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78 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Star Wars Episode I Equivalent of the Harry Potter novels, 15 Oct 2007
While the proceeding five novels of the Harry Potter sequence had interesting stories in their own right, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE, much like Star Wars Episode I, felt much more like a trailer to upcoming events than an interesting story in its own right.
While EPISODE I was undeniably a train wreck, especially with that travesty of Jar Jar Binks, the movie introduced all the key characters of the new trilogy. EPISODE I's principal function was this introduction, and setting into motion the events that would lead the characters to their ultimate destiny. In this regard, EPISODE I and the sixth Harry Potter are remarkably similar.
Of course, the real difference is Rowling had five full novels before hand, whereas Lucas had only one movie to introduce his new set of characters. While the other books in the series always advanced the overall story's arc, Rowling always managed to have succinct, stand-alone novels that stood remarkably well on their own right. HALF BLOOD PRINCE is very much the exception to the rule in this regard. HALF BLOOD PRINCE is so exposition heavy, setting all the foundation work for the seventh book, that it relegates its own plotline as largely secondary. Let me elaborate.
In the proceeding five novels, each title drove the book's overall plot. In PHILOSOPHER'S STONE, the principal mystery was what was the stone and how to protect it. In the second book, the chamber had been reopened and there was a dangerous basilisk on the prowl. The third (and in my opinion the best), Azkaban's escaped prisoner was the fuel driving the events of that novel. Just as much as GOBLET was about the Triwizard Tournament and ORDER OF THE PHOENIX about the resistance to Voldemort, one would expect this trend to continue with HALF BLOOD PRINCE.
To this book's detriment, that is not the case. While there is certainly some mystery to who this prince is, and who ultimately figures in heavily with the book's climax, HBP is much more about the seventh book than anything else. In the American cover art, you have Dumbledore and Harry looking at the Pevensie, which turns out to be the real meat of the book anyway. HBP is far more about laying the seventh book's final outcome than having anything to do with some half-blood prince.
It is disheartening to say that you could actually excise the entire HBP subplot (a subplot is really all it is), and still have largely the same novel. The same could not be said of any of Rowling's previous work. Of course, the irony in all this is once Harry figures out who the HBP is, he does figure very heavily in the plot, but not because he is a half blood prince. Actually, Harry doesn't even really figure out who he is, but now we're getting into spoiler territory so I will say no more.
As far as the death goes (there are two deaths, but the first no one will care about), it is both devestating and shocking. Without revealing to much, it is both tremendously sad and incredibly strange that she would write out such an important and humanizing character. But following the Joseph Campbell mythological plot line that the hero must face his ultimate nemesis alone, without guidance, the death makes sense.
As for the people saying Rowling was stealing from LORD OF THE RINGS with some of the events in this book, I'd say "Yeah, and? What do you think the dementors are? They're just ring-wraiths tweaked a little bit." Without giving to much away, I think Rowling did quite an interesting job with Voldemort's method to immortality.
Ultimately, all HBP does is build up for the final confrontation with Voldemort in Book VII. No other book in this series is anywhere near as exposition heavy as this installment. While Rowling needs to set up the events for the last book, it would have been nice to have a more self-contained novel than this is, which is what the others are.
