I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince early this morning. It was a fast, enjoyable read. J.K. Rowling left a lot of things unanswered, and I'm curious to see how they will be resolved in the next book. I'm not sure if Harry is going to survive or not. I didn't have any doubt until this book, but the darker tone and higher body count and flat-out warfare makes me wonder if she's setting up Harry's last battle.
I've been reading several debates about Harry Potter on various writing sites and SF & Fantasy sites. The debates are about why Harry Potter is so popular when other series, perhaps more deserving, are not. Certainly for any long-time fantasy reader, the themes and setting in Rowling's books are not new. Off the top of my head, I can think of three award-winning series that feature children learning how to be wizards or discovering they have powers (The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper, the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, and the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander). In fact, that particular story goes a long way back.
I don't know why none of those series -- ones I enjoyed and think are better written than the HP books -- captured the audience Potter has. But just because I've read better books doesn't mean Potter is bad or that the series should be resented for its success. There's plenty of room in the world for Harry Potter, and its success doesn't diminish other books or keep them from being published. In fact, HP has spawned numerous other series attempting to ride in its wake. Some of those series are frankly quite bad, but others are good and getting better. And it's made publishers aware that fantasy can reach a large audience. A few years back, the publishing industry had decided that fantasy was strictly a niche market. They feel differently now.
As for the new book itself, no spoilers here. It's worth reading, it's fast, it's exciting. Go read it, and then we can talk about it.
5 comments:
I just glanced at this 'cause I don't want any hint of what the book's about. I'm still working on Order of the Phoenix.
I remember when the first Harry Potter was published and all those churches protested against it. Now it doesn't seem anyone cares. I read the first one because of the protest to see what I thought of it. I thought it was a fun fantasy. I haven't read any of the others (I don't read fantasy for enjoyment) but I don't think Rowling is missing my money!
I think a lot of people are jealous of her success. They like to diss successful people. Rowling doesn't care. She's laughing all the way to the bank.
I just glanced as well I didn't want to know what happens in the book, I am such a slow reader I am only to the fourth chapter.
tawsha
Done. All I did yesterday and today until noon was read Half-Blood. After a respectable time, you should post a post inviting theories and such on what's next -- and what all just did and did not happen, actually, in Half-Blood.
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