It's So Hard to Say Goodbye: How to Fill the Harry Potter Void

Before the angry hordes gather outside my window with their pitchforks and torches, I want to make something clear -- I do not think Harry Potter is replaceable. Without getting all weepy on you (just kidding, I've been crying since last Monday), Harry was a huge part of my upbringing and is still a part of my life today, even as it ends. The thing is -- and I know this doesn't make me special, because I'm not alone here -- I was 11 years old; Harry's age (as well as Daniel Radcliffe's) when the first film came out. So ten years later, as the core "growing up" years come to an end, it feels like -- and I know this sounds dramatic if you don't "get" Harry Potter -- but it feels like I'm losing a big part of myself.

The thing about Harry, even though it's been said so many times before, is that it was about a fantastical world, but it was also about the most basic elements of the human experience -- loyalty, friendship, love, loneliness, guilt. To learn about those things as Harry did meant that the books were a sort of road map to the adolescent world. The seven Harry Potter books told a beautiful story, but they were also value indicators for young people. What was important was friendship and family, what you could accomplish was always more than you thought you were capable of, and your purpose in life was to love as much as you possibly could. Harry was the best possible coming of age story we could come of age to -- it helped us to make sense of growing up; it helped us in figuring out what kind of people we wanted to be.

Would I have known that love and friendship were important had I not read Harry? Yes, of course. But would I have known -- had a very heightened sense -- of the fact that they could save you in the worst of times? No, probably not. I am endlessly thankful for Harry, but it would be an understatement to say I'm not ready to let it go. I've avoided writing about it -- thinking about it -- up until this very moment because of what it means. This time, it really is the end.

So that being said, I need something -- I think we all need something -- to fill the void in our lives that Harry will be leaving come this Friday. Of course, I don't have a made-for-kids book series in mind at this point. But I still want some fantasy, some magic, even if it's a different kind this time around.

The Hunger Games
It's the most obvious heir to the Harry Potter series, but at this point that's mostly because of timing -- it's the next-in-line fantasy book series turned fantasy movie series. It's got a smaller fan base than Harry, but they're dedicated and vocal about their support, and for good reason. The Hunger Games trilogy is incredibly powerful, focusing on life and death situations in a carefully created futuristic world, with a seriously kick-ass female protagonist. (And the first photos of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss did not disappoint.) It's like Gladiator meets Brave New World meets Alias, but really, it's in a class all its own.

A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)
If you haven't jumped on this bandwagon yet, you obviously don't read this site very often. (Or you just don't have HBO. If that's the case, I guess you're forgiven.) A Song of Ice and Fire is the series of epic fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, and Game of Thrones is first book in the series. There are four books total so far, and a fifth one on its way, as well as prequel novellas -- basically, this amount of reading should keep you occupied for quite some time. And if you hadn't guessed, the just-wrapped Season 1 of HBO's Game of Thrones is based on the first book, so there's a TV series if you like the books (or don't like reading). A Song of Ice and Fire, like The Hunger Games, exists in a totally original fantasy world unlike any other. The first book/season introduces our characters -- competing families, wars brewing, and so on -- and then there's dragons (!), and really, we've only just begun. The characters are well-developed, the storylines are so good you'll be glued to the page, and, so far, I'm really impressed with the TV series, too. Basically, this one's a shoo-in for Harry Potter replacement -- it's strong in both quality and quantity.

The Hobbit
Okay, so I know Peter Jackson's two-part prequel to the Lord of the Rings series isn't even close to being released. But what I do know? It's going to be good. With Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Lee Pace, and a ton of Lord of the Rings vets all on board, as well as amazing preview videos on YouTube and the faith I have in Jackson because of the incredible job he did with the other three, I'm more than looking forward to this one. So how does The Hobbit fill the void if it's release date is so far off? Catch up on the old Lord of the Rings movies and books before The Hobbit is released -- nothing was ever like them, not even Harry. It was sort of the original fantasy book series. And if you haven't ever seen the movies or read the books, well, shame on you. You should probably go do that right now.

X-Men
The good thing about this franchise is that there's more material connected with it than even A Song of Ice and Fire. Thanks to the fantastic First Class reboot this summer, it's likely that there will be two more films to make a complete trilogy. But if you want, there's also the previous three films (take my word for it and skip X3), all the comic books the films were based on, action figures if you're into that...and if you're really, really weird like me, awesome X-Men lunchboxes. X-Men is about superhero mutants -- regular-looking people (for the most part) with special powers -- and their assimilation (or not) into normal society. First Class is actually about the mutant involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is amazing -- Matthew Vaughn just decided to re-write history. But the best thing about X-Men in my opinion is that it at its core, it's about a family of outcasts, which is what Harry, Ron and Hermione were.

