Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Volume 6

1. I found myself, at various points throughout the story, flashing back to the first time I read Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone. What a fanciful story, fun and full of whimsy that was. I can't really say the same thing about either this story or Order of the Phoenix ... I found myself amazed at some points that these stories were even connected to that first one. I understand ... characters are getting older, times are getting darker, the first wasn't totally fun because Harry's parents still got killed, etc., but it's really a shame that the characters can't seem to have fun anymore, that everything must be seeped in dreariness. At some points HBP reads more like a soap opera than a children's book (which it really isn't), and though that progression makes sense in the world of the story, I believe I'm still allowed to mourn the loss of some of happiness.2. The identity of the half-blood prince ... well, like I said above, no spoilers, but like the identity of Kane's sled as Rosebud, the prince's identity really means very little to the plot of the story. Sure, it is a mystery, but one with very little weight or (seeming) importance.3. Death ... once again, Rowling has hinted that a major character would not survive this penultimate chapter of the series. Once again, Rowling also toys with the readers, using their expectations to jump to early conclusions about certain circumstances. However, Rowling relies on standard plotting, meaning there are probably very few surprises to be found within the middle of the 652 page story.4. Romance ... Rowling ratchets up the hormones in this story, which makes sense considering these are 16 and 17 year old kids in living in truly scary times. The British vocabulary adds a bit of mystery to the proceedings (ie, the kids are snogging, not smooching), but even in British English, a slut is still a slut ... definitely an interesting word to be used, for sure.5. Mysteries ... Many questions are answered, and even more are raised. More light is shed on the "life" of Voldemort, and there are some other interesting ties to the other stories. There are a few of what I like to call "integral" mysteries ... ie, mysteries that drive the plot. Much like in her other books, these mysteries are very unlikely to be solved through the use of logic ... instead, an item innocently mentioned in early description takes much greater importance later, much like Ginny's acquisition of the diary in Chamber of Secrets.While there were definitely some interesting elements in this novel, I'm not sure I enjoyed it nearly as much as some of the other ones. Questions are answered, but at a very slow and deliberate pace. Emotion and description run amok, as in OotP, in such a way that it seems as if Rowling is deliberately trying to improve her writing by "showing instead of telling", yet losing her flow in the process.Perhaps my opinions will change upon further digestion of the material and another reading.My rankings of the novels so far:1. Goblet of Fire2. Prisoner of Azkaban3. Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone4. Chamber of Secrets5. -6. Order of the Phoenix & Half-Blood PrinceBTW: I did notice a few spelling errors in the book ... were they that anxious to get it out ... unless of course breath on a window usually creates a "fug"

While this book is nowhere near as tightly plotted as the Order of the Phoenix (best in the series along with the Prisoner of Azkaban) it is a fun read. I suspect that Rowlings needed to tidy up the plot line before the grand finally that will surely include the battle Royale between Harry and Voldemort. I think Rowlings had realized that she needed to cover a few things that were not covered in the previous books and also could have made the plot for Book VII a drag. Therefore, she had decided to put them in Book VI. These are:1. What makes Voldemort tick? Given the richly detailed world of HP, one has to wonder why we do not know more about Voldemort after five books. In this book Rowlings takes care of that.2. Why Voldemort came back after he had apparently died?3. Why Snape is with the Order eventhough he was a deatheater?4. Will Harry be ready to fight Voldemort mentally?5. What about romance? Will Harry have any?These are indeed difficult questions to answer without making the book's plot disjointed but that is what needs to be done here. And doing this seems like a detour from the excitement of the OOTP especially after OOTP had developed such a loveable and complex character in the form of Luna Lovegood and made Neville Longbottom more than just comic relief.The new character, Prof. Slughorn, is a convinient character that will allow Snape to be taken out of Hogwarts and also allows Harry to take Potions in order to become an Auror. In addition, Slughorn ties up some of the loose ends with Voldemort.Of course the most interesting character in the whole series is Snape and here we are treated to events that seem to mark him as a traitor. However, a careful reading of the book, I think, will leave that open to question, especially when one considers what Hagird says about Snape's conversation with Dumbledore and what Snape says to Harry as he is escaping from Hogwarts. Even as Snape is fending of Harry's hexes, he seems to be lecturing him on what he needs to improve in order to