[Brinniel]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Before I read LotR I was a HP nut <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>So was I. Then I read LOTR and liked it 10 times better. But I still think the HP books are very good. They are well written and you do not find very many modern fantasies. I thought HP was very original. The plots between HP and LOTR were completely different! <BR>Here are a few explanations for the simularites:<P>Gandalf/Dumbledore-I'm sure that these two books aren't the only ones that include old, wise men that happen to know magic. Actually I know that for a fact.<P>Nazgul/Dementors-Black cloaked creature tend to bring fear into the reader's mind. With something this evil, you know they will keep reading.<P>Spiders of Mirkwood/Spiders of Forbidden Forest-Spiders are good to use since they tend to give people the heebie jeebies. (At least they do for me.) There's a movie coming out about spiders called Eight Legged Freaks. Are you going to say that they copied off The Hobbit too? Giant spiders were not an original idea from Tolkien.<P>Sam/Ron-All main characters have a sidekick!<P>Basilisk/Smaug-Don't know where that came from. They aren't even alike except for the fact that they are serpents! A basilisk is known for its deadly stare, while a dragon is known for breathing fire and their greed for treasure.<P>Sauron/Voldemort-All stories have a bad guy! You really can't have a story without one.<P>Orcs/Goblins-These guys are nothing alike. Orcs were bad, tall, green guys who were originally elves. The goblins in HP are good, short, fair skinned guys who are just grouchy.<P>The Watcher in the Water/Giant Squid-Like spiders, we have to have somthing to freak out readers! Besides the squid in HP doesn't seem evil. I believe in the books it mention that students play with it. It may look like the creature from LOTR, but otherwise it is completely different.<P>Not everything in HP is original and not everything in LOTR is either. If all stories were completely original, what story would there be? There would only be one book existing with elves, one book with a bad guy, one book with dragons.......That would be terrible, wouldn't it? If that happened there would definately be no LOTR. So, lighten up and don't accuse Rowling of stealing Tolkien's ideas.<P>Whew, that was a long post!<P>[ July 12, 2002: Message edited by: Brinniel ]<p>[ July 12, 2002: Message edited by: Brinniel ]