Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Discussion

ASUADPi · #1 07-16-2005, 02:01 PM

So I thought it would be wise to start a thread so people who have finished the book could discuss. I have every intention of being done by tomorrow, so I'll join y'all the.

Discuss

ms_gwyn · #2 07-16-2005, 04:30 PM

I haven't finished the book yet

I am going to love this book and hate it at the same time.

and my

still stands because I read pg. 606 (well scimmed it). But yea, I this will be a love/hate relationship.

I am ready to get on a plane to the UK and have some choice words with JK Rowling.....

copacabana · #3 07-16-2005, 05:11 PM

Well, I got the book at 2am this morning and finished it by 5:15am. All I can say is: wow.

(Don't read on unless you don't care that I'm going to discuss the book-- this IS a thread for people who have finished it, after all).

I was really really bummed that Dumbledore died. I thought that he added so much magic to Hogwarts

But seriously, what was it that Dumbledore saw in Snape? You can tell throughout the books (up through book 5) that if Snape isn't evil and on Voldemort's side, he seems like a fishy character and doesn't have good intentions. Why did Dumbledore keep him on the staff, and why did he give him the defense against the dark arts post? (I think I need to reread the book, perhaps it mentions reasoning for that).

All in all, I thought this one was pretty good. My favorite is still "Prisoner of Azkaban", but this one is up there on the list.

ADqtPiMel · #4 07-16-2005, 05:24 PM

So here's my thoughts...

I think R.A.B. is Regulus Black.

As much as I loathe Snape, I still think he's a "good guy," so to speak. I know he killed Dumbledore, but I think there was a reason. Dumbledore begging Snape not to kill him seems incredibly out of character...maybe he was begging Snape TO kill him, for reasons unbeknownst to us. I know there has to be a reason why Dumbledore trusted Snape.

I also think Harry himself is one of the Horcruxes.

I thought the book was absolutely genius, but I know a lot of people won't like it at all.

BetteDavisEyes · #5 07-16-2005, 06:52 PM

I think that Snape killed DD b/c of the Unbreakable Vow he made to Narcissa. However, this does not redeem this bastard in my eyes.
I'm pretty pissy right now over the book though.

I did love the explanation of Horcruxes. That explains why Voldemort can't die...yet.

Too much teenage love drama for my taste but what can you do? They are of that age.

fire1977 · #6 07-16-2005, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ADqtPiMel
So here's my thoughts...

I think R.A.B. is Regulus Black.

As much as I loathe Snape, I still think he's a "good guy," so to speak. I know he killed Dumbledore, but I think there was a reason. Dumbledore begging Snape not to kill him seems incredibly out of character...maybe he was begging Snape TO kill him, for reasons unbeknownst to us. I know there has to be a reason why Dumbledore trusted Snape.

I also think Harry himself is one of the Horcruxes.

I thought the book was absolutely genius, but I know a lot of people won't like it at all.

I agree with you 100% ADqtPI! I also think that Kreacher has the real locket. In OotP in the "Noble House of Black" chapter when they are cleaning out the house Harry mentions a big locket that they can't open.

I'm inclined to believe that Harry's scar is a Horcrux, because of the "only a true Gryffindor" comment from Chamber of Secrets as well as Dumbledore wondering what object of Gryffindor's that Voldemort could possible have placed the Horcrux in.

I will say that I have been hoodwinked by JKR before - she may want us to believe that. It's a little perplexing though because it seems to imply that Harry has to kill Voldemort last and if that's the case - he'd have to try to destroy himself to get rid of that last Horcrux prior to that.

There's still something very important about Harry's eyes that still has yet to be explained, she usually doesn't reinforce something for no reason and it has been mentioned in every book.

blueGBI · #7 07-16-2005, 08:54 PM

http://www.livejournal.com/users/blu...apo/97618.html

My thoughts on lj..

MY SHIP IS CANON!!! REMUS/TONKS IS CANON!!

Beryana · #8 07-16-2005, 09:01 PM

I don't know if I agree that Harry is the Horcrux. The book mentioned that Voldemort was using the murder of Harry to create a horcrux. I guess we'll see!

