Here it is. The one we’ve been waiting for ever since the second and permanent death of the Dark Lord. The thing she said she’d never do (sort of still hasn’t) but we all knew she would eventually. I give you Harry Potter #8!
Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Series: Harry Potter Series; Book/Script 8
Author: J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: EU, Magic, Higher Magic, Modern/Present Day, Dragons
Synopsis: It starts at Kings Cross Station 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry is sending off his second child, Albus Severus Potter, off to Hogwarts for the first time. Aaannnddd…..that’s all you get from me here……Mwhahahahah!
Recommendation: I suggest that you read any one of the earlier books before reading this script. It’s very good, but a drastically different experience from what most Potterheads are used to.
I’m not going to spoil anything, but there are somethings or aspects that could definitely give warning to. First, this is a script. Not a novel. If you don’t have experience with scripts they can be pretty dry. However, if you love the Wizarding World as much as I do, it doesn’t have to be a struggle to read. As mentioned above, I suggest re-reading any of the previous books before reading this script. It will get you back into the wizarding mindset were details about the characters, places, and jargon are all close at hand….mentally speaking. That way when you read this script you can easily fill in the details that aren’t explicitly written. The script is 99.99% dialog, so you’re Potterhead obsession will definitely pay off here.
Something else that should be noted, while it does start out on platform 9 3/4 just 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts it very rapidly progresses 3-4 years after that. When I say “rapid,” I mean from one page to the next. So be prepared for that.
The characters from the previous books are very consistent with their personalities, plus the changes that would occur during that time difference. The new characters are pretty good too and each features a unique personality and traits.
The storyline for me is a touch immature compared to the latter books in the series. More consistent with the first few books in the series. I have other issues but I’ll bring those up in the Spoiler Edition. For me it doesn’t have the complexity that I’d come to expect, but rereading the series from the beginning has been a stark reminder that it didn’t start that way.
Overall it is a great addition to the series and I look forward to seeing it in person (if it ever makes it across the pond and close to where I am). I’m going to bet this is made into a movie in 3-5 years once the hype has subsided and the play has gotten around, so I’m eager to watch that when it happens. More importantly I believe she, J. K. Rowling will write or is currently writing more books that take place in the Wizarding World. I think this and Fantastic Beasts are just warm up for a much larger effort and all the work into Pottermore is serving as a writing notes for the world as a whole. Even if she doesn’t write any more in the series, she’s setting it up so that someone else could.
The script is good. It’s great. It’s amazing. The author is evil, so you know she’s doing it right. Read it. Love it. Read them all again. Anyway, that is it for the spoiler free review. Tomorrow is the spoiler edition.
Robert
Reading Over The Shoulder 
Thank you for offering a spoiler free review.
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I knew a lot of people would be looking for a “clean” source but there was so much I wanted to say. It was safer this way.
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