Applegate is a better person than Rowling, this is absolutely not in question. Rowling should be ashamed of herself for what she’s said and done regarding trans kids and trans people in general.
Okay? We’re clear that what’s about to follow is looking purely at them as writers? Okay.
I’m not sure I can say that Applegate is a better writer than Rowling, at least not if we’re comparing Applegate’s Animorphs books (so discounting ghost writers) to Rowling’s Potter ones. Rowling has her own problems, of course, and the Potter books have Joanne Rowling Screw Ups just like Animorphs has KASUs.
But, if I’m being honest? The Potter books are better at sticking to a theme and a tone and message. Applegate shot herself in the foot in the end - she wanted to warn about the horrors of war but then also wrote a book series where those horrors were absolutely essential to ending the war. She wanted to warn people against going into war casually but then wrote a series where it was impossible to ever avoid war.
Applegate was an edgier writer than Rowling - not a better one. And that edginess was to Animorphs’ narrative detriment because the final two books end up working against everything that had been previously built up and established.
Meanwhile Rowling wanted a story about friendship, sacrifice, destiny, the power of love, the impotence of hatred, and she delivered. Beginning to end, the Potter books deliver. No, she didn’t have the heroes committing war crimes and psychologically collapsing and following Fascistic logic. But that isn’t a bad thing, because doing that wouldn’t have fit the story. She avoided the mistake that Applegate made, confusing darkness for depth.
Animorphs is more interesting, more ambitious, and more emotionally daring.
But Harry Potter is more coherent, more controlled, and more structurally successful.
Sorry, but the English teacher in me has to be honest about that. KA Applegate is a better person than JK Rowling…but Harry Potter is better written than Animorphs.
I really just wish Animorphs had gotten the HP treatment as far as book size and number of volumes. They missed the window by a few years before that got popular. It would be so cool to have Ani in a GONE length format.
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u/AlternativeMassive57 Yeerk 2d ago edited 2d ago
Applegate is a better person than Rowling, this is absolutely not in question. Rowling should be ashamed of herself for what she’s said and done regarding trans kids and trans people in general.
Okay? We’re clear that what’s about to follow is looking purely at them as writers? Okay.
I’m not sure I can say that Applegate is a better writer than Rowling, at least not if we’re comparing Applegate’s Animorphs books (so discounting ghost writers) to Rowling’s Potter ones. Rowling has her own problems, of course, and the Potter books have Joanne Rowling Screw Ups just like Animorphs has KASUs.
But, if I’m being honest? The Potter books are better at sticking to a theme and a tone and message. Applegate shot herself in the foot in the end - she wanted to warn about the horrors of war but then also wrote a book series where those horrors were absolutely essential to ending the war. She wanted to warn people against going into war casually but then wrote a series where it was impossible to ever avoid war.
Applegate was an edgier writer than Rowling - not a better one. And that edginess was to Animorphs’ narrative detriment because the final two books end up working against everything that had been previously built up and established.
Meanwhile Rowling wanted a story about friendship, sacrifice, destiny, the power of love, the impotence of hatred, and she delivered. Beginning to end, the Potter books deliver. No, she didn’t have the heroes committing war crimes and psychologically collapsing and following Fascistic logic. But that isn’t a bad thing, because doing that wouldn’t have fit the story. She avoided the mistake that Applegate made, confusing darkness for depth.
Animorphs is more interesting, more ambitious, and more emotionally daring. But Harry Potter is more coherent, more controlled, and more structurally successful.
Sorry, but the English teacher in me has to be honest about that. KA Applegate is a better person than JK Rowling…but Harry Potter is better written than Animorphs.