Prickly...Indeed

        Think Harry Potter was first well exceptional book about wizards? Ladies and gentleman, allow me to direct your attention to the original wizards tale, Wizard's Hall. Far superior and original, Wizard's Hall would set the stage for J.K. Rowling's best-selling series Harry Potter. One of our current projects for this year is creating our own stories with provided material such as novels or movies. The idea is that these similiar pieces of entertainment will provide us with inspiration and comparisons to make when composing our own work.
        The title of my story will be called The Library. Similiar to how Thornmallow in Wizard's Hall was a boy with obvious self-esteem issues, but ultimately succeeds in defeating the evil wizard Nettles due to the reocurring theme of always trying no matter how futile a situation or obstacle may seem. "And it turned out the inhabitants of Wizard's Hall were glad indeed that Thornmallow studied there. Not because he was the world's greatest wizard. But because he meant well. And he tried."(Prologue, Wizard's Hall, Jane Yolen). The main character I'm creating for my story also shares a similar guideline of trying in seemingly impossible odds when all others succumb to a lack of hope or courage.
        The setting of my story takes place in an academy dedicated to furthering a young wizard or witches education in the knowledge of magic. Just like the school of Wizard's Hall or Hogwarts, my story has an academy called the Librarium. In the Librarium, instead of educating students so that they can help others or perform good deeds with magic, the Librarium uses that talent to further their autocratic control over the world. I'll go into more detail about that once I publish my story. Going back to Wizard's Hall, the organization and structure of how the system works will be similar, but with more of a militaristic hierarchy. "For example, if you wanted to add meat to your soup, you could make it appear as if there were meat there. We learn to really change one part of a thing at a time in second year."(Page 33, Wizard's Hall, Jane Yolen). Like Wizard's Hall, the year system offers many privileges and benefits as well as more advanced spells to those stay long enough. This could also be compared to the Hogwarts year system and I may even consider adding houses.
        Lastly, both my story and Wizard's Hall build up towards a sinister wizard that felt excluded from everyone else when they attended their schools and found taking that anger out on those associated with it. The villain in my story is actually the head of the Librarium and confronts the protagonist about his loyalty towards its cause. Nettles, the antagonist of Wizard's Hall is also seeks complete dominance of those around him and even expands past the academy like the villain in my story. "If we cannot stop him, we who are the best and brightest in the land, he will make us all disappear, and he will then own Wizard's Hall. From there, why, he could go on to own all of the Dales."(Page 85, Wizard's Hall, Jane Yolen). A difference between my stories antagonist and Nettles is that the villain in my book has had complete control for many years while Nettles seeks that. While Nettles was a highly regarded wizard in his day, the villain of The Library has always far surpassed all his colleagues. Not to mention, the villain of my story creates a beast just as fearful if not more than Nettle's beast made of everyone's dark emotions.
        With the ideas and inspiration of Wizard's Hall, I feel I have original and imaginative material to seek examples from. Three weeks ago, I didn't even know Wizard's Hall existed, but it has quickly became a quirky and enjoyable book that I would recommend to anyone who even remotely likes Harry Potter. After all, it did come first.