Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Scott Horowitz | July 18, 2005
I read the whole thing in 6 hours... Best book yet. Anyone have any feedback?

Mike Eberhart | July 18, 2005
I wouldn't know. UPS didn't deliver my book to me on Saturday. So I haven't even seen it yet. I'm supposed to get it today now.. We'll see. So, please don't post anything about the book yet. I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Scott Horowitz | July 18, 2005
I'd complain to where you ordered it from.... you should get your $$ back.

Mike Eberhart | July 18, 2005
I did. I ordered it from Amazon.com back in March. I sent them an email late Saturday night and they replied back saying that the were going to give me a refund. So, I am happy about that. But, we'll see if it shows up today like they said. It's supposed to be here before the close of business today. Some how I doubt it.

Scott Horowitz | July 18, 2005
lol.... I got mine around 2PM from Amazon on Saturday... you're in for a treat Mike when you finally get the book.

Jackie Mason | July 18, 2005
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Scott Horowitz | July 18, 2005
I wouldn't use the word as much as adult. Her writing style seems to get more mature with each new book.

Mike Eberhart | July 18, 2005
That's what I'm hoping for. As of right now, still no book delivered to my house. My wife has been home all day and UPS still hasn't shown up. Good thing I'm getting this book for free now.

Mike Eberhart | July 19, 2005
I hate the fucking Post Office... Still no Harry Potter book. I finally called UPS and they told me that on the 15th, they delivered the all the Harry Potter books to the US Post Office here in my area and the Post Office was supposed to deliver it.. Well, you know what that means, my book is lost forever. I have already emailed Amazon requesting that they send me another copy. So, it will be sometime next week before I get that, unless I just go to the damn bookstore and try to get a copy that way. I hate UPS and I hate the US mail. They are so worthless.

Scott Horowitz | July 19, 2005
Just go buy it at that point...

Mike Eberhart | July 19, 2005
I might just do that. Of course with my luck, they will all be out of stock and not be getting anymore in until next week too. I'm destined to never get to read this... :)

Jackie Mason | July 19, 2005
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Amy Austin | July 19, 2005
Mike, do you have a Sam's Club card? I know that the one here was selling them at the front door on Saturday, and it didn't look like there was going to be any run on them.

Scott Horowitz | July 19, 2005
Amazon was good with me for both books. They arrived at my house on the day they were expected to (though for Order of the Phoenix it was much earlier in the day). Was a damn good book...

Scott Hardie | July 22, 2005
I came across a homemade video online of some angry young men driving through a Barnes & Noble parking lot the night the book came out and shouting the ending of the book at the Harry Potter fans standing in line, many of them children. I know there are child molesters and warmongering tyrants and White House deputy chiefs of staff out there in the world, but when I saw these guys I couldn't help but think they were the lowest pieces of shit I'd ever seen on film. I hope they at least did it out of simple malice rather than a wrong-headed attempt to look cool by making fun of all those book-readers.

Mike Eberhart | July 22, 2005
Well, I did finally get me book on Tuesday. I just forgot to update this discussion. I'm only getting a chance to read it for about an hour or so at night, but I'm already on about page 250+. I should have it done by next week. So far it's really good.

I also received the second copy that Amazon shipped to me to replace the one that the US mail lost. Well, they both showed up and I wound up getting 2 books for free.

Scott Horowitz | July 22, 2005
Sweet....now fake a Rowling signature and sell it on Ebay, you can rake in the dough. I have to say, the first chapter in this book was great.

Erik Bates | July 23, 2005
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Scott Horowitz | July 24, 2005
Erik, I read the first four books in a week... they're easy reads and you get caught in them so easily.

Jackie Mason | July 25, 2005
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Megan Baxter | July 26, 2005
I finished it in about 5 hours on the Saturday it came out, and loved it.

My copy of the book is presently making the rounds - my husband read it, my mother has present custody, and afterwards two of my friends and then a co-worker.

