According to an interview with Richard and Judy, J. K. Rowling says: “I have never been tempted to kill him off before the final book because I've always planned seven books, and I want to finish on seven books. I can completely understand, however, the mentality of an author who thinks, 'Well, I'm gonna kill them off because that means there can be no non-author-written sequels. So it will end with me, and after I'm dead and gone they won't be able to bring back the character. "
According to The Sunday Age, a survey of critics, fans, booksellers, churches and family groups, has found there are many reasons why Harry Potter should die.
Angela Conway, of the Australian Family Association, says Harry's death has potential as an educational event for child readers: "If there's an ending like that, they'll find it quite sad. But it can be quite valuable for children to deal with death and sacrificial love and laying down your life for your friends."
Mark Macleod, president of the Children's Book Council of Australia, says Harry needs to die "so we can read some other titles in the top 10 bestsellers list. The whole thing has become a numbers game for a lot of people, and that's a big turn-off. This constant promotion of Harry Potter as the only children's book is very irritating."
Macleod called the Potter cult "a mixed blessing. It's yet to be demonstrated that Harry Potter has boosted the sales of other children's authors. I think it has made some sellers sit up and take notice of children's books. And it's made it easier for fantasy authors to get published. But I think everybody is over it. So yes, please, let's have the end of it. Roald Dahl has been dead for how many years and they keep pulling things out of the bottom drawer. We're desperately hoping that there aren't any prequels or sequels."Meanwhile, Harry Potter fans expressed their disappointment on Rowling’s decision.
Kirsty Forster, 16, says: "I don't want to read [Harry dying] and I don't want to see it on screen. He's a childhood memory."
Isabel Prior, 11, has read the Potter books six times
each. Killing Harry, she says, would render her devotion "a pointless experience".
In other news, a Christian alternative to Harry Potter has released earlier this year, aimed towards people ages 10 and up.
Majesty, the Sorcerer and the Saint, a fantasy adventure novel, was written by David Murray, former Disney animation artist, and award winning story writer, whose screen credits include Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo and Stitch, and Brother Bear.
