Michael B. Duff

I'm so paranoid about having Harry Potter #7 spoiled for me, I have had to resort to radical measures.

I can't surf blogs, I can't view my Livejournal friends page, I can't risk reading reviews. I can't even talk to my friends about it, beyond this quick one-sentence review from my buddy Mack.

“It's really surprising and a bit of a bloodbath.”

In a book where anything can and probably will happen, Rowling has done what few pop authors would dream of. She has established a reputation for killing major characters. She has no reason to carry on this universe past book 7 and quite a few reasons not to.

Most writers keep at this stuff because they need the money. Rowling could buy Buckingham Palace and turn the whole thing into a skating rink, so the usual incentive structure does not apply to her.

I sit here, bookless and frightened, wondering if my imaginary friends are being slaughtered in a bookstore across town.

I'll have the book soon enough. In the meantime, I can't even risk being in General chats on World of Warcraft.

Lubbock Online has put on a full court press for this release. We've got stories, video, galleries, and all kinds of post-Potter coverage coming over the weekend. Pics and features will be trickling in today and tomorrow, so check back frequently and see if you've been Spotted.

All available on a front page near you.