Another hit for Harry

There is no doubt that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is as well written as the previous books, possibly even better. However, there is less attention to the small details that made the previous books so believable. It is particularly noticeable that the warmth of the earlier stories, reassuring the reader of a happy ending, has diminished as the series progressed. Although there is still some humour, now Harry has to deal with increasingly dark magic as he faces up to life's cruelties and the pressure of being 'the chosen one'. Rather than good fighting evil, now evil seems to be taking over.

This, together with several romantic developments, suggests that as Harry grows older, his target audience should as well. Harry has a short but sweet romance with his best friend's sister Ginny Weasley, and Rowling hints strongly that Ron and Hermione, Harry's best friends, will soon declare their true feelings for each other.

The plot itself is different from the other books. Harry travels back through time on several occasions, visiting Dumbledore's memories. There is also less attention to the pleasure of Hogwarts, and small yet enjoyable details such as lessons hardly get a mention at all.

Several much-loved characters play only minor parts. Many readers will miss hearing more about Harry's half-giant friend Hagrid; and about Fred and George Weasley, who added a sense of liveliness and fun to the previous books. Although Harry's arch-enemy Draco Malfoy continues to play a major role, his arrogant attitude and hatred of Harry is overshadowed by his dedication to evil Lord Voldemort.

Nevertheless, favourite characters such as Snape and Dumbledore provide plenty of nail-biting suspense and there are several exciting new creations such as the selfishly entertaining Horace Slughorn, who takes over as Potions Master.

In the previous book, the death of Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, shocked fans, so it is surprising that Rowling has now killed off another major character who meant so much to Harry. The murder makes Harry realise that he is going to have to face the world alone, and the ending hints strongly that the final book will not be set at Hogwarts.

What is noticeably different from the previous books is that Harry doesn't play the hero and fight Lord Voldemort at the end. Nor does he complete a dangerous challenge, as we had come to expect of him. Despite this, the climax is equally, if not more, effective.

The Half-Blood Prince is just as enjoyable and impossible to put down as Rowling's previous titles. It explains everything and answers many questions - but at the same time creates many new questions. It will certainly cause readers to start an eager countdown to the final book.

Published: 02/08/2005