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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6 - Unabridged 17 Audio CD Set - Childrens Edition)
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| Editorial Reviews: | | |  | | This wonderful book magically brought to life for the listening audience by Stephen Fry Published in time to enjoy over the August bank holiday weekend | | | | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in J.K. Rowling?s bestselling series, picks up shortly after we left Harry at the end of The Order of the Phoenix. Lord Voldemort is acting out in the open, continuing his reign of terror which was temporarily stopped almost 15 years beforehand. Harry is again at the Dursleys, where the events of the previous month continue to weigh on his mind, although not as much as the impending visit from his Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Given their last meeting, Harry is understandably confused as to why the old wizard would want to visit him at home. Rowling opens with a chapter she had wanted to use for the first book, of The Philosopher?s Stone--Lord Voldemort has been creating chaos in the Wizard and Muggle communities alike, the war is in full swing and the Wizarding community now lives in fear. The press have been questioning the events at the Ministry which led to the admission of Voldemort?s return, and of course Harry?s name is mentioned a number of times. Harry?s got his problems, but his anxiety is nothing compared to Hermione?s when the OWL results are delivered. There?s a new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, an assortment of new characters and creatures, and startling revelations about past characters and events. Gone is the rage-filled Harry of The Order of the Phoenix--he?s not being kept in the dark any more, his unjustified Quidditch ban has been lifted and he has matured considerably in his short time out of school. Half-Blood Prince follows Harry into the world of late-teens, and his realisation that nobody is infallible has made his growth that much easier. Accepting his destiny, Harry continues to behave as teenagers do, enjoying his time with his friends, developing his relationships outside of his usual circle, and learning more about how he must, eventually, do what he is destined to do. J.K. Rowling delivers another fantastic tale which will have the readers gasping for more, capturing the characters perfectly and continuing a tale which readers will enjoy over and over again. --Ziggy Morbi | |
| Custom Reviews: | |
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| Brilliant for family holidays | |
| | Brilliant as ever. Stephen Fry and Harry Potter - they come with us on all our family holidays and change long journeys from interminable and dull to exciting and entertaining.
| | Action-packed Story, Teenage Romance, Moral Lessons (No Spoilers) | |
| | In the last book--Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)--Voldemort and his minions tried to steal a prophecy (i.e., a crystal ball that preserves prophetic words previously spoken) about Harry and the Dark Lord, to help them in their wicked bid for power over the wizarding world. With help from members of the Order of the Phoenix--a secret society formed to counter Voldemort's forces--Harry and his friends foiled the plot in dramatic "shoot-em-up" style. (See my review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.)
As a result of the botched attempt to obtain the prophecy, Voldemort's bid for power has become public knowledge, and the (unconfirmed but true) rumor on the street is that Harry Potter is "The Chosen One," i.e., "the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord." This is where the story of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince picks up.
A further result of the botched attempt is that Voldemort is furious with the Death-Eater-captain of the failed operation, Lucius Malfoy, father of Harry's arch-rival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Draco Malfoy. Since Lucius has been imprisoned, Voldemort uses the son to get back at the father, giving Draco a mysterious and dangerous mission while back at Hogwarts. But what is his mission? The effort of Harry and his friends to unravel Draco's plan constitutes a major subplot of the book. Harry is given an old magic textbook filled with notes, hand-written by its former owner, "The Half-Blood Prince." The textbook helps Harry and his mates navigate their year at Hogwarts. But who is the Half-Blood Prince? This question also drives the plot forward.
The other central plot line involves private lessons Harry receives from Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, and Dumbledore's periodic secret excursions from the school. Where is Dumbledore going? What is he doing? Why is his hand so badly burned? And what does the Half-Blood Prince have to do with any of it? The climax of this book yields the sharpest and most shocking plot-twist of the entire Harry Potter series: not to be missed!
In my view, the central subjective appeal of this work of young adult fiction is its storyline. Everything about the story is complex, inviting the reader to study its depths. First, its characters are manifold and psychologically realistic; Rowling even probes the twisted psychology of Voldemort in this book. This thorough development of "the bad guy" is rare and interesting for a children's book. Second, the book's plot is bursting with subplots, each of which dovetails seamlessly with the overall plot of the book and the series as a whole. Rowling masterfully wraps in plot-lines from prior books and sets up the grand plot-line culminating in the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) [Children's Edition]. Finally, Rowling's carefully crafted fantasy world of magic and creatures is compelling and vivid, as always.
One thing that sets this story apart from prior books in the Potter series is the place of intense action and drama. Although the uptick in these is perhaps only incremental from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it is clear that this sixth book is more intense than the earliest books (e.g., Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Book 1), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2), and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)). This is one reason I think the book is firmly in the "Young Adult Fiction" (14 to 19 years) category, and is not simply "Juvenile/Middle-Grade Fiction" (9 to 13 years). The drama and action will particularly appeal to teens.
