Harry Potter installment, and premiered on a stage in London on July 30, 2016.
This book takes place some 19 years after the Deathly Hallows (Book 7). Albus Potter, the son of Harry and Ginny, is headed to Hogwarts. His biggest fear is the Sorting Hat. He does not want to wind up in Slytherin. Always at odds with his father, Albus knows he will never make it into Gryffindor. It is one more comparison to his father bound to deliver more disappointment.
On the Express to school, Albus befriends a boy sitting alone in one of the cars. Scorpius, like Albus, is plagued by the legend of his father. Although Harry's father was the Wizard of all Wizards--an impossible shadow to crawl out from under, Scorpius' father was the dreadful Draco Malfoy. No one likes him based on this fact alone, and the rumors that Voldemort might actually be his true father. No one, that is, except Albus.
When a Time Turner is recovered, a device allowing for time travel, the tale quickly spins out of control. Amos Diggory (who's son, Cedric Diggory -- the boy murdered in Goblets of Fire by Voldemort) wants Harry to go back in time and save his son; to make it as though the death never happened.
Taking it upon himself to make things right, to maybe impress his own father, Albus and Scorpius, team up with Delphi Diggory (Amos' niece), in an attempt to save Cedric from an untimely death. Their journeys back in time mess up the present. They change the future. Timelines cross.
The damaged caused may be too significant to fix. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco Malfoy are desperate to save Albus, and Scorpius. They fear the return of Voldemort -- and the possible present world where Voldemort isn't just alive, but where he rules the world! Time is of the essence. If the newly revealed prophecy comes to light, the world that they once knew, and loved, would be gone, changed forever!
The play is taut. The Acts, and Scenes perfectly laid out. The story is filled with emotion. It is most definitely a tale about fathers and sons. Parents and kids. Depression and hope. Division and reconciliation. The final Scenes brought me to tears. As a fan of the Harry Potter saga, it was amazing to see this story end where Harry Potter's legacy began. Very emotional. I would give anything to see the play. I suppose I will have to hope they make it into a film. I loved placing this finished book on my shelf alongside Rowling's other titles.
Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series
Wizard's Rise
Wizard's War
Queens of Osiris
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