J. K. Rowling #7 JK and the Deathly Threats

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I thought the "discussion" on Facebook was completely ridiculous. JK just did pre recorded answers to some question. Maybe it was just me but I could only see three or 4 clips.

I thought it was going to be a more interactive deep dive.

She does look gorgeous though :love:
 
I will update that I have listened through the videos and despite the format being annoying the insights are really good from JK

There is one clip where she says "I am queen of back story" and it's so true. She says she has big files on her laptop with the entirety of Strike and Robin's back stories are written out, and that she is gradually making more and more stuff known. She also says she knows more about Strike and Robin than anyone will ever need to know.

Isn't this so refreshing to hear. JK has the entire character arc planned out (of course we knew that) but that also she has their entire histories done too so she knows how each would react and feel about a certain situation. This means that her characters feel completely and utterly authentic and true. They never say or do things out of character for them because JK has their entire personalities mapped, past and present.

Contrast this with the abysmal Hollywood trend of "retconning" where established characters past histories and actions are continually being revised and fucked about with, just so that the latest bullshit sequel or prequel can trade on the legitimacy of an existing , well loved character.

A dispicable example of this would be Galadriel in the Amazon LOTR reboot. They have gone back into her past and made her into a completely different character than she was in the LOTR or any of the other Tolkein writings.
 
I think JKR's characterization is what makes her books outstanding, and the Strike series even more so than Harry Potter. Don't get me wrong, I am and will always be a huge Potter fan and the characters are amazing as well, but we're mostly dealing with kids and teens there. They all come with their backstories, but ultimately, a lot of what makes them happens as actual storylines.

With Robin and Strike, we get tangible adults. Of course, some parts of their characters are slightly overdone maybe, because it's what is needed for the story, for a trope and simply to drive a point home to the thickest reader. But because they are adults with a backstory that actually lines up with their behaviour, family interactions, and such, it's what makes those books.
Take Pat for example - we've known her for a few books now and some of her behviour was maybe a bit weird or even downright rude. But slowly, over the course of those books, Pat's backstory was revealed, in little anecdotes or because Pat says something that then Strike and Robin register as part of her character. We didn't get the handbook of Pat, which would've been utterly boring. but we get to know her, naturally, through interactions with other people. Much more exciting than what some of those authors do in just laying out a list of things about someone. I could've read a bullet point list instead and it would've been the same. Or - as said above, people re-inventing and changing known characters into oblivion.
It's good if a story makes sense and its characters fit it. I really dislike it if authors, especially screen authors, try to surprise their audience for the sake of it and do it by ruining a well-flowing, logical story.
 
I agree, she is the Queen of Backstory and Detail. Some of the lines she comes out with just fabulous. Like Strike fishing around in the bottom of the McDonalds bag for a now cold chip as he talks with Robin about a development in the case, or when Robin eats the chocolate bars that the team leave for her (in the latest book). All the little random bits like that which make you think I’m there in the room with them. I feel utterly bereft reading wise now as we don’t know when the next book will be out. We can’t assume it will be next year, can we?
 
Codiaeum said:
I think JKR's characterization is what makes her books outstanding, and the Strike series even more so than Harry Potter. Don't get me wrong, I am and will always be a huge Potter fan and the characters are amazing as well, but we're mostly dealing with kids and teens there. They all come with their backstories, but ultimately, a lot of what makes them happens as actual storylines.

With Robin and Strike, we get tangible adults. Of course, some parts of their characters are slightly overdone maybe, because it's what is needed for the story, for a trope and simply to drive a point home to the thickest reader. But because they are adults with a backstory that actually lines up with their behaviour, family interactions, and such, it's what makes those books.
Take Pat for example - we've known her for a few books now and some of her behviour was maybe a bit weird or even downright rude. But slowly, over the course of those books, Pat's backstory was revealed, in little anecdotes or because Pat says something that then Strike and Robin register as part of her character. We didn't get the handbook of Pat, which would've been utterly boring. but we get to know her, naturally, through interactions with other people. Much more exciting than what some of those authors do in just laying out a list of things about someone. I could've read a bullet point list instead and it would've been the same. Or - as said above, people re-inventing and changing known characters into oblivion.
It's good if a story makes sense and its characters fit it. I really dislike it if authors, especially screen authors, try to surprise their audience for the sake of it and do it by ruining a well-flowing, logical story.
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I agree JKs characters having depth and being believable is what makes her books stand out from the rest.
HP was set in a part imaginary world but all the characters were still relatable as real people which is what made the series stand out from other fantasy books. Harry was remarkably brave but he still worried about how to get a date and he made mistakes so he wasn't some sort of perfect superhero. That's why the HP series was so engaging.
 
Pierce Brosnan as Papa J.
 

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Does anyone know when they are filming Book 6 and 7? I feel devoid of Strike now that I’ve finished Book 7. Any speculation on when Book 8 might appear?
 
Embarrassed that I’ve only just discovered the brilliant book series, binged it obsessively over the last month and like others now feel absolutely bereft. Is the adaptation any good? I know TV characters are never quite “right” after you’ve read the book, but that Strike looks far too small (and young) to me - I always pictured him as towering over Robin!
 
Lady_H said:
Embarrassed that I’ve only just discovered the brilliant book series, binged it obsessively over the last month and like others now feel absolutely bereft. Is the adaptation any good? I know TV characters are never quite “right” after you’ve read the book, but that Strike looks far too small (and young) to me - I always pictured him as towering over Robin!
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I find it best to regard the tv series as a separate entity to the books but within the same multiverse - because the later novels are so long there’s no way they can be accurately rendered in a 4-hour tv show, so a lot is cut, altered or condensed. I see them more as an adjunct than a faithful representation.
 
Lady_H said:
Embarrassed that I’ve only just discovered the brilliant book series, binged it obsessively over the last month and like others now feel absolutely bereft. Is the adaptation any good? I know TV characters are never quite “right” after you’ve read the book, but that Strike looks far too small (and young) to me - I always pictured him as towering over Robin!
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JK said in an interview that, although she thinks Tom and Holliday are excellent in the TV series, both are too good looking. She said Strike is not a handsome man.

Must admit I do like Tom Burke in the role as he is rather gorgeous, so I'm happy with the casting 😀

The TV series is good and certainly worth watching. It's made by the BBC.
 
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