Overall, I give the book three stars, but that is only for this weakness in the plot of the book itself. I must confess I enjoyed this much more than PHOENIX. I remember buying that two years ago, anxious to return to Hogwarts to see familiar faces, old friends, and exciting times. Unfortunately, Harry was extremely moody and pretty much a flat out ass to everyone, and I felt like why did I want to come back to see such petty bickering? I was thrilled to see HBP did not continue this trend, even if it forget to have its own, more-or-less self contained plot.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book so far!, 28 Mar 2006
By A Customer
For once, the critical reception is correct - this is probably the best-written, and best overall, Harry Potter book so far.For the first time, the series truly feels like an epic, one big story. Things suddenly become very clear that were just there unconsciously before. Were you wondering why on earth Riddle's diary was important in Chamber of Secrets? It's all here. Why Ginny Weasley kept one-upping Cho Chang in Order of the Phoenix, and why Harry got a lump in his throat when talking to Ginny in that book? That takes off like a rocket in this one. The series now feels like a saga, one story told over seven chapters, rather than a series of vaguely connected seperate novels. The central theme of this book is choice - who do we choose, and why do we choose them? It's a theme which has been present throughout the series, but really comes to the forefront in this book, and permeates all of the main plots. The backstory on Voldemort is fascinating, and comes at just the right point in the series. We finally learn exactly why Voldemort and Harry are such opposites, and the choices they - and people around them - made to get them to this point. Would Voldemort have become evil had his mother not capitulated, and had survived to raise him? Had he choosen to heed Dumbledore's advice at Hogwarts, let him take him under his wing? Voldemort always had choices, always had a chance to turn back ... but he chose to isolate himself, cut himself off from human warmth and compassion, and love only himself. It cannot be a coincidence that we discover this in the book in which Harry falls in love - the difference between the two is made very explicit. One can love, one cannot. Rowling's device for Voldemort's immortality is wonderful, and demonstrates the pure evil of what somebody would be prepared to do in order to gain immortality. The Snape-Malfoy murder plot is particularly fascinating, since the issue of Snape's loyalty is still left a little ambiguous at the end of the novel. Whether he is working for Voldemort or not at this point, he remains a complex character with mysterious motives, and nobody can predict which way he will go in the next book. Malfoy also, for the first time, becomes a complex characters, with conflicting motives. He is given a choice at the end - Dumbledore or Voldemort? It will be fascinating to see where Rowling takes this in the next book - perhaps Draco isn't just a token bully after all! The death at the end of the book is the most tragic and emotional yet - I dare you not to have a tear in your eye during the final chapter. The romance is an absolute delight - sweet, funny, but very, very realistic. For anyone paying any attention to the foreshadowing in Books 1, 2 and especially 5, Harry and Ginny's romance has been a long time coming, and it has been worth the wait. The way Rowling has structured this romance, where the two have to grow up a lot emotionally before they are READY to fall in love, has been done sensitively, intelligently and realistically. Rowling's device for Harry's feelings - the "monster in the chest" - certainly brings back memories of what it is like to feel that initial rush of falling in love! Her ability to accurately describe the feelings of teenage boys is amazing! Ginny has been a fiesty breath of fresh air in the last two books, and it's great to see her coming into her own here. The romance feels real, and right for teenagers, but it also feels deep - their final scene together in the book is the most romantic thing Rowling has written in her novels, and is truly heart-wrenching. Then there is Ron and Hermione. Quite probably the most obviously hinted-at romance in the history of English literature, they are still crawling towards the inevitable conclusion. Ron has to realise, in this book, that a relationship based purely on lust is not particularly enjoyable. There has been criticism of Hermione's character in this book, but if you have actually paid attention to her character in Books 1-5, and not been influenced by fanfiction or the films and elevated her to Super Logic-Woman, she actually hasn't changed. Hermione is probably the most insecure, and often emotionally unbalanced, character in any of these books. She nearly has a nervous breakdown over her school-work in Book 3, so her reaction to being spurned by the boy she has been in love with for three years seems very real, and certainly in-character. This is the first Harry Potter book to end on a cliffhanger, and what a cliffhanger it is. This is Part 1 of 2 - "to be continued". Will Harry kill Voldemort? Will he survive? Where do Snape's loyalties lie? Will Harry and Ginny be reunited, and Harry allowed the live the happy life he wants? I, for one, can't wait to find out. JK Rowling has been getting better and better each time; if she carries on like this, the completion of this tale might be something very special indeed.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simplicity, 18 Jul 2005
By A Customer
I have to say, this book will sort the men out from the boys when it comes to Harry Potter fans. With such a huge backstory to complete and many characters to wrap up, The Halfblood Prince will match Order of the Phoenix for narrative power - almost to the book's detriment, as Harry's magical adventures take a backseat to exposition and lengthy conversations.
Halfblood Prince is an odd book - with a dramatic revelation as early as Chapter 2 and several drastic plot points in the first hundred or so pages (with some chilling hints about the coming war) Rowling does an admirable job in raising the Harry Potter experience away from its literature-lite roots.
I do believe that those who hated Order of the Pheonix will hate this book. It has the long conversations, a 600+ page count and to the casual reader, not much happens. To the more seasoned reader, conversations are littered with red herrings, little jokes - references to each of the books in turn. Background characters as far back as Philosopher's Stone suddenly get increased roles, as do regulars such as Ginny Weasley who is rapidly becoming as involving as Harry/Ron/Hermione.
Do I love this book? Yes. Do I reccomend it? Yes.
Just don't go into it with your hopes up.
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