Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

So, I picked up my copy this morning. I've only read a little of it, but it's pretty good so far. Don't be afraid to admit that you too bought the book.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

So, is this the last book? Or is this series ever going to end?

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

i believe the series will end with either this or the next book where pothead dies...


that's only what i heard...

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

I was heading out to Boston Pizza last night with some friends and we drove by the Chapters there which was having a midnight sale of the book. There were all sorts of people dressed up like wizards with broomsticks and all.

I was a little disturbed. My friend ran out and started challenging the people in line to a game of Quidditch.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

Yeah, I went to the midnight opening last night, I've finished the book. Definitely the best in the series, if also the saddest and the darkest.

I really enjoyed it.

There is, and always has been, seven books planned for the series. One for every year at Hogwarts. Although some of that changes slightly, I still believe there will be seven books.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

You got it last night and finished it already? Holy crap man, isn't something like 700 pages long?

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

Just finished the book as well...what to say, what to say?

I guess all I can say is that the book leaves you wanting to see a comedy or something cheery. However, I would also say that it is the best in the series because of the depth that you delve into all the characters and how so much stuff ties together, yet somehow makes more questions come up.

Ambiguous meaning...and uncertain futures await our heroes.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

Yeah, now that I've read it I'm listening to the audiobook on my iPod, hoping to draw a few more conclusions and pick up on some vague hints.

Listening always helps me with that.

Let me just say, without spoiling what's on it, that page 606 was spoiled for me. A gigantic scan of the page, shoved in my face while looking for a midnight release store.

So if you've read it already, skip back to that page and reread which one it is. And you'll know why I was sick to my stomach for a week before the book came out.

The very worst aspect, without any of the good in the book to go with it.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

I finished just about 40 minutes ago. I liked it, but it still hasn't surpassed Prisoner of Azkaban as my favorite Harry Potter book.

I have to say I was a little bit surprised at the end (not the "big surprise," but the very very end), but not unpleasantly. I am really really looking forward to #7 now.

And I swear to God that if Rowling goes crazy and goes past that number... there will be death.


/me shrugs and walks away

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

I just finished the book, I thought it was pretty good, but definitely not the best one.










***Spoiler***























Does anyone know/think they know who R.A.B. is?


























***Spoiler***

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

***Spoilery Speculation*****





























































I bet he's related to Sirius Black.



















































*stoping spoilers*


/me shrugs and walks away

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

Response to spoiler:
























I assume it's Regulus Black, Sirius' younger brother who was "killed" when he tried to leave Voldemort. I assume he destroyed the Horcrux before leaving, so Voldemort never really had any idea of its destruction.

































End Spoiler

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

Ok, I had to skip over all that spoiler stuff but here is my response to this thread:

I picked up the book here in France on Saturday around noon. Read it for a few hours and definately am enjoying it. I am on page 400 or something aournd there. A couple of disappointments but I am keeping my hopes up.

And for those of you you would like to make fun of us HP fans, here is something to chew on:
I have the british copy here in France with me
I have the American copy at my parent's house in Ohio (I preordered and got a free t-shirt)

AND...
I am keeping both of them!

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Who is dumbeldoor?

I dunno if that is a spoiler or not, but it is funny ass STUUUUUUUUUFFFFFFFFFF

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

:rofl:

nice one.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

lmao that's almost as funny as the picture i posted in my LJ

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :beerchug: :beerchug:

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

umm...you allready posted that :p

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

oh...

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

********SPOILER**************









































Ok, so I finished reading the book last night. And I have to be honest....I cried.
And I think that Regulus is a good speculation for RAB. Lots in store for Harry and his pals. I certainly looking forward to it.















































************END SPOILER************



That book was awesome

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

I didn't get the book when I should have because I was on vacation, so I'm about a week late on this. But when I got back I immediatly started reading the book (which had came to me via the mail because I pre ordered it). I finished it the next day. I'm sad for a number of reasons, number one being that I don't have anything to read now.

I don't think this was the best book in the series. There is something...wrong with it. I just don't know what it is. I still loved it with all my heart, but there is just something different about it than the other Harry Potter books. She has changed her style slightly. Plus, the character development in this book was absolutly horrible. Characters were falling love and fighting for no apparant reasons, and we literally learned nothing new about any of the characters in this book, except for a couple.

But all that aside, I still loved it, but I think it has replaced the Chamber of secrets as my least favorite in the series so far.

And JK is really overdoing this dramatic/dark/death stuff. Where the hell is the comedic relief?

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

In Diagon Alley, far far away from Hogwarts...


/me shrugs and walks away

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

I really liked it. I dunno why... Maybe it filled in some things I miss in my life, I seriously don't know.

BTW, does anybody else get depressed after finishing a HP book? I haven't been able to snap out of it for a few days...

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

Bube, I was pretty depressed after reading this. It just ends and nothing is explained, I want to read more!!


***** SPOILERS ****

















I like the idea for RAB being Regulus, but I think Joe R. will mix it up a bit and not let it be so obvious, though it's not exactly obvious to the casual reader... hmm...

I heard a theory that Harry himself is the sixth "missing" Horcrux. It would explain why he feels what Voldermort feels and thinks and how, as Dumbledore said, Voldemort gave a little piece of himself to Harry when he cursed him. As I remember what we know so far, Voldemort was supposed to use Harry as a big kill (as in not just some Joe Wizard) to make his final horcrux, but for some reason it failed. So my guess is in his last moments after he failed in killing Harry, Voldemort instead made Harry his horcrux. I dunno, but it would make you think of the prophecy in a different way.

As for Snape, I like this mystery the most, and I have three reasons why I think he's good and not evil.

For one, I went back and reread the early on when he makes the Unbreakable Vow, and I remembered that Snape made the Vow to finish Malfoy's task if Malfoy were unable to do it. In other words, Snape didn't only have to protect Malfoy or face death by the vow (as I had remembered before rereading that chapter), he HAD to kill Dumbledore no matter what otherwise he would die. Dumbledore must have known this, because he knew about Malfoy's plan, and my guess is he made Snape take a promise to kill him if the time came (like he did with Harry). Perhaps that's the argument Hagrid overheard between DD and Snape.

Secondly, DD really has no use anymore. I'd rather him not be dead, but assuming that any normal wizard can't defeat Voldemort (even one as strong as Dumbledore), and only Harry can kill him, then if either him or Snape had to die in that confrontation DD might as well be the one to die in order to let Snape live. DD already told Harry everything he knew about the horcruxes and what must be done, while Snape can still serve a very powerful purpose by continuing to be a double agent in Lord Voldemort's cinner circle thing.

Thirdly, DD trusted Snape with no doubt in his mind, and I think it has to do with love. DD made such a big deal about the power of love with Harry and that love is the one power that Voldemort will never know, that I think DD knew Snape knew love. And I think Snape had loved Harry's mom. She was so good at Potions, a theory that I'm stealing is that, being the half-blood prince, he helped her with her potions homework. Then Harry's dad stole the help and used it against Snape, as was shown in the memory Harry saw with Harry's dad and Sirius. It would explain why he gets so mad when Harry tries to use Snape's magic from the potions book against him, and also help further explain why Snape hates Harry so much. It should have been his son....

Well, just ideas. I love the mystery... :)















****** END SPOILERS ******

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

Very cool ideas. I don't think there is much I can expand upon. I guess I would be one of those "casual readers" you were talking about.


**SPOILER**









I think your theory on Harry as the sixth horcrux is very interesting. It's conceivable that he split his soul after killing Harry's mother. However, wouldn't this kind of go against the prophecy? Harry would have to die in order for Voldemort to be killed wouldn't he?














** END SPOILER**





The main thing this book made me want to do is go back and re-read the other books.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

Me, too. I wanted to go back and reread them all, but I knew that would take over my life for the next month. So instead I went to Google and searched for "half blood prince discussion" and found a couple good ones that got me thinking about these ideas. All the details of rereading the books, a fraction of the time. :) Wikipedia also has good stuff about it.

I'm a casual reader, too, except to the extent that I go online to look for stuff and to talk about it. I barely know who Regulus is!



**** SPOILER *****

















Yeah, that's the one thing that's keeping me from believing it. You would have to twist the prophecy around it to make it fit, such as perhaps Harry can't live his own normal life until Voldemort dies, and Voldemort, after all the rest of the horcruxes are destroyed, can't live unless Harry dies and the last horcrux in Harry is brought back as him.... Yikes, that's what i mean by twisting. :)














***** END SPOILERS******

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

so wait...snap kills dumbledoor?

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

That post should have spoiler warnings.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

Awww comon...EVERYONE knows that by now...

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 

You mean, what? A month after the book came out? Yeah, everyone knows...