become a better wizard. In addition, the fact that he takes so much offense in being called a coward could be interperted as him disliking his own betrayal of the order. (Snape's betrayal somehow reminds me of the trick that Germans used in WWII to penetrate resistance movements in the occupied countries: they would turn a member of resistance and have him kill (or apparently kill) a few Germans so that he would gain the full confidence of the resistance. That way, the Germans could gained access to inner most sanctums of the resistance and thus, destroyed it). In addition, the fact that Snape does not seem to have been part of the initial invasion of Hogwarts by the Deatheaters seem to show that he was not aware of the details of Malfoy's plan.Dumbledore had proclaimed that he trusted Snape unequivocally, and I suspect part of this may have something to do with what we see in OOTP when Harry sees how his dad had treated Snape and how Harry's mother had come to Snape's defense. Could it be that Snape was in love with Lily and he could not forgive Voldemort for killing her? And that his dislike for Harry comes from the fact that Lily had sacrificed herself for his sake?Again this book, unlike the previous five books, does not have a tight plot and does not have a tight ending. It leaves us wondering why somethings were said and somethings were done. However, I suspect when Book VII comes out, the utility and value of the "Half-blood Pricne" becomes clear.Meanwhile, it was wonderful to journey back to the beautiful and strange world of Harry Potter, even though this time it felt like a detour from Harry's journey towards his grand finale with Voldemort.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, book six in the world famous Harry Potter series, is much better than its predecessor, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Whereas book five seemed bloated and unnecessarily angst-ridden, Half-Blood was spared the verbosity and, so, flowed more quickly.I read the entire book in two days, just finishing it an hour ago.I liked the plot twists. I liked the set-up in the beginning with the chapter on Snape. From that I wondered, "Is Snape really a double agent?" and "Is this chapter foreshadowing something important later in the book?" and "Which side is Snape really on?"Although the end seemingly provides answers to my questions, it still leaves the question unanswered -- at least in my mind -- "Which side is Snape really on?" I won't give away specific plot points, in case there are some still reading the book or deciding to. I have a hunch that the story of Snape isn't fully revealed and that another plot twist may be in the offing for book seven.As reported, a major character dies. I wasn't entirely surprised by which one, but it still wasn't fun to read.Also as reported, romances flourish between the main characters and others. That was a nice touch on author J.K. Rowling's part, although I wish she had developed the relationships more. (In the end, one of the characters tells his new love interest that he can't see her any more. It was a line of reasoning taken straight out of a Spider Man movie and rang a little hollow.)The ending and the set-up for book seven (which purports to be the last one) only raises more questions. In fact, what Harry has to do in the last book is so involved, difficult and complicated that although I think it will make for a fascinating read, I don't for the life of me see how even 1,000 pages would be enough to adequately tell the tale. Unless something happens in Ms. Rowling's mind between now and the publication of book seven, I don't see how one book will be enough to wrap up the Harry Potter saga.Half-Blood Prince is a page-turner. It moves swiftly and deftly. Yet, I felt a strange distance from the characters. It felt less "magical" than previous books. I felt as though I was reading it from afar, or watching the story unravel dispassionately. I don't know why. Maybe I'm years older than I was when I first read the books. Maybe the book was too swift-moving and didn't afford enough depth of character development. I don't know.One niggling detail that bugged me a few times is Ms. Rowling's use of acronyms such as O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. and whatnot. (I know there was one or two more, but I can't remember them off the top of my head.) Also, situations from the previous book were alluded to but not explained. It has been nearly two years since I read Phoenix, so my memory is fuzzy on what happened previously. Plus, I can't recall what O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. stand for. What I would have liked to have seen Ms. Rowling do is on first reference spell out the acronyms and then in all subsequent references, use the acronym.In other words, someone just picking up book six would be completely lost. Very little background and explanation for what's going on is offered. It's assumed by the author that everyone knows and remembers all the details of the series. I, unfortunately, did not.The bottom line? For all its niggling flaws, book six is one of the best books of the series. I think it could have been longer, but it was as long as it needed to be to move the plot forward.Again, given the ending of this book, I don't see how a single subsequent book is possible shy of 1,000 pages. Too much has to happen to bring this story to a close!

