Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince - Spoilers thread!

[Mike Olbinski]

This thread is for people who have read the book and want to talk about what happened without worrying about giving anything away...

Mike

 

[Dback Jon]

Thanks Mike!!























Let's start with......who do you think R.A.B. is?

 

[Dback Jon]

And - did anyone truthfully guess who the Half-Blood Prince was BEFORE it was reveled???





I didn't......

 

[Dback Jon]

Still stunned at the ending.....was this part of the master plan by Dumbledore?

 

[boondockdrunk]

Still stunned at the ending.....was this part of the master plan by Dumbledore?

I am sure this wasn't the master plan!!

 

[Dback Jon]

I am sure this wasn't the master plan!!

 

[Chris_Sanders]

And - did anyone truthfully guess who the Half-Blood Prince was BEFORE it was reveled???





I didn't......

I had no idea.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Actually I believe that Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him.

If you want to read the most convincing arguement that this WAS all part of the plan, Click Here

I found this last night while reading a discussion board about the book. It is incredible insight.

 

[Dback Jon]

Actually I believe that Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him.

If you want to read the most convincing arguement that this WAS all part of the plan, Click Here

I found this last night while reading a discussion board about the book. It is incredible insight.

I didn't read that one, but similar - that is a good read. That is one of the great questions - is Snape evil? Who is he loyal too?

And I agree - I think Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I didn't read that one, but similar - that is a good read. That is one of the great questions - is Snape evil? Who is he loyal too?

And I agree - I think Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him.

I think Snape saves Potter at the end.

 

[Dback Jon]

I think Snape saves Potter at the end.

I do as well - and Ginny and Draco will be involved as well.

One thought occured to me - try as Harry might to protect Ginny, his 'love', the only way to defeat Voldemort again was like the first time - with the power that he doesn't understand - love. Does that mean that someone will have to sacrifice themselves at the end in order for Harry to survive/defeat Voldemort?

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I do as well - and Ginny and Draco will be involved as well.

One thought occured to me - try as Harry might to protect Ginny, his 'love', the only way to defeat Voldemort again was like the first time - with the power that he doesn't understand - love. Does that mean that someone will have to sacrifice themselves at the end in order for Harry to survive/defeat Voldemort?

Could be, but I believe the central theme to all the books is the love of friends and thus the bond that Hermoine, Ron, and Harry share will end up being the key.

 

[Dback Jon]

Could be, but I believe the central theme to all the books is the love of friends and thus the bond that Hermoine, Ron, and Harry share will end up being the key.

Very valid as well.....The other on-going theme has been the Snape/Harry relationship - both will be crucial to book 7, IMHO.

 

[jw7]

Let's start with......who do you think R.A.B. is?

I just finished it this morning.

I agree with Chris's take that it was great, more adult, and mixed a lot of action with enough mystery to make it hard to put down.

I think R.A.B. is Regulus Black, Sirius's brother.

I also tend to agree with Chris's link. I don't buy 100% that Snape is purely evil.

 

[Dback Jon]

I think R.A.B. is Regulus Black, Sirius's brother.

My thoughts as well. Hermione didn't find that name, and didn't think of it, because she doesn't know his name.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Finished last night...wow, what a book.

Afterwards, before I even read anything, I figured Snape is still good, but had to kill Dumbledore for whatever reason. I noticed he did save Harry at the end...

Now, I read an article in EW this morning, and it had some interesting thoughts which I agree with.

Dumbledore begging Snape right before Snape kills him. Dumbledore would never "beg" for his life.

Anyways, there are so many things in the other books which mean things in future books. I guess Harry and his group found a big locket in Black's mansion that they couldn't open

Almost need to-reread them all everytime a book comes out.

Mike

 

[Mike Olbinski]

As far as predicting the Half-Blood Prince, I just figured it would be Voldemort, since he was a half-blood, and they were spells and jinxes that were awesome...almost impossible to know if you weren't one of the most powerful wizards ever...

The idea of the Horcruxes is cool though...

Mike

 

[Dback Jon]

Glad you finished!! Was wondering when you'd get done.

 

[D-Dogg]

OMFG.

This just put the third book squarely into second place. This book was amazing.

Don't forget, Pottheads, that Harry is still owed a debt by Peter Pettigrew...that will come into play...no doubt.

I hate Snape, always have but always want him to be good...JK played on that feeling hard in this book. She still does even though he's a rat.

I'd love to see Snape dead at Harry's wand, with a Pettigrew animagus rat dead and stuck in his mouth...would be very mafia. Unless of course, DD wanted Snape to kill him to get closer to Voldemort, and because of the unbreakable vow. The more I think about this, the more I think this is the case and why Snape was so angry, didn't gloat and still tried to train Harry when fighting him.

I've just now finished the book, five minutes ago, and can't wait to tell my wife in the morning to hurry the f up....she's on page 515 now. I still need to collect my thoughts on it. Right now, I am just...WOW. All the schoolworld stuff is meaningless now...I can't wait until the last book.

Was anyone else very fearful that Hermoine was the one "killed" that Draco referenced on the tower with Dumbledore? I was...and JK didn't mention her for quite a few pages...when she said that Hermoine was one of the people at the hospital wing, I actually (sadly) grabbed my chest with happiness. I love Hermoine...such a great character...I couldn't have taken Big D and her both eating it in the same book.

I was quite suprised that Harry didn't get grilled on using the HBP's spell on Draco, given it was brutally evil...but given that DD was aware that Draco was doing what he was, it makes more sense....he probably gave orders to **** about it.

Both my wife and I suspected Snape as the HBP for a tiny amount, but were convinced it was HP's mom...until Harry handed Draco his ass with that evil spell...Lilly wouldn't be mixing with that. When that happened, I knew it was Snape's book. JK did a good job, post SS spell of trying to deviate from him though, while still throwing clues. She really is a brilliant writer.

What in the world is the non-muggle world going to do without DD? Gosh...great freaking book.

Kudos, JK. :notworthy

 

[D-Dogg]

Almost need to-reread them all everytime a book comes out.

Mike

Buy them unabridged on CD...Jim Dale is AMAZING reading these. His reading voices are the ones I hear when I read now. Especially when Hermoine says "Haaaarrrry."

We listen to them on long trips...make the time fly by. Before the fifth book came out...we were traveling a lot and "re-read" the series before reading the book.

They are expensive, but Jim Dale alone is worth it...he won some awards, but deserves many, many more.

The books come even more to life with his voice. We will be buying the audio CD shortly...and it will be worth every penny.

 

[arthurracoon]

Fantastic book!

 

[Mulli]

Just finished. What a great book.

One thing I can't get over though. Why doesn't the Order of the Phoenix, not have more bad ass wizards? They had like four or five wizards guarding Hogwarts when the Death Eaters came. Tonks, Gobbins, a couple others and Lupin. What does Lupin ever do? What a wimpy werewolf.

Harry matches up with Lord V at 11 or 12, and Ron and Hermy hold their own. Where are the other wizards that can guard the school? Rant over. The next movie and the next book should be AWESOME!!

 

[arthurracoon]

The only thing that sucks is that we have to wait two years until the next and final book!

I CANT WAIT THAT LONG!!!!!

 

[Phlegyas]

The only thing that sucks is that we have to wait two years until the next and final book!

Is this just a guess or is it from some source?

I thought the book was great. I remember, about the time Dumbledore and Harry entered the cave, saying that every Harry Potter book had had something big happen near the end, but this book didn't. Boy was I proved wrong! I was sad at both the ending (because of what had occured in the book) and at the fact that the seventh book was not already in my hands.

Personally, I think that there's a good possibility that Ginny Weasly will tag along with the gang in their search for Horcruxes. It might add some extra drama. I think that if Harry is going over to see Bill and Fleur's wedding (and possibly Tonks and Lupin's), Ginny going to want to go with them. She's probably trying to convince herself that her and Harry's separation is for the best, and then he comes back, which might incite some emotions that are probably going to be hard to keep down. However, Ginny is not of age and still has to go to Hogwarts, so if Hogwarts isn't shut down, then she might also go there whether she wants to or not.

Also, I think that this book might be really long, possibly even the longest of them all. They still have four horcruxes to destroy, one (maybe two) weddings to attend, various places to travel, a final battle with Voldemort, and (possibly) an epilogue to tie up loose ends. I hope it turns out to be the longest book.

I hope that the movie makers somehow, someway, make a cohesive story from a 724 (or something like that)-page book. The last producers did a bad job for the third movie. It was as if they just took snippets from the book and threw it in the movie; the storyline was hard to follow and there was almost no character development. I just hope that, in this film, they cut it just right and link everything together so that you can understand (and enjoy!) the entire story.

 

[Dback Jon]

JK Rowling has said to expect Book 7 in 2007. She is taking the rest of the year off to be with her new baby, and then will start writing the rest.