Speed-readers employed by newspapers have declared the final Harry Potter book to be a "real page-turner" but cloaked by a complex story line.

"Without being too critical, the plot does seem to be a bit complicated, but I would not change a word," said speed-reading champ Anne Jones, hired by Britain's Sun paper to write a review. Jones took just over 47 minutes to complete the 700-page tome. 

A Borders bookstore employee in St. Peters, Mo. holds up a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the book goes on sale 12:01 a.m. local time on Saturday.
(Jeff Roberson/Associated Press)

"Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows is a real page-turner," concluded Jones.

All over the world, frenzied fans picked up their copy just past midnight Friday.

Some people shrieked while others took to smelling their books, declaring it had a whiff of "magic."

The Chapters/Indigo book chain reports selling about three per second while the WHSmith chain in Britain said it was selling at a rate of 15 books per second.

St. John's, N.L. was the first place in North America to sell the book.

Emily Power, 15, was first in line in St. John's. Power and a few friends were headed to a nearby provincial park for a weekend of reading and camping.

"We've made a pact that we're not opening until we get to [the park]."

Over in Dartmouth, N.S., Kelsey MacDonald said she's been addicted since reading the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 10 years ago.

"I'll have nothing to do for the rest of my life," said MacDonald with a laugh.

Unlike Power in St. John's, many fans of the seven-book series about a teen wizard-in-training and his battle against evil were unable to wait for the outcome.

'I am aghast at the ending.'—Adela Lim, 16, in Singapore

"Oh my god! Oh my god!" was all Adela Lim, 16, in Singapore could express after flipping to the end just moments after buying the book.

"I am aghast at the ending," explained Lim after taking a while to calm down.

Lim was not alone in fast-forwarding to the end.

"I couldn't stop myself from finding out the end first," admitted Vineet Sharma in Mumbai, India.

Author J.K. Rowling at the Natural History Museum in London, England on Friday night reads to a group of 500 fans.
(Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press)

Much has been made of the final clash between Harry and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort. Author J.K. Rowling indicated earlier this year that two main characters would die. That has sparked a series of internet spoilers and, more recently, postings of photographs of the final book — page by page.

Several newspapers that managed to get their hands on a copy before the official release published detailed reviews of the book. This week, Rowling pleaded with those in the know to keep the secret to themselves.

Overall, Deathly Hallows has received universal raves.

"This chest-crusher of a book ends the Harry Potter series with a bang," said Kate Muir in the Times of London.

"Ms. Rowling has fitted together the jigsaw puzzle pieces of this long undertaking with Dickensian ingenuity and ardour," wrote the New York Times.

'The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane'—First line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The author was on hand for a special middle-of-the night reading at London's Natural History Museum, intoning the first line of the novel to 500 eager fans: "The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane."

Writing on her website on Friday, the 41-year-old author expressed relief at the final book's release: "All the secrets I have been carrying around for so long will be yours, too."

Matthew Pincin, 9, of Richmond Hill, Ont., was among the lucky fans who had won a contest to attend Rowling's reading.

"I was nervous when she signed my book. I wanted to ask her why she had to stop writing the Harry Potter books but I was too scared," said Pincin after the event.

Festivities around the world

At Waterstone's bookstore in central London, the lineup snaked around the block as 500 fans dressed in colourful Potter costumes waited to get their copy. Fans from as far away as Mexico were in line, dressed as wizards, elves and even as Hogwarts castle.

Andrew Polanyi, 9, left, and Liam McMahon, 9, wait in line at the Harry Potter street party in Toronto, late Friday night.
(Aaron Harris/Canadian Press)

The atmosphere was electric as fans hooted and hollered, singing songs and chanted "Good will prevail!" and "J.K., J.K., thank you!"

"I can't wait to start reading it," said Robin Ryder, 22, of Paris.  "I'm going to try to tune out the people who are yelling out what happened."

Several police were on hand to monitor the rowdiness but officials say the crowd was well-behaved despite the racket.

American Chellie Carr from Michigan waited 36 hours in the Waterstone's line to get her book.

"This is very symbolic of the end of my childhood,'' Carr said. "I grew up with Harry. I'm 17, Harry is 17."

In Toronto, the downtown Chapters store held an all-night block party with a portion of the street closed to traffic.

"I feel happy and sad because it's the end," said seven-year-old Max Schindler, sporting a wizard's hat.

'It smells like magic.'—Kelsey Barry in Manhattan

At Edmonton's exhibition grounds, Potter acolytes could ride a mini "Hogwarts Express" steam train while thousands showed up at Vancouver's VanDusen Gardens for the Potter party.  Many people had to be turned away at the gate.

Further south, in Manhattan, Kelsey Barry and Anna Todd, both 20, screamed and jumped and smelled the book after getting their copies.

"It smells like magic," declared Barry.

At Scholastic's flagship store in New York City, a city block was transformed with jugglers and stilt-walkers. Scholastic is the book's U.S. publisher.

"My son is the Harry Potter expert," said British author Salman Rushdie (The Satanic Verses, Midnight's Children), explaining his presence in the store on Friday night. He was there to pick up a book with his son Milan, 10, and felt the series has boosted writers everywhere.

"If you're a writer, you can only celebrate [the buzz]."

The city of Portland, Maine, was going all-out with a 12-hour Mugglefest, named for Muggles, the characters in the books who don't have magical powers.

The city's waterfront was transformed into several Potter locales, such as Diagon Alley and The Leaky Cauldron bar. More than 6,000 people took in magic shows and live displays of owls and reptiles.

"What people love is the minutiae, the delightful details. It's our world turned upside down," said organizer Kirsten Cappy.

Fan fished out of lake

Some risked their lives to get their copy of the book. In Canberra, Australia a 21-year-old man jumped into the freezing waters of a lake on Friday to rescue a pre-order voucher he had dropped in. Paramedics attended to the shivering man, who didn't find the voucher. He was given another one by the bookstore.

A Harry Potter fan flips through the book in New Delhi, India.
(Manish Swarup/Associated Press)

In India, shops opened at dawn for Potter festivities while in Bangkok, fans could watch an all-night, outdoor screening of all five Potter movies.

The Gandhi bookstore in Mexico City is holding an all-weekend party with screenings of the first four movies and readings of the books.

The first six books have sold more than 325 million worldwide and been translated into 64 languages. Amazon says Deathly Hallows takes the prize with the most pre-orders ever, at 2.2 million.

Rowling says she doubts she will continue the series, even though fans have urged her to keep the story alive.

The writer, said to be worth $1 billion US, has predicted some fans will not like the last book.

"The final book is what it was always supposed to be, and so I feel very at peace with that fact," said the author earlier this week.

"I can never write anything as popular again."

 

With files from the Associated Press