I have been an avid follower of the Harry Potter saga for several years now. I am surprised, reading some of the reviews, at the lack of critical reading of what happens in the end of book 6. I will try to explain.For me, the highlight of this book is the astounding ambiguity that sorrounds Snape's actions and Dumbledore's final words to him. Dumbledore implores, yes, but are we sure that we read his plea correctly? I get the sinking feeling reading the reviews that address these scenes, that Rowling has been very succesful at setting us all up for a big surprise on book 7 regarding the last seconds of Dumbledore's life (Sorry for the spoiler but you should not be reading reviews before reading the book).I think Harry is wrong, as he has often been about this character (Snape is, after all, so easy to hate). I think that there will be another encounter with Snape in book 7, but I do not believe that it will be what Rowlings wants us to anticipate here. I do believe that Snape will be the final lesson for Harry in his quest towards maturity (which is, after all, what these books are all about) I believe, based on the ambiguous motivation for his actions, that the killing of Dumbledore might turn out to be the act of ultimate loyalty on the part of Snape (Loyalty to Dumbledore, I mean, not to his ex Master). All you have to do to see this is consider the consequences if Snape had not acted as he did, and the fact that Dumbledore is well known for grasping the consequences of certain situations faster than anybody in the plot. In fact, the position of Harry in the cave with Dumbledore can be construed as akin to that of Snape in the Tower. Did he not promise to sacrifice Dumbledore's life should the wizard deemed it necessary? Knowing the kind of loyalty that Dumbledore inspires, how can we be certain that Snape is not actually doing what in all likelyhood is the lesser evil for Malfoy, Harry, and the Order of the Phoenix. Consider the scene in the tower as it is laid out, who is there, who is not there, and the consequences of either of them not doing what they are asked to do (or forced to do). Are you sure that Dumbledore's words really meant "please, do not kill me"? If you are, read the chapter again, because I think Rowling is toying with a weakness we, as readers, have: the need to believe that things are, in the end, what they seem to be, and the tendency to trust Harry's judgement in spite of Hermione's warnings (which usually turn out to be a more accurate assesment of the situation). Rowling has been doing this from the beginning of the series (consider how many characters seemed something else than what they turned out to be)And if none of the above convinces you of the fact that there is something more than what Harry sees in Snape's act (remember that we are supposed to go through his point of view as readers, only some of us are older and, alledgely wiser) consider then the decision of placing chapter 2 where it is. This chapter is not as clear cut as we might think, and if it were, it would have been a serious faux pas on the part of the author to give away such information to the readers. Rowling, so far, has not been guilty of deflating the plot by means of divulging too much info, quite the opposite.I am placing these thoughts in an envelope which I will reopen the day Book 7 comes out.As much as I liked this book, probably for what it does not tell more than for what it does tell (since I am convinced this is a set up, brilliantly plotted to clear the way for what is coming)I think a star should be taken out of this book's review for the many examples of poor editing it contains. ("Ten years separates.." even a non native like me can recognize this as a sin of subject verb agreement)