True Blood
I know Potter fans tend to have vendettas against vampires (damn you, Twilight), but True Blood is worth giving a shot. First (and most importantly), it doesn't take itself seriously, and that's the best thing about it -- it's what differentiates it from all of the melodramatic Bella-Edward-Jacob, Damon-Elena-Stefan nonsense. It's ridiculous, but it knows how ridiculous it is, so it plays on that. There's a lot of sex and violence and absurd characters that would never exist in real life. (And that's not just because they're vampires, shape-shifters, witches, werewolves, and faeries.) If you want, the TV show is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels, so you can read those too, but I think the show is more entertaining. If you do watch, I would recommend putting a weekend aside for yourself with DVDs of the first few seasons ready to go, because it's about as addictive as vampire blood. (Very, very addictive.)

Pottermore.com
Finally and thankfully, J.K. Rowling hasn't left us entirely alone -- we're kind of cheating with this whole goodbye thing. Pottermore is a website Rowling created to (first and foremost) sell the Potter books as e-books, but it's also got an interactive angle. You "start" at Privet Drive and go from there and Rowling has promised to "reveal background details on characters and settings...she's been hoarding for years." Um, seeing as the last secret Rowling revealed about a character was that Dumbledore was gay, we know she doesn't disappoint. I'm on board. Hopefully it's going to be a connection to what has become a family of Potter fans, as well as a small reminder of what once was.

Check out an interview with Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint.

Harry Potter: The Best & Worst of the Franchise
Harry Potter: Spin-Offs We'd Like to See
Harry Potter: A Farewell Tour of Hogwarts

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23 Comments

July 11, 2011 8:02 AM
Holly
Reply

I wish the Sandman series hadnt got delayed. I was really looking forward to that. I dearly hope Benedict Cumberbatch will play Dream/Morpheus. I know a gazillion peopel want him to play the role and I'm no different. At least Pratchett/Gaiman's Good Omens looks like its finally going ahead and Gaiman's American Gods.

July 11, 2011 8:02 AM
Holly
Reply

I wish the Sandman series hadnt got delayed. I was really looking forward to that. I dearly hope Benedict Cumberbatch will play Dream/Morpheus. I know a gazillion peopel want him to play the role and I'm no different. At least Pratchett/Gaiman's Good Omens looks like its finally going ahead and Gaiman's American Gods.

July 11, 2011 11:51 AM
Dani
Reply

Thanks for this. I've read a lot of these, but thank you for your heartfelt words about Harry Potter. So many people who didn't grow up with it will never truly understand what importance these books held. You captured it perfectly.

July 11, 2011 12:27 PM
E.G.
Reply

I started the books when I was 9, and the first movie came out on my 12th birthday. The only time I get kind of elitist is when I talk about Harry Potter because I truly think that growing up with the books/films was a very large part of the experience. I definitely can relate and understand where you're coming from. Thanks for a great article! Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go cry into a box of tissues while rereading Deathly Hallows.

July 11, 2011 12:50 PM
frederick
Reply

This made me cry, not only because of your cunning style, but because I'm in love with Harry Potter. I will be visiting pottermore.com today. But, you're right, it might be time to move on. Harry Potter: you're my one and only. I'll love you until I die.

July 11, 2011 4:37 PM
Jennifer
Reply

You might want to note that A Song of Ice and Fire contains extremely adult content (sex, violence, language) so while it can fill the HP void for adults and mature teens, I'd be a little leery of recommending it for younger readers. Great books though.

July 11, 2011 10:08 PM
Shelby
Reply

Personally, I hate the movies, because the books are so close to my heart and I can't stand any kind of imitation of them. So for me, there will never be a void. As long as I have sight, I will have Harry Potter.

July 11, 2011 10:36 PM
chrispin
Reply

And after sight there's always Jim Dale. Jim Dale may be better than sight. He does better voices.

July 11, 2011 10:46 PM
Tabby
Reply

"The Hunger Games" is nothing like fantasy. It's a vaguely science-fictiony dystopia with no depth, shoddy writing, and an endless supply of completely unlikeable characters.

July 12, 2011 12:17 AM
Ciara
Reply

Nicely said about Harry Potter.

