Having possessed the ability to read the written word since I was 3, I've been victim several times to writers who lead you through 3/5 of the book and then hit "the stride" of the novel. I usually hit "the stride" late late at night and then deal with the consequences the next day. I think that was one of the things that persuaded me to become a writer. The fact that I could manipulate someone's thoughts, deeds, and sleep schedule is a very interesting prospect. Words are the most powerful thing on the planet. Forget WMD's, say the word "Fuck" in front of my mother and nuclear fallout will be the least of your worries. In fact, you'd be begging to be airlifted to Chernobyl.
Tonight was one of the nights that I hit "the stride" just a little too late for my own good. I just wanted to read a chapter, maybe two in the latest Rowling book. Having read the foreshadowing fairly well, I decided to press on a little further and the next thing I knew, I was closing the back cover pissed off beyond belief. See, I only saw about half of what was coming. I was blindsided by the second half of the reveal and the last 4 or 5 pages. And I know that getting this worked up about the book puts me in league with Susie, but I'll deal with that later.
What worries me more is the real life events that prompted the end of that book. I won't discuss them at length here because I know that Terri hasn't read the book yet and I wouldn't want to spoil it for her.
There was also a passage which confirmed my side of the argument for the glaring loophole in books 3, 4, and 5. I'll be happy to give you the page number if you'd like.
Anyway, it's a quarter to 4 now and I do have to work. I just thought I'd rant a tad, seeing as how I was still up and all. Thankfully I have nothing pressing at work that will require more than minimal brain power.