Harry was going to pass away eventually

[Burning Man]

...and not due to old age.

According to the official novel, Harry was diagnosed with advanced stage of liver cancer. The novel goes on to explain that Harry tried to keep this information from his daughter, and only would go for treatment after she had left for school. It was on that day when the events of Silent Hill 3 takes place that he was planning to tell her everything over dinner: his illness, the secret of her birth, and even "The Order." He was planning to discuss with Heather about how she would prepare for her future when he's no longer around. Unfortunately, he met his demise at the hands of the Missionary before he had a chance to do so.

Thinking back to the game, I had wondered if this had any relation to Last Drop Cafe in the Hilltop Center. This is where Heather picks up the Pork Liver from an open refrigerator. A lone Insane Cancer is sleeping on the floor. Perhaps, despite Harry's best efforts to keep his illness a secret, Heather knew...?

Rest In Peace, Harry.

[The Adversary]

Oof.

[LittleNightma]

Interesting. I still need to get ahold of the novels myself.

[Droo]

I didn't even realize there was a novelization of SH3.

Is it official? Is it considered canon?

[NanayaShiki]

Is it official? Is it considered canon?

Official, yes.
Canon? Ehhh, up for debate at best. It's as canon as any other novelization not written by the original writer is, I suppose. Do you consider the Resident Evil novelizations canon? The Zelda manga? I don't, personally. My viewpoint is that it's an adaptation, no different from a Silent Hill 3 movie. But as long as nothing is directly contradictory I'm not going to say others shouldn't.

[jthomp1286]

This immediately made me think of "Hometown" from the SH3 OST.

The rest of the bar laughed at him
Only I felt my hope grow dim
They found him dead the very next day
"No more stories from him," I heard them say
We blamed bad luck for his fate
Only I felt terror so great

So, there could be something to this. Unless the author was inspired by the song, of course.

[The Adversary]

>This immediately made me think of "Hometown" from the SH3 OST.<
I always interpreted the song as being about Harry anyway, just, you know, with liberties.

But still a bummer. Only 49 years old with late-stage liver cancer.

So now I'm curious about the novel: What was that thing Harry asked Heather to get for him?

[Herr Shaun]

I found what claims to be a partial translation of the novel online. If this translation is accurate, Harry asks Heather to pick up a book - Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon - which would have "come in handy for something [he was] working on." I think this ties in quite nicely with the game, in that the first puzzle of the game takes place in the bookstore from which she would have bought that book had she remembered.

https://silenthaven.tumblr.com/silenthill3-novel

I don't know if this is considered piracy by the mods/Vixx, but if it is I will delete this post.

[Vixx]

I found what claims to be a partial translation of the novel online. If this translation is accurate, Harry asks Heather to pick up a book - Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon - which would have "come in handy for something [he was] working on." I think this ties in quite nicely with the game, in that the first puzzle of the game takes place in the bookstore from which she would have bought that book had she remembered.

https://silenthaven.tumblr.com/silenthill3-novel

I don't know if this is considered piracy by the mods/Vixx, but if it is I will delete this post.

Nope, no issues with me. Thanks for sharing it!

[The Adversary]

>f this translation is accurate, Harry asks Heather to pick up a book - Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon<
Interesting. That's one of my favorite books. Like, I've read it three or four times, maybe five—it's been awhile, however.

Even made a thread about it.

A brief synopsis: 'A few months after the Germans' secret V-2 rocket bombs begin falling on London, British Intelligence discovers a map of the city pinpointing the sexual conquests of one Lieutenant Tyrone Slothrop, U.S. Army, corresponds identically to a map showing the V-2 impact sites. The implications of this discovery will launch Slothrop on an amazing journey across war-torn Europe, fleeing an international cabal of military-industrial superpowers, in search of the mysterious Rocket 00000, through a wildly comic extravaganza that has been hailed in The New Republic as "the most profound and accomplished American novel since the end of World War II."'

That then begs the question: What did Harry do after escaping Silent Hill? We know he was an author, though I'm not sure how a copy of Gravity's Rainbow would "come in handy" unless he's working on a new novel.

[Droo]

Maybe he was having trouble falling asleep.

[Lifetolifeless]

Doesn't feel very interesting if it's not something that can only be found in Silent Hill. Otherwise, any ol' book store should be fine. Maybe there was something special about that particular copy?

[The Adversary]

It seems to me that Harry just asked because Heather was going to the mall anyway, so it was just a Hey will you do this favor for me while you're there? kinda thing.

I can't find any publication history, except that the edition I have was released in 2006, so several years after the events of SILENT HILL 3. I think the last "new" edition prior to that was published in 1987. Seems like Harry just really wanted the book and didn't want to leave home.

Maybe he should have.

[Burning Man]

I found what claims to be a partial translation of the novel online.

Seems very different from the copy of the novel I have.

[The Adversary]

. . . Then what is it?

[NanayaShiki]

I think what's up on that Silent Haven tumblr is fanfiction, not a translation of the actual novel. If you check their section for novelizations they have one listed for every game and they're all pretty incomplete and (to be honest) increasingly amateur. But from what I can tell the only games that got novel adaptations were 1, 2, and 3 (and the two movies). So the ones for the other games must be fan-made. If SH3 doesn't match up with someone whose reading the official novel, it makes sense to assume it's also a fan one.

[The Adversary]

That’s fair. I’d just like to know what Burning Man knows what we don’t know, after explicitly asking.

[Burning Man]

Ah, well. I don't think the novel explicitly says what that thing Harry asked her to get was either; unless I missed an indirect reference to it somewhere.

I think it's a MacGuffin. Not really important what it is, but that it serves a purpose to progress the plot.

If you're interested in a taste of the novel, I invite you to read the five-page sample I posted in the Silent Hill Media section. Note that any feeling of amateurishness would be my fault, and not the original author's.

[Herr Shaun]

Dang, sorry guys. Didn't mean to get anyone's hopes up.

[Vixx]

Dang, sorry guys. Didn't mean to get anyone's hopes up.

Not your fault. At least we found out before everyone started writing new headcanons! XD