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This entry will be conducted completely in the comments to save those who haven’t read Half-Blood Prince yet from spoilers. (A review will come later.) If you haven’t read it yet, do not read any of the comments. If you’ve followed a direct link to this entry, press the back button in your browser now, etc. etc. All I will say is… it’s good.

Matthew @ 12:07, July 17, 2005 to Miscellaneous | Comments (18)

Comments:

Matthew

Okay, the real entry begins here. Again, don’t read this if you don’t want spoilers about the book.

I had an inkling (due to CoS, a look of Ron’s in OotP and various other things) that Ginny and Harry would start going out by the end of book seven, but I didn’t expect it in this one. Immediately I started noticing the little hints about it (on the train, in the first Potions lesson) and then got more excited as Harry started realising it himself. Rowling may be slated by some as not writing good literature, but on relationships and romance she’s got the thought process and the interactions just right. I came far too close to cheering when Harry kissed Ginny after the Quidditch match. There was a short time when I was a Harry/Hermione shipper but that left reasonably quickly when I remembered Ginny. The break-up at the end reminded me of Spiderman 2 to an extent, except that Harry wouldn’t let Ginny carry on. He loved her too much to risk her life by association with him. It has interesting parallels with decisions I’ve made with regard to romance, and I may well draw that out at a later stage.

But what an ending! It leads right up to a seventh book that will all be to do with relationships, be them between enemies, friends or family. Will it all end happily, though? (I’m seriously hoping that Ginny and Harry survive. If not…)

Must read it again.

</HP-fanboy>

Comment added at 12:42, July 17, 2005

Verity

I don’t think Rowling is particularly convincing with relationships. I also don’t really like Ginny; she nows seems like a better looking Hermione with all the little insecurities and flaws removed. The real question is… Snape. Which isn’t really a question, but nevermind. Let’s talk about Snape. And the lameness of the ‘liquid luck’ (deus ex machina in easy drinkable form :S) and just anything HPB related really. So good.

Comment added at 13:24, July 17, 2005

Matthew

I don’t know, the liquid luck was quite amusing, except that it wasn’t really luck as such, more an omniscient prompting. Which has an interesting theological discussion behind it, I’m sure.

Maybe I’m idealising, or she’s idealising, but the way things worked out romantically seemed… astute on her part. And Ginny isn’t nearly as clever as Hermione. And I have a doctor’s appointment. What about Snape, Verity? :)

Comment added at 08:32, July 18, 2005

Sheepie

After reading chapter 2, I didn’t know whether to think “So Harry and Ron’s suspitions were right all along!” or whether it was a kind of triple-bluff, if that makes sense, and that he was actually on Dumbledore’s side.

Anyway, I was surprised with what happened (with Snape and Dumbledore, not with Hermione/Ron and Harry/Ginny). I hope Neville and Luna go out in book 7.

Comment added at 16:41, July 18, 2005

Mr E

I’m still puzzled about Snape. If Dumbledore trusted him so much I still can’t quite see him being really evil. It must be part of some master plan. I don’t think Dumbledore will do a Gandalf though.

Overall I enjoyed it. Probably my second favourite after number three.

Comment added at 22:52, July 18, 2005

Matthew

I reckon it’s displaced number three as my favourite, but I’m not sure. As to Snape, it’s down to Dumbledore seeing the best in people surely? Put it this way, I can’t see Snape not being evil if he murders Dumbledore. We shall see in a couple of years.

Comment added at 11:03, July 19, 2005

Verity

But he was dying anyway!

Comment added at 13:15, July 19, 2005

Matthew

Was he dying, or just injured and ill? It wasn’t exactly putting him out of his misery was it?

Comment added at 14:00, July 19, 2005

Mr E

Can’t wizards (and witches) do any magic without their wands? Once Dumbledore was disarmed he was completely helpless, yet before Harry got his wand he was making glass disappear and Tom Riddle was “making people hurt”. Once they have a wand, can they not do that any more?

Comment added at 18:42, July 19, 2005

Sheepie

They can, but Dumbledore was in quite a weak state and even normally he wouldn’t have been able to do enough to overcome all the Death Eaters.

Comment added at 19:32, July 19, 2005

Rory

Hmmm…

Gandalf was an Istari. He was practically a demi-God. Dumbledore is but human, and kept reminding us that he was fallible (however unlikely). The events of the book has confirmed that Dumbledore is not without his errors, like all humans.

This book was not as good as the others. The other books had a central mystery (as the Harry Potter stories at heart are mystery novels in a fantasy setting) – this one did not. The only “mystery” was that of the Half Blood Prince (which had no clues OR explanation), and that of what Malfoy was doing (which was quite frankly boring). However I did enjoy the book more towards the end, it challenged my Potter preconceptions and was quite emotional. But otherwise the story was dull. Rowling writes about relationships adequately. Not excellently, but not ineptly.

I liked Verity’s interpretation of a “deus ex machina in easy drinkable form” – I wouldn’t go quite so far as to say that, as a deus ex machina is usually used when an author has painted himself into a corner, whereas this one seemed planned – but it is quite a silly idea. That said, lots of HP things are silly.

The thing that annoyed me the most, however, is Harry. He is arrogant, he is unkind, he is egotistical. Right from the beginning of the series, Harry has had a completely unfounded prejudice against Snape and against Malfoy. Even before he met them he hated them, simply based on what other people have said to him. Granted, they reciprocated the hatred – but two wrongs don’t make a right. But what is furthermore annoying is that Harry is right. What message is this giving to the Harry Potter Generation of children? That even if all the evidence points otherwise, you should stick with your irrational hatred and go for it? Am I alone in not empathising with Harry when Ron and Hermione dismiss Harry’s ramblings about Malfoy in the Room of Requirement? His behaviour was bordering on the obsessive. But he was right! That’s the frustrating thing! He is also dishonest – in every book so far he has cheated to some lesser or major extent. Suffice to say, I’m not too pleased with Harry, or the book. I am, however, awaiting the last one, to see if it lives up to expectations.

Comment added at 14:54, August 1, 2005

Sheepie

But Snape may of course turn out to be good. Dumbledore may have wanted Snape to kill him (this could have been what they were arguing about) so that he and Draco wouldn’t have to die (because of the Unbreakable Vow or failing Voldemort).

And Draco might be turned around, you never know…

In which case Harry has always been wrong. But I agree that he is often not that nice a character.

Comment added at 17:27, August 1, 2005

Becca

Her writing about relationships was good except whenever there was a kiss she used the word snog which is cringeworthy.

I hadnt thought about it like that Sheepie, hmmm and he did stop them torturing Harry though he said that was coz he belonged to V, so maybe maybe maybe…