True Blood and A Song of Ice and Fire are fine for Harry Potter for those of us who grew up with the books and are now adults. For a true replacement for HP (something that can be read by all ages), I don't know if there really is one. But the only other things on that list that I would be willing to give to a 12 or 13 year old would be The Hobbit and MAYBE the Hunger Games (and that would depend on the kid - those books are pretty brutal, too).

July 12, 2011 2:52 PM
JJ Moore
Reply

I read a great series that can help fill the gap. My teens and I loved Book 1, "Renegade Paladins" and Book 2, "Abyssal Redemption" of "The Zygan Emprise". Awesome!

July 12, 2011 6:35 PM
Nick
Reply

I second the comment about Jim Dale. He does an amazing job with the audio books. They make for an experience unlike both reading it or watching the movies.

July 13, 2011 5:30 PM
Tom Morris
Reply

THE WHEEL OF TIME series by Robert Jordan has some amazing stuff in it. It can be read by teens and up too, unlike A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE. Very creative magic system and world. Good vs evil, etc. (just be warned, the author started to wander a bit around book 7 or so).

July 13, 2011 11:28 PM
tpel
Reply

How about another series about a wizard named Harry? I've become hooked on the Dresden Files series,by Jim Butcher, which is up to about a dozen books, with more to come. Harry Dresden is a wizard who makes his living as a private investigator, while trying to deal with a wide variety of supernatural entities. There are small weaknesses in the writing, but several delightful human and nonhuman characters, creative WTF moments, and a fun narrative voice make these worth reading.

July 15, 2011 3:54 PM
Anguo
Reply

The Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull is a fabulous fantasy series for younger readers.

July 15, 2011 7:34 PM
Beth
Reply

I highly recommend books by John Belliars, especially the Johnny Dixon series. Edward Gorey did the illustrations for most of them. Belliars died early, and his estate approved several new books based on his outlines that I haven't read, but I can tell you that I loved the original books.

July 17, 2011 7:27 PM
Draxis Axhand
Reply

I agree with "The Wheel of Time" series. The dozen plus books continue to grow "more adult" as each is published without getting smutty and if you are familiar with the books, you know there is enough material there to make dozen or more great movies. One of the best things about it is that it has many strong, interesting male and female characters of both the heroic and villainous persuasion.

July 17, 2011 7:39 PM
Donald Gwilym II
Reply

I really, really recommend "The Dresden Files" by Jim Butcher. A generic overview would be that it centers on a modern day wizard in chicago, who is a private detective, that deals with everything from vampires, werewolves, demons, faerie queens, angels(Both Fallen and Heavenly), and even holy warriors wielding swords of incredible divine power. Check it out. There are, I believe, 13 books in the series, and the author has it planned to wrap up at book 20. I can't wait for the next one that comes out at the end of this month!

July 17, 2011 10:48 PM
Lyam
Reply

I really love Harry Potter and just read those books again and again ( and again). I also love the Hunger Games and would recommended it to a young teen/ young adult ( may get a little clicheed at times). Im in the process of reading A song of Ice and Fire since I found that series out by the tv ( so far loving it)..have caution with this book as it contains mature topics and quite a lot of reading ( A LOT)! A series that I love and didnt see here is THE 39 CLUES...my younger brother loves reading it and so do I ( he is 10 Im 15) .. its very sweet without being too childish ( or cheesy). Im not anti- Twilight and I think that the whole competition is very stupid...those books have NOTHING in common except having non-existent creatures and Robert Pattinson acting in the films. There is NO competition neither can replace one another. Different meanings , different stories.

July 18, 2011 8:26 AM
doram
Reply

Thanks for this article! I still sob a little now. You should add "Mortal Instruments" to this list. It's shaping up to be a 9-book series (3 of which is a prequel series) and it's written by a former Big Name Harry Potter fan so you can imagine that it has a lot of Harry Potter appeal in it.

July 18, 2011 1:19 PM
Mika
Reply

If you were able to do the 7 books for Harry Potter and are at least 20 years old then a whole new series for you to try is the Vampire Huntress series by LA Banks. It's Buffy meets Angel meets the Davinci Code....it rocks and has so many elements that the only thing I can say is be prepared to be taken DEEP but its enjoyable.....can never take the place of Harry Potter but it's definitely a new swim worth the time

July 18, 2011 2:29 PM
mika
Reply
replied to comment from frederick

well said.... i'm sure it conveys the thoughts of many

July 18, 2011 3:20 PM
phil
Reply

Try Sword of truth series by terry goodkind....will blow your mind

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