Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child parts 1 and 2
Written by Jack Thorn and John Tiffany
Based on a short story by J K Rowling

The only real obstacle to this story is the format. Written as a script for a play, it took some getting used to, but by the end of the book, I didn’t even notice. It isn’t quite as polished as the original HP books, but as this is only based on a short story written by Rowling that is to be expected. It is, however, just as compelling and exciting enough to keep the reader turning pages to see what will happen next. It does have a feel of fanfic to it as it visits several of the highlights from the previous series, along with quite a few of the most beloved, hated and feared characters from books 1-7.

The plot itself is quite wonderful. It was hard enough to be Harry Potter. Fairly or not, he had high expectations to live up to and others who were far more interested in his life than they should have been. Even harder still is to be Harry’s middle son. Named for two legendary wizards and living contentiously in the shadow of both his famous father and his shining star brother, he is having a hard time of things until he meets Scorpius, son of Draco Malfoy. The boys discover friendship in that odd and unlikely pairing and as is always the case friendship and loyalty are the key to solving the mysteries and getting through the story alive. Time travel and story twists add to the tapestry of the Harry Potter universe quite nicely.

My biggest complaint is that it could have easily been a multi-book series as it does take place over a few years and there is ample adventure for our young heroes and their parents. Still, I am looking forward to an opportunity to see the play.