. . . from one hero to the other - that's what Half-Blood Prince is all about. Dumbledore, wisest of wizards and most heroic of Harry's "helpers," literally and symbolically turns things over to Harry at the end of the 6th book in JKR's series. The stage is thus set for the final battle we all knew was coming from the moment we completed Book 1. Harry will face Voldemort alone - Book 6 makes that possible.I do like this book - it's exciting, fairly well-plotted, and it's nice to see Harry thinking about things most normal 16-year-olds think about (like kissing girls, for example!). It is, however, hampered by an excruciatingly slow opening (we don't even hear Harry's name for over 40 pages) and a bit too much Shyamalan-style trickery meant to suck the reader in before the trap is sprung in Book 7. The opening chapter at first intrigued me - Rowling gives us our first-ever look at the real relationship between the Muggle government and the Ministry of Magic (along with a nicely veiled reference to the unholy alliance between the Muggle Prime Minister and "the President of a far distant country" . . . I wonder if Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush caught on???). The rather silly conversation between Fudge and the Prime Minister, however, only serves to open up a huge can of worms Rowley simply isn't prepared to deal with. What exactly IS the relationship between the Muggle world and the Magic one? Come one - once you start filling in heads of state about the existence of magic and sorcery there's no way to keep all this quiet! What's happening on the Internet? I picture Muggle teenagers Googling "Dumbledore" and "Sirius Black" and plotting schemes to sneak onto the Hogwarts Express. Reading the first chapter of Book 6, you might assume Rowling was ready to jump into the inevitable clash between the two worlds - the real one and her invented one. But no, the Muggle world is forgotten the moment Chapter 2 begins.Which brings up the trickery. Chapter 2 was written solely to inject more doubts about the trustworthiness of Severus Snape. Snape is one of Rawling's most interesting and fully-developed characters - he has just cause for hating Harry's father (in a way, James created his own enemy by taunting and bullying Snape - just as Voldemort has done by targeting Harry). And we, as readers, have just cause for being suspicious of him - in each of the five previous books, Snape has done questionable things. The fact that Dumbledore has always trusted him has never really satisfied us - remember, even Dumbledore admits to making real mistakes - even serious ones (like keeping Harry in the dark through much of Book 5). So, when Snape makes the "Unbreakable Vow" that he will protect and aid Malfoy in some unidentified evil deed, we are closer than ever to believing that Dumbledore was indeed wrong about Snape, and that Harry has always been right.The trap is sprung in Chapter 27 when Snape kills Dumbledore with the "Avada Kedavra" curse - and a "stupefied" Harry sees it all. Rowling must be smiling in secret satisfaction as her readers conclude (as do Harry, his friends, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix) that Snape is a traitor who has always been doing Voldemort's bidding. It's not true, of course. But we won't find that out until Book 7.It's quite clear that Snape did what Dumbledore asked him to do - he killed the Hogwarts Headmaster to set the ultimate stage for a final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. It's no accident that Dumbledore took Harry with him on his last adventure - a harrowing Indiana Jones-style quest for one of the 7 "Horcruxes" holding elements of Voldemort's immortal soul. It's no accident that a severely weakened Dumbledore demanded that Harry fetch Snape, and not Madame Pomfrey, when they returned to Hogwarts. It's also no accident that Dumbledore silently immobilized Harry just as Malfoy and the Death Eaters raced into his office, leaving himself doubly vulnerable to attack. It's all very clear - Dumbledore WANTED Snape to kill him. It was necessary - it was all part of the plan! Snape didn't want to do it (thus his argument with Dumbledore several chapters earlier), and Dumbledore had to beg him in the end ("Severus . . . please . . ."), but in the end Snape did what his master ordered him to do. Think Judas and Jesus here, from the "Jesus Superstar" perspective - it's a huge master plan, and both the betrayer and the betrayed are playing their designated roles. Snape kills Dumbledore, yes - but he also pushes Harry to the next phase in the story. Dumbledore's death leaves Harry as the sole defender of the forces of goodness and love (as he must be to beat Voldemort). By the end of Book 6, Harry is determined and focused - he will find the remaining Horcruxes and he will face Voldemort, one on one. That was the plan, and Snape's part was necessary. Snape's apparent betrayal protects his cover, which will allow him to remain close to Voldemort and the De...