Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- Spoilers

I just finished reading it, and wow. This thread is for any one to discuss the book, and speculate. LEAVE NOW IF YOU DO NOT WISH THE END TO BE SPOILED!

 

Noooooooooo! Cant be having spoilers!

9 hours to read the book, and not speed-reading neither!

 

around 7 hours for me without speed reading. and I'm only 13- w00t!

 

i need spoilers!!!!....who dies?????!!!!!! :woo: :woo:

 

Read the book! Its only been out a day, and loads havent read it yet.

Hint: its in the last 50 pages or so

 

Booooring!

 

this book was much better than the last. finished it a hour ago.

matt_991

 

she keeps getting better and better

 

I still fail to see the Harry Potter fascination. Yes, they might be good, but it's still a hype machine. People who never go and buy books are queueing up to buy it on the day it comes out, when there are plenty other books of equal and superior quality. Crazy.

 

Have to say i ant really into this whole harry potter phase. i tried reading a book and just gave up on it. Now a song of ice and fire. now that is a good series.

 

Ok... finished it. Wasn't planning to, but I really needed the brain candy.

My thoughts:

1. Its her best work. I'm not sure its the best book in the series, but it is the best written. A huge improvement from Order of the Pheonix, which I thought was a huge step backwards. The Order was repetitive and poorly paced. The Half Blood Prince moves a solid clip and makes great use of series continuity. It also is a far more intimate book and wisely eschews the drawn out, over the top action movie climax of the previous novel for a much more smaller, but impactful final conflict.

2. Without spoiling the death, I can say I am disapointed about who delivered the final blow. I had really expected that character to take a very different arc. I still, strangely, hope for some for redemption, but I just don't see it happening. If it doesn't, then it is an unfortunate waste of a promising character.

3. I'm excited about how the ending may turn the formula on its ear for the final book. It will be interesting to see if Rowling sticks to her guns on this. I really don't see how the larger task can be completed if she doesn't.

Overall its a great penultimate work.

- Matt

 

I'm not the least bit surprised. If the next step is to take the series out of Hogwarts and into the real world, I think it was necessary for all of Harry's illusions about the world to be dropped. That included Hogwarts being a safe place. Plus the youth involved will probably be the one who is redeemed, which seems more fitting for the series. Besides, this killer fits so perfectly with James and Lily!

 

Ok, we're not going to name names but we're defintely into spoiler territory here. If you keep reading things may become abundantly clear:

That was the predictable part. Though I thought the death would be enough. However this was far more satisfying.

Actually I've always was expecting that would be the one character that Harry was wrong about. I still am to some degree. I think they killers arc makes far more sense if thats the case (and with the curse in place something may still happen). But I'll wait until things are far more spoiled before I expand on that idea as it will become impossible to mask their idenity and still make my point.

And I think it would have been a far more poignent (and darker) story if the youth was not able to rehabilitated. It would speak the overall stupidity and cruelty of V's side. Further it would strengthen the entire "war on terror" alegory that she's been playing on.

- Matt

 

You caught that, didn't you? I got about halfway through and said, "gee, this is seen in a different light, especially after the London bombings".

I'm going to be interested to see the character development that comes along with this story. I have high hopes for book #7.

 

So do I, especially after the last few chapters. Theres a lot of stuff in them that directly influences the entire (not just one thread of it) next book.

I am trying not to give any spoilers just yet. I will wait until I have finished my re-read

 

Its been running since the last book. But yeah, I kept thinking about the London Bombings and wondering how this book might have changed if it was released a year from now.

This is definitely the "strikes back" of the HP series.

- Matt

 

I'd heard it was kinda dark in subject....

 

OK, since we're not being specific with the spoilers, I won't go into detail about what I'm about to say, at least not until most everyone who will read the book has done so. I'll just give the bare bones.

I don't believe that the person who was "killed" is really dead.

Not just a "gut feeling", I have real, tangible reasons for coming to that conclusion. As I said, I'll post my reasons later, but remember this: you heard it here first.

 

i wish i had the time to read straight through a whole harry potter book. maybe i should buy it tomorrow. im leaving on the 20th. first im leaving here from va, then stopping in baltimore and sittin in the airport for FOUR HOURS...until the next 5 hour flight to seattle. that book would reallllly give me something to do. well i better leave this thread now..my eyes cant resist a good spoiler, but if its harry potter i gotta find out myself

 

Two comments: does anyone think that RAB could be Regulus Black?

And, as for the redemption of the aforementioned character's killer, I am also hoping for redemption. For all we know the character could have had a prior agreement with his killer -- he could have been giving his killer final resolve to carry out the act...