Will the web blow the plot?

There was an interesting piece on the Today programme on Radio 4 that actually had me agreeing with Jeffery Archer. The discussion was around whether or not it was right to reveal the ending of the final Harry Potter book on the web. Archer pointed out that it might ruin the experience for readers that wanted to discover it for themselves. The interviewer asked if it was important not to know the ending and pointed out that people were quite happy to go to the films knowing the outcome.

With a book like Harry Potter revealing the ending unravels all of the hundreds of pages of plots and build-up that keeps you gripped. Take that away, and no doubt the web will do, and it certainly spoils it for plenty of people. The problem is of course that you have to go and buy it at midnight and then read the whole thing before you meet anybody that might blab about the plot – a harder task than anything Harry faced!

UPDATE: Looks like it has already happened according to reports on The Guardian website which is a great pity. Don't spoil the fun for everyone.