Just as the intense action and drama is suitable for teens, so the relational themes in this book are mature in a way that will capture teenagers. Specifically, at age sixteen the characters in the book are now firmly entrenched in the world of romance and dating, and the relational tensions that entails. For example, the beginning of Ron's fling with Lavender Brown is described thus: "There, in full view of the whole room, stood Ron wrapped so closely around Lavender Brown it was hard to tell whose hands were whose. `It looks like he's eating her face, doesn't it?' said Ginny dispassionately. `But, I suppose he's got to refine his technique somehow'" (p. 300). Rowling obviously brings a heavy dose of humor to her descriptions of teen romance, which will also appeal.
On the whole, I think Rowling deals tastefully and skillfully with the romantic theme: I don't think there is anything parents of teens should worry about here. The particularly "kissy" sort of romance is portrayed as shallow and silly (as suggested by the quote above). When the romance is more compelling, it is far less physical and much more relational. This contrast in the portrayal of romantic interaction communicates a valuable lesson to teens about where the substance of romance lies, i.e., in relationships, not lips (though there's nothing wrong with a little smoochy smoochy!). Moreover, the book is sexually chaste relative to the contemporary world of most teenagers; Rowling's portrayal does not confront any fundamental questions of sexual ethics and does not portray anything beyond kissing. Nevertheless, the romantic themes are another reason I think the book is clearly Young Adult Fiction.
The insistent battle between good and evil also contributes to the developmental value of the book. As for the other books in the series, the dominant moral lesson is clear: evil is to be confronted at all costs. One worry is that Harry commits a shockingly horrible act at one point in the book, casting a spell on Draco Malfoy that nearly kills him (p. 522-523). However, several things ameliorate his transgression. First, Harry is soundly punished (p. 528-529). Second, his misdeed was (mostly) in the service of his effort to foil Malfoy's dark mission. Third, he had never previously used the spell he cast and thus did not know its effects (he read it from the Half-Blood Prince's book). Thus, his intention was not to kill Malfoy, evidenced by his own shock and cry of "No!" immediately upon seeing the effect of the spell. Moreover, it is important for children to see moral failings in protagonists: teens can better identify with morally flawed characters, and can thereby learn from their negative example.
Finally, for teens that are religiously oriented, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince continues to develop Rowling's Christian allegory (see my blog article "Harry Potter: Christian Allegory or Occultist Children's Books? (Part 2)" for a more complete view of this topic). For example, toward the end of chapter 23 ("Horcruxes"), Harry and Dumbledore have a conversation with deep theological overtones. Dumbledore tells Harry that Harry's power to defeat Voldemort consists in his ability to love, and notes that Harry's privileged knowledge of Voldemort's wicked activity (through visions) has come without the desire to join in. Finally, Dumbledore denies that Harry is compelled to confront Voldemort, emphasizing rather Harry's free and noble choice to do so. Here, then, Harry is a type of the biblical Christ--freely and sacrificially choosing to confront evil in an ultimate way, remaining pure in heart despite his intimate contact with evil, and being motivated and empowered by love. Profound theological teaching is available here for those who are interested; however, the episode slips harmlessly under the radar for those who are not.
In short, I highly recommend Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for teens aged 14 to 19 years. Rowling's compelling storyline, characters, and themes continue to entertain, even while her book teaches important moral, theological, and relational lessons.
| | | The crown jewel of the Harry Potter series, "Half-Blood Prince" is one of the finest novels I've read in my lifetime. Having allowed us to watch Harry evolve and mature for so many years, Rowling finally lifts the veil, so to speak, humanizing the larger than life characters of not just Dumbledore and Snape, but significantly and achingly, Tom Riddle. This is love letter to one of the hardest things we all experience: the moment that your idols become your peers, your parents become your friends, and your superiors your equals, when you realize we're all in this together and that it is nobody's job to shelter you, and when, finally, you realize that people are absolutely human.
Rowling's affection for her characters and her sympathy for even the most vile of her creations (the Malfoys and Voldemort himself) are at the heart of Harry Potter's lasting beauty and insight. Here, she explores her three most fascinating creations, and one wishes the story would never end. But it does, and when it does, Harry is faced with the same challenge that Rowling subjects her readers to: how much faith do you really have in what you've been told, and do you believe, at the end of the day, that good really does win out?
A timeles classic. One of my favorites, ever
| | Not quite as good as the early ones | |
| | It's still a great read, but with the early books you felt each was a self-contained story, while still moving the overall plot forward. With this one, you feel it's more about the overall plot and since that doesn't get finished here. It's not quite as satsifying as the earlire books.
| | | Audio book arrived, well packed, cellophaned and in perfect condition..... what more can we ask.
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