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asher553HARRY POTTER 6 - HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. I finished the book last night. Many events and revelations! As with all the books, there is a mystery element. (I can truthfully brag that I correctly guessed the identity of a minor character who unwillingly plays a key role in the transportation of a certain enchanted object.) There is a funeral, and a wedding.
In this volume we get a view into the childhood of Tom Riddle - the future Voldemort - and we learn of the tragic story of his parents and of his own ruthless cunning. A few details of his behavior - his penchant for collecting "trophies" from his victims, and his contempt for his own "ordinary" given name - paint a picture of his grandiosity and psychopathy.
One thing that makes the Harry Potter series rewarding to read, I think, is the rich cast of characters. While the titular teenager is certainly the central character, at the end of the day it is an ensemble piece. The histories, rivalries, and family relationships and entanglements of the various characters are revealed bit by bit. All of the characters are decidedly human. Harry idolizes his departed father, James Potter - but when (in the previous volume) we first see James as he appeared in life, he does not appear particularly heroic and actually seems a bit of a jerk. Harry himself is often impulsive, strong-headed, and consumed by a desire to bring down those he believes have mistreated him - particularly Snape.
Snape himself continues as an enigmatic character. We learn that he is acting as a double agent for Dumbledore and Voldemort, but JKR has not yet revealed where his true loyalties lie - nor the basis for Dumbledore's continued insistence (much to Harry's exasperation) that he is fully confident that Snape is on their side.
As for the elusive "Half-Blood Prince" of the title - whose handwritten notes in a second-hand textbook provide Harry with much-needed help in a difficult course at Hogwarts - Harry finally learns his true identity near the end of the story, and it must be a bitter pill indeed for Harry. [347]
In this volume we get a view into the childhood of Tom Riddle - the future Voldemort - and we learn of the tragic story of his parents and of his own ruthless cunning. A few details of his behavior - his penchant for collecting "trophies" from his victims, and his contempt for his own "ordinary" given name - paint a picture of his grandiosity and psychopathy.
One thing that makes the Harry Potter series rewarding to read, I think, is the rich cast of characters. While the titular teenager is certainly the central character, at the end of the day it is an ensemble piece. The histories, rivalries, and family relationships and entanglements of the various characters are revealed bit by bit. All of the characters are decidedly human. Harry idolizes his departed father, James Potter - but when (in the previous volume) we first see James as he appeared in life, he does not appear particularly heroic and actually seems a bit of a jerk. Harry himself is often impulsive, strong-headed, and consumed by a desire to bring down those he believes have mistreated him - particularly Snape.
Snape himself continues as an enigmatic character. We learn that he is acting as a double agent for Dumbledore and Voldemort, but JKR has not yet revealed where his true loyalties lie - nor the basis for Dumbledore's continued insistence (much to Harry's exasperation) that he is fully confident that Snape is on their side.
As for the elusive "Half-Blood Prince" of the title - whose handwritten notes in a second-hand textbook provide Harry with much-needed help in a difficult course at Hogwarts - Harry finally learns his true identity near the end of the story, and it must be a bitter pill indeed for Harry. [347]
