BOOK REVIEW 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J.K. Rowling

An FHTI Editorial by Yvonne Greenrock-Wyn, Literary Critic 

Great news, kids! As literary critic for From Here to Insanity, I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of J.K. Rowling’s sixth novel in the epic Harry Potter saga, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Now, I don't want to give too much away, especially for all of you die-hard fans who have been waiting patiently and anxiously after the cliffhanger that was Order of the Phoenix, so I will try my best to write this review without giving away any plot specifics or spoilers about the book.

This book is definitely the best so far in the series, and is very mature in content, even compared to the death-laden last two novels. The story grips you right from the beginning after the unexpected death of Hermione Granger in Chapter 3 on page 34. It jumps from out of nowhere, really. You're reading along, just getting reunited with the characters when all of a sudden, BAM! A secret agent working for Voldemort, later revealed to be Hagrid, comes out of nowhere and axes her to death in a brutal murder scene that lasts three pages, the gruesome details of which put Mel Gibson’s The Passion to shame. Saddened by the loss of the brains in the group, our heroes Harry Potter and Ron Weasley return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in a dismal state, but are consoled by Malfoy, now a nice guy, who gives them the newest model of broomsticks, the Thundersweep 8500, which allow Gryffindor to win the Quidditch championship in Chapter 31. Both Ron and Harry decide then that they were done with Hermione’s "Mudblooded, cocky behavior" anyway, and that if she held it over their heads one more time that she always had to save them, they'd have killed her themselves. The Wonder Duo then make a blood pact to be best friends for life. After some bungling by the right-wing Ministry of Magic, the school is closed down. Rather than sending the children home (the wizarding community is unable to pay for the Hogwarts Express), the mysterious, titular Half-Blood Prince, prince of Wizardland, adopts all of the children. Before long, You Know Who (Voldemort) shows up and kidnaps Dedalus Diggle and Blaise Zambini. However, absolutely no one really even notices that they’re gone.

BUT THEN! Just as the monotony of the plot continues, Harry bumps his head and his scar begins throbbing! The next 17 chapters of the riveting book explain his and Ron's search for aspirin in the Half-Blood Prince's master bathroom and the various creatures they meet there. In the end, the Half-Blood Prince finds them snooping after revealing himself as an unregistered animagus who had been following them around in the form of a giant anteater that they simply hadn’t noticed before. He, of course, tries to murder them, but they are saved at the last minute by Hermione's ghost, who mocks the fact that even in death she has to save their sorry asses. The Half-Blood Prince is imprisoned for the whole attempted muder of schoolchildren ordeal, and Ron Weasley's parents, who had just recently won the Magic Lottery, are forced to spend all of their lottery winnings in order to get the children home safely, thus plunging themselves once again into complete, hopeless poverty in a highly ironic twist of fate.

In this novel, Harry and Ron grow as characters. Overwhelmingly depressed after the deaths of two people close to him, Harry begins to go through girls like Kleenex, starting short yet consummated relationships with Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Cho Chang (again), Alicia Spinnet, Moaning Myrtle, and even Professor McGonnagall. Ron, now able to read Harry’s mind because of their transfer of blood, becomes increasingly jealous of his friend and starts to isolate himself from society. He even begins to start planning a betrayal, but his ultimate goal is unclear, although my guess ends in “-urder”. In this novel, we also see the rise of various previously insignificant characters. One example of such is Hufflepuff’s very own Cranberry Sweedlen. Through Cranberry, the reader is able to follow the life struggles of a typical teenage wizard girl, without the tainted “mudblooded” name found with Hermoine, the confines of destitution seen in Ginny or the promiscuous and un-ladylike behavior of Cho Chang. This character’s presence demonstrates J.K. Rowling’s ability to connect with a diverse group of readers and her mastery as an author to create new and exciting characters. The novel is not all new-news, though. The crazy kids enjoy many of the same, classic Hogwarts activities that have kept the reader pool ever so faithful including those crazy, entirely unrealistic candies, trips to Hogsmeade, and new wizardry spells, such as the Propriumort Spell, which Neville Longbottom uses in the book’s thrilling climax to kill the Bellatrix Lestange and avenge his parents.

In this novel, J.K. Rowling displays her increasingly sophisticated writing skills, with shades of Dostoevsky (the ax murder scene) and Dante (Harry’s trip to the Underworld to harrow Hermione’s soul) to spare. Half-Blood Prince also seems remarkably Kafkaesque in places, most notably when Ron accidentally turns his sister Ginny into a giant cockroach. Christian mythology becomes more prevalent in this novel, especially Snape’s crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. Yet, the glitz and glamour of the Harry Potter movies seem to have noticeably influenced Rowling’s writing. Scenes including Harry’s broomstick voyage through outer space and the plot-deviating escapade in which Harry and Ron travel back through time to encounter a ferocious, toothy T. Rex, seem to have been included in the book on a whim solely because they would look good on a movie screen for the film adaptation.

The book isn’t all glitz, glamour and action, though. There were many points in which I was disappointed by J.K.’s still slightly immature techniques as an author. Many of the loose ends built up in Order of the Phoenix had less than climactic resolutions in Half-Blood Prince. Sirius’s death in the previous novel was merely acknowledged in the current episode as “the loss of that one guy with the weird hair.” Considering the great emphasis laid upon him being Harry’s godfather, and the emotional invocation created by his unfortunate and untimely demise, I expected greater attention paid to, and perhaps even a triumphant resurrection of Mr. Black. We faithful readers can only hope that such an overlook was intentional, and that more will be spoken of in the next Harry Potter novel.

I can’t help but wonder if the flip-flop of good and evil in this newest novel might have some profound psychological effects on the young and vulnerable readers. The allusion to Snape as Jesus Christ, for example, might create great confusion for adolescent fans. With Malfoy, the hated Slytherin boy whom everyone viewed as a common enemy becoming a charitable and empathetic person; Harry, the hero and role model for his readers turning to booze and women; and Hermione, the intelligent and seemingly invincible muggle facing a horrific death, some of J.K.’s audience might find themselves at a loss for whom to ally themselves with. Even sacred friendships, such as that between Harry, Ron and Hermione are destroyed. J.K. also creates many references to politics and moral battles of our time. The events I speak of are only subtly hinted at and obviously directed to an older audience. Professor McGonnagall ’s affair with Harry is reminiscent of the recent Mary Lou Letourneau scandal revival, the “right-wing” Ministry of Magic with its budget deficiency betrays J.K.’s criticism of the current U.S. administration, and Ron’s “experimental experiences” with an unnamed boy from Ravenclaw unmistakably addresses the issue of gay marriage. Such adult content leads skeptics to believe that booksellers should give the book an “M for mature” rating and require photo identification proof of a suitable age to purchase it. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the book should be censored, but parents ought to be made fully aware of Half-Blood Prince’s content.

In the end, the reader is left with yet another cliffhanger involving Peter Pettigrew’s return from the unknown at a pivotal moment, which I won't give away for fear that you loyal readers might feel betrayed by my disclosing of such plot details. On a scale of one to two, I give Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince one and three-quarters thumbs up. Make sure you order the Deluxe Hardcover Edition when it comes out. It's only $40 and it's worth it. You'll never guess what will happen in the mysterious sixth year with the Hogwarts' gang (minus Hermione)!

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