communication breakdown

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) (2005)

[ 10 / 10 ] Disclaimer: In my previous Harry Potter reviews, I did not make secrecy a high priority, because I reviewed each of them years after their release. However, since this book just became available days ago, I will keep my review spoiler-free. However, this does not mean that it is detail-free. I can't tell you anything useful if I don't elaborate somewhat on the storyline. So my promise is to give enough details to be mildly informative, while strictly avoiding the revealing of anything critical. But if you're the kind of person (like myself) who prefers to go into a book completely blind, such that every word is a complete surprise, read no further. Now, with that being said... Book Six of the massively popular Harry Potter series is a tour-de-force, representing a stunning achivement in depth as well as a great step forward for the series as a whole. Despite the fact that Half-Blood Prince is preceded by five outstanding novels, placing enormous pressure on the book and author J.K. Rowling to take the Potter world to new heights, Rowling turns out her most impressive, creative and powerful book yet. While reading this novel it is hard to ignore how far the series has come. Despite its simple and innocent beginnings, the story has evolved into something much darker, much more complex, and infinitely more exciting than any of us could have reasonably hoped...

While Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince may be shorter than Books 4 and 5, it seems like so much more happens throughout the course of the novel - this is directly attributable to the fact that there is never a dull or inactive moment in the story. Unlike the sprawling and many-layered Book 5, which contained numerous subplots, this book focuses on three main storylines. By choosing this tactic, Rowling is able to give sufficient weight to each story, thereby creating a tighter, more cohesive, and ultimately most satisfying story.

Understandably, one of the main focuses of this book is Lord Voldemort. This is a change from previous novels, when he was spoken of in hushed tones and rarely referred to by name. But times have changed, and the wizarding world is at war. Dumbledore, with brutal honesty and frankness, attempts to arm Harry against the inevitable upcoming battle by relating the history of how the brilliant Tom Riddle became the evil Lord Voldemort. This villainous history was sadly missing from all of the previous novels, and here it provides valuable information desperately needed for the reader to truly understand the enemy. I firmly believe that villains should be portrayed in one of two ways: either shrouded in mystery throughout a story such that they essentially leave it to the viewer's imagination to generate the evil, or described in such detail that we have no choice but to delve into the depths of their mind. Introducing a villain, giving him a name and a face, and then never giving him real depth is the death of many good books and films. Rowling takes the necessary steps to round out the character of Lord Voldemort beautifully. His is a fearsome and sad tale.

The second of the book's stories revolves around Malfoy. Any readers of the series could guess easily enough that, given his background and inevitable anger about the imprisonment of his father, mean-spirited and overly-ambitious Malfoy is bound for a life of serving evil. Throughout the book he is engaged in a sinister plot... or is he? Harry seems sure, but as we have seen before, he has jumped to improper conclusions to the detriment of himself and his peers. His schemes, combined with Harry's attempt to uncover them, provide the traditional conflict-setback-resolution section of the novel.

From the above summary, it should be clear that this is a dark book - much darker than any of its predecessors, and understandably so. As evil grows, it makes its presence felt in all ways that it can. It is as if a shadow lurks over all of the characters - even happy moments are tempered by the somber reminder of evil things going on outside the peaceful confines of Hogwarts. To some degree, this book reminds me of some of the techniques seen in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy - the terror grows to such unimaginable levels that it pervades everything. The situation grows bleak to the point that victory and salvation seem impossible. It is such a situation that we see forming in this book, and it is thrilling to behold.

Yet, in what is a complete change of pace, the final focus of the book is romance. In her choices of character development, Rowling made another smart and critical move: after five books, all of the main characters are sufficiently well-developed. While a lesser author might try to continue tweaking the personalities of the characters, Rowling is smart enough to let them grow naturally into the people she has molded them to be. The characters are all true to themselves, which is vitally important to an ongoing series. So it should be no surprise that, at this point in their lives, our heroes are flirty, jealous, and ultimately confused about their relationships with one another. They are much more aware of their sexuality and feelings and Rowling explores this angle fully, rather than suppressing it due to the overwhelming presence of darkness all around them. After all, to do that wouldn't be realistic, would it? Teenagers will be teenagers, whether they are studying for exams or fighting murderous wizards. They will love, hate, and covet one another, and we see plenty of this in Half-Blood Prince.

So why is this book so great? Well, taking for granted the sheer skill in the writing, and the aforementioned fact that it is a exciting read from cover to cover - it is the author's ability to generate a thrilling and wildly imaginative climax which pushes this book to a level beyond its predecessors. I will reveal no details about this, and will only say that it is definitely her best finale yet, and I guarantee it will have you captivated and unable to put the book down. Don't be surprised if you feel a mixture of awe, fear, wonder, and confusion, not to mention a few tears here and there. I ran the gamut of emotions in this book far more than any other. As far as I'm concerned, that is the hallmark of a classic novel.

So, who's the Half-Blood Prince, you ask? I don't know, pick up the book and find out for yourself! At the risk of gloating, I must say that I had it figured out from the very beginning. Despite this, there were many other things that kept me guessing throughout the book.

In retrospect, two things strike me now that I am finished with the book: I am quite worried and anxious about the finale; and I realize just how many things I still don't understand. Questions are answered, and new questions are raised, all culminating in a scene which sets the stage for what will be one of the most highly-anticipated books in literary history. With Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Rowling has written a phenomenal novel that will both satisfy your thirst for more Harry Potter, yet still leave you craving for more.