Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

[Minimi]

4% of the rest claim that Harry Potter is the Antichrist.

I belong to the 4% Harry Potter is the Antichrist, as he will take over our entire planet.

[Blackthorne]

I've read Harry Potter.

I think it's pretty light and fun reading.  Nothing wrong with that, but it's not - say - Tom Robbins.  Or even Voltaire.

Also, I think at this point, JK Rowling could take a steaming shit on a binder full of paper, but a cover on it that says "Harry Potter" and 7 million copies would fly off shelves.


Bt

[Disco]

Also, I think at this point, JK Rowling could take a steaming shit on a binder full of paper, but a cover on it that says "Harry Potter" and 7 million copies would fly off shelves.

She'd have too eat a buttload () of high-fiber foods to do that. Sure, there would be about 1.76 million sickos that would buy it, but I sure wouldn't. Well.....at least I wouldn't pre-order it  .

[Potch]

Spoiler

  I have another theory.  Isn't it true that most ghosts come back because they are lamenting some horrible thing that happend surrounding their death?  If Dumbledore WAS wrong about Snape, then he would be feeling incredibly remorseful and could possibly become one of the Hogwarts ghosts, and haunt until this whole business with Voldemort (I'm not afraid to say it  ) is finished.

[close]

[Phemar]

Spoiler

Potch, you need to set yourself up to become a ghost before you die, I think ... ?

As for the Snape killed Dumbledore under his own orders theory, that's bollocks IMO. Dumbledore was intelligent enough to know the Malfoy could never have had it in him to kill him. Dumbledore's extreme, but he's not that extreme! Snape could also have just disarmed Malfoy there.

[close]

[Mr Flibble]

Spoiler

Made you look.

[close]

On the question earlier about naming some literature that beats Harry Potter, I've got a few. anything by Pratchett, but to be specific, Reaper Man, Interesting Times, and so on.
Oh, and since HP is a kid's book, Pratchett's kids books (A Hatfull of Sky, for example) are good reads, and the only thing that gives them away as children's novels are the swearwords. 
I also reckon Shakespeare could beat JK.
On the issue of "95% of people haven't even read blah blah a friend of mine once tried to make me read one. When I started to get bored he even skipped ahead to a more exciting part, but I just didn't like it. The story, on the front, seems quite interesting (Boy becomes wizard) but JK's writing style is just....bleh. Theres no scintilating wit like Pratchett, no social commentary like Heinlein, etc.
Although, to be fair, it is a children's book.

Its probably okay for children, but I do find it a little bit wierd when you see adults going around reading it. I mean, when you could be reading something deep and meaningful, people choose children's books. Maybe the entire world wants to regress to childhood or something, I don't know. This is just my opinion by the way.

[Minimi]

I read the first book, and didn't like it at all. Some writers that sure beat JK:

C.S. Lewis -> The Narnia Chronicles
Shakespeare
The Bible
Left Behind series

[passer-by]

On the question earlier about naming some literature that beats Harry Potter, I've got a few.

I hope you don't mean this one:

What do you mean by real lecture? Any example (author or title) would do.

because I didn't say that JKR is the best author ever. My question was general.

I mean, when you could be reading something deep and meaningful, people choose children's books.

People can very well read both serious and "easy" books and find the good elements in each.

[Potch]

I know plenty of adults that adore the books. Ã, You are criticizing us because we are not reading something with a deeper meaning or more intelligent. Ã, Harry Potter is one of those guilty pleasures. Ã, Sure, it's not deep and meaningful (although, being a sappy girl, I really like how Harry can always beat Voldemort because of his ability to love...it gives me warm fuzzies), but it doesn't have to be deep and meaningful. Ã, It's like someone choosing to watch The cartoon network instead of The West Wing. Ã, You can read it, enjoy it, and not think about it. Ã, I read all kinds of books. Ã, I'm currently fighting my way though Les Miserables, and although it is an excellent book, after awhile I have to put it down, because frankly, much of it is boring. Ã, I don't think the love in the Potter books is about wanting to be a child, it's about wanting to escape. Ã, 

On them being children's books... honestly, some of the content, especially in the last three, I think is too much for younger children. Ã, I mean, there is some pretty gruesome things in the newest book especially. Ã, Just my opinion though.

To criticize us for enjoying something that takes us away from our stressful lives, that billions of people also enjoy is, forgive me for this, but it's just snobbery.


Now, back to discussing the book itself....

Spoiler

Ã, I may have missed something, so feel free to prove me wrong, but if you have to set yourself up to come back as a ghost, then did Moaning Myrtle set herself up?

