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Monday, August 22, 2011

Muggle Monday (16): The Night Circus - The Next Harry Potter?

It's time for Muggle Monday, in which I post a quote, a video, or a significant piece of news from the Harry Potter franchise. This is somewhat inspired by the Mundane Mondayposts by The Mundie Moms.

But let's be real as to why I made up this meme: I just want the opportunity to post something about Harry Potter.



Ms. Morgenstern's novel, set at the turn of the 19th century, tells the story of two young, love-struck magicians who compete in a magical circus. Doubleday won the novel with a high-six-figure advance. Rights have sold to 30 foreign publishers; some countries paid six figures, a sum typically reserved for established blockbuster authorsHollywood studios, eager to anoint the next fantasy blockbuster following the end of the $7 billion Harry Potter movie franchise, began circling immediately after the book sold. Summit Entertainment, the production company behind the "Twilight" films, snapped up film rights in January and has been pitching the novel to "Twilight" fans in hopes of shoring up a fan base. The producer of the Harry Potter movies, David Heyman, is in negotiations to produce the adaptation.

Is it just me, or has "The Next Harry Potter" title been placed alongside many, many books now? And though there have been MG/YA series since the end of Harry Potter that have gained great popularity, none of them have quite reached the height and extent of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely excited to read The Night Circus and I'm sure I'll love it but I'm doubtful it will inspire the same intense love and popularity among all ages and genders that Harry Potter did, nor will any other series that they give this moniker (Is this my extreme bias showing? Very likely).

What do you think? Are you looking forward to reading The Night Circus? Do you think it will be the next Harry Potter? Do you think any MG/YA book series has the potential to reach Harry Potter-level popularity? I would love to know what you think in the comments!

32 comments :

  1. I really don't think any series can be the next Harry Potter. It is one of a kind :)

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  2. Ah yes, the next Harry Potter, the next Twilight. This one does sound good. I want to read it.

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  3. I really want to read The Night Circus, but I don't think for a second it will be the next Harry Potter. I don't think anything will every reach that status, to be honest, Harry Potter is unique! But them I am a hardcore fan, so maybe that's my bias showing too :P.

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  4. Being a middle grade writer, I find that I spend most of my my time reading other mg books...but even though this is an "adult" book, I will give it a read.

    Next Harry Potter? it will be a while before one emerges, I think.

    Shelley

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  5. I always have trouble when books are compared to really popular series, ultimately I find they're nothing alike and often can never live up to the series they're being compared to. I know they want to appeal to fans of Harry Potter, but those are some huge shoes to fill and as good as the Night Circus might be, it most likely will never top Harry Potter so why set the bar so high? I still definitely want to read this one though:)

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  6. Pfft! Next Harry Potter? Yeah, right. I know they say those kinds of things to hype a book, but for me it has the complete opposite effect. It makes me want to read it less. The cover isn't doing it any favors for me either.

    Jeez, how grumpy do I sound? :P This is one I'll be waiting for reviews before I jump on board.

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  7. Nic and Alison: Agreed!

    Liz: I agree that it's hard to imagine anything quite reaching HP status but I can't help but think that that may be my biases creeping in... who knows.

    Shelley: Oh, I thought this one was a MG book? I thought it was about tweenage characters... you know, I really don't know much about it.

    Jenny: Agree. When you compare a book to a much more popular one, it can go either one of two ways: either it creates a massive hype and everyone wants to read it or people are let down because it cannot possibly compare. And I think it's usually the second scenario that winds out, unfortunately.

    Small: Heh, for me I think it makes me want to read it more but I'm incredibly wary going into it. I'm going to do my best to not treat this like it's anything at all like HP and try to enjoy it independently. I've only read one review for it so far but it was an incredibly positive one.

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  8. Meh, I'm just not a fan of comparing books to bestsellers. It gives you all kinds of expectations that will (usually) never be met. I'm looking forward to The Night Circus, but I'm not sure it'll be the next Harry Potter. =/

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  9. I don't think I had paid much attention to this book previously, though the cover is kind of cute.

