Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

[SSH]

Well, now having finished the whole book, my considered opinion is:

Spoiler

Well, having had it spoiled because I didnt think i would read the book, I think that it was still an enjoyable read. Also, when you know that Dumbledore's going to pop it, its pretty heavily hinted at all the way through the book.

I think, actually, that HBP is a much better book than the previous two. In fact, it is maybe the best book in a kind of Empire Strikes Back way, having a similar kind of hanging ending. Although it is also VERY similar to LOTR: Old wizard and mentor dying, Snape as Gollum, Harry (Frodo) trying to go off and do what he has to do and trying to leave the others behind him for their sakes. However, I don't think there's a parallel for Aragorn....

[close]

From what JKR says here: http://www.mugglenet.com/jkrinterview.shtml I think that Snape still being a triple agent is a bit optimistic

[dasjoe]

I have noticed that 95% of the people who bash Harry Potter are those who haven't even read the books. 4% of the rest claim that Harry Potter is the Antichrist.

let me calc, 4% of (100%-95%) = 0.002
whats with the other 4.998%?

well, i read the first two books. i found it boring, so i stopped. and i dislike stuff being hyped.. but guys who know me from #ags probably knew that.

oh, found a nice spoiling pic. won't post it for obvious reasons

[monkey0506]

http://www.mugglenet.com/jkrinterview.shtml

Interesting read SSH.  I've only read the first part, but, there's some good info in there.  It's funny to hear from JKR that she likes to read people's theories...

[Mr Flibble]

Where else do you think she gets her ideas from?

[monkey0506]

I always thought it was the voices in her head...

[Miez]

Read it, enjoyed it a lot but got sort of p*ssed off over the following:

Spoiler

If Snape really turns out to be an evil bastard, I'm going to ritually burn all seven HP books. He's one of the few truly interesting characters in the books IMHO. I think it would just be too easy (in a way) to "write him off" as an evil wizard. Snape deserves better. Harry Potter having to cooperate with a man he really loathes is just so much more interesting than having him save the world with his buddies. Just my 2 cents.

[close]

[Blackthorne]

Read it, enjoyed it a lot but got sort of p*ssed off over the following:

Spoiler

If Snape really turns out to be an evil bastard, I'm going to ritually burn all seven HP books. He's one of the few truly interesting characters in the books IMHO. I think it would just be too easy (in a way) to "write him off" as an evil wizard. Snape deserves better. Harry Potter having to cooperate with a man he really loathes is just so much more interesting than having him save the world with his buddies. Just my 2 cents.

[close]

Spoiler

I absolutly agree.Ã,  If Snape truly is evil, it's the easiest deus-ex-machina in the entire series, and it's a stupid way out.Ã,  I'd call shenanigans.

[close]

Bt

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Having read all of the books (so far), I can safely say (imo) that:

Spoiler

The whole point of the phoenix being Dumbledore's familiar was to foreshadow his inevitable death and resurrection.  Wow, I didn't see that coming -_-.  It's also fairly obvious that Snape did exactly what Dumbledore wanted.  Rowling employs TOO MUCH foreshadowing in her work, often to the point that it becomes blatantly obvious far in advance how events will unfold.  For example, I knew Snape would attack Dumbledore the moment he seemed to waffle a bit on Snape's loyalties (right after Harry discovers it was Snape who told Voldemort about his parents).  Also, there are enough inconsistencies in Snape's unfriendly-but-protective behavior that it's impossible for him to be a true villain.  He has protected Harry on multiple occasions when Voldemort would like nothing more than to see Harry dead, his claim that Voldemort wants to kill Harry was an utter crapstorm (Voldemort is afraid enough of the prophecy to want Harry dead by any means).  It's just obvious that Snape was supposed to perform this act in front of the Death Eaters to prove his loyalty so that he could go back and spy on them whilst Dumbledore recharges in the safety of his tomb- which no doubt will be found empty in the next book at some point to the oohs and aahs of many a child reader.

[close]

That said, I wasn't particularly impressed by the book at all.  As some have said, the love quadrangles are entirely too ridiculous and overplayed to the point where I was groaning for it to end.  As an author myself, however, I tend to be overly harsh with the writing of others so maybe it's just me.

[passer-by]

Spoiler

Although I'd like Snape to be good, I wouldn't feel betrayed or something if he turned out to be evil. What I like is his character, the way he reacts and the way he makes his own way through the book.Ã,  A Voldemort follower or a Dumbledore one, it is of little importance to me as long as he keeps being the capable, cunning, intelligent, manipulating agent of whoever Rowling has in mind.

[close]

[Potch]

Maybe it's because I'm a girl, but I liked the romance quadrangles and all in this book.  I mean, these kids are 16, it makes sense for them to be going through this stuff.  I mean, when you're 16, love and dating tends to be one of the most important things in your life.   You feel like you're going to DIE if so and so doesn't want to go out with you or whatever. 

I don't know.  I found it all amusing.... especially Ron and the love potion.  That reallymade me laugh.

