As long-time readers probably know, the other DrC and I are Harry Potter fans. We've read all seven books, own all eight films, have visited the Universal Studios Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park section twice, and own the seven books on CD, for listening on long drives.
We just finished reading the new Harry Potter story, book number eight. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not a novel, although it comes close. It is marketed as the script for a pair of plays now being staged in London. As a script it contains all the dialog, plus limited stage direction and indications of characters' emotional states. The other DrC has posted a review at cruztalkingtwo.blogspot.com.
Readers of book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will recollect that book ends with an Epilogue set 19 years after the book's action ends. In the epilogue we see two couples - Harry and wife Ginny, plus Ron and wife Hermione - seeing their kids off to Hogwarts on Platform 9 3/4.
The play begins at that very moment, and the action follows their departure to school. You won't find spoilers here, but be prepared for some well-known characters to act in unpredictable ways, and have some unexpected experiences.
Is it up to the standard of the first seven books? I am uncertain. Is it a good read, worth the time and effort of a fan of the series? Definitely, if only to discover what Rowling and Co. imagine happened to their characters in adulthood.
I suppose I found a few of the plot devices somewhat tortured, but that doesn't mean I could do better. I'm convinced I could not; non-fiction is my chosen field of endeavor. I echo the other DrC's thanks to her sister for the early Christmas present, it is very much appreciated.
