Harry Potter and the stealthy emails

Dubai: Harry Potter fans have been sent into a spin by an e-mail that apparently contains the contents of the seventh and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is due out on Saturday.

The e-mail contains a PDF file, called HarryPotter_thedeathlyhallows.pdf, which has 659 pages of text written about Harry and his fellow characters.

The e-mail has been circulating in India and this week was received by an Indian family in the UAE.

Charanya Kannan, a 32-year-old housewife, said both she and her 13-year-old son Vishvak, who was sent the e-mail containing the book by a friend, had read the entire file.

She said: "It was unbelievable when we received it. First I thought it was a hoax but it's written in her style. I think it's genuine because of the way the incidents have been written. It's either her book or it's a good copy."

Kannan said even if the e-mail turned out to contain the genuine text of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she would still buy a copy of the book. "I will never stop reading these books. I have read them all three or four times and definitely I will buy this book for my collection," she said.

Another avid Harry Potter fan, an Australian in her 20s, who like Kannan has read all of the other books, was doubtful the e-mail contained the genuine article. "I don't think it's real. The style is different, but I could be completely wrong," said the Australian.

A different e-mail doing the rounds in the UAE claims to contain a copy of the new book but in fact is designed to spread what is known as a malware - a software that can infect the user's computer.

Have your say
Would you have read it and still bought the book? What would push someone to ruin its release? Or does it matter? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or send your comments through the form below.

I will definitely buy the book as part of my collection, despite whatever is out free to read out there.
Abbie
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 16, 2007, 15:47

This is not Deathly Hallows, but is actually The Seventh Horcrux, a fan fiction book by Melindaleo.
Gary
Vancouver,Canada
Posted: July 16, 2007, 04:47

This so-called e-book is just fan fiction. I would still buy the real thing.
Ann
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 16, 2007, 04:27