[Vince Twelve]

Finally finished the book (thanks sick day!).  My (very long) thoughts:

Spoiler

I felt a bit let down by this entry in the series.  Even though it wasn't as thick (page-count-wise) as some of the previous books, it felt a lot flabbier.  The plot just wasn't as focused.  In HP5, there was this constant reminder of the nearing and growing danger in the form of dreams that were slowly escalating.  Here, it was more of a "Malfoy's up to something vague-yet-shifty!  But first... some smoochin'!"  I just didn't have the same sense of building tension that the previous entries in the series had. 

The action was all very sparse as well, with Rowling opting to explore the multiple romances instead.  Granted these romances had been building for a while and are important to the whole "love is the key to defeating Voldie" thing, but it resulted in what felt to me like a step backwards for the series.  Each book from the beginning had been getting a touch darker than the one before it, but this one wasn't dark at all until the very end.  I can't understand why the few people on the first few pages of this thread said that this one was "definitely" darker than the last few.  This book fell into a bit of a romantic comedy pattern and then couldn't seem to get out of it.  These scenes went on way too long with way too much repetition.  I mean, how many scenes had no point other than to say "Look! Hermy is getting jealous about Won-won and his new girlfriend... did you notice?  Yes?  Well, here's another scene just to make sure it's been crammed properly down your throat."  It was tiring and I felt it took away from the focus on the much more important plot of an evil-wizard trying to take over the world.

Speaking of Evil Wizards, how come Voldie went on a rampage over the summer causing a bridge to break in two and other violent stuff in the world of Muggles and then as soon as the school year started he kind of... stopped doing stuff.  Hermione checked the papers every day and there were a few deaths and disappearances here and there, but nothing on that kind of scale.  The back of my book ends the blurb with "[...] as the worlds of muggle and magic start to intertwine..."  What intertwining?  All of the intertwining (or at least the majority) seems to have happened before the events of the book, that hardly warrants the word "start" in that blurb.  I felt a bit let down that this very epic-sounding promise from the back cover of the book was never fulfilled.

The ending finally got dark for all of three chapters.  Dumbledore's death had been innevitable.  And for whoever asked how everyone "knew" Dumby was going to kick it in this book, JK let out a hint on her website like a year ago that another person close to Harry would indeed die in this book again, which lead of course to a lot of internet chatter.  Of course no one was sure but... c'mon it's the old rule of storytelling.  I call it the "Rookie of the Year" rule.  When someone has a special power (like being able to pitch a super fast ball or having a super-wizard for a friend) you have to lose that special power before you face your biggest challenge (like the last inning of the playoffs or the wizard who killed your parents) so that you have to achieve your goals using your own powers and smarts.  (Though I don't think the hidden ball trick is going to help defeat Voldemort.).  And as for Snape... we'll have to wait and see, but I'm guessing we have a bit more to learn about where his loyalties lie.

And on a side note: RAB is almost certainly Sirius' brother Regalus who was a death eater until he tried to back out and was killed (possibly) 15 years before the events of HP5 when they mentioned him.  I'm guessing he (or his actions from before his death) will play an important part in 7).

Regardless of the shortfalls of this book, the very open ending definitely made me eager for the next one.  I can't wait to see how everything winds up.

[close]

[Bartimaeus]

I really enjoyed this book, I like the whole series and I really do think she's a good writer.
A few things though,

Spoiler

As to the love stuff: I agree that it was really weak in the book and it kind of let me down a bit. I thought that if she was going to go into all the lovey dovey things she could have at least done it properly. However a friend of mine told me that there was an adult version of the book. This kind of makes sense to me, because if you think about it - This is still essentially a kids book (Or is meant to be)... maybe she homed in on that aspect more in the Adult version...

Something Progmax said also made me think: Dumbledore is closely affilliated with his phoenix, Fawkes in much the same way as Voldemort and his snake, Nagini. At Dumbledore's funeral it says that Harry thought he saw a blue phoenix rise out of the tomb. I really like the idea of Dumbledore being like a phoenix, the bird that ressurects from the ashes - Although I dont really have much hope of Dumbledore coming back to life.

[close]

Finally, there's also the Peter Pettigrew aspect that nobody has yet mentioned. He hardly played a part in this book and its therefore a given that he's in the next because the thing about Harry keeping him alive is supposed to have large significance too.

This last book is gonna be a doozy...

~Billy

[Phemar]

And another thing: Dumbledore and everyone else could still speak to Phineas Nigellus after he died because he had a painting in his office ... Surely Harry can still speak to Dumbledore in painting form, right?

[monkey0506]

Well anything that Dumbledore didn't know at the time the painting was made would have been lost...

[Phemar]

Then someone could paint another painting, not ... ? Someone doesn't have to be alive for you to paint a picture of them, right? Or maybe they do for the magic to work? I dunno ...

[Bartimaeus]

The whole pictures-can-talk thing is pretty vague.
If you read the earlier books you'll find that these were all probably just for the magical effect.
I find it weird that there's a picture of Dumbledore on the wall and they're all worried about him being dead. You can talk to it and it can talk back...

[Phemar]

I also think it depends what kind of picture it is ... Remember the first book - The pic of dumbledore on the bean card thingy never talked ...

[passer-by]

 My summer job

[Phemar]

Haha I was thinking something along the same lines as well earlier ...

[monkey0506]

Well I think that the way it works is...if the painting is enchanted when it's painted...it retains...I don't know...that doesn't make any sense.  Why would she do this???  Explain yourself immediately!!!