I'm DEFINITELY going to reread the books - and especially 5! DD's death threw me for a loop - even more than Sirius'. I did like how the revelation of Snape as the Half-blood Prince was sort of an after thought. The title - and even then chapter titles make it seem like this person plays a major role (as the half-blood prince) in the book - which I guess he does, but not in the way he could have! I think this book was more of a revelation of WHY Voldemort is how - and to understand your enemy can help you defeat him. I think Harry grew rather a lot in this book with regards to general growing up (versus the angst and impetuousness of Book 5).

The lovey stuff was a bit much, though!

Sarah

ISUKappa · #9 07-16-2005, 11:31 PM

I'm still undecided as what to think about Snape.

I'm wondering if JK didn't mean the therm "Half-Blood Prince" to stand for both Snape and Voldemort. Literally for Snape and figureatively for Voldemort -- we learn so much more about the back story of Voldemort in this book and how and why he became Lord Voldemort.

I think very little of book 7 will take place at Hogwarts -- at leat not in the terms of the day-to-day life of the students as it has the other 6 books.

midwesterngirl · #10 07-17-2005, 07:20 AM

I am not surprised by anything that happened in this book at all. We knew that Dumbledore was going to die because Harry has to face Voldy on his own as an equal.

As for the Half Blood Prince. I think it was meant to be the play on words that she made it out to be. I need to find the interview but she said that Snape was not a good man and he needed to stop being thought of as such.I think this book was really about Snape not being a nice man.

I also think,and this is strictly my opinion,that Peter Pettigrew will kill Snape. He owes Harry one since Harry spared his life and that is the least he can do for him. The Peter/Snape pairing at the beginning is what makes me think that. She is very deliberate in her pairings of people.

carnation · #11 07-17-2005, 01:49 PM

I was really sad about Dumbledore until I read the part about how at his funeral, Harry saw a phoenix rising from the flames around Dumbledore's body, singing joyously as it sped to the sky. That seemed so Christian, so Narnian.

Also, since Draco was so hesitant about killing Dumbledore, I'm hoping he'll convert to the good guy side.

I also hope that a good deal of Book 7 will take place at Hogwarts, even though Harry claimed he wouldn't be back.

BetteDavisEyes · #12 07-17-2005, 01:52 PM

For some reason, I was kinda hoping that Fawkes would become Harry's pet but I guess since he has Hedwig...*shrugs*

midwesterngirl · #13 07-17-2005, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BetteDavisEyes
For some reason, I was kinda hoping that Fawkes would become Harry's pet but I guess since he has Hedwig...*shrugs*

Doesn't mean he won't come back for the big finale!

DaffyKD · #14 07-17-2005, 02:23 PM

Question for those with deeper minds than mine-- in the first chapter Fudge is explaing to the PM that the Dark Ones are responsible for all the awful things happening around London. Could this be JKR's way of trying to explain Al Quida to children?

DaffyKD

sugar and spice · #15 07-17-2005, 03:15 PM

I CRIED LIKE AN UGLY LITTLE GIRL FROM CHAPTER 27 ONWARD.

I mean, we knew it was coming (or at least I did) -- he had to die before Harry took on Voldemort or there would be no convenient excuse for Harry to do it alone. But OMG, the emotional manipulation here! She's going to have to do a lot to make the seventh book not pale in comparison (drama/emotion-wise) to the sixth.

Is Harry really not going back to Hogwarts next year? He has to be! It's not a real Harry Potter book without Hogwarts.

I agree that R.A.B. is definitely a Black, and probably Regulus.

You know that Ginny and Harry will be together eventually, and Ron and Hermione, so I'm not really that worried that they weren't together at the end of the book.

Mel, I absolutely agree that there is more to the Snape story. The thing is that I hate the guy and I really wish he would turn out to be bad -- but I just don't think he is. That's too simple. Imperius curse maybe?

fire1977, good spot with the locket in the Black house.

The Harry as Horcrux theory is definitely an interesting one, but I don't know if I buy it yet.

I was hitting myself on the head when it was revealed that Snape was the Half-Blood Prince -- how I did not see that earlier, I have no clue.

DaffyKD -- I have always felt there were much stronger Nazi/Death Eater parallels than al-Quaida/Death Eater parallels in the books, but I suppose the fact that it's allegorical means that you could interpret it either way.

On the whole, definitely better than Book Five. I think Goblet of Fire and Chamber of Secrets are still my favorites, but this one was definitely a good read.