Those who have consistently been critical of Harry Potter were the first to react.
Martin Amis didn't personally participate, but the critics around him who often huddled together in literary circles read Richard Henry's article almost simultaneously, each offering increasingly direct commentary.
"Finally, someone has spoken up," wrote Philip Hansworth, a commentator, in his personal column.
"The quality of the first eleven chapters of * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban * has clearly declined. This is a definite fact, not a prejudice."
Another writer, Margaret Thorne, wrote even harsher words in a short review in the Spectator magazine:
"If the author of this book were a newcomer, the publisher's editors would most likely have returned the first ten chapters for rewriting. But this is Allen Wayne, and the sales of his first two books have made the publishers hesitant to even touch his manuscript."
"That's the curse of bestselling authors. No matter how bad your writing is, nobody dares to tell you."
However, the voices of approval did not gain an overwhelming advantage; on the contrary, comments opposing the lengthy article emerged from another direction almost simultaneously.
The first to step forward was Harold Larkin, the old critic who previously wrote the article "Nobody Cares What You Read."
In his column for the Guardian, he wrote in a very calm tone, "I have indeed read Richard Henry's article, and I think some of the questions he raised are valid."
"But there's one word he used too hastily."
"His talent has run dry."
"I'm not saying that Allen Wayne hasn't run out of ideas, I'm saying that you can't draw that conclusion based on just the first eleven chapters."
Larkin made an analogy in the article.
"Imagine you get a new book, read the first eleven chapters, and find that its pace is a bit slower than the author's first two books."
"This book presents information in a different way and makes some new attempts at handling character relationships. Then you close the book and say, 'This author can't write anything good anymore.' Do you think that conclusion is valid?"
"The first third of a work serves to lay the groundwork, build momentum, and lay the groundwork for all the necessary foreshadowing."
You can't conclude that the author doesn't have any plot points before he's even started wrapping them up.
"As for the 'simplistic approach to suspense,' I actually think the suspense in the first eleven chapters of the third book is more complex than that in the first two books."
"The suspense in the first two parts revolves around 'who is the bad guy' and 'what's in the Chamber of Secrets,' following a single storyline throughout."
In the first eleven chapters of the third book, is Black a bad guy? Is Scabbers just an ordinary rat? Why does Professor Lupin always appear at crucial moments? Why has Hermione suddenly become so mysterious?
"These mysteries aren't nonexistent; they just haven't had a chance to unfold yet."
Larkin wrote at the end of the article, " Richard Henry said, 'I loved the first two, which is why I was disappointed with the third.' I respect his disappointment, but I think he took disappointment as a judgment."
Disappointment is merely an emotion, while judgment requires evidence. And the first eleven chapters do not constitute sufficient evidence.
Immediately following, the Daily Telegraph's literary section published a commentary signed " James Carter".
James Carter is a professor of English at University of Oxford, but his writing style is much milder and more down-to-earth than most academics.
In his article, he wrote, "I reread the first eleven chapters of the third book, this time specifically with the questions raised in Richard Henry's article in mind."
"After reading it, my feelings were somewhat different from Mr. Henry's."
"He said he's become lazier in delivering information, but I think it's a shift in perspective."
"In the first two books, Harry was unfamiliar with the wizarding world, so all the information he received was based on his own experiences."
"But by the third book, Harry had already lived in this world for two years, and many things were already common knowledge to him."
"You can't expect a thirteen-year-old to be as easily alarmed about everything as an eleven-year-old. This isn't a 'weakened narrative ability,' it's the natural growth of a character."
He said the conflict between Ron and Hermione was poorly written, with eleven chapters dedicated to a cat chasing a mouse.
"I admit this part wasn't handled brilliantly, but calling it 'thin' is a bit of an exaggeration."
"Most of the time, thirteen-year-olds argue over trivial things that adults consider insignificant. This isn't 'deliberately creating dramatic conflict,' it's just reality."
He said the spectacle was less imaginative, and I admit that the Knight Bus wasn't as breathtaking as the chess game and the Basilisk from the first two films.
"But there's something in this one that wasn't in the first two: Dementor."
"I believe the Dementor is the most profound Magical Creatures the author has created so far."
"It doesn't frighten people with visual grotesqueness, but with emotional emptiness."
"Isn't it a more sophisticated form of imagination to evoke fear and the feeling of despair?"
James Carter concluded his article by writing, "I don't believe Allen Wayne has run out of ideas."
"I think he's trying some new things, and these attempts might not be going smoothly at first, but I'm willing to give him time."
"If he still hasn't sorted things out by the time the second half comes out, then I'll reconsider my judgment."
"But it's too early to say 'he's gone' now."
Many people in the literary world joined the debate, much to the delight of those outside the literary circle.
In a London café, two literary editors sat facing each other, with a copy of the Times supplement spread out on the table.
"Look at what Henry wrote here." The editor on the left pointed to a line in the newspaper with his fingertip. "'Information overload' is too strong a word."
"It's a bit heavy, but you can't say it's completely unreasonable." The editor on the right picked up his glass, took a sip, and spoke calmly.
"That's called pacing adjustment." The editor on the left slammed his cup on the table, his tone tinged with a hint of argument. "You can't make every film as fast-paced as the second one."
"The third film is clearly laying a larger net; Black, Dementor, Lupin, the Marauder's Map —these things need space to unfold."
"I didn't say it was bad." The editor on the right put down his cup. "I just said that while some of Henry's writing was harsh, the flaws he pointed out do exist."
The editor on the left shrugged. "That's the biggest problem with Henry's piece."
He equated "I think this passage is not well written" with "this author has lost his talent."
"Yes." The editor on the right nodded. " The Boggart concept is brilliant; the wardrobe contains everyone's deepest fears. This idea is top-notch even in the entire fantasy literature genre."
"And that entrance of the Knight Bus, at first glance it seemed like a joke, but thinking about it carefully, the timing of its appearance was exactly when Harry was most helpless."
"Are these things just a perfunctory gesture? Obviously not."
"That's why I said the problem with the first eleven chapters of the third book is the issue of selection." The editor on the left spread his hands.
"You've laid out too much; you'll have to cut back in some areas."
"It's normal for readers to feel unsatisfied if some parts are cut too much. But that's a completely different matter from the author being unable to write anything."
In an office, Charles lay a newspaper on his lap, his black tea half-cold, but he didn't bother to drink it.
"I know Richard Henry," he said, looking up at a colleague passing by.
"That's how he always writes; he seizes on a single point and digs into it relentlessly, as if he wants to turn the entire manuscript into a manifesto."
His colleague stopped and glanced at him. "You think he already wrote it?"
"I don't think he overdid it," Charles said, folding the newspaper and placing it on the table, his tone calm and certain. "I just think he's in a rush."
"Only the first half of the third part has been released, and the first half was originally intended for paving the road. Is it reasonable to conclude that the road builders don't know how to pave a road before the road is even finished?"
"That's true," my colleague nodded. "But readers don't care about that. If they buy the book, read the first eleven chapters, and think it's not as good as the first two, they'll get angry."
"Of course." Charles picked up his now-cold tea and took a sip. "But what did that editorial in the Times Literary Supplement say?"
"Let's see if anyone still remembers them in fifty years. We commentators can't be in a hurry to draw conclusions before time itself."