Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter 6): Children's audio cassette edition

click here for more details, find new or used items	J.K. Rowling, Stephen Fry Our price £32.49 (£55.00) New from £26.20 Used from £24.95 Pages: (Audio Cassette) ISBN: 0747582610 Pub: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Pub date: 2005-08-22 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 87368

Editorial Review:

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

Reader Reviews:

The Star Wars Episode I Equivalent of the Harry Potter novels (74/74 people found this helpful)

While the proceeding five novels of the Harry Potter sequence had interesting stories in their own right, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE, much like Star Wars Episode I, felt much more like a trailer to upcoming events than an interesting story in its own right.

While EPISODE I was undeniably a train wreck, especially with that travesty of Jar Jar Binks, the movie introduced all the key characters of the new trilogy. EPISODE I's principal function was this introduction, and setting into motion the events that would lead the characters to their ultimate destiny. In this regard, EPISODE I and the sixth Harry Potter are remarkably similar.

Of course, the real difference is Rowling had five full novels before hand, whereas Lucas had only one movie to introduce his new set of characters. While the other books in the series always advanced the overall story's arc, Rowling always managed to have succinct, stand-alone novels that stood remarkably well on their own right. HALF BLOOD PRINCE is very much the exception to the rule in this regard. HALF BLOOD PRINCE is so exposition heavy, setting all the foundation work for the seventh book, that it relegates its own plotline as largely secondary. Let me elaborate.

In the proceeding five novels, each title drove the book's overall plot. In PHILOSOPHER'S STONE, the principal mystery was what was the stone and how to protect it. In the second book, the chamber had been reopened and there was a dangerous basilisk on the prowl. The third (and in my opinion the best), Azkaban's escaped prisoner was the fuel driving the events of that novel. Just as much as GOBLET was about the Triwizard Tournament and ORDER OF THE PHOENIX about the resistance to Voldemort, one would expect this trend to continue with HALF BLOOD PRINCE.

To this book's detriment, that is not the case. While there is certainly some mystery to who this prince is, and who ultimately figures in heavily with the book's climax, HBP is much more about the seventh book than anything else. In the American cover art, you have Dumbledore and Harry looking at the Pevensie, which turns out to be the real meat of the book anyway. HBP is far more about laying the seventh book's final outcome than having anything to do with some half-blood prince.

It is disheartening to say that you could actually excise the entire HBP subplot (a subplot is really all it is), and still have largely the same novel. The same could not be said of any of Rowling's previous work. Of course, the irony in all this is once Harry figures out who the HBP is, he does figure very heavily in the plot, but not because he is a half blood prince. Actually, Harry doesn't even really figure out who he is, but now we're getting into spoiler territory so I will say no more.

As far as the death goes (there are two deaths, but the first no one will care about), it is both devestating and shocking. Without revealing to much, it is both tremendously sad and incredibly strange that she would write out such an important and humanizing character. But following the Joseph Campbell mythological plot line that the hero must face his ultimate nemesis alone, without guidance, the death makes sense.

As for the people saying Rowling was stealing from LORD OF THE RINGS with some of the events in this book, I'd say "Yeah, and? What do you think the dementors are? They're just ring-wraiths tweaked a little bit." Without giving to much away, I think Rowling did quite an interesting job with Voldemort's method to immortality.

Ultimately, all HBP does is build up for the final confrontation with Voldemort in Book VII. No other book in this series is anywhere near as exposition heavy as this installment. While Rowling needs to set up the events for the last book, it would have been nice to have a more self-contained novel than this is, which is what the others are.

Overall, I give the book three stars, but that is only for this weakness in the plot of the book itself. I must confess I enjoyed this much more than PHOENIX. I remember buying that two years ago, anxious to return to Hogwarts to see familiar faces, old friends, and exciting times. Unfortunately, Harry was extremely moody and pretty much a flat out ass to everyone, and I felt like why did I want to come back to see such petty bickering? I was thrilled to see HBP did not continue this trend, even if it forget to have its own, more-or-less self contained plot.

My favourite Harry Potter book-I could not put it down! (0/0 people found this helpful)

This book is absolutley Brilliant!It is really imaginative and JK makes you understand the detail of the new characters and places really well.
Each chapter had something really exciting in it which made me unable to put it down!
Even if your not a Harry Potter fan I advise you to read this(altough you'd obviously have to know the storyline from the previous books) because it really is an amazing book in it's own as well as the link between the 5th book and the ending of Harry Potter's journey!

Harry Potter and the half blood prince (0/0 people found this helpful)

Loved this book, only just read it after watching Harry potter and the order of the pheonix at the cinema ( got to admit I was a bit naughty I never actually got round to reading that book ) Can't understand what took me so long, loved it so much that as soon as I finished the last page I started the read the last potter book, equally marvellous.

AMAZING (0/0 people found this helpful)

AMAZING, AMAZING!

Every single one of the 7 sets bursting with CDs are fabulous!
I love them to bits! Stephen Fry makes it really special, putting
so much expession and life into it. It is a million times better than the books, the films!
My whole vocabulary came from that miracle, i am know in my top English
group!!
TRULY, REALLY get the whole darn set...
Cos you're worth it!!!

Ties up loose ends - a thrilling adventure (1/1 people found this helpful)

Along with 'Prisoner of Azkaban' this is my favourite of the Harry Potter series. More mysteries are revealed and the loose ends of the series start to be tied up as well as the final quest being revealed.

The characters are great too. As well as the usuals, we learn more about Tonks, Snape and Lupin and are introduced to Professor Slughorn.

Harry starts a new romance and the ending is really thrilling. Fantastic!

Similar Products

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter 5) (Harry Potter)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) [Children's Edition]

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)

Categories

Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories: