J. K. Rowling's New Novel Series Premiers as EBook - Maybe

J.K. Rowling is best known for the Harry Potter series of books and movies. The first book, "Philosopher's Stone" came out in 1997 and resulted in a literal rags to riches story for Rowling. As a single mother Rowling wrote in cafes' while her daughter slept in her stroller. That first manuscript was turned out on a manual typewriter and turned down by twelve different publishing houses before being picked up by Bloomsbury. Rowling, thanks to the Potter books and movies, is now ranked as one of the richest women in the world.

Since the last Harry Potter book came out there has been little news concerning a new book or book series from Ms. Rowling. This should not be too surprising given the hectic schedule she must have involving the ending of the Potter series and the great anticipation surrounding the final movie installment. Rowling has written several Harry Potter Supplements and is working on the Pottermore site, but no completely new stories or characters have been announced. Like some notable authors, Rowling may feel trapped by the success of Harry Potter. Will any reader ever be able to read a book by Rowling and not be thinking of or comparing it to Harry Potter?

In a 2005 radio interview with Stephen Fry, Rowling said she would prefer to do any new books under a pseudonym, citing the almost certain unbearable hype surrounding a post-Potter novel. Other famous authors have attempted this, such as Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman. Not surprisingly King was found out, and Rowling may have suffered the same fate. I generally stay away from conspiracy theories, but the idea Rowling has released a new novel, the first in a series, caught my attention. A high ranking executive with Warner is quoted as saying, "We know she's [Rowling] working on a project, but she hasn't discussed it with us". Supposedly the new novel is being released as an eBook to test the market for the new series. The novel, entitled "Conqueror - The King's Final Decree", is aimed at both the young adult and adult markets and is available through most major markets including Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

Why would anyone believe this is actually a new work by Rowling? There are a few hints it may be just that. The first, a very minor comparison, is there are a planned seven books in the Conqueror series, the same number as the Harry Potter series. Going a little beyond a random coincidence are the characters found in the new book. Phillip is a young boy who has never been off the farm who is chosen to participate in a grand quest. He is befriended by James, another youngster who knows the ropes, but who really hasn't achieved much on his own. These two remind me somewhat of Harry and Ron. Harry is cast into the world of wizards with little or no experience. Ron knows a great deal about being a wizard, but isn't such a great one himself, but his help to Harry is invaluable. At one point in Conqueror, Phillip is even called, 'The Chosen One', which just happens to sound a tad familiar. These similarities and the inevitable comparisons may be just what drove Rowling to write under a different name, if in fact she has.

The entire world presented in Conqueror is filled with interesting characters and creatures. These just happen to include goblins, trolls, and dragons. There is also a wizard in the novel, said to be the greatest wizard of the day. He plays a very small role, then is unceremoniously killed by a dragon. Could this be the author's way of killing off Harry Potter and telling the world she has moved on? The actual book reads nothing like a Potter novel. The style and voice are very different, which could indicate Rowling is not the author, or it could be she intentionally altered her style for the new series.

As mentioned, this is believed to be a test market for the story and one would expect if it is well received it would find a home in print rather quickly. If true, the $2.99 eBook price must be considered a real bargain. I must acknowledge that any one of these 'clues' would be considered very thin evidence J.K. Rowling is secretly putting out a new novel. Together they offer slightly more evidence, but there is one final piece of evidence which theorists say is the nail in the coffin. Conqueror is created to Jowl R. King, a single mother living in upper state New York. Jowl is an unusual name which can also mean cheek. Could it be a reference to tongue-in-cheek? Perhaps, because when you rearrange the letters in Jowl R. King, one combination just happens to spell out J.K. Rowling. I am not saying Conqueror was written by J.K. Rowling, I am not saying that at all, I am simply saying there are some interesting comparisons. I suppose time will tell if Jowl R. King is any relation to Richard Bachman. In any regards, I enjoyed the book, regardless of who wrote it.