I can't believe those jerks. Someone did something similar on another board I frequent - they started a thread called "Great New Book" and then blurted out the big spoiler. Jerk. Luckily I'd already read it, but if I hadn't, I'd've been pissed off.

Dave Stoppenhagen | July 26, 2005
I finished yesterday. Great book.

Scott Horowitz | July 26, 2005
I'm not that much of a dick.... though when everyone who plans on reading it is done, we can talk about it, hopefully

Dave Stoppenhagen | July 26, 2005
Sure your not Scott I tell everyone the same thing, no one believes me though either

Scott Hardie | July 29, 2005
Why not start talking about it now? You can put spoiler warnings on whatever you write. I'm curious what you thought of certain plot twists. (I know how it ends.)

Mike Eberhart | July 29, 2005
Oh, I finished the book the other day, so it's safe to discuss as far as I'm concerned.

Scott Horowitz | July 29, 2005
I definitely found the ending a twist. It was a great book. I found this one was very plot driven and action driven. I am amazed they killed Dumbledore, it was just shocking. I still don't know if Snape is evil though.

Scott Horowitz | July 29, 2005
SPOILER IN THIS THREAD: DIDN'T WANT SOMEONE TO OPEN THE THREAD AND SEE MY SPOILERS

Mike Eberhart | July 29, 2005
Yeah, before I got to the end, I had it narrowed down to 4 people that could get killed off. Harry Potter, Dumbledore, Snape, or Draco. I was really leaning towards Snape or Draco getting killed in the end, and was totally shocked that Snape was the one that killed of Dumbledore.

Do I think he's evil, Yes. I pretty much came to that conclusion at the beginning of the book when he swore he'd protect Draco. There was no way for him to get out of that unless, he himself, were killed.

I am really looking forward to the next book now. It should be really packed with action.

Oh, and who is R.A.B.???

Mike Eberhart | July 29, 2005
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott Horowitz | July 29, 2005
I have 2 theories on R.A.B.

1 being the obvious, Regulus Black. (which is the buzz on the Internet). The other being the owner of Borgin and Burkes. We learn the first name of one of the owners, not both.

I dunno, there is still something about Snape that just doesn't make sense, I think I'm more eager to see the showdown with him and Harry more than the one with Voldemort.

Scott Horowitz | July 29, 2005
SPOILER

Mike Eberhart | July 29, 2005
Yeah, I think that showdown will be really good. Unless it turns out that Snape and Dumbledore had that encounter setup from the beginning and Dumbledore really isn't dead. He did mention to Draco that they could fake death and hide him. So it could have been all show.

I have read the buzz that RAB is Regulus, which I am leaning toward believing. However, that is a good theory that it's one of the owners of Borgin & Burkes.

What did you think about the Half-Blood Prince turning out to be Snape? I kind of thought it might be him when all the potion shortcuts were working so well.

Mike Eberhart | July 29, 2005
SPOILER

Scott Horowitz | July 29, 2005
I had that thought to, but why would the hat put him in Slytherin? I understand why voldemort went in being a half-blood (considering he has slytherin blood running through him), but Snape doesn't....a little odd. It's a great twist. A lot of people also have the theory that Harry himself is the final horcrux (the connection between he and voldemort makes him one)

Scott Horowitz | July 29, 2005
SPOILER

Denise Sawicki | July 29, 2005
I thought she was setting up the reader to believe that Voldemort was the Half-Blood prince what with the book being 50 years old (too old to have been someone of Harry's father's generation). My first guess was Snape but I figured the age of the book ruled that out and I thought it was Voldemort until it was revealed... It's old because it was Snape's mother's, right? I don't have the book here so I'm probably speaking silliness.

Denise Sawicki | July 29, 2005
SPOILERS

Mike Eberhart | July 29, 2005
No, I think the text book was 50 years old, but Snape used it when he was going to school there and made his own modifications to potions. Then he just kept it in the classroom because he was the potions teacher. I think that Snape was entered into Slytherin because he had a large fascination with the Dark Arts.

