A review by Scott of
Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a very good book. Perhaps even a great one. Though lacking in some ways, it surpasses the previous 5 installments by being more adult without simply adding more violence and foul language. Most importantly of all, though, it allows Rowling to stride confidently, purposefully, and powerfully into the 7th and final trip into the world she has so richly created.
Yet, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is by no means a perfect book. It has errors throughout, several of which, without a deeply ingrained love for the Potter books or such a powerful ending, would be much more glairing. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...
Rowling does great things in Half-Blood Prince (HBP). From the first few chapters, it is evident that Harry has grown up. He is no longer the whining, frustrating, martyr he believes himself to be in Order of the Phoenix. The events concluding the previous installment have sobered Harry, forcing him to mature faster than a 16 year-old should, and it shows.
This change is even more obvious when his changes are compared to Hermione and Ron who, although growing, changing and maturing, they do so at a more subtle, normal pace. Their lives have been influenced and changed by the same events as Harry’s, but obviously to not nearly the same extent. Rowling’s ability to capture this difference, coupled with Harry’s own maturity, allows the reader to relate to his plight much more deeply than in the past. Whereas we initially connect with Harry’s sense of wonder as he experiences the world of magic for the first time, we are now relating to him as he struggles to make life altering decisions and while dealing with the painful repercussions of love and death. These are no longer merely children’s books meant to pass a rainy afternoon.
In fact, the greatest strength of HBP is its ability to illicit powerful emotional responses from the reader. Though the previous entries have certainly had their moments of elation and sorrow for the reader, they are simpler, easier; again, more childish. All of this culminates, as stated above, with an ending that is far and above the most sophisticated of all of Rowling’s previous works, leaving any true fan obsessively mulling over the meaning and repercussions of the events for hours (and possibly days) after reading the last pages (twice).
How, then, can I not resolutely claim that HBP is a great book? The most glaring problem is, to be fair, unavoidable. HBP suffers what I call “the middle book syndrome”. The world has been created, the characters introduced. The excitement over the novelty of Hogwarts, magic, and Harry himself have begun to wear thin. However, before the final battle can begin, the stage must be set and that is what HBP does. It sets the stage for the final installment.
Unfortunately, though, Rowling made a choice in implementing this transition that I do not quite understand. In book 5, Rowling sets a tone that is very dark, as wizards and students alike fear that their death could come at any moment. Somehow, this tone is completely absent from HBP. Looking at tone alone, one gets the impression that HBP was written before Order of the Phoenix, and would fit better snuggled between Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire. This may appear an insignificant point to argue, but when you consider the life of each witch and wizard could end at a moments notice, a darker tone would have done better to set the mood for the heart-pounding, emotionally draining conclusion.
As I stated above, HBP’s role as a transition piece has set the stage perfectly for the 7th installment’s conclusion. And conclude it in the next book she must, for not completing Harry's story in the 7th book would be the most heinous of crimes against Harry Potter fans. The conclusion of the 6th entry culminates with such raw emotion; it makes it more obvious than ever that the world of Harry Potter is coming ever closer to its inevitable climax. To draw it out further than necessary would be a great disservice, both to the fans and the work itself.
Another significant disappointment in HBP is the lack of interaction between the main characters and important minor characters. Though present and true to form, favorites such as Neville Longbottom do not appear as frequently as in the previous books. Whether this is because the focus is now squarely upon Harry, or for other reasons entirely, it does create a vacuum within the book that nothing else adequately fills.
In spite of these problems, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is still a very good book, but not a resoundingly great one. Previous installments surpass it in terms of sheer wonder, excitement, and pleasure reading. However, without HBP, the series as a whole would be far less rich. The depth of character and plot development successfully overcomes the works’ minor errors, driving the reader on with great anticipation to what will undoubtedly be an ending that far exceeds all our wildest hopes and dreams.