Books

Harry Potter fever as new book goes on sale at midnight

Dublin bookstore hosts party as eighth in series set to be biggest book launch in decade

The cast in the new stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which follows the boy wizard’s life 19 years after the events of the final book in the sequence, The Deathly Hallows. Photograph Manuel Harlan/PA

Fri Jul 29 2016 - 16:48

The release of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playscript at midnight tonight is set to be the biggest book launch since the release of the seventh Harry Potter title, The Deathly Hallows, nearly a decade ago.

In Dublin, fans of the series can take their minds off the wait, for the last two hours at least, with some Quidditch practice, owl racing and a party with a Harry Potter quiz and a fancy dress competition at Hodges Figges bookstore in Dawson Street.

Based on an original story by JK Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the series and the first to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End tonight but preview performances have already been hailed as a huge hit. The show is already sold out until next May but 250,000 more tickets will be released next Thursday for performances up until December 2017.

The two-part play takes place 19 years after the last book and focuses on Harry Potter’s second son, Albus Severus Potter, who struggles with his legacy. Harry himself is now an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children.

READ MORE

Sara Keating reviews Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on irishtimes.com tomorrow. In the meantime, Harry Potter fans can take a Harry Potter quiz and read Claire Hennessy’s account of why the series has been such a success.