[close]

Spoiler

Ã, Why is it so far out of reach to think that Snape was acting on Dumbledore's orders? Ã, If he would've disarmed Malfoy, or helped Dumbledore, then the Death Eaters would've known that Snape was on the good side. Ã, I think that Dumbledore knew that he had to be killed, Ã, in order for Harry to realize that he had to step up and seek out Voldemort himself. Ã, Just a thought. Ã, I just refuse to believe that Dumbledore was that naive in believing in Snape. Ã, Unless... he knew along that Snape was on the wrong side, and he knew all along that it would come to this point, and everything is just preordained in the prophecy....hmmmm maybe there's more of the prophecy that Dumbledore didn't tell Harry.

[close]

[Phemar]

Narnia ... pffff. Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers beats anything ever written. Excluding the bible

Anyway, Potch:

Spoiler

I think Myrtle did mention the 2nd book that she set herself up to be a ghost so that if she dies she can haunt that one dude for the rest of his life because he was teasing her.

[close]

Snape Theory:

Spoiler

You have a point, Potch, but it does get a bit annoying all the time when Harry perhaps points out a place where Dumbledore might've made a mistake and he's all like, "Hey, I already know that, man, I like did it on purpose!"

[close]

[Mr Flibble]

Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers beats anything ever written. Excluding the bible

Debatable.



Good point about the 'guilty pleasures' of Harry Potter btw. (I know the feeling, Fairly Odd Parents rules) but I suppose I never got a handle on HP because there's no humour to my knowledge. Call me a hyprocrite if you will (after I pimped shakespeare) but I do prefer funny books. Like Pratchett.

[Potch]

I don't know, there are places in the HP books that make me laugh at loud.  Peeves the Poltergeist always makes me laugh.  There isn't a laugh on every page or anything, but there are funny moments.... for example in Prisoner of Azkaban, when Malfoy and his cronies dressed up as dementors and tried to scare Harry at the Quidditch tournament, and Harry sent a patronous after them, knocking all three of them unconscious. But you're right, her writing style isn't funny, but there are humorous events.

[Al_Ninio]

Rowling's writing makes me laugh, although I'm sure it's unintentional.

[deadsuperhero]

I too have a theory of my own about the end

Spoiler

Could Snape have been discovered as a spy by the Death Eaters and put under the Imperius curse?

[close]

and another thing

Spoiler

Will Harry still love Ginny? He said he couldn't be with her because of Voldemort, but she didn't care about death, she wanted Harry. Maybe he'll marry her after he finds the horcruxes and kills Voldemort and the Death Eaters for good

[close]

[Potch]

Spoiler

  I'm inclined to think that Harry and Ginny will end up together... unless Rowling goes the Joss Whedon way of thinking, in which no one will end up together and happy endings don't exist.... Ginny will probably end up tagging along with the rest of the gang while they search for the Horcruxes.  She's a pretty headstrong girl, and I doubt she'll sit by while the rest of them goes off.  I'm hoping that Neville and Luna tag along as well, because I really like those characters, and I thought there wasn't enough of them in HBP.  Incidentaly, anything with Luna cracks me up.

[close]

[Phemar]

One thing that annoyed me though: I hated the way Harry walked around popping boners at every girl he saw, I mean sometimes I swear he would've popped a boner so hard that it would've like pinned Ginny against the wall or something.

[Redwall]

Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers beats anything ever written. Excluding the bible

Dirk Gently beats Hitchhikers.

C.S. Lewis -> The Narnia Chronicles
The Bible
Left Behind series

If you're going to get religious, might as well mention His Dark Materials.

[Venus]

I finished the book the day it was published. Just couldn't stop reading.

My theory is a bit different to what has been posted here so far:

Spoiler

I don't think that Dumbledore was killed on his own orders. What sense would that make? He is far more valuable than Snape. But anyway, my theory is that Dumbledor is not dead at all, but that this whole killing scene was just a set-up. I still refuse to think that Snape is such an evil bastard. The way that his "real" attitude (being still a Death Eater) was shown right from the beginning, namely in the second chapter, made me think the most. Snape was suspected to be evil a various times before, but there was always a twist in the story and he turned out to be one of the good guys after all. My hopes now are that JKR just kept this twist for the next book. Dumbledore just can't have been so wrong about Snape. He trusted him to the very end. Both, Dumbledore and Snape are mighty wizards. My hopes are that they faked the whole thing. Voldemort would think he got rid of one of his worst enemies and would trust Snape even more.
Well, possibly I'm just making the whole thing up because I don't want to believe that Dumbledore is dead, but there are certain clues for ma theory and I'm just clinging to that last bit of hope.

[close]

[Layabout]

Ok, I admit it. I bought this book and read it. And I enjoyed it. What the hell is wrong with reading them? Huh?? They are quality, reasonably well-written books, and unlike most kids books, they are focused more on the 16-19 age group than say 10-12 age group. The characterisation of the harry potter gang are quite believable, well, except for the magic stuff.

Just remember, even the Author said that she hasnt decided who will be the one who lives....

[Potch]

Somebody ought to make a Harry Potter AGS fan game.     If i was in any way talented, I'd do it myself, but as I suck at drawing and programming.....