Mike Eberhart | July 29, 2005
SPOILERS

Scott Hardie | July 30, 2005
At this rate this is going to be the longest discussion all year. :-)

(You can delete your earlier SPOILER warnings after they're no longer needed, but really, I'm just joking. I wish I had something to say about the book.)

Scott Horowitz | August 3, 2005
The text book date is just the publishing date. Didn't you ever have books that were published before you were born???

Scott Horowitz | August 3, 2005
SPOILERS

Denise Sawicki | August 3, 2005
um, OK, I thought I recalled him thinking the book could have been his father's but then looking at some date on it (presumably the date it was actually used) and seeing it was too old. It seemed like a significant point at the time.

(Yet obviously I didn't really care about the matter enough to go back and find the spot in the book where I thought I read this instead of asking somebody else to tell me what's up...)

Denise Sawicki | August 3, 2005
SPOILER

Scott Horowitz | August 19, 2005
anyone else have anything to contribute?

Jackie Mason | August 19, 2005
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Scott Hardie | August 25, 2005
Still reading, Jackie?

I wish I had something of my own to add. Maybe someday I'll try the books, but honestly, the movies satisfy what little urge I have to explore the world of Hogwarts. When you start a "Goblet of Fire" discussion in November, I'll be all over it. :-)

Mike Eberhart | August 25, 2005
Yeah, Jackie, still waiting to hear your thoughts on the book...

Jackie Mason | August 25, 2005
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Jackie Mason | August 25, 2005
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Scott Horowitz | August 25, 2005
Scott,
If you've read the 3rd book, you'll hate the 3rd Movie... they cut out the most important plot elements out of it (IMHO). The books are so easy to read, I have read all of them within 2 or 3 days (each).

Megan Baxter | August 25, 2005
I thought the third movie was easily the best of the three - finally a director with a real visual sense!

What were the plot elements that you thought they cut out?

Scott Horowitz | August 25, 2005
Explanation of the Stag, the marauders map. The history between the 4 of them...

Mike Eberhart | August 25, 2005
Yeah, that's true, they did cut out a lot in that movie. I'm curious to see how they are going to work the fouth movie out. It's a longer book that the third one and the movie length will probably be close to the same. I wouldn't have a problem is they did a 3+ hour movie for the 4th and 5th movie. Or maybe do a Matrix type thing and break one movie into a couple.

Jackie, who do you think the obvious person is? I had a couple people in mind when I was reading it, and I also had at least four people in mind that would be the one killed off. Just wondering what your thinking at this point.

Scott Horowitz | August 25, 2005
From what I've read, the Dursleys are completely cut out of the movie, as are the House Elves.

Jackie Mason | August 26, 2005
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Jackie Mason | August 26, 2005
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Jackie Mason | August 30, 2005
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Jackie Mason | August 30, 2005
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Scott Horowitz | September 6, 2005
Have you finished yet, Jackie?

Jackie Mason | September 7, 2005
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Jackie Mason | September 7, 2005
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Scott Horowitz | September 8, 2005
I was rereading book 2 and noticed some things. Dumbledore says "help will always be given to those who ask." and he's always associated with a phoenix... for some reason, I'm not 100% convinced of his death... but we'll see

Scott Horowitz | September 8, 2005
SPOILERIFIC!!

Kris Weberg | September 8, 2005
Also, don't forget that Voldemort is now in a body with elements borrowed from Harry's. Maybe they won't need the horcruces to finish him after all...or maybe -- and this is what I suspected when the Horcrux thing first came up -- Harry is a horcrux. It'd tie in to stuff like his snake-talk.

Kris Weberg | September 8, 2005
SPOILERS!!!!

Scott Hardie | September 11, 2005
I think that's the first time I've seen Kris write something in all caps with four exclamation points. :-)

Erik Bates | October 29, 2005
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Erik Bates | October 29, 2005
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Jackie Mason | October 30, 2005
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Scott Hardie | November 19, 2005
Anybody see the movie yet? Or should it get its own discussion because of all these book-six spoilers?

Jackie Mason | November 20, 2005
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Jackie Mason | August 1, 2006
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