Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling.I have been reading these books slowly over these last 5-6 years. My pace has been to stay one step ahead of the movies. I guess I am two steps ahead of the movies now and the final book is about to be released. Can I wait for paperback?
I am glad to see that Harry Potter lost his whiney side that he had in the Order of the Phoenix. That was getting pretty painful to read.
I have some questions (Dash are you out there yet? I hope you have your internet connection set up at your new house and can soon join us. Dash is my resource for all thing HP.)
- The US versions of books 5, 6, and 7 are all monochrome (blue, green, yellow) compared to the earlier books. Is there a reason for this change compared to the earlier books?
- A lot of marketing for book 7 has been about Snape - good guy or bad guy. I thought book 6 cleared this up. Is there something I have missed? What are the theories out there?
I think that is all I have for right now. I got to get back to work.
12 comments:
Wah Wah is a big Harry Potter fan. She has told me bits of the story and what is to come. I thought Snape was evil without question.
Do I see the beginnings of a bulleted list?
Also, is it me or do all the HP book covers look the same?
My wife is convinced Snape is good and he's just following Dumbledore's plan at this point. Dumbledore has said there are worse things than death, so the fact that Snape had to kill him to protect Harry (or perhaps Draco?) doesn't mean Snape is for You-Know-Who.
However, while I know that argument, I can't decide where I stand on the matter. Fortunately it's just one more week until I get the book and find out...
To answer your bulleted semi-list:
- I don't have any good theories about the cover art for OTP, HPB,or DH but ... there is another color theory that I've bought into though.
According to some suposed alchemy experts, the process of turning lead to gold involves three stages: Black, White, Red. The connection to the book then is:
In book 5 we see the anger and depression Harry experiences after Black's death.
In book 5 we see the feelings of helplessness and sorrow that Harry feels after Albus's (White) death.
Saddy that points to Rubeus Hagrid (Red) death in book 6 with harry having grown through the process into a mature appreciation for sacrifice and meaningful existence.
As for Snape, he's good .. and has been working for Albus since before Harry was born. I predict that we will find out that Snape was at Godric's Hollow.
Then again .. I think Harry's scar is a horcrux and that he must go through the veil to vanquish Voldemort. So you can't rely on me all that much.
... and don't be silly, you can't wait until paperback for book book 7.
Dust,
Deep down you know that I love lists.
Yes, all they harry potter books have the same shade of gray.
Dash,
You are right, I don't think I can wait for paper back. Too many people will be talking about the ending.
Good theories, I like the colors.
That is interesting about Harry's scar being a horcurx, but could Voldemort try to kill and place a horcrux at the same time? Or was his intention to never kill Potter?
Somehow, I think Snape is probably good. We only get to know characters from the viewpoint of Harry and his view on people have sometimes been dead wrong (Black, Moody, etc.)until their true character is revealed in the end. Snape will probably look bad throughout the new book and then he'll suprise us with a double-agent move to prove his loyalty to Dumbledore.
Also, good to have you back. Hopefully you'll give us an update soon.
I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one.
But I don't know how you guys can think Snape is still good!! I am completely convinced, always have been, that Snape is for Voldemort. Don't you remember how much hatred was on his face when he killed Dumbledore and how Dumbledore was pleading with him. How could killing Dumbledore be part of Dumbledores plan?? That is a little far-fetched.
And don't forget, he is the half-blood prince, he wrote all of those dark magic spells, he knew Harry had the book but didn't ask him for it, he didn't want Dumbledore to know what he had been, still was. And he made the unbreakable vow to Malfoy's mother to help Draco kill Dumbledore. If he was good, he would have killed Narcissa and Bellatrix and not made the vow at all. And why did he stun Professor Flitwick when he was told by him about the death eaters being in the castle?????
And he is a very, very good Occlumens, probably better than Dumbledore, but I don't believe better than Voldemort. Look at how he went crazy with Harry during the last duel before he apparated from Hogwarts. He was in a frenzy with rage,not like he was a good guy or upset at all that he had killed Dumbledore.
All of the other death eaters take orders from him. Harry is going to kill Snape in the next book, I know it. But I may be proven wrong and you guys may be right. It is anyway, just a book.
Snape is totally good. He's come through at the end of every book. He killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders, at the behest of Snape taking the unbreakable oath. Had Snape not taken the unbreakable oath he would have been seen as the double agent that he is. Don't forget page 405-406 in HBP:
"Well-- I jus' heard Snape sayin' Dumbledore took too much for granted an' maybe he-- Snape-- didn' wan' ter to it anymore--" [said Hagrid.]
"Do what?" [asked Harry.]
"I dunno, Harry, it sounded like Snape was feelin' a bit over-worked, tha's all-- anyway, Dumbledore told him flat out he'd agreed to do it an' that was all there was to it. Pretty firm with him. An' then he said summat abou' Sna[e makin' investigations in his House, in Slytherin..."
If dumbledore was wrong about Snape, then the "greatest wizard who ever lived" was duped by a death eater and has been fooling him for over a decade. And think about Rowling's theme of not always distrusting those who are perceived as different. This would be blown altogether.
OK, I have to admit, that comment Hagrid overheard Dumbledore say to Snape is very interesting. I had forgotten all about it. You may be right. And the fact that so many people still think Snape is good has me wondering if you are right. Maybe Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him to keep from blowing his cover.
But I am curious, if Snape is still playing double agent and everyone in the Order of the Phoenix thinks he's for Voldemort, how is his being a double agent benefitting anyone anymore???
Well, we don't know that everyone in the order thinks that Snape is for Voldemort. I mean, yes, at the end of HBP everyone is wondering why Dumbledore trusted him so much, and they think Snape was really bad all along. But i think it will be cleared up once we get into Deathly Hallows, that Dumbledore ordered this, and that it will have been done for good reason.
Here's another thought. If Snape really were for Voldemort, would he really help Dumbledore destroy one of the Horcruxes that possesses Voldemort's soul?.
This is all really interesting. I am not around many people who discuss HP theories.
Here is my question:
Say Snape is good. Can Harry ever forgive him for killing Dumbledore and the way he has been treated at Hogwarts the past 6 years? And can Snape ever come to a point where he stops loathing Harry and James? Or is that too all an act? Will there be a revalation, an understanding between those two? Will Snape take the place of Black in Harry's life? Can those two just get along?
And what about Ginny? Keep the girl.
What I really like about this book compared to the Order is the fact that Harry is opeing up to his friends more and not going it alone.
I hope this trend and trust carries into the Hallows. Even Frodo had Sam.
I don't think that Snape helped Dumbledore destroy the Slytherin ring horcrux. All that they say in the book is that he helped Dumbledore survive and save what was left of his hand when he came back from collecting it. We don't even know if Snape knows about the Horcruxs. Dumbledore says that he has only told Harry. And to back that up, when Dumbledore found the ring, Harry had not yet recovered the memory that confirmed that Voldemort had created all of the horcruxes. But you could be right.
I talked to a HP fan here at work yesterday and she is convinced that Dumbledore is not dead, that there is a death loophole that will appear in Deathly Hollows. I find that a stretch myself.
As far as Jenny goes, Harry's feelings for her are too strong. It's gonna be like when Peter Parker gave up MJ, they will get back together with Voldemore using her to get to Harry. I think that Harry will destroy Voldemort in the end and marry Jenny.
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