    I don't believe any series is going to be "The Next Harry Potter", if it's going to be the next big something, it should be on it's own right.

    =)

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  10. Nah. I don't think it will reach HP status, but it's fun to try. I guess that is why so many books are pegged as such.

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  11. I saw that article as well. Though I'm really excited to get my hands on this one, I think it might be an exaggeration, but who knows? :D

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  12. I don't think anything will be as big as HP! Well, not for about 50 years at least! However, I am looking forward to reading this.

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  13. I really don't like it when people say so and so is going to be the next (fill in the blank). It always creates these huge expectations in my mind and usually the books end up being a let down. So while I'm sure The Night Circus is going to be great - I've seen a ton of positive reviews for it and have it on my wishlist - will it compare to HP? Most likely not since that series was one of a kind.

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  14. Lauren: Exactly. Part of me gets really hyped up by the comparison, but the other part is usually let down.

    Alex: I think this is the first I've really heard of it as well. It really wasn't on my radar prior to this. But, I can't deny I'm really looking forward to it now. And exactly! If it's good enough, it'll be big in its own right.

    Missie: I'm sure the publishers have fun with it, trying to market it as the next big thing, anyway.

    Hafsah: Who knows, indeed. I feel like I can't see around my own biases sometimes. It very well could be.

    Cliona: I think 50 years is a good time gap for the next big thing. This soon afterwards... it just seems unlikely but I guess still possible!

    Zahida: Hp truly was one of a kind... I feel like publishers do a disservice to the book by forcing a comparison onto it in marketing. If it's good enough, then it shouldn't need to be compared to anything.

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  15. Somewhere in a cube at the WSJ, someone is squeaking, HEY! Maybe if we say something NICE about YA, people will forget about the STUPID things we said about YA!

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  16. Hmmmm I've never heard of this book before. I'll definitely have to give it a read though! I think its difficult to try to compare things to Harry Potter just because of how absolutely massive it is and because everything is unique. This might get big in its own right but calling it the "next Harry Potter" seems a bit premature and a bit silly. Harry Potter is Harry Potter and The Night Circus is The Night Circus. I think it would be nice for people to stop having to compare books/movies to other successful ones and putting labels on them. Why can't something just be itself without being "the next (insert popular book/movie here)"?

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  17. There can't be a next Harry Potter. And yes, there are way too many books that that has been said about. Not that they aren't good books, but nothing will ever be Harry Potter again.

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  18. I am so bloody sick of hearing something is the next something. Honestly? Get some creativity! I'm sure it's brilliant, but nothing will compare to Harry for me - it's pure and simple. That said, perhaps they simply mean in monetary figures. Idk. Just gahhh

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  19. I don't think it can be bad with that many people clamoring for it, but it makes me wary when they start trying to recruit fans by making comparisons. Why not just hype it for what it is and what unique elements it brings to the table? That would get me far more excited!

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  20. Emily: Ha! I didn't even think about that. Hilarious!

    Julia: Couldn't have said it better myself. And your opinion seems to be the consensus of everybody. People generally seem to want books to be unique and great in their own right, instead of compared to the last big thing. We already have the HP series and it's amazing, why would we need another one just like it. Create and market something new! And I hope The Night Circus certainly will be new.

    Kathy: I think the book industry has been hit pretty bad since HP ended because it did so many great things for them, money-wise. So they try to hype up tons of these new releases. It's silly.

    Melissa: Creativity FTW! Nothing will ever compare to Harry for me either. Although you're very right: it's like when they say they're hoping The Hunger Games will be the next Twilight: I'm pretty sure they don't mean content wise, but the next big money grab.

    Logan: Right, if anything, the fact that it was sold at a high price and had the film rights bought out so early, means it must be pretty good. Good enough that they don't need to recruit fans. It seems silly to me that they have to revert to these methods when I don't feel they need to. I'm sure the book will be awesome (I hope anyway!).

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  21. Hey Im having a giveaway you might want to check out! :)

    http://bookmigik.blogspot.com/

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  22. I hate it when books are compared to Harry Potter or even Twilight. Nothing is the next Harry Potter or Twilight, no matter what they say. SO annoying! That is a way to turn me off of a book.

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  23. Well, this is the first I've heard of this book. I'm excited about it, but I think it sets up for failure when anyone says, "Its the next Harry Potter".

    Also agree with Small, the cover sucks. :-)

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  24. Bailey: I find it annoying too. Of course, I am incredibly biased, but I just take offense when things are compared to HP.

    Gina: Agreed. I don't know why publishers do that because I don't feel that it is a good marketing tool per se. People will most often be disappointed.

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  25. I don't think anything can be the 'next Harry Potter.' (Is that my extreme bias showing? I believe it is.) However, I am looking forward to reading this.

    -jehara

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  26. Ughhhh so many things about this make me mad. First of all, the WSJ hasn't been in my good graces for a while now. Second of all, pitching EVERY SINGLE BOOK that is remotely YA/MG as the next Twilight or Harry Potter means NOTHING. Genre doesn't mean two books have anything at ALL in common. Maybe if these people PICKED UP A BOOK every once in a while, they'd know that. And this bastardizing amazing books by turning them into craptastic movies just to make a few bucks? SO MAD. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

    Ok, rant over. *deep breath*

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  27. Actually, one more rant: *gasp* A YA novel with MAGICIANS? It must be JUST LIKE Harry Potter! *intense sarcasm*

    I'm totally excited for Night Circus. I just loathe modern media.

    Also, I think Harry Potter is on its way to being a classic -- like The Chronicles of Narnia before it. That kind of success only happens once in a century or so, I think.

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  28. I'm looking forward to reading The Night Circus because I've heard lots of good things about it. But I didn't know it was being compared to Harry Potter - that's kind of a turn off because books compared to popular series always fall very short.

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  29. Jehara: Glad to see someone else shows extreme bias :)

    Casey: LOL! Amazing rant, Casey. I agree that it is incredibly silly that they would see that there are magicians in a book and automatically think it must be exactly like HP. And just because it is in the same genre, doesn't mean they're exactly alike either. I don't know who the writers of the WSJ think they are... probably just looking to cause controversy and makes headlines. I loathe modern media too.

    Jessica: Aw, well I wish you had never seen this post then so you couldn't get your hopes up! Heh, I hope you still enjoy it. I hope so too; I plan on treating it completely independently from HP.

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  30. I'm really looking forward to this book. However, I didn't think this was a MG or YA book. I thought it was for adults. Although, I'm sure teens would probably enjoy reading it. As for what the Wall Street Journal says, I don't listen to any hype...especially from the WSJ. lol Every fantasy or dystopian book says it's the next HP or HG or Twilight. I take buzz with a grain of salt. Have you read The Magicians? It's supposed to be a grown-up HP type book.

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  31. I'm really looking forward to the Night Circus, but didn't know it was being called 'the next Harry Potter'. I was actually hoping it would be a bit like the Magicians, which is somewhat like adult HP (like Julie said). I agree that HP is one of a kind and it's ridiculous to call the 'next Harry Potter' on any speculative fiction bestseller. Great post. :)

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  32. Julie: I don't know why I assumed it was MG, probably because they said it would be the next HP. That's not going to stop me from reading it though. And yeah, best not take WSJ at their word. Especially when the buzz is this grandiose and overexaggerated. I have not read The Magicians. I've heard mixed things about it... I'll probably read it sometime.

    Kat: Yes, it sounds like the "adult HP" description has already been taken by The Magicians, so now they're marketing this as another one. I'll have to give both of them a try to make up my mind about them. Thanks :)

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